I have come to the realization that Mads built Athena not only to fulfill his dream of cruising the world with Ava, but also to have a reason to play with all of the technical toys he can put in Athena. A true dream accomplished. Thank you Mads for another episode and some good information on installing a Starlink system.
I fully agree with your comments - it is mind-boggling what Mads manages to install. I always wonder how much weight he actually has added to her which the less tech-driven sailor would not have thought off 🤔🤔
Unfortunately by now you will have re ieved the letter from Starlink forbidding you to use home Starlink in a mobile configuration. If you wish to use it on a traveling boat you need to sign up for the more expensive Marine service for 250 dollars a month.
when you're trying to drill metals such as stainless or hardened steel it is a whole lot easier if you will use a carbide bid when I was first told this I had my doubts so I went and bought some cheap concrete bits and I drilled 20 holes through a half-inch hardened steel truck spring and never had a problem.
Hi Mads. Time to halt the gadgets and go sailing. You don’t need any of this stuff to enjoy the joys of sailing the sea and wonders of our little planet.
Hi Mads. Tried peplink, poo. Half what is available direct. Now use Teltonica RUTX12, teaching troubles but very good. Curently in France as I write on 4g speeds are comparable with what my phone gets direct, ie not through router. In fact curently I switched of vpn and saw 150mbps !
The Starlink RV router boasts a very impressive 100 foot range, which I can personally confirm. Works so well it almost seems like sorcery. We gave up using our phones as hotspots for Zoom classes on the boat. T-mobile, I’m talking about you! Three days of continuing online medical education, no sweat for Starlink
Thanks for volunteering as a Guinea pig for the rest of us. You'll be remembered appropriately! Please provide some updates on the Starlink experience. Cheers.
It does show it on the cardboard "manual" in the first image... one 3/4 inch drill bit and alls good. I do think it should be made more obvious though, Ive seen may people make the same errors.
Our starlink drops every now and then because of obstructions (masts etc) so we use our rut955 with a 4g sim as failover: if starlinks drops 4g will take over and as soon as starlink is back the rut955 will switch back. This us important to us as we have many on-line meetings. So we love the rut955 to bits!
Many of the current "oddities" of Starlink for mobile and (even more so) for blue water sailing, are caused by the fact that most of the current generation of starlink satellites do not currently have laser interconnects for satellite to satellite routing. So, traffic must route thru terrestrial ground stations within the antenna broadcast cone of the satellite. This is slowly changing as newer launches have the laser communications capabilities and the version 2 satellites will really improve satellite inter-communications.
That was great. I have been watching the evolution of Starlink here in the Caribbean quite closely, but hadn't seen any video of the gear yet. It appears to work all the way down the island chain as far as Grenada, but at this time is slightly better further north. For what it's worth, the Caribbean equivalent of Tiekom would be Digicel. Not quite as good a deal at 65 Euro for 120 GB (though they don't really seem to count my usage, so it's more or less unlimited) it works almost everywhere in the Caribbean, provided you purchase it on a FRENCH island: Fr. St Martin, Martinique, or Guadeloupe. You also get all the calling, texting, international cellular and data roaming you could ever want included with the package.
We use a Pepwave Peplink router for our RV with dual SIM cards with failover capability. Works great for us in the US and we usually get speeds around 20 to 100 Mbs depending on cell service
Hoot! That is great MADS. I look forward to your impressions. I got the first round version in Spain. about 6 months ago. We were some of the first in the country to have it. Our old satelite service was appauling. Almost useles. But we have no phone lines or cell coverage at our house so Starlink was and is incredible. Plus they just dropped the price for us to 70 euro. I hope you love yours as much as we do.
Just a thought Mads, when drilling stainless, use something like a 4mm bit or smaller FIRST drill on low revs with pressure , after 40 years working with S/S this works every time with ordinary sharp bits no need for expensive cobalt. Hope this helps in the future, nice video's.
I have the DIGITAL YACHT 4g connect pro, and I've had similar experience to what you described with the YACHT ROUTER, albeit more stable. I assume you know already, but having the correct APN settings is important to get a better connection. Each provider will have different APN settings that need to be changed every time. For example I'm in Morocco now, and had to change my APN to ORANGE Morocco. You'll get them online
Just ideas to help you avoid lightning strikes ,connect an old mast stay wire say 5 meters long from a mast wire on the deck ,hose clamp will do it ,to get a good connection put other end over the side into the water, what this will do ,is bring your boat to the same charge ,as the local area around you =less chance of a strike on your boat, and electrical equipment ,SAME CHARGE AS LOCAL AREA IS THE KEY??
I work with offshore comms and some of the issues you mention with your LTE kit can be due to antenna cables, placement of antennas (cross talk in busy environments, etc) and proper grounding of the whole kit. (Single ground plane.) Another thing to mention is that some of those "multi-provider" SIM's have limitations in the hardware when it comes to switching provider ID that can cause outages while the SIM is changing provider and the router also cycles the radio while that happens. First video I've seen from your channel, but not the last. :P
Welcome aboard! :D Thank you for the comment. There were some details I didn't mention in the video :) The YR (Yacht Router) software provides a few numbers for signal quality (RSRP, RSRQ and Signal Strength). In the months after installing the YR, I kept checking those thinking it might be an issue with the coax cables or crimp. The numbers looked very reasonable (going by the definition in the YR manual, link below), so I stopped looking at them. The antennas (2 x Scan MULTI-band 698-3800 MHz and 1 x Scan 2400-5925 Mhz 5dB for wifi) are mounted on our solar arch. They are only about 3 meters above sea level. Raising them to, for instance, 10 meters shouldn't make that big of a difference in terms of connection stability, right? :) We have tried different SIM cards without much luck. Last winter, I moved a Vodafone SIM card from the YR to my iPhone 11 (with 5G disabled) and got speeds that were 10x higher than on the YR (same location and same time of day). yachtrouter.com/brochures/YR%20Mini%20s5%20-%20User%20Manual.pdf
@@SailLife Thanks for the reply. Good to hear the cable and connectors have been checked and verified. Generally speaking, moving LTE antennas higher means longer reach from base stations, and sometimes a cleaner reception of the signal in busy environments (think marinas, city center docks, etc) but the downside is that you will have more movement of the antenna that can cause other issues. I'm not familiar with that antenna you mentioned. Have you measured the antenna to ensure it is as designed? LTE antennas fail silently, and suddenly you get low/no signal. Easy to check with a multimeter resistance check. Good separation of antennae is important, especially antennas that share the same frequencies. PS: Stalink rocks.
