Yes, you can use the normal dish.
Can i look at this question tomorrow, please?
Can i look at this question tomorrow, please?
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Let me barrel through the stuff including the question raised in the other thread
Here are the instructions from the box:
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That is all you get. That is all you need.
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Here is my unit in the pipe of the old wind generator. My pipe is 2 inches Inside Diameter and the Starlink pipe is 1.5 inches Outside Diameter. I wrapped it with rubber sheet and lucky to have the convenient 8 bolted sleeve.
This is the RV antenna. Its aprox $500. The Maine antenna is aprox 5 times the cost at $2,500. I am not buying the expensive one, not now, not ever. If this one breaks I will just buy another RV, now called Mobile, antenna.
The RV is quite low power draw, about 34 watts, sometimes 53 watts when its searching/connecting.
I understand the $2,500 antenna uses more power
Here are the installation mistakes many make:
As its so simple people try to complicate it and have complicated it.
1) They change WiFI router. I don't know why as it supplies info for the app to work. You must have the app to "Stow" and "Unstow" the antenna. If the boat moves at anchor I find it is better to "Stow" the antenna and then "Unstow" it. Then it will move the dish looking directly up, search for the best spot and then turn the antenna to face that spot.
2) People think the RV one works better without the motor. So they break into the dish and unplug the motor. This is insane as the RV antenna does not have the same angle of reception to the horizontal that the expensive antenna has.
3) They try to make it 12 volt instead of the 110/240 volts. They use a POE voltage injector. BUT the units then become scratchy because the voltage is not what they think. I think its like 50 volts(?) but really 55 volts are required. To change the voltage they need to break into the dish and completely pull it apart.
Note: these mistakes all seem to come from the Starlink for Boats Facebook group. I have never read a bigger load of codswallop than in those pages.
How My Starlink Works
It works SIMPLY. It simply works. Simple instruction sheet. Put it together and it works.
I use mine with an inverter. 34 watts up to 53 watts. The draw is really quite low. I often run it 24 hours per day. Sometimes I turn it off at night.
It works well at sea.
After turning the switch to the router on it take a LONG time to boot up. Maybe 10 minutes often. Sometimes only 2 minutes. The 10 minute time feels like forever, so people mistake it for no coverage.
As I said above If the boat moves at anchor I find it is better to "Stow" the antenna and then "Unstow" it. Then it will move the dish looking directly up, search for the best spot and then turn the antenna to face that spot.
If you have a mountain cliff or trees immediately to the north of you blocking out part of the sky Starlink will be slower, have disconnections and is generally grumpy. It prefers looking north. Your area maybe different.
***When putting the cable connection into the dish pole it is very difficult. Its doesnt quite fit. You need to put a shim of paper, say 2 thicknesses, under the plug and gently work the cable in. Ensure it clicks home. Watch this video Starlink Cable Installation Trouble Quick Fix + Speed Test - YouTube
How the plug looks and how to bend it around a corner: Starlink Dish plug how to Mouse It to run through pipe - YouTube
Changes to Plans / Prices / in motion
There was an email sent to every mobile subscriber telling them they had been using their Starlink against TOS and prices are going up, and that Starlink in motion at sea will require and extra payment of about US$2.50 per GB. Plus you need the $200 plan instead of the $130 plan. ***But when you arrive at port you can switch back to the cheaper plan,. Plans by the month, so not pro-rata by day.
No one has been cut off yet. But things are up in the air. The Regions are BS in the Caribbean. I guess the rest of the world is easier to work out.
My advice is, if you do not NEED Starlink now it would be good to wait till they get it sorted out. But they have bigger fish to fry than a few hundred boats.
If you buy it now, budget on $130 while at home. $200 when you want to go to actually be at sea on passage. At sea an extra $2.50 per GB.
Conclusion:
Don't overthink this. Its simple. Its Plug and Play to the max. Run it through the inverter, don't rip it apart. It was designed by experts with a motor in it - It will not work better if you disconnect the motor. Buy the $500 mobile/RV antenna not the $2,500 unless you have money to burn and have the extra power to run it.
In 1 year we will know more about the longevity of the dish, and the Plans. Its so good, its worth it to buy a new dish every few years.
End Point: It is so great you will never regret it!
Any questions?
Mark
There is no tech talk needed. Its so absolutely simple that its really making some people very angry. They want it complicated and demand it so ... to the extent they are breaking their devices.
Here are the instructions from the box:
That is all you get. That is all you need.
