Starlink Mounting?

[Cptmorgan]

I ordered a Starlink today. I see lots of mounting options: rails, roof, and deck.

If I could get it really low profile, I'd like to mount it on the brow, in place of the old loud hailer. If not, maybe on the arch, or top deck somewhere.

Please share your installation.

Anyone with the 5### boats with a semi-permanent Starlink dish installed?

[Destiny_4588]

Personally my starlink is roof mounted antenna adapter and works great....but if you do not mind the price point this is low profile mount that some friends have done, and it is still removable. https://star-mountsystems.com/

My concern with your "brow is that your Bimini or anything higher at certain angles will block it. they want to point towards the satellites and that varies based on location and direction of your boat.

[Woodsea]

Mark, I have not seen that Starmount system. That looks great for a low profile install. My concern on mounting Starlink dishy on our hardtop is interference from our radar. I think this might be the solution to get it under the radar beam. On your friends installs, have they used this to avoid similar issues?

[Destiny_4588]

They used on Sprinter RV class B van...I have attached some pictures of my installer. I have newer Simrad Digital Radar and have no issue with my install location ....just sharing encase if gives you some ideas.

[Steve, 1989 3870]

On My 3870 I mounted it on top of the radar arch. I have a frame on top of my Bimini for my solar panels so I need the dish to be higher. I bought the Starlink Pole adapter. I cut a piece of 1" S.S. pipe 24" long and secured it to a pole mount on the radar arch. I then added another 24" piece to run horizontally across to the solar frame as a cross brace. I then modified my stern night light to be higher than the dish.

[GMS]

Ours is mounted on the radar arch above the radar dome (see pictures). Currently mounted with the Starlink pipe adapter, but will be shifting to custom mount like Destiny_4588.

[Destiny_4588]

curious, any issue with shading on your solar panel?

[nemloc]

I had a tracphone bubble on a vertical seaview mount that was about 16-18" tall. I bought the SeaView starlink specific plate for the wedge mount and went that route reusing the vertical pole and not having to remove it from the arch or reseal it. Once I figured out how to route the new line through the arch, the rest was easy. Works beautifully.

[Cool Change 4788]

I installed using an adapter bought on Etsy and attached in a portable manner so it is 3asy to remove and take with me in the land yacht.

[Woodsea]

Cool Change,
That looks like a good location! A few questions:
Dishy looks like it is on the same plane as the radar. Does the radar cause any interference?
I could not tell what the Dishy pole adapter is mounted to. Is it somehow tied into the canvas top frame?
We have a similar hardtop. It looks like you have a small rain gutter. We do not. Does it help channel the water effectively?
It looks like you have a small gutter extended from the hardtop onto the arch. Does this channel the water from leaking between the the hardtop and the canvas?

[Cool Change 4788]

I have not had any issue with the radar but don’t use the starlink a lot underway, I used a 1 inch SS rail mount at the bottom of a SS tube. It uses clamp on mounts to secure the top and is quick disconnect. YES the gutter helps a lot. It is 3m stick on j gutter. Sold at RV stores and I got a roll off Amazon.

[Cptmorgan]

Finished my installation today.

I expect the dish won't work when the radar is on, but from what I understand, most don't get reception while underway with the mobile-RV dish. It also sounds link Starlink changed their plans this month, and no longer permits use while moving with the mobile plan. We really only need Starlink when at dock or anchor, in little coastal holes.

I still haven't been able to speed. The tin roof boat shed may be to blame .

I have Starlink plugged into my Peplink LTE modem now. When Starlink loses reception, the router will automatically switch over to cellular LTE. Seams to be working. I'm typing on it now.

Cheers,

[Destiny_4588]

Just sharing that dish can rotate 360 degrees, can clear your open array antenna if turns 90 degrees

[MidnightSun]

Just to clarify on the in motion they took away. It still works however only at under 10mph. For bigger boats at hull speed it is a non issue as well as moving around at anchor. Here is an article regarding this, posted in Sept of last year which was when they changed it. https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/sta...in-motion-use/

Using a Peplink router with hot failover should have you covered though.

[Cptmorgan]

That's good info Hans. Thank you.

I took the boat for a test drive today.
Pulled out of the boat shed, the Peplink switched over from LTE to Starlink automatically after a couple of minutes. Didn't even notice the changeover.
154 Mbps @ 13 knots down the river with radar on. I call that a win!

[zentodd]

I have Starlink and love it. For boats or rv’s most people are modifying the dish 1 of 2 ways. Either they disable the motor so the dish lays flat all the time (by drilling a hole and disconnecting the motor - this is reversible) or they permanently cut the back of the dish off to a very low profile and remove the motor and place the dish in a mount like was mentioned or they print their own and glue it to the printed mold and then mount flat. The reason they do it this way is to prevent the dish from always dropping out while it is trying to point north - either when your driving rv/boat or on the hook and swinging. At this point Starlink has enough satellites that the dish no longer needs to point north. It is often misunderstood that the dish is moving to follow satellites.

[MidnightSun]

Here is another tip. Starlink does draw quite a bit of power when used as is plugged into 120v which implies using an inverter for even more draw. The RV world has converted Starlink to run off of 12vdc which required a 12v to 48v booster and a POE injector and you needed to crimp the network cable in an unconventional way to suit Starlink. A guy in Canada has made a simple all in one solution that works very well. Even less draw if you chuck the Starlink modem and use a Peplink BR mini 12vdc modem. See here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlENmAikSQQ