Starlink Roam issues in the ocean

[SailingInfidels]

Originally Posted by billdomb

One trick we've tried is rapidly unplugging the system from power RAPIDLY three times, then it resets.

You MIGHT have to reattach to the signal if your app is not seeing it.

I don't have the HD antenna but with the standard rectangle one, I have had to unplug/plug up to 6 times in order to get to reset to factory settings.
I think it's a case of "the more the merrier".

[CarlF]

1) Have you turned on the priority data slider when offshore? Without that you will have nothing.

2) The V2 dish only turns on the motors a few times a day to repoint. Remember, it's designed to be mounted on a house not a boat. Houses don't often change direction.

3) Stowing and unstowing will usually cause it to re-aim. But there are many reports that it will sometimes not wake up after a stow. It's not known why this happens. A bug. Bests thing is to simply unplug to save power. It will regain service quicker after you plug it back in. If if it won't unstow after a stow, leave it and it will will usually eventually aim again.

4) Starlink can not use satelites over the equator as it interferes with the geosynchronos satelites in that area. So if the dish is pointed south, you will get bad service. It works well when pointed W,N,and E.

5) There is no 50 gig limit. The most cost effective package is Roam Mobil Regional ($150/month in US) then turn on the priority data slider for $2/GB only when in "ocean" areas more than 10 miles offshore.

6) You will get slightly better service offshore by disabling the motors and pointing it straight up. But you can't return it for warranty after this change. I waited three months.

7) The V2 dish is not designed for use offshore. The faster you go and the rougher the waves the more trouble it has locking onto satelites. I've used it for 3000 miles offshore and had better than 90% service but it will occasionally loose contact for hours. The $2500 HP dish works much better offshore but also uses twice as much power so most people live with occaisional outages.

8) A mounting location with minimium obstructions is very important. It has a 110 degree field of view. The dish doesn't point at a satelite, it just watches as satelites fly across the sky in its field of view. Imagine a 110 degree cone coming up from the dish. Any obstruction in that cone is reducing the satelites it can use. Metal obstructions such as the mast and boom are especially bad. On a sailboat mounting the dish on the stern rail and keeping the boom away will significantly help reception. Being near a running radar will knock out service.

9) If you do everything above and still have bad service, contact Starlink. It could be a bad cable.

[chrisr]

watching

[Pukakai]

I don’t have Starlink and have only been on one delivery that had it. However, in reading the posts, I can’t help wondering in a dampened, gimbaled mount would solve - or at lease lessen - the pointing problem?

[Rigdaddy]

Originally Posted by Pukakai

I don’t have Starlink and have only been on one delivery that had it. However, in reading the posts, I can’t help wondering in a dampened, gimbaled mount would solve - or at lease lessen - the pointing problem?

I was thinking the same thing

[PNWSalmon]

Originally Posted by Pukakai

I don’t have Starlink and have only been on one delivery that had it. However, in reading the posts, I can’t help wondering in a dampened, gimbaled mount would solve - or at lease lessen - the pointing problem?

While it may work, disabling the motor seems like a far easier solution.

[boating4ever]

roam plan only works in land hexagon. if you are not in a land hexagon you need to upgrade your plan for it to work in the "ocean"

CarlF lays it all out

a common issue i see is not proper mounting, i had to raise mine above the radar

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by boating4ever

roam plan only works in land hexagon. if you are not in a land hexagon you need to upgrade your plan for it to work in the "ocean"

CarlF lays it all out

a common issue i see is not proper mounting, i had to raise mine above the radar

You are wrong. Or at least you have old info and you don’t know about the $2/GB switch to get priority data with the roaming plans. Read up on it.

[boating4ever]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

You are wrong. Or at least you have old info and you don’t know about the $2/GB switch to get priority data with the roaming plans. Read up on it.

thanks i consider that changing the plan. OP just says he/she is on the ROAM plan. no mention of changing the plan or enabling additional features/toggles.

[AmelGoingRound]

If you're going to be using the rectangular (regular) dish on a sailboat, just disable the motors. It's not that difficult. Bonus is that you can mount it in a way that doesn't shade your solar and doesn't impact Dishy's view of the sky.

We're on a circumnavigation and I've been using it through multiple passages and had video calls with 25-30 knots from behind and big seas. Works exceptionally well. On passage, we turn it on only for half an hour a day to get weather, etc. as I still want to experience disconnected life mid ocean. At anchor, we turn it off at night. Never had an issue reconnecting.

A few fellow owners poopooed disabling the motors and after experiencing the issues you are experiencing, subsequently asked me for advice on how to disable the motors. After disabling the motors, they universally remarked that they should have done it in the first place.

Plenty of tutorials on youtube. I did it with a 25mm hole saw and a 25mm rubber plug well sealed with black sikaflex 291.

Scott
Amel 54

[PippaB]

Originally Posted by CarlF

...4) Starlink can not use satelites over the equator as it interferes with the geosynchronos satelites in that area. So if the dish is pointed south, you will get bad service. It works well when pointed W,N,and E....

Don't know about validity of this, but appears to be a very northern-hemisphere-centric statement

[suiramor]

Originally Posted by AmelGoingRound

If you're going to be using the rectangular (regular) dish on a sailboat, just disable the motors. It's not that difficult. Bonus is that you can mount it in a way that doesn't shade your solar and doesn't impact Dishy's view of the sky.

...

Scott
Amel 54

Just to confirm, you disabled the motors and then leave the dishy in the horizontal position (when boat is stationary at least). Is that right? What plan do you use when in passage?

[PNWSalmon]

Originally Posted by suiramor

Just to confirm, you disabled the motors and then leave the dishy in the horizontal position (when boat is stationary at least). Is that right? What plan do you use when in passage?

The horizontal position is for passage. It will also work when at anchor or marina.



So, it's for everything you use starlink for.



If you want to play around with it, you could install a switch, and connect the motor while at a marina and keep it flat while in transit or at anchor, but generally, keeping it flat is the way to go. You're not going to see that much speed difference on the RV Roam best effort service anyway.