# Starlink High Speed Internet



## Hiro (Feb 14, 2016)

Starlink has opened up on a first come, first service basis an opportunity to sign up for their internet service via LEO (low earth orbit) satellites. They advertise high speed, low latency and no data limits. 

Starlink


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## todd_xxxx (Apr 19, 2018)

I just got the email as well.


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## mreynolds (Jan 1, 2015)

I signed up a few weeks ago. They want a deposit.


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## painterswife (Jun 7, 2004)

What are your speeds now? Is this worth the money for you?


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## Hiro (Feb 14, 2016)

I am on cell service internet. Theoretically, the data is unlimited; but, they throttle back when you hit a certain level of data consumption. It feels about like dialup then. The kids do online classes which burns it up pretty quickly.

So, if it is as advertised, I can get rid of the satellite TV service and the cell data plan and come out ahead by a wide margin. Right now, I can't do video streaming TV at all....well for two days, maybe.


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## todd_xxxx (Apr 19, 2018)

Just put down my deposit.


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## mreynolds (Jan 1, 2015)

Slow here. I am on dsl and the last one on the line so I get crap for internet.


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## SLFarmMI (Feb 21, 2013)

todd_xxxx said:


> Just put down my deposit.


We did too.


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## SLFarmMI (Feb 21, 2013)

painterswife said:


> What are your speeds now? Is this worth the money for you?


If it's anything like it is advertised it will be well worth the money for us. We are currently running on hotspots -- some Verizon and some AT&T. I have to limp along on a combination of of 3 hotspots and my phone. Still waiting on a hotspot from the school district. Online teaching burns through my data very fast and I end up blowing past my data cap every month and then the speeds are at about turtle speed. Those hot spots aren't cheap either. Starlink, if they keep the price as advertised, is going to be much cheaper.


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## Whoo (Apr 28, 2016)

Wranglerstar did a review of Starlink on Youtube. Seems like he liked it.


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## Rodeo's Bud (Apr 10, 2020)

SLFarmMI said:


> If it's anything like it is advertised it will be well worth the money for us. We are currently running on hotspots -- some Verizon and some AT&T. I have to limp along on a combination of of 3 hotspots and my phone. Still waiting on a hotspot from the school district. Online teaching burns through my data very fast and I end up blowing past my data cap every month and then the speeds are at about turtle speed. Those hot spots aren't cheap either. Starlink, if they keep the price as advertised, is going to be much cheaper.


If you have a good tower, you may be able to get Verizon LTE internet. It is wireless, but not a Hotspot. It is a regular modem/router.

We get 50 mbps, no throttling or data caps. 40 bucks a month. Worka very well. One gaming and skyping, two tvs streaming 1080p. No problem.

We were paying 70 for 35 mbps, no data caps and very rare and very minor throttling on a prepaid skipping,

This is after having Viasat for years. Uhg. That sucked.


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## goodatit (May 1, 2013)

Hiro said:


> Starlink has opened up on a first come, first service basis an opportunity to sign up for their internet service via LEO (low earth orbit) satellites. They advertise high speed, low latency and no data limits.
> 
> Starlink


i went to their site. all information is vague at best. not yet running everywhere.


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## robin416 (Dec 29, 2019)

After having had Hughesnet for several years and finally clearing them out of my life this group will have to around for a while before I'll jump on board. Customer service with Hughesnet was some of the worst. And their nickel and diming for every failure of their equipment, even leased equipment, was not tolerable.


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## todd_xxxx (Apr 19, 2018)

robin416 said:


> After having had Hughesnet for several years and finally clearing them out of my life this group will have to around for a while before I'll jump on board. Customer service with Hughesnet was some of the worst. And their nickel and diming for every failure of their equipment, even leased equipment, was not tolerable.


Isn't that a little like saying "I had a Ford once, and it sucked, so I'm not buying a Chevy."?


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## robin416 (Dec 29, 2019)

Not even a little bit. It's another satellite company. As mentioned their website is spotty with in depth information. How do they handle customer issues? How sensitive is their equipment to weather? How much will your access be slowed due to heavy customer loads? Are they going to charge for anything that fails even for leased equipment? Who's providing customer support? India?

Jumping in with both feet without some crucial information in place could be a stressful, frustrating venture.

Get locked into a 2 year contract with a nightmare company who's only criteria is to make money off you in every way possible and you'll understand exactly what I mean.


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## todd_xxxx (Apr 19, 2018)

robin416 said:


> Not even a little bit. It's another satellite company. As mentioned their website is spotty with in depth information. How do they handle customer issues? How sensitive is their equipment to weather? How much will your access be slowed due to heavy customer loads? Are they going to charge for anything that fails even for leased equipment? Who's providing customer support? India?
> 
> Jumping in with both feet without some crucial information in place could be a stressful, frustrating venture.
> 
> Get locked into a 2 year contract with a nightmare company who's only criteria is to make money off you in every way possible and you'll understand exactly what I mean.


"Not even a little bit. It's another satellite company. "

And Chevy is another car company. My point is just that one satellite company has nothing to do with another satellite company. They don't use the same equipment, the same satellites, the same customer service. 

The sad truth of customer service is that you never know how it's going to be until you need help. I've been in situation where the customer support is terrible. I'm in one with AT&T right now, using their MiFi for my internet. But I'm not going to judge another internet company by that experience. If I did, I would be stuck with AT&T, or nothing.


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## HDRider (Jul 21, 2011)

According to https://www.starlink.com/ Their latency is from 20ms to 40ms in most locations 

My DSL is 53 ms

I think Hughesnet approaches 1,000 ms


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## robin416 (Dec 29, 2019)

More information is needed. It's as simple as that.

