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SPAN Installation Chapter 2
SPAN-IGM User Manual Rev 2 19
2.3.3 Connect the Antenna to the SPAN-IGM
Connect the antenna cable from the connector on the GNSS antenna to the Antenna port on the
SPAN-IGM. See Figure 3, Typical SPAN-IGM Set Up – Serial Port on page 16.
For best performance, use a high-quality coaxial cable. An appropriate coaxial cable is one that matches
the impedances of the antenna and receiver (50 ohms), and has a line loss that does not exceed 10.0
dB. If the limit is exceeded, excessive signal degradation may occur and the receiver may not meet
performance specifications.
If your application requires the use of cable longer than 30 m, refer to application note APN-003 RF
Equipment Selection and Installation, available at www.novatel.com/support/knowledge-and-learning/
published-papers-and-documents/application-notes/.
2.3.4 Connect Power
The SPAN-IGM requires an input voltage of +10 to +30 VDC. The SPAN-IGM has an internal power
module that:
• filters and regulates the supply voltage
• protects against over-voltage, over-current, and high-temperature conditions
• provides automatic reset circuit protection
The power input pins are located on the MAIN connector. If you are using a NovAtel interface cable (part
number 01019014), the power leads are labelled BATT+ and BATT-. Be sure to connect the power with
the correct polarity and ensure the power source is within specifications. If you are creating a custom
interface cable, see Appendix A, Technical Specifications on page 52 for the MAIN connector pin out and
power input requirements.
There is always a drop in voltage between the power source and the power port due to cable loss.
Improper selection of wire gauge can lead to an unacceptable voltage drop at the SPAN system. A paired
wire run represents a feed and return line. Therefore, a 2 metre wire pair represents a total wire path of 4
metres. For a SPAN system operating from a 12 V system, a power cable longer than 2.1 m (7 ft.) should
not use a wire diameter smaller than 24 AWG.
The SPAN-IGM can supply power for the antenna Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) through the
Antenna port center conductor. The SPAN-IGM provides +5 VDC +/- 5% at a maximum of
100 mA.
NovAtel offers several coaxial cables to meet your GNSS antenna interconnection
requirements, including 5, 15 and 30 m antenna cable with TNC connectors on both ends
(NovAtel part numbers GPS-C006, GPS-C016 and GPS-C032).
A SPAN-IGM can be connected to a FlexPak6 receiver to create an ALIGN system (see
Figure 8, SPAN-IGM - Dual Antenna Installation on page 39).
When the SPAN-IGM is connected to the FlexPak6 using a SPAN-IGM ALIGN cable
(NovAtel part number 01019089), the FlexPak6 provides power for the SPAN-IGM through
the SPAN-IGM ALIGN cable.
The power supply used to power the SPAN-IGM must be monotonic during power on to
ensure internal logic blocks are initialized appropriately and proceed to valid operating
states. If the power supply is not monotonic during power on, the accelerometer status in
the IMU status may show a failure and the accelerometer measurements in the RAWIMUS
log (see the SPAN on OEM6 Firmware Reference Manual (OM-20000144)) will be zero.
Power cycling with a monotonic power up clears this error state.