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Old 12-06-2022, 05:34 AM   #1
MAWilsonPE
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New Starlink Flat High Performance Package

Hello Everyone,

I decided to order a Starlink setup for my unit since we have been seeing issues with our Verizon jetpack in certain areas. As soon as I got the email that the regular Starlink package had shipped, I received a second email moments later announcing the newest “Flat High Performance” package. This newest version allows in motion use and is meant to be installed permanently on the roof. So I cancelled the first order and stepped up to the new one.

I really liked the idea of a permanent install, no having to set up the dishy at each campsite and worrying someone might steal it. The in motion feature is also nice. I mounted the dishy as far toward on the roof as I could figuring the front end of the campsite is likely to have less tree cover than the back. I am changing my site selection criteria to get as open view of the sky as possible.

We are at the beach in SC right now on our first trip with the new setup. The site is pretty open and I am seeing anywhere from about 75-270 MB/sec download speeds and 10-20 MB/sec upload. I am get a few “obstructed” warnings but less than 5 minutes downtime over a period of 12 hours (< 1%). Overall I am pretty happy so far.

We were paying $170/mo for two Verizon SIM cards each with 150GB of data. We let that lapse but keep it handy as a backup. The RV Starlink package is $135/mo with no data caps so we are saving some money and I can suspend the service at any time. However, this new high performance package is quite pricey at $2500 for the hardware. Hopefully that will come down in the future.

Here are some pics of my install. I put in a new dedicated circuit breaker and a pretty blue power switch on my control panel. I mounted the power supply hidden behind that panel and router above the cabinet so it is high up and centrally located. The last pic is the dishy on the roof. (Yes, they call it a dishy, Musk humor, the default WiFi name was “Stinky”, I assume short for Starlinky )

Let me know if you have questions.

Best Regards, Mike
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Old 12-06-2022, 07:36 AM   #2
Foldbak
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Nice install....got to ask....how do you do maintenance to your roof? There's no where to walk. I'm afraid to get on mine with 4 panels.
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Old 12-06-2022, 08:25 AM   #3
MAWilsonPE
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Hello Foldbak,

Haha, you are right it is pretty tight on the roof now, but I can walk from the back to the front without stepping on any solar panels. I hope not to have to do any serious maintenance up there other than the occasional washing. I try to keep my "shower cap" cover on it when not in use for more than a couple of weeks to keep the weather off it. I was fortunate to have that spot in front of the forward A/C unit to put my new Starlink dishy.

Here is a better picture of my roof just before the Starlink install. You can see it also have a couple of J-pole mounts that fold down for travel, one for my wireless weather station and the other for an “all band” ham receiver. To the left is my 25’ mast that I had set up for a cell phone antenna, shouldn’t need that anymore.

Best, Mike
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Old 12-06-2022, 01:30 PM   #4
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Mike, very nice. How is your battery upgrade working out? Our T-Mobile jet pack didn’t get service at rally, fishing in Wyoming or in northern Wisconsin and marginal at a few Nebraska sites. Will probably make the switch in January to the RV package.
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Old 12-06-2022, 02:49 PM   #5
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Hello Ron,

I have only been able to test out the new battery set up at home but I am quite happy so far. Again, I removed the two batteries from the stock installation location (in the SSF box) and relocated them to under the couch in the rear to be adjacent to my two new ones for more balanced charging/discharging and keep more weight toward the rear. I ran two sets of 4/0 cables from the batteries to the inverter and am seeing only 0.15 volts of drop when running one A/C unit at nearly 100 amps, so that is good.

We have two big boondocking trips scheduled for next year. The first is to a federal park in the NC mountains for two weeks in April. Usually pretty cool that time of year but terrible cell service so looking forward to testing the new Starlink setup there.

Then we go to the Outer Banks again for almost four weeks, again at the federal National Seashore parks boondocking in June. Will likely need the A/C a bit so should be a very good test of the new 2400 watts solar and 1000 amp-hrs battery set up. Can’t wait! Also booked an off shore fishing charter for the day and hoping to catch our limit of yellow fin tuna . I have a new 12v Dometic portable freezer coming to freeze it all.

Best, Mike
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Old 12-06-2022, 02:53 PM   #6
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Sounds great. We’ve got reservations started in Denali next summer. Taking the Hobie Outback and going to see about halibut and salmon from the yak. That’s why I’m waiting on Starlink. Hoping that I can use it in Canada and Alaska.
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Old 12-06-2022, 02:59 PM   #7
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That sounds awesome. Post some big fish pics!

Best, Mike
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Old 12-06-2022, 07:00 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by rames14 View Post
Will probably make the switch in January to the RV package.
Hope you enjoy yours as much as we have ours. Great service and pretty easy to find a connection too.
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Old 12-11-2022, 02:13 PM   #9
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Nice install as always, Mike!

