Setting up Starlink Gen2 internet- any suggestions?

[zannej]

Hi all. I've b***ed up a storm about my current ISP and how much it sucks. It has really gone downhill. No longer has US customer service, speeds are slower, often unusable, and we have more outages. It also started miscalculating our bandwidth usage. We signed up for Starlink and paid a deposit over a year ago. We were supposed to get it last year but our state govt requisitioned the equipment so we had to wait longer. Our equipment is supposed to be delivered today.

One thing my mother and brother didn't realize when the order was set up was that it only comes with a mount that sits on the ground or on some flat surface. We can't leave it down like that because it can get stepped on by cows. So, we need to find a way to mount it. I'm not about to put holes in the roof.

The official eaves mount from Starlink is $40 but would not arrive until sometime in March. Our current ISP will bill us on the 12th and we are hoping to be able to cancel by then if Starlink works well for us. Gen 2 is a rectangular flat faced dish that weighs around 8lbs or so. It has full pivoting motion on its short pole and automatically adjusts itself to get the best signal.

The good news is, there are no trees or major obstructions on the northwest side of the house (our house is angled so the corner points north). We do have a 50ft tower but I'm not about to climb up it to try to mount something-- especially since I want to be able to somewhat easily get Dishy McFlatface (Elon Musk's name for it) down to protect it from hurricanes/tropical storms.

I'm thinking the best way to mount it would be to the eaves in a similar manner to how our current Dishnetwork (DN) satellite is mounted. I saw a J-arm mount online for $40 on Amazon that has braces so it can mount to a wall, but my eaves overhang too much for wall-mount. I was told the arms are adjustable but I don't know if the 2" pole fits the Gen2 dish. I know it fits the Gen1 which is larger and heavier.

I pulled the mounting brackets off the old DN dish and off the Hughesnet (HN) dish. The DN still has a busted pole in the grip of the mount. I think I can cut it with my chopsaw. The HN has no pole but I think it fits on the pole of my existing Viasat dish. But, that pole would have to be cut short to be used as well. I haven't measured either pole to know their sizes. I just know that the HN one fits on a larger pole.

If Dishy fits on the old DN mount I might be able to bend the pipe slightly (but I don't have a pipe bender) to be more of a J profile. Gonna see if the local hardware store has something I can use or if they can help me out-- owner is a very nice guy who likes to help people. I will have to get proper screws to get the mount to grab. Although, I'm hoping that the hardware store will have a J-arm mount. I'm still trying to find out what the OD is of the Dishy pole. Starlink's website does not have much info.

Without further ado, the pictures:
This is a stock photo of the dish style I'm getting mounted with the type of mount I'd wanted to use but it's not available yet (worst case we can order it if our temporary setup doesn't work)

This is the way my current Dishnetwork dish is mounted (antenna next to it is defunct):

This is how our current Viasat dish is mounted (facing south)

Old Dishnetwork mount still attached to the busted pole (end is squished bc it had been in concrete)

Old HN mount

Cat tax

This shows the front of the house (corner, fence, & carport all got sprocked by a falling tree)

Top view of the house showing that the damaged corner faces north

If I had the right mounting hardware the top of the tower would get good signal BUT it's too far up, could attract lightning, and would be difficult to remove for hurricanes. The orange line routing to the wall goes in where the existing modem wire goes in (just lower down).

Our plan is to set Dishy in or on the truck for testing to see what sort of signal we get, run the cable through a window and prop the window open so it won't crush the cord, set the modem where we want it, and test it out. I will figure out which (if any) of the mounts work.

Then we will have to hope it has strong enough signal to send wifi to my brother's room. Eventually we hope to get their Mesh system when it comes out. Their modem does not have an ethernet port so we will have to all connect wirelessly. I'm hoping the position I've chosen for the modem will still let me get signal in my room but be able to get around the signal blocking from the HVAC and water heater.

As an aside, I'm thinking of seeing if I can get my friend to help me look in the workshop for a pipe bender just in case my dad had one and I didn't know it. I need to figure out what they look like. LOL.

 

[Curmudgeon]

So, we need to find a way to mount it. I'm not about to put holes in the roof.

