Starlink

[Citydude]

Yes, in the Northern Hemisphere, the dish points somewhat to the north and likes to have some clearance east and west. I do lose connection from time to time from the trees though. The picture was taken from a bit east of south.

Starlink sent me a message telling me that there were obstructions blocking full line of sight. I never experienced connectivity loss though and couldn't figure out what was the problem.

I did cut one little branch off a birch tree and that seemed to satisfy them. Strange times we live in.

 

[K5lwq]

I have a old TV antenna push pole that is 30 ft. I am thinking as light as the new dish is I can mount it on top. That should get me some clearance. I probably will not get the dish till mid next year or who knows. Ordered it beginning of February. I have plenty of time to think about it.

 

[ning]

I had the opportunity to get starlink mid last year, without taking advantage of any of my billionaire friends (snort), but my cell phone hot spot was giving me 30-50Mbps consistently and as it's free, I decided to pass and took my deposit back.

Fast forward to this past month or so when my cell phone is *usually* 12Mbps (that's fine) but often drops to near *zero* (speed test 0.06M a few times) and I tried to get back to starlink. Result? Not available in my area.

The geek up the road probably got this deposit in earlyish like I did, and followed through, before all of the local slots were filled.

 

[ning]

I have a old TV antenna push pole that is 30 ft. I am thinking as light as the new dish is I can mount it on top. That should get me some clearance. I probably will not get the dish till mid next year or who knows. Ordered it beginning of February. I have plenty of time to think about it.

Is the pole well guyed? I'd expect the dish to complain/not get a good lock if the pole wiggles much at all.

 

[K5lwq]

Is the pole well guyed? I'd expect the dish to complain/not get a good lock if the pole wiggles much at all.

It is not at this time but would be easy to get done. It does brace off to the peak of my roof. That is over half of the pole height. If I need to I will replace with a Rohn 25 tower. If it ever shows up I will figure something out.

 

[John_Mc]

The geek up the road probably got this deposit in earlyish like I did, and followed through, before all of the local slots were filled.

Or he used the trick many have to get starlink when it's not showing as available in their area: purchase it for a nearby area that DOES show as available, then just set it up at your own address anyway.

 

[ponytug]

Or he used the trick many have to get starlink when it's not showing as available in their area: purchase it for a nearby area that DOES show as available, then just set it up at your own address anyway.

At least according to Reddit, that doesn't work so well anymore. There are reports there of people attempting to transfer it to "their" cell and being turned down due to the cell being "full".

YMMV...

All the best,

Peter

 

[John_Mc]

At least according to Reddit, that doesn't work so well anymore. There are reports there of people attempting to transfer it to "their" cell and being turned down due to the cell being "full".

YMMV...

All the best,

Peter

It doesn't surprise me. They were bound to close that loophole sooner or later. I wonder if they kicked off people who were already up and running that way when they made the switch.

 

[ponytug]

It doesn't surprise me. They were bound to close that loophole sooner or later. I wonder if they kicked off people who were already up and running that way when they made the switch.

I haven't read of anyone was kicked out, just the other case of folks who bought starlinks for other locations, near and distant, and we're unable to change the address to their actual cell.

Apparently, Starlink isn't too keen on sales of dishes in the US, though allowed in some other locations. Whether the two issues are related, I don't know.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Zippo1]

SpaceX’s Starlink internet service has more than 145,000 users so far​

• SpaceX said on Thursday that its Starlink satellite internet service now has more than 145,000 users in 25 countries worldwide.
• That’s an increase of about 5,000 users from early November — a marked slowdown in the service’s growth.
• Elon Musk’s company had previously said that Starlink user growth has slowed due to “silicon shortages” which “have delayed production.”

SpaceX's Starlink internet service has more than 145,000 users so far

Elon Musk's SpaceX on Thursday gave an update on its Starlink internet service, as the company launched more satellites into orbit.

www.cnbc.com

I also ordered last Feb and now am "scheduled" for mid 2022.

 

[LouNY]

I'm on mine as we speak, enjoying it.
I'm seeing between 100 to 190 Mbps most of the time,
I have gone over 200 Mbps a few times.
My normal browsing seems to run about 14-16 Mbps so extremely well covered.

 

[LouNY]

Well interesting morning, had to go to town earlier.
Got back about an hour ago and tried the internet 45 minutes ago and Starlink is down,
a message on their website that they are experiencing intermediate outages in my locale.
Using my Verizon phone hotspot at this time.

 

[BigBlue1]

It was a global outage. Started here (central MN) a little before 8:00am and was mostly done by 8:45. Fairly sporadic during that time, though both my wife & I were able to continue working since the outages were brief.

Info on the Starlink Reddit group confirms it was worldwide.

 

[LouNY]

Mine is back now it was a bit over 45 minutes and was pretty much unusable for that time.

 

[BigBlue1]

This was a very unusual situation. One that I haven't seen since the system stabilized last June (nearing the end of 'beta'). Will be interesting to see if anyone learns what the root cause was. Systems like this are supposed to have enough redundancy and resiliency that they don't have widespread outages.

I've experienced things like this with all providers I've had though. Comcast, my local DSL, AT&T LTE, etc. That's why I'll never be without two ISPs since my job and my wife's job depends on an Internet connection.

 

[ponytug]

During a launch briefing yesterday for the 49 satellites yesterday, it was mentioned that Starlink added 5,000 new customers in November and December, significantly fewer (25%) than the 10,000/mo that they were adding prior to November.

So, the wait goes on.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Fallon]

During a launch briefing yesterday for the 49 satellites yesterday, it was mentioned that Starlink added 5,000 new customers in November and December, significantly fewer (25%) than the 10,000/mo that they were adding prior to November.

So, the wait goes on.

All the best,

Peter

Those 49 also are the v2 birds with the laser crosslink gear on them.

https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-launch-success-january-2022

 

[Bullwinkle123]

New starlink users

If I Fits, I Sits: Starlink's Self-Heating Internet Satellite Dishes Are Attracting Cats

The dish's Snow Melt Mode prevents snow build-up from interfering with the signal—and apparently provides a toasty outdoor lounge space for critters.

gizmodo.com

 

[plowhog]

5,000 new customers in November and December, significantly fewer (25%) than the 10,000/mo that they were adding prior to November.

Is there information available regarding the ratio of new USA-based installs vs. foreign based?

Since they seek global domination of the rural sat market, I wonder whether new foreign installs is contributing to US wait times. It is a free market, of course. But who provided the subsidies?

 

[ponytug]

I haven't seen any break down of where the new users are. I would be willing to bet that who gets a dish is complicated, and probably favors folks who can generate buzz one way or another for Starlink.

All the best,

Peter