We went to Antartica earlier this year and the ship had Starlink installed a few months earlier. We were at 72 degrees South (try finding that on a map!) and still had “some” internet service. Above 65 degree South it was very good.

Even the Captain was impressed. The ship had 2 antennas hard mounted on the top rail of the ship.

Yes, I know OTA and DTV are different. My point was that SWMBO watches both and will not be happy without access to both. We currently get local broadcast via DTV. I'm assuming that if we ditch DTV we'll need to get them OTA as I expect they won't be available via Starlink or Internet.

Every OTA map I've looked at puts us in the "marginal" to "no service" zone due to distance and topography, but I suppose I could invest in a deep fringe antenna and check for myself.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
Yes, I know OTA and DTV are different. My point was that SWMBO watches both and will not be happy without access to both. We currently get local broadcast via DTV. I'm assuming that if we ditch DTV we'll need to get them OTA as I expect they won't be available via Starlink or Internet.

Starlink is just an Internet connection.

You could get local stations via YouTube TV, but now you'd be talking $90-$120/mo. for Starlink plus $74/mo. for YouTube TV. $164-$194/mo., or $1,968 to $2,328 a year.

For TV.

You can also subscribe to Direct TV via your Starlink Internet connection. Looks like the minimal package costs about the same as YouTube TV?

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
Every OTA map I've looked at puts us in the "marginal" to "no service" zone due to distance and topography, but I suppose I could invest in a deep fringe antenna and check for myself.

A true deep fringe antenna is big and expensive. Plus you'd want something fairly substantial upon which to raise it. Then, if you want to DVR, something like a Tablo TV.

Do you see anybody else in your neighborhood doing OTA TV?

And, after that, the Starlink Internet connection plus whatever streaming services you want.

@ensigmatic:

Not aware of any other folks in the area attempting OTA, which is one of the big reasons I haven't bothered.

If all I'm getting is internet, I'm happy enough with my DSL. Wifey watches DTV, I stream Netflix and Amazon Prime.

If I thought she'd be happy with what she could stream, it might be worth it, but absent that, it doesn't make any sense in my case.

Thanks for the input folks!

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
@ensigmatic:

Not aware of any other folks in the area attempting OTA, which is one of the big reasons I haven't bothered.

I can't say as I've seen many (any?) outside/rooftop antennas around here, either, but we're doing it. So in one way that's neither here nor there, but somebody else doing it might be a useful data point.

I had a couple advantages: I was born and raised around here and I've done "radio" since my teens. So I pretty much knew what I could expect to accomplish OTA.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
If all I'm getting is internet, ...

Yeah: That's all Starlink is: An Internet connection.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
Thanks for the input folks!

You're welcome. Happy New Year!

Would like to hear an update on this question: your experience with Starlink?

I just read a very favorable review in PCMag with lots of data showing improvement in service since 2023.
We are likely to be in two different locations, one in San Diego, one in Northern California, both single family homes. Currently have Spectrum cable($$$) in S.D.; Xfinity internet in Northern California. So it would mean having two antennas, maybe paying for roaming, maybe not.

In any case total cost would be less than paying now because we have cable TV.

Only concern really is as noted above: local TV, but only interest is for local news. One can get some on YT, some on internet; here in S.D. May get OTA with simple antenna, unlikely at current rental in northern Cal.

OK, here’s the real underlying question: what if TSHTF? Starlink likely to be working in all situations except nuclear war, probably. You can pick up your antenna and move it anywhere with clear view of sky and get internet. Way easier than using handheld ham radio.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
Would like to hear an update on this question: your experience with Starlink?

I don't have any personal experience (don't need it and can't use it for my current needs), but, of the people I know who have it: They're all satisfied with it.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
In any case total cost would be less than paying now because we have cable TV.

Do you have to have subscription TV? Here, on Comcast/Xfinity, Internet only:

• 50mb/s: $10/mo.
  
• 100mb/s: $30/mo.
  
• 300mb/s: $35/mo.
  
• 500mb/s: $55/mo.
  
• 800mb/s: $70/mo.

StarLink is $120/mo. plus $600 for the equipment.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
OK, here’s the real underlying question: what if TSHTF? Starlink likely to be working in all situations except nuclear war, probably.

StarLink will work only as well as the rest of the Internet. No better, and possibly worse, depending.

I appreciate your comments as always, Ensigmatic.
In fact have referred your comments on Signal to a friend.

I’m going to be adding Starlink to my travel trailer this season … looking forward to being connected when off grid. Unlike traditionalists, I still like being ‘connected’.

I have all the mounting hardware and connections all set now … just need the Starlink.

PHPaul - looks like the closest broadcast towers are up near Orono and Bangor. Several of the channels are still VHF.

I used https://www.antennaweb.org to get an idea.

Then I used https://rabbitears.info and selected Markets/Market Listings to see what is there.

The first one doesn't seem to think you can get CBS but remember that these sites are an estimate. It lets you map on whether the antenna will be high or low over the property.

Possible alternative to DTV - https://www.sling.com

Good Luck!

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
OK, here’s the real underlying question: what if TSHTF? Starlink likely to be working in all situations except nuclear war, probably. You can pick up your antenna and move it anywhere with clear view of sky and get internet. Way easier than using handheld ham radio.

Does Starlink operate autonomously? If not, then the answer depends on where then fan the shit is hitting is located. What happens when the people that make it work don't show up for work? That applies to all satellite based services.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
Does Starlink operate autonomously?

I'm not certain what you mean by that.

TL;DR: No, it does not.

StarLink is a satellite-based private WAN (Wide-Area Network). Clients (customers) connect to it. It, in turn, is connected to the wider public WAN known as the Internet via POPs (Points Of Presence) or Peering Arrangements.

In many cases peering arrangements allow direct traffic flow between major private WANs (ISPs). E.g.: StarLink may have a private peering arrangement with, say, Comcast/Xfinity. In other cases, traffic between disparate private WANs may be via one-or-more backbone transit providers, which are nearly all Tier 1 Networks. (Some of whom provide only backbone transit, others of which supply both backbone transit and customer endpoint connectivity [e.g.: "AT&T," Verizon].)

(Of particular interest: Comcast isn't, technically speaking, a Tier 1 network, but it operates as one in the U.S. and does supply backbone connectivity to other private WANs on the Internet.)

All this is to say that if StarLink was severed from the Internet: Naturally all anybody would be able to "see" would be whatever else was connected directly to StarLink's WAN. And maybe not even all that, as it's likely that various segments of StarLink's WAN have separate POPs/peering in different regions of the world. (E.g.: It would make little sense for an Earth terminal in Undershirtistan to have all its traffic back-hauled halfway around the world to a POP/peering point somewhere in the U.S.)

I’m questioning how much human input is required to keep it or any satellite based communications functional. For example, what happens if Seattle has a major earthquake and nobody shows up for work at Starlink’s orbital control center in Redmond?

About that I've no idea. I suppose if you researched it you could find out.

I suspect it would continue operating for a while, but how long that "while" would be I've no idea.