For the past several months I've been watching the purchase and rebuild of Athena while I have lunch. As of today I am caught up. I've really enjoyed all the DIY and more recently the sailing and touring, but now I have to find something else to entertain myself at lunch time. Be safe. You guys are a treasure.
Wow, guys that's great set up. Thanks for always showing us an easier way to fix stuff an so much more!! Thanks for sharing your lives with us. Fare winds and following sea's ✌🏼💗😊❣️
Thoughts on locomarine 4G in marina: with your two large antennas connected, you may be receiving signal from multiple carrier ground stations simultaneously, which would cause constant switching between networks. Try: 1) disconnecting one of the antennas, 2) installing a smaller antenna for marina use, or 3) installing a variable attenuator on the antenna coax line to attenuate the gain while in the marina. I hope this helps.
Scott, interesting points. Locomarine do recommend keeping one of the 'indoor' antennas attached to the router even with an external fitted. However my non-expert experience (see comment above) is that there is a persistent issue with the 'keep alive' function - regardless of being in a marina or offshore.
Thanks for the info on a boaty StarLink install. I haven't dived down that rabbit hole yet, so it was informative to see. Cheers! PS- Need more Ava content. We miss her.
IDK if the terms of service was updated since this video came out, but now it doesnt say that you cant use it in another country. Now it says you cant use it in another continent for more than 2 months at a time. Which makes way more sense.
I use RUT950 series router in my summer home and was very happy with the stability of 4G. for my boat I decided to take RUTX12 as it has 5 lan ports (4+1wan which you can set as lan also to get 5 lan) and it also can bridge 2 SIMs. RUT9* has 2 slots, but those are only failover and RUTX12 can bridge - have not tested that yet, but I could see this useful to have 2 different provider sim cards to have better stability.
I've never seen anyone that has used so many electrical/digital / electronic gadgets on their boat before. ...... I just have a major concern for you if you ever take a lighting strike. ... boom ! .......... and replacement cost.. trying not to be to critical, but a concern. 💜
All well and good till a claim is made.... the insurance companies will take those items off the table for future, unless a big outlay of payment is made. Boats have slowly becoming one of those uninsrable items.....
Do not be dismayed by the 2 month thing re the country your registred too. Changing your service address is as easy as touching 3 buttons and takes from 2-15 min to get the new address set. Ive had for 1.8 years now and have changed service address many times. Only 2 times have there been a loss of signal once for 2 min and once for 20 min, but that one was for a system change in the satalites themselves. Cheers and fair winds Steve h.
@@AndrewTomayko not a different continent yet for me yet. That will be the hail Mary though. It works for airplanes and big yachts though so don't see why the regular one won't.
I work in IT for an aquaculture company and we have been installing StarLink at all of our remote farm sites and the difference has been amazing. We've moved away from Cell/Satellite internet and not only have the speeds gone from 5 to 20 MBPs to 150+ but our costs for connectivity are 1/4 even on their business package. I'll be buying my first sailboat in the next few months and will be returning to some of your older videos. Very interested in the monitor you're using. Cheers and thanks for the vid.
Took our Starlink 750 mies away from our house. Expecting to have to pay the $35 Roaming charge when, Wahla. Starlink connected automaticaly, no extra charge!
We live in Montana and Starlink has been a game changer. We have the first version of Dishy (round) not sure if there is a major difference but I am sure your going to love it as much as us!
Awesome Video your content is so to the point. one bit of advice from an old cable guy, put a drip loop in before you hull penetrations kind of like a half of a figure eight below the hole , it will force water down the loop instead of going thru the hole... or not...
3 Mobile and Digital Yacht router for me - we're more than happy with it, and unlimited data and massive roaming coverage from the UK, all at a very competitive price. If I were you I'd throw everything else away and stick with the Starlink.... sounds awesome.
I saw you cutting the cable ties with a pair of scissors. That leaves a sharp, protruding end. There is a cable tie tightener and cutter that cuts the end close to the block. This leaves not sharp bits to cut yourself on. I’m sure you can find them on Amazon. I’m an electronic engineer so have been using these for years. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve cut myself on protruding ends. Good luck with everything 😃
Correct me if I am wrong but your battery bank is 450w, if the 35w runs for 10hrs it will essentially drain your batteries. I think 35w is also generous, it’s typically 42.
I fitted a USB WiFi dongle to my monkey frame on my Warrior 35. This had a very large plug and I didn't want to make a large hole in the deck, so I cut the plug off, threaded it all the way through to the on board pc. I soldered the plug back on which was quite difficult as there were about 15 thin wires. I also did this with my Icom ais GPS antenna.
The problems with unstable connection on mobile routers are quite common, not only on Yacht Router devices but on all routers working with SIM cards in roaming, mostly during summer months in popular tourist destinations.