What does the back of the Starlink dish/mounting hardware look like?

Can you remove just the dish from the one on the eve and mount it to that?

 

[zannej]

No on removing the dish from the eaves-- we are using it still as it's how we get TV.
The pole-mounted one on the ground will be disconnected when we get Starlink working.
Not the best picture, but this was form an unboxing video

Tubing is some sort of metal allow but reminds me of stuff on a vacuum.

Not sure if this helps, but this was from an Amazon review for a 2" J-arm mount. User had Gen1 round heavier dish though:

I'm still trying to get more information on how the Gen2 locks in. The button on it looks sort of square.

 

[zannej]

Update: The dish arrived. It has a proprietary end that only fits properly with Starlink's mounts. We have temporarily attached it using the old DN mount upsidedown. My friend (against my wishes, but under my brother's direction) bent the edge of the roof's overhang with a hammer to get the pole going up straighter as it was initially at too much of an angle having to come out from the edge a bit more. It still has a slight lean to it. It is also getting obstructions to the east from some trees that may need to be trimmed (or we need a taller pole).
No idea why, but while searching for info about mounting methods, this image came up:

Anyway, this is the type of mount we've ordered (after I realized the long mount is too short with the trees to the east)

Current temporary mount (I had to use a thicker pipe that I cut and my friend had to use pipe insulation tape on the base to make it thicker, wrap the cord in gorilla tape for the length of the pole to protect it from any metal edges, & wrap the joint in T-Rex tape).

This is the obstruction imaging:

The adapter I ordered can fit up to 2.5" pipe. I might swap out to the old HN mount and use a thicker pole, but I will need to put some pressure treated & painted wood up against the eaves to bump the mount out a little further. I believe the screws I used are 2.5" long. Local store doesn't sell bent pipes & we couldn't get the metal bender to work (as it's not anchored).
This is very similar to the style of bender we have but it has a wedge instead of a roller on one part)

Probably would have to heat the pipe to bend it. And have it properly anchored to something solid- not sure what though.

I saw Lowes has a 40" J-mount that is 1-5/8OD w/ 1-1/2" ID. It would still need to be extended taller though. I'm thinking a 6' or 10' pole might work. Meant to find out from hardware store today but wasn't feeling well (I was up all night researching).

I believe it was Haertig mentioned in the pictures thread that I need to ground the pole/dish. I will have to see how the existing Viasat dish is grounded. I know there is a wire going in to a metal pipe in the ground (will have to get pics later when its not raining).

So, the TL : DR? version

I need to figure out how to either bend an existing tall straight pole or splice on to a J-pole with another pole w/ max OD of 2.5". I am wondering of one of the guys at the auto repair place who welds on mufflers and exhaust pipes could help-- he's a really nice guy. Even if I have to pay him for it, it might be worth it.
I also need to figure out how to ground both the dish and that 50' tower (bc I don't think its grounded). Tower can't be used for this purpose (not safe to climb up).

Can I ground the satellite by running a ground wire to the grounding rod that the other stuff is attached to? How would I attach it?

Can I use some existing electrical cable and gorilla tape it inside the bottom of the pipe & run it to the grounding rod?

Editing to add additional photos of the dish.

 

[zannej]

Got the 10' pole up with dishy. Need to get it stabilized better though. Eaves have too much give for some reason.

 

[zannej]

Ok, so we got the 10' pole up with dishy on top but the mount on the eaves keeps wobbling and I'm worried it will tear away. The wood of the eaves is weaker than I'd realized I suppose. Even if we mount it to the roof, I'm worried the wind will still make it move. For now we have 100' paracord tethering one side to the chimney and the other side to the car port. I'd like a more permanent solution.

Its holding ok for now but if we get worse winds we will lose signal. My friend wants to lower the pole by 3' (which I am worried won't clear the tree because it just barely clears now) and use a combo of these:
EZ 30-12 Bracket Additional Bracket and EZ-30-12 horizontal bracket- but they are only 12" long and I'm certain the eaves are deeper than 12".

Meanwhile, I'm thinking it might be easier to use Long braces for J-mount which extend up to 33" (but would still not hold very high on the pole). I do wonder if the EZ 30-12 thingies could be modified to work.

