Saturday, May 04, 2024

Starlink!

I finally broke down, and got the Gen 3 star link internet dish this week.

A few notes:

I bought mine through the Home Depot in Kingman, Arizona, since I could get the military discount through them. The setup and activation of the unit when sold via third parties is poorly done and a pain in the ass.

Once I got it working, it finally dawned on me after I called with RichardM, that my calculations for power utilization had been wrong. I had forgotten that the equation for amps used is different when the volts are different!  Thanks to RichardM, I figured it out and it was drawing the expected amount of power.  

Basically between 60 and 75 watts at startup in about 50 to 60 watts while running. This causes a 6 to 7 amp draw on the house battery while the starlink system is running. 

Presently running some tests, assuming known internet usage requirements, and will determine whether existing power generation (solar panel and flooded 100ah battery) is sufficient. 

On sunny days I don't think it will be a problem to run it the way we were expecting to access the Internet .  On the cloudy, overcast days I am sure the small generator will come in handy to top off the house battery.

We continue to moochdock with BlazeOurWay's, Lori and Chris Z.

Meadview is a quiet little town, more popular before Lake Mead water levels were much higher.


5 comments:

Oz said...

Looking forward to a review and comments on the system. We almost went with starlink for your new home internet but wasn't sure about it.

CCjon said...

Thanks for posting about Starlink. Had to research it to understand why you would want it. All makes sense for your situation.
RichardM is such a great resource and a huge help.


redlegsrides said...

Review coming Oz ... Pricey but for remotely placed homes with poor cell signal, a good thing

CCjon, I'd be lost without RichardM when it comes to many subjects. This will open up many more boondocking locations to us.

RichardM said...

I suspect that SL is in our future. I regularly burn through our 100GB AT&T every month. I would consider a 12V-48V DC-DC converter to eliminate the small loss in the inverter. But if isn’t much.

redlegsrides said...

Yes, RichardM, the inverters loss isn't significant enough from what I've read from folks who've done the conversion to 12 volt. I think a change in surfing habits may suffice, and perhaps another 100 watt panel to allow for SL to be on continuously during daylight hours....testing ongoing.