Due the congestion of mobile networks during summer months, mobile providers (some of them) limit, slow down or even prevent access for roaming SIM cards by using few principles: 1. They limit data access for SIM cards issues by providers that they do not have contracts with. Just as example (might not be true) Vodafone Greece will limit T-Mobile Germany SIM card much before Vodafone Germany SIM card. 2. They limit access to 5G/4G networks but still provides access over 3G network. 3. They limit access to 5G/4G networks but only in some areas during some period, depending on current network congestion. 3. They monitor IMEI number (International Mobile Equipment Identity) of a device that is connecting to their network. IMEI number is unique for each mobile phone or a modem inside a router. If they figure out it is IMEI number of a modem, they will slow down or even prevent data connection as they assume you will share connection with multiple users and data traffic (network usage in general) will be much higher than with a single mobile phone.
And there is not much you can do about that.
Let me share some experiences with one mobile provider in one Mediterranean country (I will not name it here). They have very attractive data SIM card offer with 100GB data volume limited to 2 weeks. You put SIM card in your phone, and you got perfect data connection on 4G network. You put same SIM card in a router, you can connect to 4G network but no data flow. When you switch router to 3G it works fine. If you hack your modem (it is possible but illegal and I do not suggest you to do it) and change IMEI number to match IMEI number of your phone you will have same perfect 4G connection as you get on your phone.
Another problem with some SIM cards when you use it in roaming is lack of implemented list of home-roaming networks. Let me explain… Each SIM card should have a list of home-roaming networks saved in SIM card memory. For example, when you turn on your phone with Vodafone Spain SIM card in Turkey, your phone (or modem) will scan for available mobile networks and then it will check which network is on a list of preferred home-roaming list. Connection in that case will be fast and reliable. If phone/modem cannot find any on a list, it will connect to the one with strongest signal. Of course, if does not mean Vodafone Spain SIM card will work on that network. You can experience two scenarios: modem will connect but Internet will not be available, or connection will be rejected at all. For you as an end-user that will look like router is not working. Keep Alive feature on Yacht Router will monitor Internet connection every 3 minutes and if it is not available it will reset a modem and restart connection. In a next scan/connection process it might connect to another network, but it could connect again to same network that is rejecting connection. And you can be in permanent loop that will look like: “something is really wrong with a router”.
Again, there is not much you can do about that. There is solution if you contact Yacht Router support. They could check list of preferred home-roaming list on a SIM card over remote support and enter it manually.
In a next Yacht Router software update you can expect new Keep Alive feature that will partially solve above mentioned problems with dual-level connection monitoring.
Unfortunately, the only reliable solution for above mentioned problems is to use reliable SIM card providers in roaming and if you plan to keep in some areas for longer period to use SIM card from reliable local provider. Few words about expected bandwidth... Almost every new 4G/5G phone has better modem than most expensive routers. Most routers use modems manufactured by Telit, Sierra Wireless, Huawei etc. They are very expensive in comparison to mobile phones as production volume is much lower. If you plan to compare data bandwidth and performance in area with good signal, average 4G/5G phone it will outperform very expensive router in most tests. Therefore, if you need high-bandwidth mobile device that will work in most coastal areas with good signal, the best and cheapest solution is to use mobile phone as a hotspot. But if you want to have Internet connection 20+ NM offshore when you do not see a single signal bar on your phone, you should go with a router equipped with high gain outdoor antennas. As example, 9dB outdoor antenna with few meters of high-quality coax cable will give you about 20 dBm gain in comparison to your phone. If you got -100 dBm on your phone and -80 dBm on your router it is 100x stronger signal. If you want to benefit from Carrier Aggregation offshore, you have to install two outdoor antennas (or even four antennas for 5G technology). That is the main reason to go with a router instead of phone.
We have the exact same unstable connectivity problems right in the heart of New York harbor, and it doesn't seem to be a matter of provider or which cat radio is used. Signal saturation at the towers and interferance caused by poor QC in some newer marine radar units nearby also play into the list of problems.
I just got my starlink for my house and so far it's been 3 days and it seems the longer it hooked up the better the speeds get more consistent. My old internet was 12mbps download and 2mbps upload was the fastest I could get which is horrible but with starlink it has been 5 to 10x high speeds so far but no 100 mbps
“A *somewhat* extensive refit”. Every time I hear that I think: “*somewhat*?!? If that was a somewhat extensive refit, I can’t imagine what an *extensive* refit is like.” Mads, you basically rebuilt the boat!!
When you installed the cable for the Antenna for the 4G. Did you just route your cable and cut it at the length you needed? If so, your might have an impedance problem, and then you have reflections in your cable degrading the signal. That is why Starlink comes with its own cable. So accept the Starlink mess, and you are golden.
Another great video - thanks! We have the YachtRouter Mini and have had exactly the same stability issues with the 4G connection. We even called in at Zadar this summer so the Locomarine guys could go over the installation - but the problems persist exactly as you describe. The concept and spec of the Mini are excellent, but there seems to be a fundamental problem with keeping the 4G connection 'alive'. Their after-sales support is responsive but I am now losing confidence in the product. A cheap TPLink M7350 MiFi, our fallback option, consistently out performed the Locomarine router all summer while cruising the Adriatic, without any external antennae. This can't be right and I do hope Locomarine find a fix.
The problem you noticed is quite common, not only on Yacht Router devices but on all routers working with SIM cards in roaming, mostly during summer months.
Due the congestion of mobile networks during summer months, mobile providers (most of them) limit, slow down or even prevent access for roaming SIM cards by using few principles: 1. They limit data access for SIM cards issues by providers that they do not have contracts with. Just as example (might not be true) Vodafone Greece will limit T-Mobile Germany SIM card much before Vodafone Germany SIM card. 2. They limit access to 5G/4G networks but still provides access over 3G network. 3. They limit access to 5G/4G networks but only in some areas during some period, depending on current network congestion. 3. They monitor IMEI number (International Mobile Equipment Identity) of a device that is connecting to their network. IMEI number is unique for each mobile phone or a modem inside a router. If they figure out it is IMEI number of a modem, they will slow down or even prevent data connection as they assume you will share connection with multiple users and data traffic (network usage in general) will be much higher than with a single mobile phone.
