Anyone signing up for Starlink?

[kstine98]

I signed up in January but it is not available in my area yet.  Speeds look awesome...for now.  I am concerned that the more users, the slower the speed.  But, our local internet service is a joke, so this almost has to be better!

 

[John E Davies]

Here is a new “roving” test from Outside magazine.

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/camping/starlink-high-speed-internet-camping-test/

It sure sounds interesting but the subscription price would be hard for me to swallow. Will they offer a month by month subscription? My inReach one can be cancelled any time and started right back up again later, no worries.

I still have issues with all those tens of thousands of darned satellites clogging up the sky. I think that is going to turn out badly.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[topgun2]

HERE is a very recent video which shows an unboxing and setup of a Starlink system.

Bill

[topgun2]

And another one.  Just released an hour ago.

Bill

[ScottyGS]

It seems that Starlink has enabled roaming... So no more changing your address to get coverage.   Here is a link to the availability map.  https://www.starlink.com/map   Interesting that coverage is almost complete in the places where you would need it the most.  The Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, etc.   I am tempted to spend the $99 to waitlist just to get in the queue. 

[SeaDawg]

Prices just went up, too.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/23/spacex-raises-prices-for-launches-and-starlink-due-to-inflation.html

[ScottyGS]

2 hours ago, SeaDawg said:

Prices just went up, too.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/23/spacex-raises-prices-for-launches-and-starlink-due-to-inflation.html

Yep...  But...   Thinking that many folks pay over 200 per month for a cable / phone / internet connection.  So, $110 for Starlink plus just basic cable might equal a small savings overall.  Not ready to make the jump yet but... maybe when they get service at our home location. 

[Guest]

19 hours ago, ScottyGS said:

Interesting that coverage is almost complete in the places where you would need it the most.

Not Twin Falls, Idaho though! 😂

[ScottyGS]

4 hours ago, Kirk Peterson said:

Not Twin Falls, Idaho though! 😂

Yeah... what's up with that?   Not Twin Fall, Boise, Idaho Falls.  Nor Helena, Billings and near Missoula Montana.   It's like they are purposefully missing the large population centers.  Collusion with cable?  Where are the Hardy Boys when you need them? 

[SeaDawg]

45 minutes ago, ScottyGS said:

 It's like they are purposefully missing the large population centers

Indeed, I  think it is part of the plan, for several reasons.

Many rural and remote areas really need starlink, and most urban areas already have decent high speed internet availability.  Also, it's easier to provide good latency time and up/down speeds with a half million users scattered across 29 countries in remote areas, than to clog it up with a few concentrations of power users in urban areas. Musk has talked about the challenges of managing urban areas in the future, actually. The pricing is also more attractive for users in remote, under- or unserved areas. My high speed internet in an urban area is far less than starlink, for example, at $65 vs. $99 or $110.

Edit to add a couple links to articles with more info:

https://www.techtimes.com/articles/259864/20210504/elon-musk-guarantees-service-spacex-starlink-500k-applicants-internet-challenge-urban.htm

https://www.geekwire.com/2022/elon-musk-are-you-out-there-spacex-starlink-internet-service-gets-more-reliable-and-mobile/

 

 

[John E Davies]

That is a little odd, I can sign up, yet I live in a metro area with a population of 600,000.

John Davies

Spokane WA 

[SeaDawg]

You can sign up, but it doesn't mean you'll get a dish and access anytime soon. I have been signed up for over a year, for our camping propertyin NC. Probably too close to a metro area. Deposit is refundable. 

Eventually,  we'll all get it. But, it will be awhile.

Sign up, and when you get a product and service from Tesla, are two very different things, in my experience.  We waited over a year and a half for our tesla powerwalls. 

I'll be patient on starlink. We have few options up there. Mostly Verizon phone, as a hotspot.

Still waiting on my cybertruck, not even counting the years, anymore. Is what it is.

[IL_Travelers]

Yes, I have been conspicuously absent for awhile.  We sold our home of nearly 40 years in late November after a 12-hour listing.  Since then we have been consumed with a "frame-off" renovation of our new digs.  We are moving to our church-owned Independent Living / Retirement Community where I was Administrator & CEO for 30 years.  I often commented that "It is a nice place, but I'd never live there;" however, it just goes to show Never Say Never!  My leather shop will command the garage!

Several months ago, I signed up for the Starlink (SL) waiting list.  A few days ago, I decided to check into SL service coverage in the Sheridan, WY area.  To my delight, I found it was available!  Although we will still be living in Morton, IL, we are planning a trip to the Rocky Mountain Leather Trade Show in Sheridan in mid-may.  I immediately pulled the trigger on SL, and right now my order is confirmed, and I am waiting for a shipping confirmation in hopes of obtaining my Dishy in time for the show.  I set up my service location as Sheridan, WY.

