Starlink in a Pop-Top

[kbeefy]

I recently decided to get myself a Starlink Mini. I have been relying on Cell reception while camping for 14+ years, and ironically in the last few years I have found myself without service more and more. I finally bit the bullet.
I spent quite a while figuring out what sort of pass-thru fittings would be appropriate for the starlink power cord to mount it on the roof. The roof is fiberglass, so all the magnetic mounts won't work. Suction cups won't work either. Some sort of 'bolt thru' mount was required.

Somehow I eventually figured out that Starlink can function thru some materials. One of those materials is fiberglass. My van has a pop up fiberglass top. Will it work mounted under the top instead of on top? That would solve a dozen logistical issues....


YES. It will, and it does.

Mounted it inside under my not SMB pop top, works great. Better than the internet at my house (which is terrible, BTW).

Wired it on a switch, it's actually quite noisy. I plan on using it when cell service is bad, so it won't be on all the time.
If you plan on having it on all the time, I'd position it with other noisy equipment or where you don't care about noise. Ours is mounted right above our bed, but since we don't need interwebs while we sleep, and I wired a switch into the circuit, we can shut it off whenever we want.

It looks to pull about 2Amps while operating. That number fluctuates, but not a lot. I've heard it will be higher in colder climates. Being ADHD about energy consumption, I don't like it but I'm totally OK with it as it's satellite communication. Messages going to frikin space and back. For 2Amps. From a frisbee sized piece of plastic. Not just messages. Internet. TikTok or YouTube. Whatever you want.

EDIT: And WiFi calling. And it has a built in router!

Speedtest was 50 up/20 down. From inside my van 5 minutes after powering up, without positioning at all. Haven't checked while moving.

 

[86Scotty]

Wow, is there any risk of radio waves flying around you in there causing health issues?

I have Starlink (3) as my sole internet/phone source at home now on my remote land and I'm sold on it. It just works, and works well.

 

[kbeefy]

To be honest I didn't even think of that.

A brief search reveals the stalink Mini is comparable to a wifi router or a cell phone in it's radiation levels.
I couldn't find any data for the mini specifically, but the standard Starlink is 0.1–0.5 mW/cm², the FCC/ICNIRP limit is 10 mW/cm² for general public exposure. The mini is half the size and half the power, so I would assume it has about 1/2 the emissions.

That measurement is directly in the beam, which is straight up. Fiberglass doesn't really reflect radio waves, so it's estimated that only 5-10% of it will be reflected. Thats why it works inside and why I decided to try mounting it there.

 

[1der]

pretty slick. Guessing there is no rack nor solar panels on the outside above the Mini??

 

[kbeefy]

Nope. Since it's a manual top I try to keep it light. I was going to add some flexible solar panels, but might have to omit one due to the Starlink.

I had a rack and 300w on my vanagon with a Country Homes Camper pop top, and it was about all I could do to lift it by myself. I learned from that mistake.

 

[Twoxentrix]

Mounted it inside under my not SMB pop top, works great. Better than the internet at my house

That statement sure opens doors for others to contemplate - very useful info!

May consider a Search on the forum for 'Suitcase Solar panels'; no weight on the roof, and IMHO more effective & versatile than roof panels. I get more use from my two 120wt suitcase's deployed on a 100ft cable than what sits on my roof. Seriously considering adding a 3rd.

 

[kbeefy]

That statement sure opens doors for others to contemplate - very useful info!

May consider a Search on the forum for 'Suitcase Solar panels'; no weight on the roof, and IMHO more effective & versatile than roof panels. I get more use from my two 120wt suitcase's deployed on a 100ft cable than what sits on my roof. Seriously considering adding a 3rd.

I already have a 200w 'suitcase' setup and a dedicated exterior port for it. I like having fixed roof mounted panels for convenience and saving space inside. Now that I have 400Ah of LiPo, solar isn't as big of a deal.

 

[Motorwerx]

Wow, is there any risk of radio waves flying around you in there causing health issues?

I have Starlink (3) as my sole internet/phone source at home now on my remote land and I'm sold on it. It just works, and works well.

I remember a while back watching a video of a guy who flew small experimental planes all over and camped out of them. He had a Starlink mounted in the cockpit just above his head that was active while flying. He said that he had spoken to someone at Starlink and that they had assured him it was safe, but didn't provide any concrete data other than that.

 

[kbeefy]

Quick update after 2300 mile trip to Alaska....


Ups and downs. Hope this helps someone.

It's noisey! If you have any ambient noise you won't notice. (We usually have music playing, or are driving), but if it's quiet and your trying to read or something it sounds like the world's smallest fax machine is in the cupbord.

Obstructions... I originally tested with the top up and it worked great. It still does.

Due to my top design, when the top is down there is alot of metal around the starlink. It doesnt like it.
When it is hitting a satellite straight up, it does fine. But it seems it is not always on a straight up satellite... when it's not and my top is down, it causes issues.

For whatever reason it is less of an issue while underway.

It's enough of an issue that I will be mounting it outside. I'm not sure if SMB tops will have the same interference, and I'm confidant that fiberglass hard tops will be fine.