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Look at the coverage map: https://api.starlink.com/public-files/maritime-coverage-map.pdf https://api.starlink.com/public-files/maritime-coverage-map.... What

Look at the coverage map: https://api.starlink.com/public-files/maritime-coverage-map.pdf https://api.starlink.com/public-files/maritime-coverage-map.... What a fucking joke. "coming soon" means nothing to me coming from a Musk company. Compare to the iridum network: https://www.groundcontrol.com/us/knowledge/calculators-and-maps/iridium-coverage-map-real-time-tracking/ https://www.groundcontrol.com/us/knowledge/calculators-and-m... Granted, iridium is much slower. But $5k a month for barely any coverage is an insult.

extheat 4y ago
Do you think running Starlink is cheap? Something seems to have struck a nerve.
- dieselgate 4y ago
  It’s only five boat units a month and ten boat units for setup. It’s no where near worth it for me because normal phone/wireless data works well where I sail (in addition to iridium network fwiw) - the prices would need to be at least an order (orders) of magnitude cheaper for me to even consider it. Not sure about parent comment though. Boat ~~ bust out another thousand Edit: I took parent comment as a joke but ya never know
  - roflyear 4y ago
    Right. I'm going to get a go I guess for passage making. Oh well!
- roflyear 4y ago
  No. I just think that their other products and their talk around this was out of touch. They were responding to people who are average cruisers saying it was coming soon. It ended up being a joke.
pigtailgirl 4y ago
-- coverage is literally perfect for anywhere I take my (imaginary) yacht! - south of france? check! italian riviera? check! miami? Check! LA? Check! $5k a month? In YachtLand $5/mth is pocket change --
- bombcar 4y ago
  Exactly. The customers who will buy this will add it alongside their existing Iridium setup, for faster speeds when able.
- dzhiurgis 4y ago
  And for us actual realistic ones - a lot of anchorages around Europe have pretty decent LTE to work with. You won't be able to work while on passage anyway.
  - dfadsadsf 4y ago
    We did a month of boat touring around Italy/ex-Yugoslavia last year and mobile coverage in anchorages is very much hit or miss. Generally ok for browsing but video calls worked ok may be 30% time. Essentially you can't count that you can take work call and have decent experience. Huge inconvenience. I had a few "can't miss" calls and essentially I had to get to city 1-2 hours beforehand and then look for hotel/coffeeshop with decent wifi .
- roflyear 4y ago
  It's true that sometimes $5k is pocket change when owning a boat :(
Tuna-Fish 4y ago
They don't need any new development or that kind of stuff for wide coverage, just the intersatellite links, and they have launched 15 groups of them in the first 6 months of this year.
- tsimionescu 4y ago
  "just" the intersatellite links, which is research-level technology given the speeds, distances and precision required. Tesla Autopot also requires "just" a few software updates.
  - wilg 4y ago
    I think they've already launched the new satellites with laser links.
    - tsimionescu 4y ago
      They've launched satellites that have lasers, but I don't think they've actually demonstrated they have the ability to aim those lasers precisely enough to actually communicate between satellites in orbit.
      - maccam94 4y ago
        https://wccftech.com/spacex-starlink-satellite-laser-test/ https://wccftech.com/spacex-starlink-satellite-laser-test/
        roflyear 4y ago
        Lasers require a lot of power. I doubt this is going to work.
        maccam94 4y ago
        Power budgeting is basic engineering. They wouldn't install lasers on satellites if they couldn't power them.

extheat 4y ago

Do you think running Starlink is cheap? Something seems to have struck a nerve.

dieselgate 4y ago
It’s only five boat units a month and ten boat units for setup. It’s no where near worth it for me because normal phone/wireless data works well where I sail (in addition to iridium network fwiw) - the prices would need to be at least an order (orders) of magnitude cheaper for me to even consider it. Not sure about parent comment though. Boat ~~ bust out another thousand Edit: I took parent comment as a joke but ya never know
- roflyear 4y ago
  Right. I'm going to get a go I guess for passage making. Oh well!
roflyear 4y ago
No. I just think that their other products and their talk around this was out of touch. They were responding to people who are average cruisers saying it was coming soon. It ended up being a joke.

pigtailgirl 4y ago

-- coverage is literally perfect for anywhere I take my (imaginary) yacht! - south of france? check! italian riviera? check! miami? Check! LA? Check! $5k a month? In YachtLand $5/mth is pocket change --

bombcar 4y ago
Exactly. The customers who will buy this will add it alongside their existing Iridium setup, for faster speeds when able.
dzhiurgis 4y ago
And for us actual realistic ones - a lot of anchorages around Europe have pretty decent LTE to work with. You won't be able to work while on passage anyway.
- dfadsadsf 4y ago
  We did a month of boat touring around Italy/ex-Yugoslavia last year and mobile coverage in anchorages is very much hit or miss. Generally ok for browsing but video calls worked ok may be 30% time. Essentially you can't count that you can take work call and have decent experience. Huge inconvenience. I had a few "can't miss" calls and essentially I had to get to city 1-2 hours beforehand and then look for hotel/coffeeshop with decent wifi .
roflyear 4y ago
It's true that sometimes $5k is pocket change when owning a boat :(

Tuna-Fish 4y ago

They don't need any new development or that kind of stuff for wide coverage, just the intersatellite links, and they have launched 15 groups of them in the first 6 months of this year.

tsimionescu 4y ago
"just" the intersatellite links, which is research-level technology given the speeds, distances and precision required. Tesla Autopot also requires "just" a few software updates.
- wilg 4y ago
  I think they've already launched the new satellites with laser links.
  - tsimionescu 4y ago
    They've launched satellites that have lasers, but I don't think they've actually demonstrated they have the ability to aim those lasers precisely enough to actually communicate between satellites in orbit.
    - maccam94 4y ago
      https://wccftech.com/spacex-starlink-satellite-laser-test/ https://wccftech.com/spacex-starlink-satellite-laser-test/
      - roflyear 4y ago
        Lasers require a lot of power. I doubt this is going to work.
        maccam94 4y ago
        Power budgeting is basic engineering. They wouldn't install lasers on satellites if they couldn't power them.