Starlink accepting pre-orders

[acunningham]

If you're interested in Starlink satellite internet access for your boat, they're now taking pre-orders for service in quite a few countries for delivery in mid 2021, late 2021, or early 2022, depending on country. No word yet on mobile (as in non-fixed location) service, but hopefully that'll be available by the time pre-orders are fulfilled.


https://www.starlink.com/

[acunningham]

I've just placed a pre-order for use on the boat I have on order, with the service address specified as the Amel factory so Starlink will deliver the dish there. I'm taking a slight risk that Starlink won't offer mobile service in time, but I think it's a small risk.

[s/v Jedi]

No, that is not for service aboard boats. It is for stationary house service and it won’t work on a boat.

[stulk75]

Here is an informative article on the subject of mobile use. In short it is very unlikely to be available to mobile users, let alone a boat that is bobbing and rotating. A phased array antenna would be required and they are extremely expensive.

I love Starlink and have watched the launches with my kids. I have signed up to be a beta tester. But with initial service limited to the higher latitudes, I think it will be awhile before it gets to the Caribbean.

Also, regardless of the # of satellites in orbit, ground stations are needed to relay the signals to the actual internet based on the current designs.

[acunningham]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

No, that is not for service aboard boats. It is for stationary house service and it won’t work on a boat.

That's true for now. Hopefully that will have changed by the time the pre-orders are fulfilled.

[acunningham]

Originally Posted by stulk75

Here is an informative article on the subject of mobile use. In short it is very unlikely to be available to mobile users, let alone a boat that is bobbing and rotating. A phased array antenna would be required and they are extremely expensive.

Starlink user terminals are phased arrays, and will work on moving vehicles:

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1316255322835759105

The rolling of a boat hasn't been specifically addressed. The rate of roll shouldn't be an issue for a phased array, which can slew to a new deflection angle in nanoseconds. If the maximum angle of roll could exceed the maximum deflection of the phased array (it's unclear how much this is), then perhaps some form of gimballed mount would be required.

Originally Posted by stulk75

I love Starlink and have watched the launches with my kids. I have signed up to be a beta tester. But with initial service limited to the higher latitudes, I think it will be awhile before it gets to the Caribbean.

Coverage of lower latitudes is likely towards the end of 2021. It is noticeable that all the countries they're accepting pre-orders from are in the mid latitudes.

Originally Posted by stulk75

Also, regardless of the # of satellites in orbit, ground stations are needed to relay the signals to the actual internet based on the current designs.

That's true for most of the satellites already launched. Only 12 satellites have so far been launched with laser interlinks that allow them to use a ground station far from the user. Starlink have stated that they plan to add laser interlinks to all satellites from 2022:

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1353574169288396800

[ohgary]

starlink right now will only work from a fixed address. If you take it someplace else it most likley will not see the satellites or work. Its coming but its now there yet. Still need a bunch more satellites to work. Also right now its only northern latitudes

[pwillems]

The FAQ on the order page is very clear.

"Starlink satellites are scheduled to send internet down to all users within a designated area on the ground. This designated area is referred to as a cell.

Your Starlink is assigned to a single cell. If you move your Starlink outside of its assigned cell, a satellite will not be scheduled to serve your Starlink and you will not receive internet. This is constrained by geometry and is not arbitrary geofencing."

I'm gutted, but confident that they have a mobile terminal in the works that will not be subject to these restrictions.

[pwillems]

The FAQ on the order page is very clear.

"Starlink satellites are scheduled to send internet down to all users within a designated area on the ground. This designated area is referred to as a cell.

Your Starlink is assigned to a single cell. If you move your Starlink outside of its assigned cell, a satellite will not be scheduled to serve your Starlink and you will not receive internet. This is constrained by geometry and is not arbitrary geofencing."

I'm gutted, but confident that they have a mobile terminal in the works that will not be subject to these restrictions.

[acunningham]

Originally Posted by pwillems

The FAQ on the order page is very clear.

"Starlink satellites are scheduled to send internet down to all users within a designated area on the ground. This designated area is referred to as a cell.

Your Starlink is assigned to a single cell. If you move your Starlink outside of its assigned cell, a satellite will not be scheduled to serve your Starlink and you will not receive internet. This is constrained by geometry and is not arbitrary geofencing."

I'm gutted, but confident that they have a mobile terminal in the works that will not be subject to these restrictions.

That's true for now due to the limited number of satellites launched so far.

[fxykty]

I’m in New Zealand (37 degrees South) and can pre-order for service in about 9 months. We won’t be here by then, but if we were staying the price point is not a whole lot more for what promises to be a better service than the so-called fibre optic service we have now.

If they release mobile service that will put all the existing satellite systems out of business, except maybe for polar explorers.

[acunningham]

A concern for sailing boats without a full-time generator is power consumption. Current beta users report that the dish consumes around 100W to 120W all the time. That means either a big battery bank, preferably lithium, with plenty of generating capacity to charge the bank, or switching the dish on only when using the internet or on shore power. Starlink is not going to be suitable for small boats with limited electrical power.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by fxykty

I’m in New Zealand (37 degrees South) and can pre-order for service in about 9 months. We won’t be here by then, but if we were staying the price point is not a whole lot more for what promises to be a better service than the so-called fibre optic service we have now.

If they release mobile service that will put all the existing satellite systems out of business, except maybe for polar explorers.

Fiber optic service outperforms Starlink by far. It is wat Starlink itself uses to connect to the Internet, so it can by definition not get better. In reality lots of propagation delay and processing delay will be added. It will be the best satellite service but can’t beat land based fiber optic connectivity.

[OneKoolCat]

I have been watching Starlink, and can't wait to get it on my boat as well. Unfortunately most of the posts are correct on both sides.

The current antenna is a hybrid and combines orienting motors to get itself pointed in the right direction and for basic tracking and a phased array for faster tracking within its view.

Here is a video of someone testing on a golf cart.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU2y-QmQfXY

The test is pretty telling for our use case. The default antenna will not work for most boats. Another antenna would work just fine. We know that they have tested in a plane so high speed movement and turbulence while maintaining connectivity. I personally would be willing to pay more for a mobile antenna if the service stays the same price. I think it is just time.

That being said if anyone has one and can test on their boat, I would love to know the results. Similarly, if you know of an antenna that would work let everyone know.

[acunningham]

Originally Posted by OneKoolCat

I have been watching Starlink, and can't wait to get it on my boat as well. Unfortunately most of the posts are correct on both sides.

The current antenna is a hybrid and combines orienting motors to get itself pointed in the right direction and for basic tracking and a phased array for faster tracking within its view.

Here is a video of someone testing on a golf cart.

The test is pretty telling for our use case. The default antenna will not work for most boats. Another antenna would work just fine. We know that they have tested in a plane so high speed movement and turbulence while maintaining connectivity. I personally would be willing to pay more for a mobile antenna if the service stays the same price. I think it is just time.

That being said if anyone has one and can test on their boat, I would love to know the results. Similarly, if you know of an antenna that would work let everyone know.

That's a very informative video; thank you. Clearly it's not ready for marine use. At minimum it's going to require a firmware upgrade to handle shaking. It might require an entire new model of dish.