Starlink

[LittleBill21]

Just curious...Is there any indication of the power consumption for the antenna ?...transmitting to a satellite is going to require a certain amount of power do the specs list a required power source...

FWIW...When the power is off here I can run my (DSL) modem/router for a couple of days off my UPS (battery)...just wondering about the power consumption of the Starlink system...

i've read its around 100-150 watts depending on if the snow Melter element is on. this would need a serious battery for offline use.

 

[cqaigy2]

One guy did show one of those portable solar panels people will take hiking and said it powered his unit, in peak sun.

 

[dmccarty]

i've read its around 100-150 watts depending on if the snow Melter element is on. this would need a serious battery for offline use.

That is what I have read too. People traveling/living in boats are REALLY interested in StarLink since getting data away from cell phone range, which surprisingly can go pretty far out to sea, is limited and expensive. There are a couple of issues with StarLink and boats, power usage as mentioned here and does the dish need to be gimbled for use at sea. The current power usage is pretty high for boats with limited power production. But given most boats are not used where there is snow, this seems to be something that should be easy to resolve.

Later,
Dan

 

[/pine]

That is what I have read too. People traveling/living in boats are REALLY interested in StarLink since getting data away from cell phone range, which surprisingly can go pretty far out to sea, is limited and expensive. There are a couple of issues with StarLink and boats, power usage as mentioned here and does the dish need to be gimbled for use at sea. The current power usage is pretty high for boats with limited power production. But given most boats are not used where there is snow, this seems to be something that should be easy to resolve.

Later,
Dan

One thing to consider about sea going vessels (boats)...it's fine if you have a generator to keep batteries charged but as soon as a battery gets below about 12.3 volts a marine radio is only good for monitoring...it needs nearly full capacity to transmit a VHF signal greater than one watt...

 

[LittleBill21]

That is what I have read too. People traveling/living in boats are REALLY interested in StarLink since getting data away from cell phone range, which surprisingly can go pretty far out to sea, is limited and expensive. There are a couple of issues with StarLink and boats, power usage as mentioned here and does the dish need to be gimbled for use at sea. The current power usage is pretty high for boats with limited power production. But given most boats are not used where there is snow, this seems to be something that should be easy to resolve.

Later,
Dan

well so far starlink is not ready for mobile movement, due to the ground units. apparently there is testing for military plane usage, but its not designed to be mobile yet.

 

[dmccarty]

well so far starlink is not ready for mobile movement, due to the ground units. apparently there is testing for military plane usage, but its not designed to be mobile yet.

Correct. The ground stations are needed but that is why they are planning on use laser communication between satellites to get to a ground station.

Later,
Dan

 

[/pine]

Correct. The ground stations are needed but that is why they are planning on use laser communication between satellites to get to a ground station.

Later,
Dan

The technology to use lasers through the atmosphere (stabilized) is brand new...it's hardly perfected and a long ways from being in production for commercial applications...could be years before it is available and economically feasible...

 

[dmccarty]

One thing to consider about sea going vessels (boats)...it's fine if you have a generator to keep batteries charged but as soon as a battery gets below about 12.3 volts a marine radio is only good for monitoring...it needs nearly full capacity to transmit a VHF signal greater than one watt...

Solar and LiFePo batteries do wonders at keeping voltage at usable levels, especially compared to lead batteries. Using SSB seems to be dying out on boats due to satellite communications, which is a shame, because SSB with DSC can be a life saver.

Later,
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

The technology to use lasers through the atmosphere (stabilized) is brand new...it's hardly perfected and a long ways from being in production for commercial applications...could be years before it is available and economically feasible...

StarLink is not using lasers to go through the atmosphere but satellite to satellite. They just launched some satellites that use lasers for satellite to satellite communications. These will be used in a polar orbit to provide coverage in AK and to eliminate the need for ground station(s) in the area. Sounds like this is also a beta test for the technology since next year, all StarLink satellites will have laser communication capability.

Later,
Dan

 

[Gale Hawkins]

StarLink is not using lasers to go through the atmosphere but satellite to satellite. They just launched some satellites that use lasers for satellite to satellite communications. These will be used in a polar orbit to provide coverage in AK and to eliminate the need for ground station(s) in the area. Sounds like this is also a beta test for the technology since next year, all StarLink satellites will have laser communication capability.

Later,
Dan

Thanks for clearing up that technical miss understanding.