BSN NAL 20 Meter Premium Filtered Antenna Kit (ASE-PFA20)

BSN NAL 20 Meter Premium Filtered Antenna Kit (ASE-PFA20)

The ASE-PFA20 kit combines a premium passive filtered Iridium antenna, a defined 66 ft / 20 m LMR600 coaxial cable, a lightning arrester, and a mounting bracket—a configuration intended to standardize installation outcomes and reduce common causes of poor performance such as RF interference and suboptimal antenna placement.

Within BSN’s resiliency catalog, ASE-PFA20 is classified as a Premium Filtered Passive Antenna kit, distinguishing it from (1) standard passive kits (ASE-FA series) that do not include premium filtering and (2) premium active filtered kits (ASE-PFA27 and above) that add an interface box and support longer runs with powered architectures.

Design and Features

Premium passive filtered antenna architecture

ASE-PFA20 is built around a passive Iridium antenna, meaning the antenna does not require power at the antenna head (unlike active antennas that amplify or condition signals at the antenna). “Premium filtered” indicates the antenna system is intended to help mitigate interference in RF-dense environments, a common issue near antenna farms, industrial sites, and urban rooftops where strong nearby transmitters can reduce Iridium receiver sensitivity. ASE’s premium antenna literature describes “noise reduction” via filtering concepts as part of the premium line’s purpose.

Defined 20 m (66 ft) low-loss cable (LMR600)

The kit includes a 66 ft (20 m) LMR600 coaxial cable, which is a low-loss RF cable commonly used for professional installations where attenuation must be minimized. BSN’s catalog explicitly specifies LMR600 and the 20 m length for ASE-PFA20.
ASE’s premium brochure treats cable length as part of the engineered system and warns that using the wrong cable or altering the supplied length can damage components and/or invalidate warranty—underscoring that ASE-PFA20 is designed to be installed “as specified,” not improvised.

Lightning arrester and outdoor-install protection

ASE-PFA20 includes a lightning arrester, a standard component in professional rooftop and mast installations where lightning-induced surges can travel down coax into indoor electronics. The BSN resiliency catalog and other ASE kit references list the lightning arrester as included for PFA kits, positioning it as part of the premium installation package rather than an optional add-on.

Mounting bracket for standardized placement

A mounting bracket is included to support consistent antenna placement on common structures (masts, poles, rooftop mounts). This matters because Iridium performance is often dominated by sky view and obstruction avoidance; a bracket supports proper positioning and repeatable installs across fleets or sites.

Technology and Specifications

What’s included (kit bill of materials)

ASE’s premium antenna brochure lists the passive premium system contents for PFA-20 class kits, including:

• PFA Iridium passive antenna

• Antenna mounting bracket

• .6 m LMR240 N(F) to TNC(M) adapter cable

• 20 m LMR600 cable

• Lightning arrestor

BSN’s resiliency catalog summarizes ASE-PFA20 as:

• Premium Filtered Passive Antenna kit

• 66’ (20 meters) LMR600 cable

• premium passive filtered antenna

• lightning arrester

• mounting bracket

Shipping and trade classification (useful for procurement)

BSN’s catalog provides standardized logistics and export classification for ASE-PFA20:

• HTS: 8517.70.0000

• ECCN: EAR99

• Shipping dimensions: 16 × 14 × 8 in (41 × 36 × 20 cm)

• Shipping weight: 12 lb (5 kg)

Positioning within ASE antenna options

A separate ASE/ComCenter accessory document lists ASE-PFA12 and ASE-PFA20 under “ASE antenna and cable options” with identical component framing (premium passive filtered antenna + lightning arrester + bracket), confirming the PFA20’s intended role as the longer of the two premium passive kits.

Applications and Use Cases

Indoor Iridium satphone operation (docking stations and fixed points)

A primary use case is enabling reliable indoor calling with Iridium handsets that are docked inside a building while the antenna is installed outdoors. This is common for remote facilities, emergency operations centers, and offices that require a predictable satellite calling location during outages.

Marine and offshore installations

On vessels, handheld Iridium phones often underperform below deck due to steel and obstructions. A passive filtered kit like ASE-PFA20 supports routing the antenna to a higher location (mast/rail hardtop) while keeping the handset accessible inside the bridge or cabin—often improving call stability and message success rates.

RF-dense or interference-prone environments

Premium filtered antenna kits are frequently selected when the issue is not just obstruction, but RF interference from nearby transmitters. The premium filtering concept is intended to reduce the impact of out-of-band energy on Iridium reception, which can matter at sites like industrial facilities, ports, and co-located comms rooftops.

Standardized multi-site rollouts

Because ASE-PFA20 is a defined kit (antenna + exact cable length/type + arrester + bracket), it is often used where organizations want repeatable installs across multiple sites and consistent parts for maintenance.

Advantages / Benefits

Higher installation consistency than “mix-and-match” antenna setups

ASE-PFA20 packages the critical components needed for a known-good passive install, reducing errors such as poor cable selection, omitted surge protection, or incompatible connectors. The explicit “system includes” lists and the cable-length policy in ASE documentation reinforce this engineered approach.

Premium filtering to improve performance in challenging RF conditions

Where interference is a limiting factor, premium filtering can improve practical usability by helping the Iridium receiver focus on the intended band and reducing desensitization effects (site dependent).

Built-in lightning arrester for outdoor deployments

Including the lightning arrester reduces procurement friction and encourages best-practice protection for rooftop and mast installations—especially important for business-continuity systems where uptime matters.

Balanced cable length for many roof-to-room installs

The 20 m / 66 ft length is long enough for many “roof to comms room” installations while remaining within the intended design envelope of a passive kit, where cable loss is a key constraint.

FAQ Section

What is the BSN NAL ASE-PFA20?

The ASE-PFA20 is a 20 meter (66 ft) Premium Filtered Passive Antenna Kit for Iridium installations, bundling a premium filtered passive antenna, LMR600 cable, lightning arrester, and mounting bracket.

How does ASE-PFA20 work?

It relocates the Iridium antenna to an outdoor location with better sky view and connects it to the indoor handset/docking system using a defined low-loss coax run. The premium filtered antenna design is intended to reduce interference effects in challenging RF environments.

Why is ASE-PFA20 important?

Indoor and below-deck environments can block satellite signals, and RF congestion can further degrade performance. ASE-PFA20 provides a standardized, protected antenna system (including surge protection) designed to improve real-world Iridium usability in fixed installations.

What are the benefits of ASE-PFA20 versus a basic passive antenna kit?

ASE-PFA20 is positioned as “premium filtered” and includes a lightning arrester as part of the kit, whereas basic passive kits typically focus on antenna + cable + mount without the premium filtering bundle.

Can I cut the supplied 20 m cable to a shorter length?

ASE’s premium antenna documentation warns that using the wrong cable or shortening the supplied cable can damage the antenna and invalidate warranty—so installs generally follow the specified cable/length approach.

Summary

The BSN NAL ASE-PFA20 is a 20 m premium filtered passive Iridium antenna kit engineered for indoor, marine, and fixed-site deployments where antenna placement, cable loss, and RF interference can limit handheld satphone performance. With a defined LMR600 cable, included lightning arrester, and standardized mounting hardware—and with procurement-friendly identifiers like HTS 8517.70.0000 and EAR99—it is designed for repeatable, professional installations that prioritize reliability