And there is not much you can do about that.
Let me share some experiences with one mobile provider in one Mediterranean country (I will not name it here). They have very attractive data SIM card offer with 100GB data volume limited to 2 weeks. You put SIM card in your phone, and you got perfect data connection on 4G network. You put same SIM card in a router, you can connect to 4G network but no data flow. When you switch router to 3G it works fine. If you hack your modem (it is possible but illegal and I do not suggest you to do it) and change IMEI number to match IMEI number of your phone you will have same perfect 4G connection as you get on your phone.
Another problem with some SIM cards when you use it in roaming is lack of implemented list of home-roaming networks. Let me explain… Each SIM card should have a list of home-roaming networks saved in SIM card memory. For example, when you turn on your phone with Vodafone Spain SIM card in Turkey, your phone (or modem) will scan for available mobile networks and then it will check which network is on a list of preferred home-roaming list. Connection in that case will be fast and reliable. If phone/modem cannot find any on a list, it will connect to the one with strongest signal. Of course, if does not mean Vodafone Spain SIM card will work on that network. You can experience two scenarios: modem will connect but Internet will not be available, or connection will be rejected at all. For you as an end-user that will look like router is not working. Keep Alive feature on Yacht Router will monitor Internet connection every 3 minutes and if it is not available it will reset a modem and restart connection. In a next scan/connection process it might connect to another network, but it could connect again to same network that is rejecting connection. And you can be in permanent loop that will look like: “something is really wrong with a router”.
Again, there is not much you can do about that. There is solution if you contact Yacht Router support. They could check list of preferred home-roaming list on a SIM card over remote support and enter it manually.
In a next Yacht Router software update you can expect new Keep Alive feature that will partially solve above mentioned problems with dual-level connection monitoring.
Unfortunately, the only reliable solution for above mentioned problems is to use reliable SIM card providers in roaming and if you plan to keep in some areas for longer period to use SIM card from reliable local provider. Few words about expected bandwidth... Almost every new 4G/5G phone has better modem than most expensive routers. Most routers use modems manufactured by Telit, Sierra Wireless, Huawei etc. They are very expensive in comparison to mobile phones as production volume is much lower. If you plan to compare data bandwidth and performance in area with good signal, average 4G/5G phone it will outperform very expensive router in most tests. Therefore, if you need high-bandwidth mobile device that will work in most coastal areas with good signal, the best and cheapest solution is to use mobile phone as a hotspot. But if you want to have Internet connection 20+ NM offshore when you do not see a single signal bar on your phone, you should go with a router equipped with high gain outdoor antennas. As example, 9dB outdoor antenna with few meters of high-quality coax cable will give you about 20 dBm gain in comparison to your phone. If you got -100 dBm on your phone and -80 dBm on your router it is 100x stronger signal. If you want to benefit from Carrier Aggregation offshore, you have to install two outdoor antennas (or even four antennas for 5G technology). That is the main reason to go with a router instead of phone.
In Europe you can use any european SIm with the original plan. My italian plan can be used all over EU paying my country rates. (that is a 15eur per month no limit data 4G)
I have come to the realization that Mads built Athena not only to fulfill his dream of cruising the world with Ava, but also to have a reason to play with all of the technical toys he can put in Athena. A true dream accomplished. Thank you Mads for another episode and some good information on installing a Starlink system.
I fully agree with your comments - it is mind-boggling what Mads manages to install. I always wonder how much weight he actually has added to her which the less tech-driven sailor would not have thought off 🤔🤔
Unfortunately by now you will have re ieved the letter from Starlink forbidding you to use home Starlink in a mobile configuration. If you wish to use it on a traveling boat you need to sign up for the more expensive Marine service for 250 dollars a month.
I only watch Sal Life because I know Mads will do the hard work and read TOS from suppliers negating our need to do so. 😂
And that was your tech lesson for today. Time to leave the dock friends.
Helpful tip..... buy a set of cobalt drill bits for drilling stainless steel.
I have starlink. It's easier if you run the cord from the end that plugs into the antenna. It requires a 3/4 inch hole.
My Starlink had the smaller end of cable at the bottom of the dish.
So So sorry you didn't notice that you can disconnect the cable at the dish to find a much smaller connector...
In europe every mobile subscription works in all countrys of the eu. Its introduced the past years i think
I really hope that won't be cut out after two months using it away from your home adress...
Thx for showing!
👍👍👍
Very interesting, buuut, Ava content is always welcome. Cheers guys.
Another Great informative post (No history lesson though )
when you're trying to drill metals such as stainless or hardened steel it is a whole lot easier if you will use a carbide bid when I was first told this I had my doubts so I went and bought some cheap concrete bits and I drilled 20 holes through a half-inch hardened steel truck spring and never had a problem.
Hi Mads. Time to halt the gadgets and go sailing. You don’t need any of this stuff to enjoy the joys of sailing the sea and wonders of our little planet.
Thank you! I've been banging my head on the Wi-Fi in the marina problem for years. Great content!
Great video
Hi Mads. Tried peplink, poo. Half what is available direct. Now use Teltonica RUTX12, teaching troubles but very good. Curently in France as I write on 4g speeds are comparable with what my phone gets direct, ie not through router. In fact curently I switched of vpn and saw 150mbps !
I thought you kept saying Pee Wee before I figured out you were saying Power over Ethernet or POE! 🤣🤣
Use the other end of the cable. It will fit through the round fitting.