I was also thinking of getting some 2" exhaust clamps to go around the pole and some anchors to tether to the roof plus a metal cable kit to anchor it. Alternatively, if I had the right size & strength metal, maybe I could find a way to create my own braces and tether them to the pole and roof. I'd like to avoid any roof leaks though. So I wonder if I could tether to the chimney. Its over 20' away though.

 

[zoomzoom]

Got the 10' pole up with dishy. Need to get it stabilized better though. Eaves have too much give for some reason.

Have you looked at the components for a residential electric service mast? Much more robust than attaching your pole to the facia. Not nearly as easy to install but if you went through your roof it would be a lot more stable. Not talking about the wiring in this image but the mast itself.

 

[Curmudgeon]

Just a thought here. Remove the soffit where the red dots are at, put a piece of 2x6 behind the fascia board and tie it into the trusses. Make a bracket with some flat bar, long enough so when you mount the pipe it doesn't hit the edge of the metal roof, carriage bolt it through the fascia and the 2x6 with the nuts on the backside, replace soffit.

Find a 2inch x 20 foot length of heavy walled galvanized pipe. Install your sat dish to the top, raise it up and plant the bottom of it in the ground with a little concrete around it. Use a heavy 2 inch muffler clamp to attach it to the bracket on the fascia board.

I don't know what height your eave is but lets say it is 8 foot, with about a foot in the ground you would be 9 feet plus the height of the bracket above the roof line.

Hope this makes sense.

I doubt you would need any guy wires at that point.

 

[zannej]

Thanks, Curmudgeon. My eaves are more than 10' from the ground. We have no idea how to remove the soffit. My friend tried to get a look behind it but couldn't figure it out. I'm thinking of getting to put on the roof and sister them up and get the pole plumb. Then hook guy wires to the tower and around the chimney (or to an anchor in the roof).
My friend's idea to wall mount wouldn't work bc the wall mounts are half the length needed.
I'm going to try to figure out how to get in to the soffit-- its hollow inside and the underside follows the roof angle and put in reinforcement, but it will be a pain. At least I have some lumber for it though. I'm thinking of building a box out of strong lumber and hiding it up in the soffit so the mount can be more secure and shimming out behind the mount so it doesn't hit the roof edge.

 

[zannej]

Have you looked at the components for a residential electric service mast? Much more robust than attaching your pole to the facia. Not nearly as easy to install but if you went through your roof it would be a lot more stable. Not talking about the wiring in this image but the mast itself.

View attachment 84863

The logistics of trying to go through the eaves is a nightmare, however, I saw a J-pole mount that attaches to the roof at an angle and has two metal supports that keep it lifted on the roof and anchor it better. I figure that with one of those tethers to sister the eaves pole to the roof pole and then some guy wires for good measure might work.

 

[Curmudgeon]

The soffit should just be laying in a channel. Should be able to pop it right out, you might have to tussle with it a little getting it back in, as they lay in the channel and lock to each other as well.

 

[Curmudgeon]

I'm thinking of building a box out of strong lumber and hiding it up in the soffit so the mount can be more secure and shimming out behind the mount so it doesn't hit the roof edge.

That's what I am eluding to, get a piece of 2x6 or 2x4 whichever fits better, and fit it in between two trusses fasten it to the truss on each end, then run a piece of 2x4 up each truss a foot or so and tie those into the 2x6. That should make it nice and solid for the mount.

 

[havasu]

If there are no obstructions, I see no reason for installing 10 feet higher than the roof line. I don't think a satellite cruising 55 miles up in the sky will get you better reception being 10 feet closer.

 

[SheepDog]

please bear with me on this;
The amount of leverage that mount has on your soffit is huge. The soffit is more decorative than structural. To remove the leverage on the soffit anchor the pole back down into the ground.
Right now you have an 8 foot pry bar connected to a piece of finish carpentry that is only made to take a small vertical load. Your pry bar is going to pry horizontally twisting supports. It's not made to take those forces. guy wires will help when they are cold and tight but the wires will get longer as they heat and allow the post to wobble. Failure will follow and it will be ugly. Transfer those loads into the ground and away from your mount.

