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Surviving Milton and Starlink
We're living in our LD post Milton in our driveway in Venice, Florida and everything is good except for no power in the house. The weather has been mild and we can sleep at night without AC. There was no damage to our house, we just lost some vinyl fencing. We weren't here for the storm, we spent the night at an RV park in Homestead, Florida.

We have Starlink and we run the generator to use it. I also have a 300W Bestek pure sine wave inverter and have also used that for Starlink, but I have a few questions for the electrical experts. The Bestek only works with the power port in the dashboard, it doesn't work with the power port over the dinette. I think Starlink uses about 50W, so I'm not sure why the dinette power port doesn't work. I do have Starlink de-icer feature turned off.

How soon will I kill the chassis battery by using the power port in the dashboard ? In reading the LD owners manual, I didn't read anything about the generator charging the chassis battery. I do have a Weego 70 portable jump starter in case I do kill the chassis battery.

Looking ahead to the next hurricane, which is becoming a regular occurrence here, I'm considering buying Jackery Portable Power Station to power Starlink for when I don't or can't run the generator. Can anyone recommend which model would be best for us ?

As always, thanks in advance for your advice,

Bill Moss



2019 MB and 2010 Honda Fit

Re: Surviving Milton and Starlink
Reply #1
Glad you and your property came through the hurricane with minor damage, unlike so many others.
.
Second-generation Starlinks pull 80-85 watts on startup and 45-50 watts once connected.
This much power will kill the starting battery in a few hours. Our LD’s dash plugs are wired to the coach battery, which has much more capacity. Your LD should be wired this way.

I don't have any recommendations for a portable battery. I prefer to increase the capacity of the coach battery.
Switching to a lithium coach battery will use the generator more efficiently, lithiums charge at high rates until the battery is nearly full, unlike lead-acid batteries that take hours to completely recharge. Lithiums will also use solar energy more efficiently, charging the battery in a much shorter time.

Larry

 
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze

Re: Surviving Milton and Starlink
Reply #2

Hi Bill; Glad you survived Milton.  Your power usage may be about 3 Amps, well within limits for the power port. Check the 12vdc fuses in your power panel. A previous use or accidental short may have taken out a fuse. The cigarette lighter type of connector was designed so long ago, and was never intended for what items use it now. Just inserting some plugs can short it out accidentally.   There also may be other power using items on that same branch circuit that could have blown a fuse.  Buy a cheap multimeter and learn how to use it. It's not hard and can save a lot of effort chasing down this type of problem. ( I have one of these:
 Amazon.com: AstroAI Digital Multimeter and Analyzer TRMS 6000 Counts Volt...  among others)
   The engine charges the chassis battery very rapidly. A voltage reading here would help tell you (and us) what it's state of charge is. This meter  https://www.amazon.com/Charger-Adapter-Cigarette-Delivery-Compatible/dp/B08N4WKJMT/ref=asc_df_B08N4WKJMT/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693712892362&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16375492783684310437&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9061201&hvtargid=pla-1175515974395&mcid=e01d29b97a6039059a1dcfe76c6761be&th=1  will tell you if you have power at your house power point, and at your dash, to tell you the voltage of your chassis battery.  You can charge phones too. My wife likes to keep her phone charging while we are driving, assisting the GPS, and using Gas Buddy. (and chatting with friends, taking photos etc.)
    I hope this helps. Take care.   RonB

As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB

Re: Surviving Milton and Starlink
Reply #3
"Second-generation Starlinks pull 80-85 watts on startup and 45-50 watts once connected."

Starlink Mini (which could be said to be the third generation) draws 25-40 watts according to their spec sheet, and that's  about right in my experience.

Choosing between Starlink's Standard and Mini models is tough. The Mini is a small (10" x 12" x 1.5") all-in-one unit--antenna, receiver, and Wi-Fi router in one flat package. It uses roughly half as much power as a standard model. Set it on the ground facing north-ish (it's not fussy), plug it in, and connect to its Wi-Fi network. It takes a couple of minutes to find its bearings, and then you're online.

There's just one thing: the Mini costs twice as much as a standard Starlink. It's $599, while the standard model is a bargain at $299. (Actually, to me it looks like a closeout, but I'm just guessing.) But despite the higher upfront cost, I chose the Mini because of its low power consumption. I've had no reason to regret it.
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"

Re: Surviving Milton and Starlink
Reply #4
The power requirements of the various Starlinks vary widely; I wonder if the models using greater power have better connectivity or download speeds. 
I could not find any information as to the performance specifications.
Starlink | Specifications

With the router built into the Mini, this could be a problem if needing to use a very long connecting cable the router may be too far away for a strong WiFi signal.
We have used up to 150’ of cable to find a clear view of the sky; trees are a nuisance.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze

Re: Surviving Milton and Starlink
Reply #5

"I wonder if the models using greater power have better connectivity or download speeds."

Good point. I found a comparison review that confirms that the standard model has faster connection speeds, a router with longer range (although if it's sitting inside an RV, that's not a significant advantage), and does better in rain and snow. So yes, the standard model has its advantages. That said, I've seen speeds as high as 150 Mbps with my Mini, and I have no complaints about that. :-)

"With the router built into the Mini, this could be a problem if needing to use a very long connecting cable the router may be too far away for a strong WiFi signal. We have used up to 150' of cable to find a clear view of the sky; trees are a nuisance."

You're right; the Wi-Fi range of the Mini's built-in router is a potential drawback. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be able to connect to it from 150 feet away. But the Mini does have an Ethernet jack as well as the power jack that's normally used, so it could be used with an indoor router, just as you use the standard Starlink unit. Of course, that would entail an extra cost for the separate router, and the hassle of setting it up. One of the appealing things about the Mini is its simplicity. Yes, the first time you use it, you have to give its built-in router a name and password, but the Starlink software makes that easy.

I put my Mini on the ground for the first week or so I had it, and even in a clearing in the San Isabel National Forest it worked just fine. But there were cattle wandering around, and I worried that it might be trampled. So I bought a flagpole, a frame-mounted 2" hitch receiver, and a flagpole holder that fits a 2" receiver. So far, that has worked well.

(A Lazy Daze wouldn't need the frame-mounted hitch receiver, of course, but the flagpole and flagpole holder could fit nicely in the LD's rear hitch receiver. Just a thought.)

One nice thing about the Mini is that its power cable uses a standard 5.5 x 2.1 mm barrel connector, rather than the unusual connectors of the standard Starlink model. That means you can get a cable with a USB-C plug on the other end, and power the Mini from a 12V to USB-C adapter such as this one.

P.S. - One note about that flagpole I linked to: although very sturdy and reasonably priced, it's 2 3/16" in diameter, whereas most flagpole holders including the one I linked to accept only 2" flagpoles. That's easily solved by removing the bottom section of the flagpole. The remaining section is 2" in diameter, and still gives you 15 feet of height, which is enough to get the Starlink well above the roof. At least, that's been my experience.

As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"

 
Re: Surviving Milton and Starlink
Reply #6
Since we're talking about Starlink, here's a tip I just discovered. Starlink provides well-designed software for iOS (and I assume for Android), but there's nothing for macOS. But with the latest versions of macOS (Sequoia 15.x and iOS (18.x), you can use iPhone Mirroring to completely control your phone from your Mac. That means you can pop up the Starlink app on your computer screen to check your bandwidth, data usage, or whatever. I've found that comes in handy once in a while.
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"