The Starlink RV router boasts a very impressive 100 foot range, which I can personally confirm. Works so well it almost seems like sorcery. We gave up using our phones as hotspots for Zoom classes on the boat. T-mobile, I’m talking about you! Three days of continuing online medical education, no sweat for Starlink
Elon keeps claiming alien tech...
And you know, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. ;-)
Looking forward to more insights on Starlink. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for volunteering as a Guinea pig for the rest of us. You'll be remembered appropriately! Please provide some updates on the Starlink experience. Cheers.
Tips for drilling stainless: spin slowly, use a sharp bit, push hard, use some type of oil or lubricant.
Thanks Mads for extremely useful suggestions in this amazing video. Regards from Switzerland, Silvano
LOL. Mads was giddy about Starlink. I mean, I would be too. But that was entertaining. Nice work, thanks for the update Mads!
Tip for the future: the cable detaches from the antenna and the connector there is not an angled one.
This should really be in the "manual" ! Only found this out after drilling a hole the size of Portugal in my wall.
It does show it on the cardboard "manual" in the first image... one 3/4 inch drill bit and alls good. I do think it should be made more obvious though, Ive seen may people make the same errors.
I’m very happy with your explanations around internet on the boat! You did a perfect job, again!,😊
Our starlink drops every now and then because of obstructions (masts etc) so we use our rut955 with a 4g sim as failover: if starlinks drops 4g will take over and as soon as starlink is back the rut955 will switch back. This us important to us as we have many on-line meetings. So we love the rut955 to bits!
Great video!!! Thanks
I finally got Starlink at my remote cabin a few months ago....love IT!
Daily testing a router for fun… OMG, You are a Legend!
Many of the current "oddities" of Starlink for mobile and (even more so) for blue water sailing, are caused by the fact that most of the current generation of starlink satellites do not currently have laser interconnects for satellite to satellite routing. So, traffic must route thru terrestrial ground stations within the antenna broadcast cone of the satellite. This is slowly changing as newer launches have the laser communications capabilities and the version 2 satellites will really improve satellite inter-communications.
That was great. I have been watching the evolution of Starlink here in the Caribbean quite closely, but hadn't seen any video of the gear yet. It appears to work all the way down the island chain as far as Grenada, but at this time is slightly better further north. For what it's worth, the Caribbean equivalent of Tiekom would be Digicel. Not quite as good a deal at 65 Euro for 120 GB (though they don't really seem to count my usage, so it's more or less unlimited) it works almost everywhere in the Caribbean, provided you purchase it on a FRENCH island: Fr. St Martin, Martinique, or Guadeloupe. You also get all the calling, texting, international cellular and data roaming you could ever want included with the package.
What caught me off guard was that on Martinique, my cellphone contract from Germany was still working due to EU roaming...
We use a Pepwave Peplink router for our RV with dual SIM cards with failover capability. Works great for us in the US and we usually get speeds around 20 to 100 Mbs depending on cell service
Starlink manual by IKEA. Good info about the TOS!
Outstanding video and timely as I’m considering Starlink for my sailboat.
Watching and commenting on Starlink from my own Starlink. I can’t wait to move it to the boat…
Hoot! That is great MADS. I look forward to your impressions. I got the first round version in Spain. about 6 months ago. We were some of the first in the country to have it. Our old satelite service was appauling. Almost useles. But we have no phone lines or cell coverage at our house so Starlink was and is incredible. Plus they just dropped the price for us to 70 euro. I hope you love yours as much as we do.
Cool! Wonderful to see you testing Starlink! Have a good passage! Remember to visit the west coast Rias!
Just a thought Mads, when drilling stainless, use something like a 4mm bit or smaller FIRST drill on low revs with pressure , after 40 years working with S/S this works every time with ordinary sharp bits no need for expensive cobalt. Hope this helps in the future, nice video's.
I have the DIGITAL YACHT 4g connect pro, and I've had similar experience to what you described with the YACHT ROUTER, albeit more stable. I assume you know already, but having the correct APN settings is important to get a better connection. Each provider will have different APN settings that need to be changed every time. For example I'm in Morocco now, and had to change my APN to ORANGE Morocco. You'll get them online
Hey guys, super glad Tiekom worked out for you. cheers for the episode, good luck orcha dodging :)
Just ideas to help you avoid lightning strikes ,connect an old mast stay wire say 5 meters long from a mast wire on the deck ,hose clamp will do it ,to get a good connection put other end over the side into the water, what this will do ,is bring your boat to the same charge ,as the local area around you =less chance of a strike on your boat, and electrical equipment ,SAME CHARGE AS LOCAL AREA IS THE KEY??
Love the SIM card tip.
Hey Mads Hey Ava. Great show. Looking forward to the report how the Starlink works while at sea.
Cheers,
Jay
Another great video Ava and Mads .
Crazy mads speeds..⛵💛👍👍
Starlink is game changing 🌍✌️
I work with offshore comms and some of the issues you mention with your LTE kit can be due to antenna cables, placement of antennas (cross talk in busy environments, etc) and proper grounding of the whole kit. (Single ground plane.) Another thing to mention is that some of those "multi-provider" SIM's have limitations in the hardware when it comes to switching provider ID that can cause outages while the SIM is changing provider and the router also cycles the radio while that happens. First video I've seen from your channel, but not the last. :P
Welcome aboard! :D Thank you for the comment. There were some details I didn't mention in the video :) The YR (Yacht Router) software provides a few numbers for signal quality (RSRP, RSRQ and Signal Strength). In the months after installing the YR, I kept checking those thinking it might be an issue with the coax cables or crimp. The numbers looked very reasonable (going by the definition in the YR manual, link below), so I stopped looking at them.