 

[Neb]

Just a thought here. Remove the soffit where the red dots are at, put a piece of 2x6 behind the fascia board and tie it into the trusses. Make a bracket with some flat bar, long enough so when you mount the pipe it doesn't hit the edge of the metal roof, carriage bolt it through the fascia and the 2x6 with the nuts on the backside, replace soffit.

Find a 2inch x 20 foot length of heavy walled galvanized pipe. Install your sat dish to the top, raise it up and plant the bottom of it in the ground with a little concrete around it. Use a heavy 2 inch muffler clamp to attach it to the bracket on the fascia board.

I don't know what height your eave is but lets say it is 8 foot, with about a foot in the ground you would be 9 feet plus the height of the bracket above the roof line.

Hope this makes sense.

I doubt you would need any guy wires at that point.

View attachment 84865

Is that a radio rower in the background?

Mounting to that tower would solve a lot of problems.

Ben

 

[SheepDog]

There is an obstruction on the property. That is why they moved the receiver higher.
The roof and eves are built to take light loads from snow and a person walking on the roof not a 10 foot pry bar moving to twist and lift the roof. Your problem is not the mount, it is what you have it mounted to and the leverage of the mast. The roof is simply not made for the loads your are forcing on it.

 

[Supervisor42]

If there are no obstructions, I see no reason for installing 10 feet higher than the roof line. I don't think a satellite cruising 55 miles up in the sky will get you better reception being 10 feet closer.

I agree.
And 'spinney-thing' season will be upon her in a few months.
They don't play nice.
To me the pole just screams: "Pick me first!"

On topic, Photo:

 

[Curmudgeon]

Is that a radio rower in the background?

Mounting to that tower would solve a lot of problems.

Ben

I think that was discussed above, but it certainly would be a good place..

If I had the right mounting hardware the top of the tower would get good signal BUT it's too far up, could attract lightning, and would be difficult to remove for hurricanes. ]

 

[Frodo]

Is that a radio rower in the background?

Mounting to that tower would solve a lot of problems.

Ben

That I agree icon is as small as my -----------

 

[zannej]

To clarify a few things: The tower is 50ft up and the cord for the dish is only 75ft long. The cord would not reach where we need it to reach if we tried to mount it up there. Also, I'm not really sure how we would attach it securely and I don't know if it is safe to climb that high up the tower.

I agree about the eaves mount thing-- which is why I want to build a box (as Curmudgeon suggested). But, I also want to add other reinforcement.

So, this is my plan:

We will get this kit of 100' 6/20 (6 strand 20 gauge in plastic cover) with hook ring.

These tiller cable clamps (recommended by seller of the above kit)

These hook & eye turnbuckles to be able to adjust/tighten the cables

Some extra 50' of the same type of cable just in case (100' of the paracord reached two points & we need to reach 3 points).

We will also get this J-pole & mount with stabilizers (stabilizers can be adjusted).

And some sort of clamps to tether the J-pole (which will be mounted on the roof) to the main past pole.
Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

Or something else if someone has a better recommendation. Poles are about 2" OD.
We possibly might get these braces to attach to the 10ft pole for extra stability

This will be in addition to building the soffit box of course.
One of the plus sides of putting the J-pole mount on the roof over the eaves is that there are boards underneath the plywood that covered the roof in that area. Over the room/attic it is only plywood.

So this is my plan (requiring minimum of 3 people):

1. Prep: Remove soffit cover, measure, build box, take measurements for cables, cut cables to size, make loops in cables & secure to turnbuckles, attach turnbuckles to hook collar
2. Person on ladder 1 loosens bolts holding angle of mast pole
3. Loosen paracord tethered to chimney to slowly allow pole to lower outward toward fence
4. Person on ladder 2 catches pole & attaches hook collar near top of pole (just below pole adapter)
5. Pole raised back up and level put on to check for plumb
6. Secure 1st cable around chimney
7. Set up J-pole mount so J-pole is plumb
8. Put mast clamps on both poles to find right placement for j-pole mount
9. Mark holes & drill for mount & braces
10. Use roofing caulk around & under screws (and around mount) & secure mount & braces
11. Possibly add extra blocks inside soffit to give extra grab for screws to make it more secure
12. Secure 2nd cable to tower (have someone w/ grabber arm pass cable to someone on tower)
13. Secure 3rd cable to car port
14. Remove screws on eaves mount
15. Install box inside soffit & drill where mount screws will go through
16. Re-secure screws for mount
17. Maybe add some ring nails for extra support
18. Replace soffit cover
19. Tighten turnbuckles & check for plumb of mast

