questions about using starlink mini roam

[Bobby Little]

ok so who is using Starlink Mini and the roam plan? thinking about going that route to knock out dreaded dead zones while chasing. love to hear opionions on this subject. looks like $349 refurb kit, $50 for 50GB (able to add or pause) or $165 unlimited

 

[Robert S. Thompson]

I have the same question - hoping that a reply will bump this up!

 

[John Wetter]

Was coming here to ask this exact question! I see Danial Shaw has Starlink and is having issues with a dish replacement (per X post). So, not sure overall who is doing this. I'm very intrigued by the idea as they even have a mount meant to go on a roof rack cross post.

 

[Bobby Little]

Still waiting for feedback on my original post.??
I found a FB marketplace post that rents out the roam unit. they were charging $30 a day + deposit. NO THANKS!
I see Reed is using one on his Dom. Wondering does the dish have to mount outside the vehicle ( ok what about hail?) or can it sit in a back window? lets go with some chatter

 

[Randy Jennings]

There are a number of chasers who are using Starlink. Daniel Shaw, Reed Timmer, Jordan Hall, Scott Peake, and more. I believe the first 3 are using the standard one and I think they all have it mounted outside if my memory is correct. I know Scott is using the mini one that just sits inside and is pointed at the sky from his back window. Daniel posted on X that he had to replace the hardware because of a failure (not related to hail damage he said) and he had issues with activation on the replacement but a post on X tagging Starlink got him help. I ran into Scott and Jordan on a chase a few weeks back and I talked with Scott about Starlink. He said it is great. I wish I has asked him about how well it worked in heavy rain and with it not having a 360 degree view of the sky. But he did say it was great and far better than cell. He also loved the pause feature on Roam where you can turn it off and not pay for it.

If you do some research online, you will see a lot of folks - especially Jeep Wrangler drivers - mount them in moon roofs pointing up.

Make sure you read the FAQ on the starlink website. You should note that the normal Starlink Roam plans are for "non-commercial use". They do have a business plan that is priced higher. Hope this helps.

 

[Hunter D]

I've used Starlink Mini magnet mounted to my car roof for the last few months while storm chasing across Dixie Alley and now most recently the midwest. I also use multiple cellular connections from Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Starlink works very minimally for areas of Dixie Alley, I can only rely on it to provide me radar data / chat in a pinch. Uploading speeds for my live stream are very bad, especially during heavy storms. Thankfully I use a cellular bonding solution, albeit not the best, from Teradek.

Now on to my first few chases in the Midwest (Iowa / Nebraska).... I couldn't have functioned without the Starlink Mini as it was my only source of internet in the majority of areas I was chasing in. If it wasn't for Starlink I wouldn't have been able to stream the Ashby, NE tornado to my YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch pages as no cellular companies had any connection where I was located. I was extremely amazed by the performance of it in the midwest and how well I was able to maintain a 1080P live stream while moving without any hiccups as I had experienced in Dixie Alley.

Living in Mississippi, i know Starlink is VERY popular in even mid-size towns as it provides faster speeds than those with copper lines still in place from prior telephone companies. Fiber is very slow to catch on here in MS, but thankfully efforts are finally getting underway in more rural areas. So I'm not exactly able to pinpoint the lack of performance of Starlink in Dixie Alley to either capacity issues or worse terrain with more trees beside the roads during the chase. I have debated about trading out my SL Mini for the standard to see if I get better performance in Dixie Alley.

 

[James K]

I see Reed is using one on his Dom. Wondering does the dish have to mount outside the vehicle ( ok what about hail?)

I believe he has lost 2 of them this spring due to hail damage...

 

[Hannah.Taylor]

@Adam Lucio is using one.

I believe he has lost 2 of them this spring due to hail damage...

You'll need a polycarbonate cover to prevent hail damage on them. Adam talks about this on his fb post he made back in April.