The antennas (2 x Scan MULTI-band 698-3800 MHz and 1 x Scan 2400-5925 Mhz 5dB for wifi) are mounted on our solar arch. They are only about 3 meters above sea level. Raising them to, for instance, 10 meters shouldn't make that big of a difference in terms of connection stability, right? :)
We have tried different SIM cards without much luck. Last winter, I moved a Vodafone SIM card from the YR to my iPhone 11 (with 5G disabled) and got speeds that were 10x higher than on the YR (same location and same time of day).
yachtrouter.com/brochures/YR%20Mini%20s5%20-%20User%20Manual.pdf
@@SailLife Thanks for the reply. Good to hear the cable and connectors have been checked and verified. Generally speaking, moving LTE antennas higher means longer reach from base stations, and sometimes a cleaner reception of the signal in busy environments (think marinas, city center docks, etc) but the downside is that you will have more movement of the antenna that can cause other issues. I'm not familiar with that antenna you mentioned. Have you measured the antenna to ensure it is as designed? LTE antennas fail silently, and suddenly you get low/no signal. Easy to check with a multimeter resistance check. Good separation of antennae is important, especially antennas that share the same frequencies. PS: Stalink rocks.
Great video Mads! Thanks!
For the past several months I've been watching the purchase and rebuild of Athena while I have lunch. As of today I am caught up. I've really enjoyed all the DIY and more recently the sailing and touring, but now I have to find something else to entertain myself at lunch time. Be safe. You guys are a treasure.
That starlink install was pretty dang spiffy!
Sweet set up. It'll be interesting to see how Starlink fairs as you transit and dock in other places. As always, I appreciate the details. So good!
Very informative videos that are of great use to fellow cruisers and people who may be interested in casting off! Thanks
Wow, guys that's great set up. Thanks for always showing us an easier way to fix stuff an so much more!!
Thanks for sharing your lives with us. Fare winds and following sea's ✌🏼💗😊❣️
Great informative video as always. Thank you for explaining in simplistic language. 👏
Most important yachting video ever 😆
Stay safe and we'll see you next week.
Thoughts on locomarine 4G in marina: with your two large antennas connected, you may be receiving signal from multiple carrier ground stations simultaneously, which would cause constant switching between networks. Try: 1) disconnecting one of the antennas, 2) installing a smaller antenna for marina use, or 3) installing a variable attenuator on the antenna coax line to attenuate the gain while in the marina. I hope this helps.
Scott, interesting points. Locomarine do recommend keeping one of the 'indoor' antennas attached to the router even with an external fitted. However my non-expert experience (see comment above) is that there is a persistent issue with the 'keep alive' function - regardless of being in a marina or offshore.
Thanks
Thanks for the info on a boaty StarLink install. I haven't dived down that rabbit hole yet, so it was informative to see. Cheers!
PS- Need more Ava content. We miss her.
Nice thorough job!
IDK if the terms of service was updated since this video came out, but now it doesnt say that you cant use it in another country. Now it says you cant use it in another continent for more than 2 months at a time. Which makes way more sense.
Very useful and informative Mads. Thanks for posting this video
More gadgets Than the starship enterprise
Did you watch MV Freedoms Starlink installation on their Nordhavn 43? Simply out of this world installation that every full time boater should watch.
Thank you for all your work, attention to detail, marking chapters and being an all-around great couple.
Loving your videos as alway!
I use RUT950 series router in my summer home and was very happy with the stability of 4G.
for my boat I decided to take RUTX12 as it has 5 lan ports (4+1wan which you can set as lan also to get 5 lan) and it also can bridge 2 SIMs. RUT9* has 2 slots, but those are only failover and RUTX12 can bridge - have not tested that yet, but I could see this useful to have 2 different provider sim cards to have better stability.
I've never seen anyone that has used so many electrical/digital / electronic gadgets on their boat before. ...... I just have a major concern for you if you ever take a lighting strike. ... boom ! .......... and replacement cost.. trying not to be to critical, but a concern. 💜
And that is what insurance is for. :)
All well and good till a claim is made.... the insurance companies will take those items off the table for future, unless a big outlay of payment is made. Boats have slowly becoming one of those uninsrable items.....
Next time you drill stainless, use a drop of oil from time to time on the tip of the drill-bit.
Do not be dismayed by the 2 month thing re the country your registred too. Changing your service address is as easy as touching 3 buttons and takes from 2-15 min to get the new address set. Ive had for 1.8 years now and have changed service address many times. Only 2 times have there been a loss of signal once for 2 min and once for 20 min, but that one was for a system change in the satalites themselves. Cheers and fair winds Steve h.
Thats great to hear! have you tried to switch your address to a different continent?
@@AndrewTomayko not a different continent yet for me yet. That will be the hail Mary though. It works for airplanes and big yachts though so don't see why the regular one won't.
The plug that goes into the dish is smaller than the one going into the router.
I work in IT for an aquaculture company and we have been installing StarLink at all of our remote farm sites and the difference has been amazing. We've moved away from Cell/Satellite internet and not only have the speeds gone from 5 to 20 MBPs to 150+ but our costs for connectivity are 1/4 even on their business package. I'll be buying my first sailboat in the next few months and will be returning to some of your older videos. Very interested in the monitor you're using. Cheers and thanks for the vid.
Super sejt, Mads 🙂
Wush. Spaceship Athena soon on the move 🚀
Took our Starlink 750 mies away from our house. Expecting to have to pay the $35 Roaming charge when, Wahla. Starlink connected automaticaly, no extra charge!
Looking good.
We live in Montana and Starlink has been a game changer. We have the first version of Dishy (round) not sure if there is a major difference but I am sure your going to love it as much as us!
Awesome Video your content is so to the point. one bit of advice from an old cable guy, put a drip loop in before you hull penetrations kind of like a half of a figure eight below the hole , it will force water down the loop instead of going thru the hole... or not...