I realize that putting the dish on top of the tower might be less effort if I thought it was safe to climb & if I had enough cable. Ordering anything from Starlink takes a couple months for stuff to arrive & I have no clue how to attach something to the top of that tower. Plus the tower is rusting and we've already had antennas blow off of it.

An alternative thought- instead of using turnbuckles to attach to hook ring, we could loop the cable through and use tiller clamps and save the turnbuckles for lower areas so it can be adjusted down lower. So we would only need 3 turnbuckles.

Any thoughts?

 

[Haertig]

Dear mods - were posts from another thread merged into this one? I see a post of mine above that was not originally in this thread. I believe it was in "Post a Photo, any Photo" if I remember correctly. I was asking what kind of antenna zannej had installed. That question was in response to an isolated photo of the antenna, where I had no context to figure out what the antenna was. Now I see my post has been moved to this Starlink thread, where there is plenty of context that would make me look like an idiot for posting my question.

What is going on? I have not been posting in this Starlink thread, yet here is my post from elsewhere. Taken out of context. There were additional posts in the original thread (Photos) between me and SheepDog, Neb also, that were not moved here and are no longer in the original thread. Also, the picture that I was asking about is no longer in the Photos thread either.

So what gives? Was there a software error? Did I see something in the Photos thread (that I replied to) that was really in THIS thread? I do not recall ever being in this Starlink thread before. And what happened to SheepDogs second reply to me and my reply to that?

If this was indeed a moderator moving my post from one thread to another, it would be nice to have given some context to that move so as not to imply that I blurted out the dumbest of dumb questions asking what type of antenna we were looking at in an obvious Starlink thread.

 

[Frodo]

Zanne. You do not have to mount it all the way to the top of the radio tower
you can mount it any where on the tower you need to. altho, i would suggest buying some more cable and mounting it as high sas you can. the higher up the better the reception

for weather proofing the cable.wrap the connection with heat shrink
wrap the heat shrink with 100% sillycone with a rubber [bike tube] clamped on both ends silly cone the ends

if it is a cable coaxial it needs a moisture loop
that is a 360 degree loop in the line at the connection

 

[havasu]

Dear mods - were posts from another thread merged into this one? I see a post of mine above that was not originally in this thread. I believe it was in "Post a Photo, any Photo" if I remember correctly. I was asking what kind of antenna zannej had installed. That question was in response to an isolated photo of the antenna, where I had no context to figure out what the antenna was. Now I see my post has been moved to this Starlink thread, where there is plenty of context that would make me look like an idiot for posting my question.

What is going on? I have not been posting in this Starlink thread, yet here is my post from elsewhere. Taken out of context. There were additional posts in the original thread (Photos) between me and SheepDog, Neb also, that were not moved here and are no longer in the original thread. Also, the picture that I was asking about is no longer in the Photos thread either.

So what gives? Was there a software error? Did I see something in the Photos thread (that I replied to) that was really in THIS thread? I do not recall ever being in this Starlink thread before. And what happened to SheepDogs second reply to me and my reply to that?

If this was indeed a moderator moving my post from one thread to another, it would be nice to have given some context to that move so as not to imply that I blurted out the dumbest of dumb questions asking what type of antenna we were looking at in an obvious Starlink thread.

The posts were moved out of the picture thread, and reinserted into the Star Link thread.

If you have a post that looks confusing, just report it and we will remove it. Sorry, but that Star Link thread is all over the spectrum, and confusing to read.

 

[zannej]

Haertig, I posted a photo of my Starlink setup in the Post a Photo thread so maybe that is where the confusion lies?

