Starlink

[WoodChuckDad]

I used the app last night, standing next to the house, orienting myself so that my line of sight was passing across the area of the roof I would be mounting it. there is some obstruction toward the bottom of the screen, from tall pine trees. Does the dish continue to make minor movements, tracking satelites, or when it finds it's position, does it stay there? I am just wondering how much of an effect that lower obstruction will have.

 

[BrierPatch]

The dish does not track the satellites. It only moves when it sets its self up. The system is sensitive to obstructions. It will work, but will have minor interruptions depending on how much obstructions you have. My system was working acceptably until the leaves got on the trees. The interruptions got bad enough I had to move it.
Pics of the difference in obstructions from April & May. And then now after relocating it.

 

[ponytug]

I used the app last night, standing next to the house, orienting myself so that my line of sight was passing across the area of the roof I would be mounting it. there is some obstruction toward the bottom of the screen, from tall pine trees. Does the dish continue to make minor movements, tracking satelites, or when it finds it's position, does it stay there? I am just wondering how much of an effect that lower obstruction will have.

As @plowhog wrote, the antenna doesn't move once it is set up. It is a phased array antenna that electronic steers to follow the satellites.

However to find obstructions, you need to actually be where the antenna will be. If it will be on an eave at the north west corner of the third floor of the house, 2.5' above the roof, then that is where the phone has to be as you swivel it around to check for obstructions. I walked to a number possible places, got a feeling for what the likely problems where, but in the end, you do really need to be where the Starlink antenna will go. I did a bunch of roof walks, and in the end from the roof, I found a much easier/better site than I would have found from the ground. I have zero obstructions.

Be safe.

All the best,

Peter

 

[plowhog]

Recent reports of SL service interruptions in the mornings. But only in colder climates.

 

[cqaigy2]

Ha ha.

 

[JethroB]

Recent reports of SL service interruptions in the mornings. But only in colder climates.


View attachment 760102

I’ve had several cats show up lately. Some likely feral. I don’t have the heart to shoot them (yet) so I’m counting on this fellow. He is getting pizzed from others beating him to my table scraps.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

I went up on the roof. Got these screen grabs.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

As you move away from the trees, you are going down hill. The only other place I couldnput the dish would be on a pole about 20yds south of the house. This is the app from the ground. I am sure it would be slightly clearer on a pole but I am not sure it would be worth the effort.

 

[plowhog]

My neighbor is in an awful location. A house sitting in a very small hole in a dense forest. I didn't think SL had any chance to work there. His system reports substantial obstructions and the phone app gave dismal results.

His performance blows away his old DSL. He has done wifi calling with no problems, and speed tests run from 4mbs to 80mbp or so. Very, very, very surprising to me.

So, you might put the antenna up and see what your results are. One wild card he has not yet dealt with is a signal when there is a snow load in the trees. I will try to get a screen grab of his obstructions page.

I noticed my antenna sort of tilts to the NE. So when I let him try my SL I put it at the edge of his hole in the forest to best take advantage of looking up toward that direction.

 

[ponytug]

As you move away from the trees, you are going down hill. The only other place I couldnput the dish would be on a pole about 20yds south of the house. This is the app from the ground. I am sure it would be slightly clearer on a pole but I am not sure it would be worth the effort.

Lots of folks have put Starlink antennas on poles or towers. Do you have anyway to get height at that location to check? E.g. drive your D9 over and climb on the roof? (Kidding.)

Do you have power down the hill?

If you don't have an obstruction free site for the Starlink antenna, you don't. You could always just toss the antenna on the roof, strapped down to some bricks or cinder blocks, see how you do, and go from there. As @plowhog's neighbor's experience shows, it may work just peachy anyway.

All the best,

Peter

 

[cqaigy2]

Same as mine, tilts toward the NE.

 

[forgeblast]

I used a regular cheap bracket from Amazon, and the starlink pipe adapter, the antenna pipe locks right into their adapter.
View attachment 759957
Here is the 150 ft cable. It’s the only cable from router to antenna.
View attachment 759958
The end I’m holding goes into antenna inside it’s pipe.