I have joined several FB Starlink groups and spent some time on YouTube perusing what the "experts" have to say.  It appears it is relatively easy to change one's service address "after the fact."  In other words, upon leaving Sheridan and arriving at a new location, I think I will be able to search to see if SL has service there and simply change my service address at that time.  There is also a service map one can check ahead, but you can search how to do that on your own.  

Also, the roaming SL service is in Beta, so it may just work anyhow.  This whole enchilada is changing so fast, and the reports are sooooo good, that I am PUMPED!

I sure welcome more comments and suggestions.  

Yeehaw!

[IL_Travelers]

To clarify; I set our "service address" on our Starlink order as the campground's address in Sheridan, WY; however, everything is being shipped to our new home in Morton, IL.  That is allowed.

Neat, huh!

[IL_Travelers]

Our Starlink kit now has an "Estimated Ship Date" of April 24 - May 4, 2022.  Perhaps we will receive it in time for our departure.

Initially, I plan to just set it up on the ground and temporarlly run the cable in through a window or something.  I would welcome suggestions; Oliver Service may need to get involved at some point as I am not comfortable drilling through the hull.

[SeaDawg]

11 hours ago, IL_Travelers said:

Our Starlink kit now has an "Estimated Ship Date" of April 24 - May 4, 2022

That's pretty exciting news

[John E Davies]

12 hours ago, IL_Travelers said:

Initially, I plan to just set it up on the ground and temporarlly run the cable in through a window or something.  I would welcome suggestions; Oliver Service may need to get involved at some point as I am not comfortable drilling through the hull.

I don't know what cables it uses, but there should be an appropriate "through hull" connector. I would drill a hole behind the propane bottles, mount that connector there. and run the inside cable from under the bath sink. From there it is simple to get to the rest of the interior. I haven't read through this thread, it has 60 comments so it might help.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Starlink/comments/kl6a9d/installing_starlink_cable_through_exterior_wall/

John Davies

Spokane WA

[IL_Travelers]

Thank you!  Great plan. 

[larcat]

We're buying our first RV (a Winnebago Micro Minnie) on Monday, and if we enjoy it as much as we anticipate we'll be upgrading to an Oliver in early 2023. We're going to be living in it for about 5 weeks in June/July (so I hope we enjoy it!) and I'll be using Starlink to work from a state park.

I'll post experiences here.

I've got a flagpole buddy/pole and pole mount on order, and will be slipping the cable under the gasket of the Winnebago's slide out.

Curious to hear about what people end up doing the cable routing in an Oliver. Hopefully they offer some sort of starlink cable routing as an option / preinstalled volcano mount maybe.

[IL_Travelers]

UPDATE ON OUR STARLINK:

Our package from Elon Musk arrived yesterday, 04-28-22.  As I previously stated, I ordered the kit to be shipped to our home in Morton, Illinois with a service address of Sheridan, Wyoming, where we will be camping in a couple of weeks.   I was eager to try out the system, since I have learned that most of the Starlink kits that are being shipped are equipped with roaming capabilities.  I checked the Starlink map on the website and searching my localities.  It is a simple task; there is a small icon in the upper left corner to click, and a world map opens showing light and dark green shading where coverage exists.

I found that Morton, IL, had coverage; however, Tremont, IL, where R-Villa is in storage, was just outside the coverage area.  I decided to drive the six miles to Tremont, set it up, and take a chance!  I had learned from my research on Facebook Starlink groups that the coverage is sometimes better than the map indicates.

It took me all of ten minutes to set up the "Dishy."  The instructions are super easy.  I used a Jackery Explorer 300 Solar Generator as a power source, placed the Dishy on the roof of my truck, and powered up.  Even though I was not in my service area and the map said there was no coverage, Dishy immediately started searching and locked onto the satellites immediately.  Within minutes, I had a Wi-Fi network set up!  (I did turn off the snow melt feature, as it is a power consumer.)

I entered the Ollie, turned on the Visio, and set the TV to the new Wi-Fi network I had just set up.  Voilá, I'm streaming Netflix!

This is a game changer!

[SeaDawg]

40 minutes ago, IL_Travelers said:

This is a game changer

Sounds fantastic! Congratulations, and thanks for the update. Looking forward to getting ours.

[rideandfly]

On 4/15/2022 at 7:20 AM, ScottyGS said:

 I am tempted to spend the $99 to waitlist just to get in the queue. 

Same here, we would be scheduled for 2023 at $110 per month.

[Wolfepack]

That is awesome IL-travelers….we’re you able to conduct a speed test to see the up and down speeds?

[IL_Travelers]

Yes, I did speed tests with both Starlink (see attached screen shot) and Ookla; both similar. The speeds were not blisteringly fast; however, I was in a location where coverage was not even supposed to exist!  
When I get to Wyoming in a couple of weeks, I will give it a more thorough workout in a robust coverage area and report back. 

[John E Davies]

https://expeditionportal.com/starlink-satellite-internet-service-is-now-roaming/

John Davies

Spokane WA