Anyone owning or using star link on their rovers ?? Is it the most economically useful internet tool ? Or are there better options .

 

If you go off the road deep into uninhabited areas, then it is the only option. If you are in flat areas, mobile coverage might reach further, but in mountainous terrain the signal gets blocked by the mountains easily. I have no Starlink yet, so I can't tell you from personal experience, but there are plenty of YT videos testing different models under different conditions. I think the MINI is the best option, since it very compact and doesn't require an external router. The performance is claimed to be comparable to the standard antenna but at lower power consumption. There is a 30 day trial period, so you can return it if you are not happy. I am waiting on a good deal, maybe BF? The 50GB plan is sufficient for me, since I just need it for staying in contact with my family, doing some research form time to time, or in case of emergency.

 

Yes . The only reason to use Star link is if there is no cell coverage . I plan on wheeling around eastern Oregon , and if I lose sight of some roads , I want to be able to use my drone to see roads ahead . Don't want to trust OnX too much . We Boost seems a little deceptive on the fact that if you have no signal , you have no boost .

 

Best Buy has a BF deal for the MINI for $150 off. I ordered it yesterday night and just picked it up. I hope I can set it up today or tomorrow and will report back.
Cell signal boosters only compensate for the signal loss when you sit in the cabin. They don't increase the range when the antennae of your phone and booster are in the same location. For navigation I have been using Osmand for over 10 years which works totally offline. I compiled my own offline land use maps, which show me the type of land like BLM or NF with about 30 ft accuracy.

 

I hate to say it but my iPhone 15 and 16 with the sat function on Verizon for basic texting works just about everywhere in Oregon and WA state. Obviously not for voice.

I've made it a point to test it out on at least 3 trail runs recently. I've been texting home and receiving simple texts back in areas with absolutely no mobile signal with it since early October. It's a bit slow and you have to establish the sat uplink and stay put... but it's quite good. This is new in the past few months. Worth figuring out.

 

Nashvegas , are you referring to Verizon ? I was going to get Star link mini , because I want to travel the Owyhee area , and want to have my drone survey roads that seem faded , and any obstructions ahead . Eastern Oregon is very desolate , and I don't want to be incapacitated .

 

Unfortunately I couldn't set up my MINI while on a tour and test it under various conditions. It simply doesn't work on a 12V power source. Even with the alternator running 14.2V is not enough. The cable provided in the box is 16.4 ft (5m) long and I measured 0.45Ohm at each wire, so you lose 3V at 40W over the cable alone. Even with an ideal connection without any losses a quite low battery can lock you out. To make it reliable, a voltage up converter is required. I tried with a 20V one (old car power adapter for laptops) and that works fine. Next I will get one of those cheap up-converters from Amzn which are claimed to be waterproof and I can install on my roof rack. Any voltage between 20 and 48V is fine as long as they provide 60W minimum.

 

Yep . Black Friday deals at Best Buy . Just picked up a mini . I believe , from vids I've seen , I can use my Jackery 300 explorer for power . **** around and find out , I always say .

 

Not sure what you mean, that fact is well known. It is a booster, not a cell tower. It needs a signal in order to amplify a signal.

I have been out with those with starlink and it is awesome to have. My cell booster works well too, but it can never be 100% reliable of course. The starlink setup connects pretty dang quick from what I have seen and was super fast. I think the last one I saw work and used was not even a mobile version and that was over a year ago. Newer smaller units are available. I probably will get something this summer for myself.

 

I've been using starlink for a couple months so I can work while on longer trips. It works great even when you're partially obstructed by trees in the sierras. Better view you have, the better the connection but overall I'd recommend it if you have the power to drive it. Even the mini uses a fair amount of power over 12v and if you don't have a USBC power with at least 65w PD, you'll need to run an inverter to use the included wall wort.