Starlink Install

[hbn7hj]

An Interblog post is always a treat! Sent, via Starlink, from 9731ft altitude in a canyon in Colorado.

[InterBlog]

560 AH of lithium @ 24 volts in the trailer, so like 1,120 AH of 12 volt equivalency (defining “boatload” in my previous post).

Regarding connectivity, my conversation with my husband yesterday went something like this.

Me: “I’m going to hate paying five or six hundred bucks for Starlink hardware.”

Him: “But you just spent TWO hundred bucks on a heavy-gauge telescoping antenna mast.”

Me: “OK, somebody shoot me for taking THAT calculated risk.”


I watched Technomadia’s video describing the Starlink-for-RV throttling that is being done right now. The proof will be in the pudding, which will be very difficult for the rest of us to sample. In other words, how-bad-is-bad will come from anecdotal user reports, which are very difficult to integrate into a coherent whole.

With that in mind, at this point, here’s what would be helpful to me (and others):

Those of you who have Starlink, please report on BOTH your upload and download speeds. Even scattered anecdotal reports are better than nothing.

I have no feel for Starlink’s productivity bias, if there is one. Is it wholly optimized for consumption, or is there an acknowledgment that some of us out here in the world must actually use our connectivity for productive use as well, which requires uploading capacity?

In other words, we know that cellular is wildly biased in favor of consumption. That’s why I often get 5 Mbps download and 0.00 Mbps upload in my current cellular configuration. Is Starlink similarly hobbled?

Thanks.

[hbn7hj]

You will need your telescoping mast for your Starlink antenna.

Speeds are all over the place. At present 80 mbps download and 3 upload which is the lowest upload I have ever seen. Performance doesn’t seem to track speed numbers so I don’t often check it. I don’t have an upload requirement.

I have residential with portability and am not at my service address.

I have the 2nd generation round antenna. Friends with the square antenna have had problems with the antenna connector. Leave that connector alone and install male and female RJ45 connectors on the cable is the advice being shared.

I would guess there are less than 6 Starlink antennas near my location.

[hbn7hj]

This evenings speeds are 27 down and 3 up. I’m competing with Starlink antennas a hundred or more miles away and ground stations are far apart.

I wouldn’t make a decision about whether to be involved or not over speed reports. Decide whether you would like to be involved in the development as next year’s reality may be, will be, totally different. Reality in Nova Scotia could be totally different, also.

For me speed is not important as long as a video can play. I have received perfectly clear phone calls in locations where cell phone signals are non existent. I’m happy to ride along with the development.

I don’t know of any unsatisfied users except those that damaged the connector to the rectangular dish. Plug it in and don’t mess with it.

[hbn7hj]

It appears Starlink has had a service event over the last day or two. Some noted an interruption of service of four hours. All seems well now. The effect to me is low speed.

Upload speeds are rarely mentioned by other users.

We have been promised an RV friendly antenna. Prototype pictures show two flat panels, one for transmit, one for receive and both of them flat on the roof. No idea when that will be available but waiting for it may be the thing to do.

Right now the round antenna cannot be ordered in the US. I expect one will be able to choose between the rectangular antenna and the two panel RV antenna when available.

The Youtube channel Cheaprvliving put out a review of his Starlink experiences that turns out to be a bit of a puff piece. He appears to be located near a location called Eureka north of Silverton, Colorado. I can verify there is no cell service there. He does need an upload capability. He did not complain about it.

I have no disagreement with his conclusions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuOxU-HxRFY

Speeds are still low today. I have a software update to load, maybe that will improve things.

[hbn7hj]

Disappointed that no one with an upload requirement has posted. Traveling Video Bloggers have adopted Starlink. Carolyn’s RV life, Eva Zu Beck, Vancity Vanlife, Cheaprvliving. Itchy Boots has not. She travels by small motorcycle and doesn’t have the room or power. She doesn’t camp either so wifi is a lodging issue.

The attached picture is the present situation. The last 8 hours has had network issues for 16 seconds and no signal for 22 seconds. The mountains are no trouble to me but I expect they would give Zoom calls and such real time use some dropout problems.

I did see a van parked overnight beside the road with a Starlink antenna on the ground 10 ft. behind it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs2QcycggWU&t=454s