Starlink on my Ventana

[swaff54]

First post here

I've had the Starlink terminal now for a couple of weeks. It's been running well even at my current site which has some tree obstructions. I'm getting short interruptions every 10 to 15 minutes, but it's still usable for streaming and general internet connectivity. I'm sure it will be better when we've moved to a location with less foliage.

It's currently sitting on a table in the front of the site with the router plugged into power in one of the cargo bays. We're heading for my son's house where I had a Flagpole Buddy pole and mount delivered a couple of weeks ago. If the Flagpole Buddy mount works as I expect, I shouldn't have to climb the ladder to set up the dish each time.

I'm prepared to do some surgery on the Starlink cable. I've read all of the cautions and success stories about doing this. My thinking is putting a shielded RJ45 jack on the cable at the dish end and connecting it to one of these installed in the rear cap near the ladder.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WF31P3S...v_ov_lig_dp_it

On the back side of the panel mount I want to run a shielded weatherproof 23awg patch cable of the appropriate length. Question is, do I run it on top of the coach or underneath.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WGY4LDY...v_ov_lig_dp_it

I'm using one of the shelves in the half bath as a media/technology space. I have power and space there and currently run a Cat5 cable from my Togo on the roof to my router there. That router is what I use to connect to all of the devices in the coach and it picks up both WiFi and the hardwired connection from the Togo. I'll use the Ethernet adapter from the Starlink router to connect to my current router.

Looking at the area behind the rear cap there is a wall/barrier right above the radiator. As stated previously, I don't want to have to climb the ladder each time I set up the dish. Does anyone know what is above this wall/barrier? Is the area from the top of the cap to this barrier fairly open where I could fish a cable from a hole in the barrier to a hole in the top of the cap?

The other option would be to run the cable under the coach in some split wire loom. Has anyone tried to fish a cable up the side of the vent stack? The vent stack is accessible from a cabinet in the half bath. I'm thinking that could be a path from the underneath the coach into the half bath.

Call me crazy if you want. I'm just trying to come up with a clean way to run the cable from the rear of the coach to the half bath area.

Thanks.

 

[JRS]

Nice write up and good luck on finishing it. After several months of use, it would be great to hear your thoughts on the system.

 

[Old-RV'er]

Read the other day, Starlink is moving into the RV arena, so some of the issues might be overcome with the system designed for RV'ers. With that said, fishing wires is a good luck option. I don't have RV now, but there should be many places you can get it into coach hopefully near where you want to use it. I am assuming, that parts of the system need to be near PC, and a wireless solution is not acceptable. I have looked at it, but with almost a 1000-dollar startup to get started, is way past my comfort level now. And since I'm stationary, my internet albeit slow will work for what I need.

 

[Chuggs]

Just purchased a Flagpole Buddy for Starlink Gen3.

I am excited to get the unit up off the ground. I have been throwing it atop a picnic table...but worry about landscaping crews getting hung in the cable...or a easy walk away by a thief.

The Flagpole buddy will get it up off the ground and within the footprint of the coach. This will be most important when rallying like the balloon fiesta where there is foot traffic between tightly spaced coaches...and loss of viewable sky due to all the coaches parked nearby for a ground deployed dish.

I have the router in a bracket in the half bay...and am going to put a keystone jack in the cord reel bay along with the CATV/carryout dish connections. I'll just connect the outdoor starlink cable to the keystone jack and route it to the Flagpole buddy. Seems like a reasonable way to lessen hassle and keep the wires away from. The foot traffic side of the coach.

Anyone find they needed more than two segments of aluminum pole? Or is two enough?

 

[Neal]

Anyone find they needed more than two segments of aluminum pole? Or is two enough?

Great setup, I installed the PoE setup as well to run ethernet from the cord reel into the house via the half bath route. Ethernet plugs into my Pepwave, all works great.

As to the pole, I enjoy seeing the coaches that try to get the dishes closer to the satellite so maybe try 8?

Obviously you only need what's required to get the roofline. I agree, there is high risk with cables running across grass and getting run over by the lawn crew so all should be aware of that. If you do run a cable I suggest marking it with lawn flags.

Lawn marker flags

 

[Chuggs]

8 extension poles...a good wind, and the coach might tip over on it's side

Now we have the ladder loaded...Starlink, Weather Station, 3d printed Weboost mounts... (can't imagine Weboost being a better choice than Phone over Internet w/Starlink)...

Yeah...I kept the Starlink Router, but would like to connect a WAN cable from it to the Pepwave. Either thru the articulating tray in the Kitchen SO and out the pepwave in the TV cabinet...or find some real estate in the Bathroom,,, like you.

Back to work...and waiting on parts from AMZN.

 

[Neal]

I use the 4 poles it came with so I don't have to climb the ladder to install. The bottom mount is shoulder height around the 2nd rung up if I recall.

 

[Chuggs]

I use the 4 poles it came with so I don't have to climb the ladder to install. The bottom mount is shoulder height around the 2nd rung up if I recall.

Hmm...mine only came with two sections. I moved the bottom up to stagger the Starlink antenna to be clear of the wx station. Don't mind taking a rung up to mount...but I can see when I start being less of a monkey...having to add a segment and lowering the buddy mount.

 

[JBright11]

I only use 2 poles as well and haven't had any issues. Not quite as high up the ladder as your's but it's as high as I can comfortably work with. I need a better solution for the router and cables though. Don't have pepwave yet but will probably slowly work towards that.

Love the weather station mount in your set up!!