Function of Component

The backup transceiver will be a backup for the custom transceiver. It’ll be used to receive and transmit radio frequency signals.

Key Parameters

The following parameters were used in making a selection:

• Output Power
  • How much power the transceiver can output
  • Units: dBm (decibel-milliwatts)
• Modulation Technique
  • Adjusting a message signal to optimize it for transmission
• Data Rate
  • How fast data is transmitted between two devices
  • Units: bps (bytes per second)
• Frequency
  • Number of cycles per second
  • Units: Hz (hertz)
• Input Power
  • Energy required for the device to operate
• Input Sensitivity
  • The smallest signal strength able to be detected by the transceiver
  • Units: dBm (decibel-milliwatts)
• Interface / Communication Protocol
  • Guidelines that allow the exchange of information between two devices

Selection Criteria

Values being considered for the backup transceiver:

• Output power around 30dBm (the closer to 31.7dBm, the better)
• The option to use FSK, MSK, and GFSK as modulation techniques
• Data rate of 9600bps for downlink and 1800bps for receive
• Frequency between 430-450MHz
• Low input power
• Input sensitivity of around -150dBm
• Ideal would be SPI for Interface / Communication Protocol, but I2C and others work as well