Here is my unit in the pipe of the old wind generator. My pipe is 2 inches Inside Diameter and the Starlink pipe is 1.5 inches Outside Diameter. I wrapped it with rubber sheet and lucky to have the convenient 8 bolted sleeve.
This is the RV antenna. Its aprox $500. The Maine antenna is aprox 5 times the cost at $2,500. I am not buying the expensive one, not now, not ever. If this one breaks I will just buy another RV, now called Mobile, antenna.
The RV is quite low power draw, about 34 watts, sometimes 53 watts when its searching/connecting.
I understand the $2,500 antenna uses more power
Here are the installation mistakes many make:
As its so simple people try to complicate it and have complicated it.
1) They change WiFI router. I don't know why as it supplies info for the app to work. You must have the app to "Stow" and "Unstow" the antenna. If the boat moves at anchor I find it is better to "Stow" the antenna and then "Unstow" it. Then it will move the dish looking directly up, search for the best spot and then turn the antenna to face that spot.
2) People think the RV one works better without the motor. So they break into the dish and unplug the motor. This is insane as the RV antenna does not have the same angle of reception to the horizontal that the expensive antenna has.
3) They try to make it 12 volt instead of the 110/240 volts. They use a POE voltage injector. BUT the units then become scratchy because the voltage is not what they think. I think its like 50 volts(?) but really 55 volts are required. To change the voltage they need to break into the dish and completely pull it apart.
Note: these mistakes all seem to come from the Starlink for Boats Facebook group. I have never read a bigger load of codswallop than in those pages.
How My Starlink Works
It works SIMPLY. It simply works. Simple instruction sheet. Put it together and it works.
I use mine with an inverter. 34 watts up to 53 watts. The draw is really quite low. I often run it 24 hours per day. Sometimes I turn it off at night.
It works well at sea.
After turning the switch to the router on it take a LONG time to boot up. Maybe 10 minutes often. Sometimes only 2 minutes. The 10 minute time feels like forever, so people mistake it for no coverage.
As I said above If the boat moves at anchor I find it is better to "Stow" the antenna and then "Unstow" it. Then it will move the dish looking directly up, search for the best spot and then turn the antenna to face that spot.
If you have a mountain cliff or trees immediately to the north of you blocking out part of the sky Starlink will be slower, have disconnections and is generally grumpy. It prefers looking north. Your area maybe different.
***When putting the cable connection into the dish pole it is very difficult. Its doesnt quite fit. You need to put a shim of paper, say 2 thicknesses, under the plug and gently work the cable in. Ensure it clicks home. Watch this video Starlink Cable Installation Trouble Quick Fix + Speed Test - YouTube
How the plug looks and how to bend it around a corner: Starlink Dish plug how to Mouse It to run through pipe - YouTube
Changes to Plans / Prices / in motion
There was an email sent to every mobile subscriber telling them they had been using their Starlink against TOS and prices are going up, and that Starlink in motion at sea will require and extra payment of about US$2.50 per GB. Plus you need the $200 plan instead of the $130 plan. ***But when you arrive at port you can switch back to the cheaper plan,. Plans by the month, so not pro-rata by day.
No one has been cut off yet. But things are up in the air. The Regions are BS in the Caribbean. I guess the rest of the world is easier to work out.
My advice is, if you do not NEED Starlink now it would be good to wait till they get it sorted out. But they have bigger fish to fry than a few hundred boats.
If you buy it now, budget on $130 while at home. $200 when you want to go to actually be at sea on passage. At sea an extra $2.50 per GB.
Conclusion:
Don't overthink this. Its simple. Its Plug and Play to the max. Run it through the inverter, don't rip it apart. It was designed by experts with a motor in it - It will not work better if you disconnect the motor. Buy the $500 mobile/RV antenna not the $2,500 unless you have money to burn and have the extra power to run it.
In 1 year we will know more about the longevity of the dish, and the Plans. Its so good, its worth it to buy a new dish every few years.
End Point: It is so great you will never regret it!
Any questions?
Mark
It doesnt move at all. Then an hour or 2 later it has moved. It just finds a time when you are not looking and moves either to a better position, or, straight upwards to assess the best position.
Thats why I "stow" and "unstow" it sometimes. That forces it to an orientation for its box, so when you unstow it the dish must look for a good spot.
Its not like a normal sat dish that tracks a satellite by moving all the time. It sits in the best position and waits for satellites to go over.
Mark
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