I'm really interested in the Starlink RV solution, but not sure I will go for the high performance in motion system. Price is one thing, but also there are some friends we visit that have an RV pad that is covered and they graciously let us use when we visit. And, in the summer we are often in very tree covered areas. So, regular solution taken out will likely be for us.

My question is - do you know what the difference in performance is? As noted, I'm not valuing the permanent install or in motion features, but I am interested in the "high performance" part. Is that just to support the in motion features? Or will it be much higher performance even when parked?

Thanks in advance for your comments,
Brad
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Old 12-11-2022, 04:22 PM   #10
MAWilsonPE
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Hello Brad,

I hope you are doing well! I do not have a lot of information on what the "high performance" package provides other than what is on the Starlink website. The "flat high performance in motion" package uses the same hardware as their "business" package. These use a different dishy from the standard package with a wider view of the sky (140 degress vs 100 degrees for the standard dishy) This allows for connection to more satellites and can switch to those that are faster more quickly, I assume.

I quote from Starlink webpage:

Business High Performance: "Best for power user, business, and enterprise applications. It allows better speeds at high temperatures, can connect to more satellites, and is more resilient to extreme environments."

Flat High Performance: "Designed for mobility applications and challenging environments. With a wide field of view and enhanced GPS capabilities, it can connect to more satellites, allowing for consistent connectivity while on the go. The hardware is designed for a permanent installation and is more resilient to extreme environments. Currently the only designated dish for in-motion use in approved countries."

I can tell you that the high performance router is different than the standard one as well, because I asked if I could buy the standard package and upgrade just the dishy later when the price comes down but they told me you need the high performance router to match the HP dishy.

I can tell you with a clear view of the sky (we are at a SC beach now with a pretty open site) I have been seeing download speeds between 70 and 270 Mb/sec and uploads at 10-25 Mb/sec. There are a few trees so I am getting "obstructed" times between 45 seconds over 12 hours to a max of 7 minutes over 12 hours, but never for more than 15 seconds at a time.

Someone else will have to chime in with their experience with the standard setup for comparison.

I hope this helps!

Best Regards, Mike
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Old 12-11-2022, 08:51 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by MAWilsonPE View Post
Hello Brad,

I hope you are doing well! I do not have a lot of information on what the "high performance" package provides other than what is on the Starlink website. The "flat high performance in motion" package uses the same hardware as their "business" package. These use a different dishy from the standard package with a wider view of the sky (140 degress vs 100 degrees for the standard dishy) This allows for connection to more satellites and can switch to those that are faster more quickly, I assume.

I quote from Starlink webpage:

Business High Performance: "Best for power user, business, and enterprise applications. It allows better speeds at high temperatures, can connect to more satellites, and is more resilient to extreme environments."

Flat High Performance: "Designed for mobility applications and challenging environments. With a wide field of view and enhanced GPS capabilities, it can connect to more satellites, allowing for consistent connectivity while on the go. The hardware is designed for a permanent installation and is more resilient to extreme environments. Currently the only designated dish for in-motion use in approved countries."

I can tell you that the high performance router is different than the standard one as well, because I asked if I could buy the standard package and upgrade just the dishy later when the price comes down but they told me you need the high performance router to match the HP dishy.

I can tell you with a clear view of the sky (we are at a SC beach now with a pretty open site) I have been seeing download speeds between 70 and 270 Mb/sec and uploads at 10-25 Mb/sec. There are a few trees so I am getting "obstructed" times between 45 seconds over 12 hours to a max of 7 minutes over 12 hours, but never for more than 15 seconds at a time.

Someone else will have to chime in with their experience with the standard setup for comparison.

I hope this helps!

Best Regards, Mike
Thanks Mike, yes very helpful!

I tried to find the info on Starlink site, but obviously didn't dig deep enough. That is very good performance you are seeing. If it works well in typical tree covered parks that would be very good indeed.

Hope you guys are doing well, and enjoy your time at the beach!

Brad
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Old 12-12-2022, 09:43 AM   #12
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How is your latency? What kind of ping times do you get with Starlink?

Thanks for sharing this!
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Old 12-12-2022, 11:05 AM   #13
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How is your latency? What kind of ping times do you get with Starlink?

Thanks for sharing this!
On our Starlink RV we get presently near San Antonio in a Boondock location is minimum 23ms and maximum 79ms. Generally seems to be around 35-45ms.

With a clear view of the sky (Boondock location with no trees) I have been seeing download speeds between 25 and 50 Mb/sec and uploads at 5-10 Mb/sec.

Having used the Starlink RV as we crossed the US from the PNW to the east coast and then down thru the Carolina's to Mississippi and across I10 to Houston, Corpus Christi and San Antonio area we found the worst service was in the Atlanta area with constant "obstructions" while parked in an area with no trees or anything that appeared to be an obstruction. Suspect their satellites were "loaded" and we were "dropped" as not being a priority user. Have had excellent service following Seattle I90 to Sioux Falls I29 to I70 across to Ohio/Virginia and then down the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Atlanta area before service got less then ideal. Picked back up to excellent on I10 from Mobile to Houston and was awesome in the Corpus Christi beach areas too.
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Old 12-12-2022, 11:51 AM   #14
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Appreciate this info!
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Old 12-12-2022, 01:42 PM   #15
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Hello Bierp,

I am seeing the same latencies as Joint Venture II.