Frodo, I'm not sure how to attach the dish to the tower on the side without the tower itself getting in the way of the dish. The dish needs to be able to pivot to track the satellites. and has to have full range of motion. I considered the side-mount thing but can't think of how to mount it without the tower becoming an obstruction. I'm open to suggestions on how to mount it to the side-- but the dish has some proprietary locking mechanism and needs to be docked in something that holds it properly-- like the pole adapter. If I could put the pole adapter on something it might help. If I put it on the front of the tower (facing north) I would still need to figure out how to get it to be far enough away from the tower to not bump it when it moves. I'm also not sure if moving it back farther would clear the tree obstructions. I have already ordered the J-pole mount. I suppose worst case I could try to find a way to mount that to the tower?

 

[Frodo]

go to the hardware store, find the correct size metal fence bracket
to secure a horizontal pole on the vertical radio tower

 

[zannej]

Hmmm. any pics of the metal fence bracket? I wonder if I can tether the J-pole mount on somehow and get it out far enough from the tower, then connect the 10ft pole (since it is already attached) to put it up higher and then have another bracket higher up to secure the upper part of the pole.

Korean Ramen! LOL!

I'm still trying to figure out which sort of bracket to use to secure one pole to the other. I want to have the side by side to give it a little extra room away from the tower.

 

[zannej]

My friend nixed the idea of moving the dish to the tower. He said with his health he can't climb the tower safely to mount stuff so he just wants to sister the existing setup to a roof mount and use guy wires. I was really liking Frodo's suggestion of mounting to the tower lower down and extending out, but if he's not willing and I don't have anyone else to help, we'll have to stick with what he feels comfortable doing.

 

[zannej]

At this point I think tower mounting makes the most sense but I will need to figure out just how much room I need in clearance I need for dishy to pivot and I will try to convince my friend to try it. We can either ditch the 10' pole and find a way to mount the J-pole arm to the tower or we can re-use the 10' pole and use the paracord like a winch to get the pole into position. We'll have to measure and get the right brackets to make everything fit.

So, if we use the 10' pole we will have to figure out how far out the J-pole needs to be, use its support struts near the top of the 10' pole to stabilize on the tower and make sure it is plumb. Use paracord to put over a rung on the tower to pull the pole (with dish removed) up to as high as it can go with the power cord, mount with the braces (if they are long enough) and then sister the pole lower down to the J-pole.

 

[zannej]

I have convinced my friend to go with Frodo's suggestion of attaching to the tower. I have the J-pole (which is smaller than advertised but can still work), I have clamp option #4 but I may need to get a different one for higher up).

So, we are going to use the J arm down lower to give more distance from the tower higher up for the dish to clear. The clamp will tether the 10' pole to the J-pole. Then higher up I have a couple of options:
Use one of the existing mounts and poles we have lying around to extend out from the tower higher up and figure out how to clamp it to the 10' pole (still not sure on how to do that but we can figure something out)
Use a pole running horizontally through the tower (as Frodo showed) to connect. I believe the existing poles I have are mostly 1.5" and the 10' one is 2". So, I need some sort of adapter that will handle those different sizes.

I came up with a slightly more accurate version of how my tower looks. It only has horizontal braces and it doesn't slope. It just has welded pieces inset the the higher it goes.
I figure some sort of U-bolts can connect the hardware and possibly a horizontal pole to the tower. Will need to see what the local hardware store has. I'm still trying to work out the best way to connect the horizontal pipe to the vertical. I've seen some clamps that would work if the horizontal pipe was perpendicular but its parallel. Unless I offset the horizontal pipe so it extends past on the side closer to the house and then I use a clamp to clamp it similarly to the lower one. I have to examine it, but I think the clamp I ordered can do that. So, I can order another one just like it if need be.

So, any suggestions?

 

[Peanut]

Oh, wanted to follow the thread but got confused...

Q. Have you used StarLink yet? If it's above i didn't see it. What's the verdict?

I'm thinking of changing to something different. The rumor is that we'll have cable in a year. But I've been hearing "fast internet" since Slick Willy and his clown show.

My only option is satellite of some type. Heck, my cell phone doesn't even work where I live.