That is the same bracket we have, from the starlink shop we just bought the adapter and the install kit. It was super easy to install, we have it 30' up in the air on the side of our house.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Again, this is from the roof. Going down hill and using a pole might gain me a bit. I am going to try a roof mount first. It should save me a bit of struggle with the pole and hopefully will give me what I need.

I also took a video to show what I am looking at.

 

[John_Mc]

Originally had my dish sitting on a picnic table in our side yard. There were a few obstructions, so the connection was less than optimal. However, I got it on an early February day, and was not interested in climbing up for a roof mount in the middle of winter.

Later, I did this mount. The main bracket was ordered from Amazon. Addd a piece of galvanied pipe from the local hardware store and clamped the Starlink antenna mount to that. I was a bit concerned about high winds and the fact that one part of my eaves was not in great shape, so I added some outriggers from an old Satellite TV antenna mount and attached them to a seam on my standing seam roof using S-5! clamps. (A bit of an optical illusion there: the outrigger looks as though it's attached to the very edge of the roof, but it's actually clamped to a seam about 16-18" back from the edge.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Again, this is from the roof. Going down hill and using a pole might gain me a bit. I am going to try a roof mount first. It should save me a bit of struggle with the pole and hopefully will give me what I need.
View attachment 760218


I also took a video to show what I am looking at.

I can bring my RV one down and see what it does.
Nothing that pushing over a few more trees won’t fix.

 

[IXLR8]

I can bring my RV one down and see what it does.
Nothing that pushing over a few more trees won’t fix.

I have a ton of obstructions, especially since the leaves came out on the trees. Makes it frustrating to use my SL as some times the internet connection is very fast, other times there is basically no connection. I average about 3.4 hrs of total outage a day due to obstructions in the summer.
I suggested removing a few trees to do away with the obstructions to the wife, she made it clear if I even mentioned it again I would be sleeping on the couch for the foreseeable future!!!!
I'm having a dock put in for my boat, it is about 80 ft long and I am hoping that putting dishy out on the end on a 15 ft pole eliminate my obstructions. I'll find out the end of next week when it is done.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Mine looks about due north, pretty high angle.

 

[BigBlue1]

Just another proof of my thoughts.
They say lack of infrastructure and system capacity but turn around and put more drain on the system.
Instead of taking care of the customers that have put down deposits they go and sell what they dont have to another group.

They aren't selling that service nor onboarding anyone for it yet. They're just announcing a future offering. You are mischaracterizing things. I'm not defending Starlink's current situation, just pointing out that things are not as you indicate.

 

[BigBlue1]

As @plowhog wrote, the antenna doesn't move once it is set up. It is a phased array antenna that electronic steers to follow the satellites.

However to find obstructions, you need to actually be where the antenna will be. If it will be on an eave at the north west corner of the third floor of the house, 2.5' above the roof, then that is where the phone has to be as you swivel it around to check for obstructions. I walked to a number possible places, got a feeling for what the likely problems where, but in the end, you do really need to be where the Starlink antenna will go. I did a bunch of roof walks, and in the end from the roof, I found a much easier/better site than I would have found from the ground. I have zero obstructions.

Be safe.

All the best,

Peter

Very good description of things, and great to point out that obstructions should be checked in the exact position the dish will be installed in.

I'll just add to the phased array part... The antenna itself is actually a circuit board made of up many dozens of individual antennae that can pick up signals from different parts of the sky. The dish, while stationary, grabs a signal as a sat begins passing over, uses it as it passes, then grabs the next one and bridges the connection to the next sat as the first one is heading out of view.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Mine has already shipped so I Expect it this week. I will need the mount kit from S-5 and probably the pivot mount from starlink. I will probably order those tonight. I have spent the last 3 days trying to repair a leaking pipe. I keep cutting and patching and it keeps leaking.