Great video. I am looking forward to hearing more about how starlink is working for you.
3 Mobile and Digital Yacht router for me - we're more than happy with it, and unlimited data and massive roaming coverage from the UK, all at a very competitive price. If I were you I'd throw everything else away and stick with the Starlink.... sounds awesome.
Another great vid thanks
Might want to take a look at Peplink UBR LTE Dual-Cellular Router , UBR-LTE-US-T-PRM , and they have a crazy antenna too.
I think you forgot a link in the description for the mobile cell data provider you mentioned.
I saw you cutting the cable ties with a pair of scissors. That leaves a sharp, protruding end. There is a cable tie tightener and cutter that cuts the end close to the block. This leaves not sharp bits to cut yourself on. I’m sure you can find them on Amazon. I’m an electronic engineer so have been using these for years. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve cut myself on protruding ends. Good luck with everything 😃
Correct me if I am wrong but your battery bank is 450w, if the 35w runs for 10hrs it will essentially drain your batteries. I think 35w is also generous, it’s typically 42.
I fitted a USB WiFi dongle to my monkey frame on my Warrior 35. This had a very large plug and I didn't want to make a large hole in the deck, so I cut the plug off, threaded it all the way through to the on board pc. I soldered the plug back on which was quite difficult as there were about 15 thin wires. I also did this with my Icom ais GPS antenna.
You want slower RPMs when drilling stainless (or most steels). Some cooling and lubricant would be helpful as well. The material work hardens easily
Shit! Your internet's better than mine and I have fibre to the door. That is way better than I expected by a looooong way. Enjoy your connectivity.
You should stop by La Rochelle. They have amazing icecream.
The problems with unstable connection on mobile routers are quite common, not only on Yacht Router devices but on all routers working with SIM cards in roaming, mostly during summer months in popular tourist destinations.
Due the congestion of mobile networks during summer months, mobile providers (some of them) limit, slow down or even prevent access for roaming SIM cards by using few principles:
1. They limit data access for SIM cards issues by providers that they do not have contracts with. Just as example (might not be true) Vodafone Greece will limit T-Mobile Germany SIM card much before Vodafone Germany SIM card.
2. They limit access to 5G/4G networks but still provides access over 3G network.
3. They limit access to 5G/4G networks but only in some areas during some period, depending on current network congestion.
3. They monitor IMEI number (International Mobile Equipment Identity) of a device that is connecting to their network. IMEI number is unique for each mobile phone or a modem inside a router. If they figure out it is IMEI number of a modem, they will slow down or even prevent data connection as they assume you will share connection with multiple users and data traffic (network usage in general) will be much higher than with a single mobile phone.
And there is not much you can do about that.
Let me share some experiences with one mobile provider in one Mediterranean country (I will not name it here). They have very attractive data SIM card offer with 100GB data volume limited to 2 weeks. You put SIM card in your phone, and you got perfect data connection on 4G network. You put same SIM card in a router, you can connect to 4G network but no data flow. When you switch router to 3G it works fine. If you hack your modem (it is possible but illegal and I do not suggest you to do it) and change IMEI number to match IMEI number of your phone you will have same perfect 4G connection as you get on your phone.
Another problem with some SIM cards when you use it in roaming is lack of implemented list of home-roaming networks. Let me explain…
Each SIM card should have a list of home-roaming networks saved in SIM card memory. For example, when you turn on your phone with Vodafone Spain SIM card in Turkey, your phone (or modem) will scan for available mobile networks and then it will check which network is on a list of preferred home-roaming list. Connection in that case will be fast and reliable. If phone/modem cannot find any on a list, it will connect to the one with strongest signal. Of course, if does not mean Vodafone Spain SIM card will work on that network. You can experience two scenarios: modem will connect but Internet will not be available, or connection will be rejected at all. For you as an end-user that will look like router is not working. Keep Alive feature on Yacht Router will monitor Internet connection every 3 minutes and if it is not available it will reset a modem and restart connection. In a next scan/connection process it might connect to another network, but it could connect again to same network that is rejecting connection. And you can be in permanent loop that will look like: “something is really wrong with a router”.
Again, there is not much you can do about that. There is solution if you contact Yacht Router support. They could check list of preferred home-roaming list on a SIM card over remote support and enter it manually.
In a next Yacht Router software update you can expect new Keep Alive feature that will partially solve above mentioned problems with dual-level connection monitoring.
Unfortunately, the only reliable solution for above mentioned problems is to use reliable SIM card providers in roaming and if you plan to keep in some areas for longer period to use SIM card from reliable local provider.
Few words about expected bandwidth... Almost every new 4G/5G phone has better modem than most expensive routers. Most routers use modems manufactured by Telit, Sierra Wireless, Huawei etc. They are very expensive in comparison to mobile phones as production volume is much lower. If you plan to compare data bandwidth and performance in area with good signal, average 4G/5G phone it will outperform very expensive router in most tests. Therefore, if you need high-bandwidth mobile device that will work in most coastal areas with good signal, the best and cheapest solution is to use mobile phone as a hotspot. But if you want to have Internet connection 20+ NM offshore when you do not see a single signal bar on your phone, you should go with a router equipped with high gain outdoor antennas. As example, 9dB outdoor antenna with few meters of high-quality coax cable will give you about 20 dBm gain in comparison to your phone. If you got -100 dBm on your phone and -80 dBm on your router it is 100x stronger signal. If you want to benefit from Carrier Aggregation offshore, you have to install two outdoor antennas (or even four antennas for 5G technology).
That is the main reason to go with a router instead of phone.
We have the exact same unstable connectivity problems right in the heart of New York harbor, and it doesn't seem to be a matter of provider or which cat radio is used. Signal saturation at the towers and interferance caused by poor QC in some newer marine radar units nearby also play into the list of problems.