Brad, further... I don't think there will be much difference between the standard Starlink and High Performance Starlink in terms of latencies or upload/download speeds. The real difference, I think, is the increased view of the sky.

The standard system sees a cone with a 100 degree angle, the high performance system can see up to 140 degrees. While this does not seem like a whole lot at first, it is a really huge increase! The area in the sky each unit can see is the tangent of half that angle, squared, times Pi times the satellite distance. So comparing 140 deg vs 100 deg is:

[tan(70 deg)]^2 / [tan(50 deg)]^2 = 5.3

So the high performance unit can see more than 5 times more of the sky and, assuming an even distribution of satellites, 5 x the number of satellites from which to choose to connect to!!

Best Regards, Mike
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Old 12-12-2022, 04:15 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by MAWilsonPE View Post
Hello Bierp,

I am seeing the same latencies as Joint Venture II.

Brad, further... I don't think there will be much difference between the standard Starlink and High Performance Starlink in terms of latencies or upload/download speeds. The real difference, I think, is the increased view of the sky.

The standard system sees a cone with a 100 degree angle, the high performance system can see up to 140 degrees. While this does not seem like a whole lot at first, it is a really huge increase! The area in the sky each unit can see is the tangent of half that angle, squared, times Pi times the satellite distance. So comparing 140 deg vs 100 deg is:

[tan(70 deg)]^2 / [tan(50 deg)]^2 = 5.3

So the high performance unit can see more than 5 times more of the sky and, assuming an even distribution of satellites, 5 x the number of satellites from which to choose to connect to!!

Best Regards, Mike
Thanks for the math, Mike and the explanation. I suspect this would make a practical, real world difference, especially for those tree covered parks we love to frequent up here in western Canada.
Next steps for me is that there are 3 favourite spots that are not yet available, including the one we spend quite a bit of time in AZ. Friends tried a regular Starlink dish there last year and I helped them try to configure it. We saw great speeds at times, but it was not reliable. Right on the edge of the zone, but it was problematic enough for me to hold off. And, I just checked the map again, and it has not changed since spring.
We are leaving for AZ in a couple days, so for at least the start of the trip it will be crappy wifi and cell hotspots. But, Starlink is definitely on the radar, and this has been really helpful!

Brad
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Old 12-12-2022, 04:24 PM   #17
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Thanks for the math, Mike and the explanation. I suspect this would make a practical, real world difference, especially for those tree covered parks we love to frequent up here in western Canada.
Next steps for me is that there are 3 favourite spots that are not yet available, including the one we spend quite a bit of time in AZ. Friends tried a regular Starlink dish there last year and I helped them try to configure it. We saw great speeds at times, but it was not reliable. Right on the edge of the zone, but it was problematic enough for me to hold off. And, I just checked the map again, and it has not changed since spring.
We are leaving for AZ in a couple days, so for at least the start of the trip it will be crappy wifi and cell hotspots. But, Starlink is definitely on the radar, and this has been really helpful!

Brad
As we are going thru AZ the first of the year and staying a couple of days in Sierra Vista in the south, Phoenix and then onto Quartzsite before heading north to Las Vegas. Will report on our service with Starlink when in those areas.
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Old 12-12-2022, 04:42 PM   #18
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As we are going thru AZ the first of the year and staying a couple of days in Sierra Vista in the south, Phoenix and then onto Quartzsite before heading north to Las Vegas. Will report on our service with Starlink when in those areas.
Perfect, thanks!

We will spend time in Lake Havasu, Parker, Quartzite, and south of Phoenix. Quartzite is the only one that is currently in a service area.
I will stay tuned for your report, and I will keep checking to see if any of the above areas get upgraded to a service area.

Thanks!
Brad
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Old 12-12-2022, 04:55 PM   #19
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Perfect, thanks!

We will spend time in Lake Havasu, Parker, Quartzite, and south of Phoenix. Quartzite is the only one that is currently in a service area.
I will stay tuned for your report, and I will keep checking to see if any of the above areas get upgraded to a service area.

Thanks!
Brad
Oops! Quartzite isn't in a service area either. Almost like every area in AZ where snowbirds gather has been blacked out. Weird.

Brad
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Old 12-12-2022, 08:22 PM   #20
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Oops! Quartzite isn't in a service area either. Almost like every area in AZ where snowbirds gather has been blacked out. Weird.

Brad
The starlink map is not a service area, or a coverage map. Pretty much everywhere is the lower 48 has service, minus areas with dense tree coverage. The map on the starlink site is actually a residential availability map. The residential customers get priority over RV. So at times, specifically during peak hours RV might be deprioritized based on congestion and may see super slow speeds.
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