I live on a narrowboat in the UK.  My Internet speed averages 5Mbps.  Photogrammetry has been permanently switched off because of the slow speed.  I was excited to learn of Starlink Internet so ordered it in April 2021.  It was delivered today 23 August.  Delivery from Los Angeles was only three days from dispatch.

My first speed test was 170Mbps, but the highest seen on day 1 was 260Mbps!  Coverage in the UK is very good. My latitude is 52N which is under the Northern extent of the satelite paths, so no outages at all even though the service is in Beta.  At last I can new see Photogrammetry  and very nice it is too.

Only one day with the service, but it means another step up in visuals for me.  I would recommend it.

Beats my 32 Mbps from BT 😞 What's the price like?

I saw the Starlink satellites crossing Britain after launch, taking the dogs out for their late night walk at Sidmouth in Devon ... not a clue what they were, looked like a train of UFOs.
Only the next day I found a Youtube taken from Holland and discovered what they were...if only I'd had a video camera with me that night...

52 minutes ago, keithb77 said:

Beats my 32 Mbps from BT 😞 What's the price like?

I saw the Starlink satellites crossing Britain after launch, taking the dogs out for their late night walk at Sidmouth in Devon ... not a clue what they were, looked like a train of UFOs.
Only the next day I found a Youtube taken from Holland and discovered what they were...if only I'd had a video camera with me that night...

It isn't cheap, but the price is proportional to how many times you swear at the PC with just 5Mbps 🙂  £89 deposit plus £400 for the dish and router when it is dispatched.  Costs £80 per month but that is unlimited data.  

I just saw a 320MBps speed test so I'm happy to pay the price just for photogrammetry 🙂

i had 960mbps for 2 years but brought it down to 400mbps recently because no website/online store would allow me more than 450mbps.  Microsoft is actually the only store that allows me over 400(my msfs download took around 60-90mins on 400mbps), Steam only allows me 55-60 mbps 😪

That’s good news on your Internet upgrade . I really enjoy David John’s “ Cruising the Cut “ . Enjoy the rest of your Summer Sir . 

 

On the hardware side Starlink is working to produce a lower cost terminal as they're losing money on it right now.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2021/06/musk-aims-to-cut-starlink-user-terminal-price-from-500-to-as-low-as-250/

My old house had 20 Mbps, while my new one averages 800 Mbps. Needless to say it was a revelation, and not just with MSFS. 

43 Mbs I get, here in the Channel Islands. Half what I used to get in the UK. Seems to be adequate though. That's via Wi-Fi, not sure what it would be wired. 

But yes, Starlink looks like a great option for many, especially in remote areas. 

Pity about the close encounters though.

Doesn't look as if it will be long before a collision and the shotgun effect causes mayhem in orbit.

 

Quote

 

SpaceX Starlink satellites responsible for over half of close encounters in orbit, scientist says

Starlink satellites might soon be involved in 90% of close encounters between two spacecraft in low Earth orbit.

 

 

Quote

SpaceX's Starlink satellites alone are involved in about 1,600 close encounters between two spacecraft every week, that's about 50 % of all such incidents,

 

https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-satellite-collision-alerts-on-the-rise

Edited August 24, 20214 yr by martin-w

8 hours ago, RobJC said:

My old house had 20 Mbps, while my new one averages 800 Mbps. Needless to say it was a revelation, and not just with MSFS. 

More modestly 😃, I went for MFS from an ADSL less than 5 to an about 50 Mpbs 4G connection and am delighted. I dream of a 800 Mpbs !  In the meantime, I keep an eye on Starlink knowing that their dish seems to have a thermal problem when it is hot outside. 

5 hours ago, Dominique_K said:

More modestly 😃, I went for MFS from an ADSL less than 5 to an about 50 Mpbs 4G connection and am delighted. I dream of a 800 Mpbs !  In the meantime, I keep an eye on Starlink knowing that their dish seems to have a thermal problem when it is hot outside. 

That is still a huge jump! I hadn't heard of thermal issues with Starlink, but I am sure they will sort it out. 

BTW, this morning my speed was 900+ Mbps, which just allows all devices to have really fast connections in the house. My Sony TV never looked better, as streaming services such as Netflix are not compressing as much as they were. Downloading NVIDIA driver updates takes seconds. I suffered for 12 years with slow internet, but this jump in speed is really something else. It is fiber and super reliable. It was a consideration when we bought our new house. We too were waiting for Starlink, but it just hadn't been rolled out yet in our area. 

In the UK they're building a Starlink ground station in Isle of man apparently and already in Cornwall and Buckinghamshire. Should be coverage all across the UK then and I presume British Isles. When I move house I may consider it. Doesn't cover as far south as me at the moment.

 

IF I move house that is, not easy here. 😩

 

Edited August 24, 20214 yr by martin-w

1 hour ago, RobJC said:

That is still a huge jump! I hadn't heard of thermal issues with Starlink, but I am sure they will sort it out. 

In northern Canada and on the Prairies last winter a few people had issues with extreme cold. The current antenna design limit of -30C wasn't low enough...

Edited August 24, 20214 yr by goates