I am completely blown away by all the equipment you get installed, are you not afraid that the boat will be too heavy and sink ;-)
I would add a safety line to the dish. Those mounts may not handle a choppy sea well
I just got my starlink for my house and so far it's been 3 days and it seems the longer it hooked up the better the speeds get more consistent. My old internet was 12mbps download and 2mbps upload was the fastest I could get which is horrible but with starlink it has been 5 to 10x high speeds so far but no 100 mbps
Every Gamer here 65 ping!!!! thats not good ! :P thank you for your videos ! watch them every week
“A *somewhat* extensive refit”.
Every time I hear that I think: “*somewhat*?!? If that was a somewhat extensive refit, I can’t imagine what an *extensive* refit is like.”
Mads, you basically rebuilt the boat!!
Extensive refit: Tally Ho
When you installed the cable for the Antenna for the 4G. Did you just route your cable and cut it at the length you needed? If so, your might have an impedance problem, and then you have reflections in your cable degrading the signal. That is why Starlink comes with its own cable. So accept the Starlink mess, and you are golden.
Another great video - thanks! We have the YachtRouter Mini and have had exactly the same stability issues with the 4G connection. We even called in at Zadar this summer so the Locomarine guys could go over the installation - but the problems persist exactly as you describe. The concept and spec of the Mini are excellent, but there seems to be a fundamental problem with keeping the 4G connection 'alive'. Their after-sales support is responsive but I am now losing confidence in the product. A cheap TPLink M7350 MiFi, our fallback option, consistently out performed the Locomarine router all summer while cruising the Adriatic, without any external antennae. This can't be right and I do hope Locomarine find a fix.
The problem you noticed is quite common, not only on Yacht Router devices but on all routers working with SIM cards in roaming, mostly during summer months.
Due the congestion of mobile networks during summer months, mobile providers (most of them) limit, slow down or even prevent access for roaming SIM cards by using few principles:
1. They limit data access for SIM cards issues by providers that they do not have contracts with. Just as example (might not be true) Vodafone Greece will limit T-Mobile Germany SIM card much before Vodafone Germany SIM card.
2. They limit access to 5G/4G networks but still provides access over 3G network.
3. They limit access to 5G/4G networks but only in some areas during some period, depending on current network congestion.
3. They monitor IMEI number (International Mobile Equipment Identity) of a device that is connecting to their network. IMEI number is unique for each mobile phone or a modem inside a router. If they figure out it is IMEI number of a modem, they will slow down or even prevent data connection as they assume you will share connection with multiple users and data traffic (network usage in general) will be much higher than with a single mobile phone.
And there is not much you can do about that.
Let me share some experiences with one mobile provider in one Mediterranean country (I will not name it here). They have very attractive data SIM card offer with 100GB data volume limited to 2 weeks. You put SIM card in your phone, and you got perfect data connection on 4G network. You put same SIM card in a router, you can connect to 4G network but no data flow. When you switch router to 3G it works fine. If you hack your modem (it is possible but illegal and I do not suggest you to do it) and change IMEI number to match IMEI number of your phone you will have same perfect 4G connection as you get on your phone.
Another problem with some SIM cards when you use it in roaming is lack of implemented list of home-roaming networks. Let me explain…
Each SIM card should have a list of home-roaming networks saved in SIM card memory. For example, when you turn on your phone with Vodafone Spain SIM card in Turkey, your phone (or modem) will scan for available mobile networks and then it will check which network is on a list of preferred home-roaming list. Connection in that case will be fast and reliable. If phone/modem cannot find any on a list, it will connect to the one with strongest signal. Of course, if does not mean Vodafone Spain SIM card will work on that network. You can experience two scenarios: modem will connect but Internet will not be available, or connection will be rejected at all. For you as an end-user that will look like router is not working. Keep Alive feature on Yacht Router will monitor Internet connection every 3 minutes and if it is not available it will reset a modem and restart connection. In a next scan/connection process it might connect to another network, but it could connect again to same network that is rejecting connection. And you can be in permanent loop that will look like: “something is really wrong with a router”.
Again, there is not much you can do about that. There is solution if you contact Yacht Router support. They could check list of preferred home-roaming list on a SIM card over remote support and enter it manually.
In a next Yacht Router software update you can expect new Keep Alive feature that will partially solve above mentioned problems with dual-level connection monitoring.
Unfortunately, the only reliable solution for above mentioned problems is to use reliable SIM card providers in roaming and if you plan to keep in some areas for longer period to use SIM card from reliable local provider.
Few words about expected bandwidth... Almost every new 4G/5G phone has better modem than most expensive routers. Most routers use modems manufactured by Telit, Sierra Wireless, Huawei etc. They are very expensive in comparison to mobile phones as production volume is much lower. If you plan to compare data bandwidth and performance in area with good signal, average 4G/5G phone it will outperform very expensive router in most tests. Therefore, if you need high-bandwidth mobile device that will work in most coastal areas with good signal, the best and cheapest solution is to use mobile phone as a hotspot. But if you want to have Internet connection 20+ NM offshore when you do not see a single signal bar on your phone, you should go with a router equipped with high gain outdoor antennas. As example, 9dB outdoor antenna with few meters of high-quality coax cable will give you about 20 dBm gain in comparison to your phone. If you got -100 dBm on your phone and -80 dBm on your router it is 100x stronger signal. If you want to benefit from Carrier Aggregation offshore, you have to install two outdoor antennas (or even four antennas for 5G technology).
That is the main reason to go with a router instead of phone.
Hope you are loving Starlink!!
In Europe you can use any european SIm with the original plan. My italian plan can be used all over EU paying my country rates. (that is a 15eur per month no limit data 4G)