Starlink

[KilroyJC]

I decided to keep Starlink. I'm not sure why but the performance greatly improved. I'm now getting 150 - 200 down / 15 - 25 up on a regular basis. The speeds slow a bit during heavy rain / snow but I can live with that. Service interruptions have been short and relatively infrequent. Overall, I'm happy with the service.

There was also a price increase on my wireless internet so the $110/mo. is a bit easier to take.

Thank you! I hope my Dishy goes up soon - still waiting for rain to end

 

[KilroyJC]

I have no obstructions, I have a 0260 stihl.

and you ain’t afraid to use it!

 

[KilroyJC]

Greeting guys. I'm sorta new here. I'm brand new to this Starlink thing. Been on the wait list for a year.
I just got notice my order is preparing. I got the residential pkg.
I have been struggling for 40 yrs with crappy internet. So excited.
So tell me what am I getting into and what should I expect?

Remember when having a Hayes 14.4 and a 100meg hard drive made you King Cat?

 

[KilroyJC]

If your first computer had disk and not tape storage you're just a youngster...

View attachment 763325

I still have my Atari 400 computer and a 1010 cassette drive...

Vic 20 and a tape drive, finally donated it when we moved in 2015…

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Remember when having a Hayes 14.4 and a 100meg hard drive made you King Cat?

Hard drive, didn’t have no stinking hard drive.

 

[KilroyJC]

Hard drive, didn’t have no stinking hard drive.

I was never King Cat (at least when it counted). . .

But I still have my Brother portable manual typewriter from high school - I bet the ribbon is drier than nori at this point!

 

[BravoXray]

Remember when having a Hayes 14.4 and a 100meg hard drive made you King Cat?

I started out with a RS Model 1 with a 300 baud modem and a couple of single sided 160K floppy drives. Later I had an IBM PC XT and a US Robotics 14.4K modem.
Those were the days!

 

[ponytug]

I was never King Cat (at least when it counted). . .

But I still have my Brother portable manual typewriter from high school - I bet the ribbon is drier than nori at this point!

Yet another use for WD-40!

My typewriter is a tiny bit newer, but I haven't used it in eons....

All the best,

Peter

 

[scootr]

What's a typewriter?

On a more serious note. Service speed is generally slowing and interruptions are more frequent. I suspect this is a result of over selling the service.
Will the commercial subscription solve these issues?

 

[cqaigy2]

Yet another use for WD-40!

My typewriter is a tiny bit newer, but I haven't used it in eons....

All the best,

Peter

My grandson saw a typewriter and was fascinated by it. Don't know where he saw it, but he asked Gma if she had any of that ancient tech. She did find one in a thrift shop, a surprisingly nice one for cheap. WD-40 what i worked it over with, and put on the ribbon. Now my grandson love to type on it. He's learning how to use a keyboard and i'm teaching him how to code, just html right now.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

Service speed is generally slowing and interruptions are more frequent. I suspect this is a result of over selling the service.

We've had a LOT of rain up here, and several times I've noticed short pauses in the service. It's never been that fast at 75 down, though. I'm in a heavily subscribed area with wait list for Residential service, which is what I have.

I'm wondering if what you're seeing is weather related, too.

 

[ponytug]

Around here, rainfall intensity is pretty light in the grand scheme of things, and even during what passes for heavy downpours here, I can't see anything out of the ordinary. IIRC: there was some filing that suggested that there might be impairment above 1-2" of rain/hr.

Here is an in-depth analysis of the impact of rainfall rate on Ka and Ku bands in a tropical location with heavy (1"-12" rain/hour) rainfall. (Starlink uses both.)

Exploring Rain Fade in an Extreme Rain Fall Zone

Rain Fade is a factor with Ku-band and Ka-band satellite communications. Rainfall rate is measured in mm/hour. The occurrence ...

www.satcom.guru

(region P, below)

 

[LouNY]

Amazing I don't live in monsoon area but I have lost service during thunderstorms this paet summer.

 

[KilroyJC]

so, progresss report so far:

blocks of wood clamped to prevent base of mast from slipping sideways during lift (also visible is a pre-mounted bolt/stud for rapid fastening):

and the top stud:

bottom Unistrut and middle EMT sections u-bolted together (black tape is holding a spring-loaded StruNut in place for an additional bolt at the top of the existing strut on the solar array) :

Trial lift of the two pieces assembled (it wasnt too bad - I am sure it will be tougher fully assembled!):

Upper bolt/stud with mast raised:

Earlier, we had some Spectacular performance from our DSL:

 

[sodamo]

KilroyJC
Curious why you just didn’t mount at roof peak. Might have been easier.

 

[Tropical Jack]

Looking great! Almost there!

Jack

 

[KilroyJC]

I

KilroyJC
Curious why you just didn’t mount at roof peak. Might have been easier.

I don’t have a ladder long enough, and I haven’t purchased my scaffolding yet.

this is temporary until spring. And I can do it without getting on a ladder. Okay, I need to get on a 6’ ladder to spin on a couple nuts. . . But I don’t need to be 20+ feet up on a ladder . . .

 

[RedNeckGeek]

And I can do it without getting on a ladder.

Even if you had a tall enough ladder, do you really want to go up there every time the Dishy needs some love? I have a Protect camera sitting on the top of a pretty spindly pole, and every time it needs to be reset (which unfortunately is every so often), I can unscrew one bolt and pivot the pole down until it lays across the bed of the side-by-side. The Dishy, though, is at the top of an 8' pole that is anchored in 2' of concrete. I need a ladder for that one, and I wish I'd done it the same way as that camera pole.

 

[BigBlue1]

Even if you had a tall enough ladder, do you really want to go up there every time the Dishy needs some love? I have a Protect camera sitting on the top of a pretty spindly pole, and every time it needs to be reset (which unfortunately is every so often), I can unscrew one bolt and pivot the pole down until it lays across the bed of the side-by-side. The Dishy, though, is at the top of an 8' pole that is anchored in 2' of concrete. I need a ladder for that one, and I wish I'd done it the same way as that camera pole.

My dish has been mounted on my roof since about a month after I got it, so April-ish 2021. I haven't had to touch it since.

 

[Fallon]

My dish has been mounted on my roof since about a month after I got it, so April-ish 2021. I haven't had to touch it since.

Also, you can just unplug the cable to the dishy at the AP end. So unless something comes loose up top there would be no need to get up there.

I do agree with not crawling on the roof if you don't have to though. Not sure how ill mess with antenna on my 60' HAM radio tower now that my neighbor sold his 60' man lift. I could climb the tower, but really don't want to (and don't have the proper harnesses).