What's RockBLOCK?

RockBLOCK makes it easy to use Iridium Short-Burst Data (SBD) services with your project.

The PCB assembly hosts an Iridium SBD transceiver, simplifies the power requirements, and provides a serial interface to your project. RF considerations are taken care of by RockBLOCK's built-in antenna, or SMA connector for an external antenna.

What's in the box?

We ship you a RockBLOCK, and an activation card that you use to register on the Core.

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Please Note

Cables and External Antenna are not included. You will need to buy the USB / Tails cables and external Patch / Helical antennas separately.

What RockBLOCK isn't...

RockBLOCK does not contain a GPS receiver and is not capable of autonomous operation. It is not a tracking device, but could provide the satellite communications element of such a device when paired with a suitable controller and GPS receiver.

What could I do with RockBLOCK?

Lots of things.

The vast majority of applications involve some kind of sensor, some kind of processor to read data from the sensor and control communications with RockBLOCK. RockBLOCK forms the data transmission part of this system.

Can you give me some real real-world examples?

  • Control systems for remote vehicles
  • (Very) remote weather stations
  • Systems to monitor the health of honey bee populations
  • Monitoring of oil wells and pipelines

Our Ground Control Blog features a number of real-world applications - feel free to have a look at what people are using RockBLOCKs for!

Can I get some help?

Yes, but first, please read this manual carefully - we've tried to answer every conceivable question you might have!

You're very welcome to email our friendly support team at [email protected].