Test Results: Starlink on a Sailboat Underway

[Seafarer7]

Originally Posted by Tenedos

There are several schools of though on this one so far.



One camp (which I belong to) simply stow the Starlink while moving. We don't need Internet while moving so why risk it? I actually wrote a custom Signal K plugin to do this automatically. So when the boat starts moving, the dish gets stowed and it is brought back up when we anchor or dock. This is all automated so I don't need to worry about remembering it.



Another other camp actually asserts that motors are no longer needed since there are enough satellites in the sky. So a few people have deliberately disabled their motors on the antennas and have them permanently point up in a horizontal position. The argument is that are are always enough satellites in the antenna's 100 degree coverage area and there will be more and more satellites, motors are redundant and will be removed in the official mobile solution. They report credibly that this has been working for them, even while moving. I am personally a little skeptical about this approach for the longer term though, since while it may be working now, I am not sure it will always work.

One more school of thought: leave the antenna on and intact while in motion. From my observation so far, the motors don’t try to correct for all motion, only long term averages. In a several hour outing I observed only a couple re-orientations, both after major course changes. No much extra wear than normal operation.

[Tenedos]

I wrote an article on our experiences with Internet and Starlink on a boat. Also provided more on detail on how you can power Starlink from a DC power source.

This really is a game changing technology, I couldn't be more excited!

[shimari]

Originally Posted by Tenedos

I wrote an article on our experiences with Internet and Starlink on a boat. Also provided more on detail on how you can power Starlink from a DC power source.

This really is a game changing technology, I couldn't be more excited!

Great article - thank you! Have you looked into a dome for dishy yet?

[JArcherM]

Originally Posted by SeeMonstrEd

I got my Dishy a few days ago and have yet to make a permanent mount but I am seeing similar results. In my initial tests I saw 270mbps. I an in the USVI where the fastest internet you can get is about 50mbps even wired. If we can go 10 miles offshore I can travel all the way to Puerto Rico without losing the signal.

Like someone else said I can see every boat and ship on this as soon as they open it up globally. It will be the end of other satellite services.

I'm in USVI and get mine this week. Wondering how far from the island it will work. PR shows in cell but I've heard bvi is a no go. It will be nice when u can cruise to grenada with good signal.

[Tenedos]

Originally Posted by JArcherM

I'm in USVI and get mine this week. Wondering how far from the island it will work. PR shows in cell but I've heard bvi is a no go. It will be nice when u can cruise to grenada with good signal.

If you mean how far offshore, there are reports that it stops working 12nm from the shore. This can't be a technical limitation, there seems to be a geofence for some regulatory reason.

[Tenedos]

Originally Posted by shimari

Great article - thank you! Have you looked into a dome for dishy yet?

Thanks. I am not considering a dome (yet). I mounted mine on the arch and feels pretty sturdy and it is *reasonably* aerodynamic. The dish is large, so it would require a pretty large dome and even the empty ones are expensive. Instead of investing in an empty dome, I am thinking of waiting for a marine version of the dishy, it must be on the way

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by JArcherM

I'm in USVI and get mine this week. Wondering how far from the island it will work. PR shows in cell but I've heard bvi is a no go. It will be nice when u can cruise to grenada with good signal.

I am very interested to hear if it cuts off when you cross over into BVI waters, please let us know!

[TPG]

Thanks for sharing OP, this is something of great interest to many cruisers. It certainly will be a game-changer for marine internet and it's about time.

Not that I'd ever rely 100% on this technology but it sure would be nice to have internet access anywhere in the world if it works as planned.

[Salomon Mishaan]

Hi,
I have a few questions
I ordered Starlink to my Muami address over 18 months ago paid a deposit but still nothing?
- Does the Starlink have to be ordered special for a boat?
- Do you think Starlink will work in Bahamas if I ordered with my Miami address? (Nassau is about 180NM from Miami)
I probably have many other questions but these are for now

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by Tenedos

If you mean how far offshore, there are reports that it stops working 12nm from the shore. This can't be a technical limitation, there seems to be a geofence for some regulatory reason.

I agree totally. I suspect it is being "geofenced" around countries where it is licensed to operate. Possibly if you could spoof it to think it's always in the US it would probably work much further afield. Too bad it's not geofenced OUT of countries where it is NOT licensed. That way it might operate on the high seas.

I foresee a HUGE battle ahead in many countries as the telcos and cable companies lobby hard to keep Starlink out. It's a HUGE, possibly existential, threat to their business viability. Perhaps, with excellent foresight, Elon Musk got his licenses to operate in the US and Canada before the competition woke up to the potential threat.

[Andrew Lippman]

Great video and great work. What a great solution. Tons of questions:
1. Why pole mount rather than on the deck?
2. Any sense of how much pitching, rolling, and turning you did?
3. Any idea of open ocean coverage? I think it is in the plan, as might be a sea-specific dish.

It makes sense that the dishy doesn't need precise aiming since it has to electronically track the LEO satellites. But I have no idea what that implies for turning the dish, as when you tack.

I have Fleet One and it is sufficiently fast for downloading weather and some email but incredibly expensive!

[Tenedos]

Originally Posted by Salomon Mishaan

Hi,
I have a few questions
I ordered Starlink to my Muami address over 18 months ago paid a deposit but still nothing?
- Does the Starlink have to be ordered special for a boat?
- Do you think Starlink will work in Bahamas if I ordered with my Miami address? (Nassau is about 180NM from Miami)
I probably have many other questions but these are for now

Probably Maui is on a waiting list, that is the reason. I had the same problem in Seattle and finally ordered for a "remote island" after waiting 14 months. You can try to order to an open address, get it delivered to Maui and "roam" there. I tried to answer this and a couple of other questions about roaming and ordering in the post I shared earlier.

You don't need a special Starlink for a boat yet but that being said, there is officially no boat or marine version. So technically we use ground units as boat units. There are rumors that one will be out later that is more sturdy that officially supports mobility but the pricing will likely be higher (for example there is a business version with a larger antenna coming out in Q2 but that is 5X the price of regular one).

And I don't think it works in the Bahamas yet, check the map I linked.

[bpierce815]

Originally Posted by Pole

Iridium and Inmarsat should be getting nervous. Either of those products will be like being a Video Store owner when streaming arrived. Or more accurately owning a taxi company when Uber arrived. Surely they will become obsolete almost immediately. Unless protective rules are applied who is going to buy a dedicated expensive service that basically allows only small messages, when the opposition lets you surf the net in the middle of a crossing?

Thanks to the OP. I for one have been wondering if Starlink will work on a sailing yacht. Now we can see every ship, even trains, airliners and cars will be connected.

Welcome to the 21st century.

Consumer internet is not these businesses main source of income, so I doubt that they are quite scared yet.

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by Scorpius

I agree totally. I suspect it is being "geofenced" around countries where it is licensed to operate. Possibly if you could spoof it to think it's always in the US it would probably work much further afield. Too bad it's not geofenced OUT of countries where it is NOT licensed. That way it might operate on the high seas.

I foresee a HUGE battle ahead in many countries as the telcos and cable companies lobby hard to keep Starlink out. It's a HUGE, possibly existential, threat to their business viability. Perhaps, with excellent foresight, Elon Musk got his licenses to operate in the US and Canada before the competition woke up to the potential threat.

It has to know it's location to a relatively high degree if accuracy to know were to electronically steer the dish to track the satellites. So spoofing a location, which itself isn't trivial, would also prevent it from working.

You're right though, a lot of comfy monopolies or oligopies around the world are going to fight hard to keep this out.

[Kolchac]

https://seatech.systems/2021/02/09/c...nk-on-my-boat/