I know all about AT&T, that's why I don't have them as a provider.


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## Hiro (Feb 14, 2016)

Hughesnet and Directv satellite internet offerings use middle orbit satellites, it takes around one second for the signal to travel from earth to the satellite and back. Also, a drizzly rain will make it unusable or it did when I had it at a commercial property. They also didn't secure their side very well and my server was constantly under attack.

Starlink with low orbit satellites likely will not be directly comparable. But, at this point it just hopeful to us poor rural sods with no other viable option.


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## painterswife (Jun 7, 2004)

We lucked out here. They are widening the highway and that means moving all the telephone lines. That and a grant meant Fiber for us and many people that did not have it before. We got our fiber last summer and it has been wonderful. When we built we could not even get a telephone line so getting fiber at no cost to us was amazing.


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## HDRider (Jul 21, 2011)

painterswife said:


> We lucked out here. They are widening the highway and that means moving all the telephone lines. That and a grant meant Fiber for us and many people that did not have it before. We got our fiber last summer and it has been wonderful. When we built we could not even get a telephone line so getting fiber at no cost to us was amazing.


The county south of me is mostly served by one electric co-op. They have now put fiber down to serve most of that county.


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## Rodeo's Bud (Apr 10, 2020)

todd_xxxx said:


> "Not even a little bit. It's another satellite company. "
> 
> And Chevy is another car company. My point is just that one satellite company has nothing to do with another satellite company. They don't use the same equipment, the same satellites, the same customer service.
> 
> The sad truth of customer service is that you never know how it's going to be until you need help. I've been in situation where the customer support is terrible. I'm in one with AT&T right now, using their MiFi for my internet. But I'm not going to judge another internet company by that experience. If I did, I would be stuck with AT&T, or nothing.


Is your middle name contrarian. Jeez.

Anybody who has had to use satellite as an only option, completely understands someone's hesitation.

It sucks, it always gets worse instead of better. It never works, it coats a fortune to drop once you realize it doesn't work.

We gotbto where you could barely check emails and were paying 120 bucks a month for that awesome service.

So unless you have direct experience, you have no idea of what you are talking about.


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## todd_xxxx (Apr 19, 2018)

Since it seems you must have direct experience with Starlink, and so are the only one that knows what you are talking about, please, share your experience.

For the record, the only internet in my area is MiFi or satellite, and I've had both. I have MiFi right now with AT&T and I'm paying $100 a month for 100Gb, and an extra $20 a month for every 10Gb you go over. The service is no where near 100Mps, the latency times are horrible, and 100Gb runs out far too early in the month. I need another option, and Starlink is one I haven't tried yet, and if it lives up to the results people have gotten that have actually tested it, it will be far better than what I have now.

If you have already decided that all satellite sucks and isn't worth the money based on your experience with one company, then don't sign up for Starlink. No one is forcing anyone.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Close as I am to a major city, fiber optic does not run to our area. Our phone company is always calling me to get their fiber optic intenet service, and every time I tell them to hook me up. A couple days later they call me and tell me there is no service in my area. Then I ask them why they call me about hooking it up.

I just checked Starlink. They do not offer service in my area but for $100 they will put me on a waiting list. $500 set-up fee, $100 a month for unspecified service, plus fees and taxes which equal more than a year worth of Spectrum service. They did not have any way to check on what service, how much data, data speed or any information on their service or products.


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## todd_xxxx (Apr 19, 2018)

We don't even have the option of DSL, so we're kind of stuck in our choices.


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## mreynolds (Jan 1, 2015)

These are low orbit satellites. Not the ones used by Hughes net. 

Bezos is also trying to come out with one along with Gates. They are behind so far. But there will be other options soon. 

Starlink is already available in Canada I hear and some northern states. It beta right now so I think cancellation is doable in the beta test.


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## Rodeo's Bud (Apr 10, 2020)

todd_xxxx said:


> Since it seems you must have direct experience with Starlink, and so are the only one that knows what you are talking about, please, share your experience.
> 
> For the record, the only internet in my area is MiFi or satellite, and I've had both. I have MiFi right now with AT&T and I'm paying $100 a month for 100Gb, and an extra $20 a month for every 10Gb you go over. The service is no where near 100Mps, the latency times are horrible, and 100Gb runs out far too early in the month. I need another option, and Starlink is one I haven't tried yet, and if it lives up to the results people have gotten that have actually tested it, it will be far better than what I have now.
> 
> If you have already decided that all satellite sucks and isn't worth the money based on your experience with one company, then don't sign up for Starlink. No one is forcing anyone.


Not starlink, but ViaSat.

I'm not saying not to use Starlink, I am saying I understand the hesitation.

Believe me, if we had a choice between Viasat and Starlink, I would jump on Starlink as fast as they let me.

I hope it is a great success. It is definitely needed in many areas.


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## SLFarmMI (Feb 21, 2013)

Rodeo's Bud said:


> Not starlink, but ViaSat.
> 
> I'm not saying not to use Starlink, I am saying I understand the hesitation.
> 
> ...


Will let you know once we get ours. Anything has to be better than what we have now, limping along on a combination of hot spots and my phone.


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

The upfront cost puts me off. It would cost $700 to get started. 

At our electric coop meeting a few years ago there was a presentation that this was coming. Made it sound like it would be cheap.


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## wil14 (Sep 13, 2020)

Starlink and Hughes are not comparable as others have mentioned. Here is a thread where beta testers have been posting their speed results. Honestly guys, this is a game changer for folks looking to live in remote areas.

Edit link formatting is pretty bad so I'm pasting it plain txt

Link:reddit.com/r/Starlink/comments/i9w09n/list_of_confirmed_starlink_speed_tests/


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## IlliniosGal (Jun 3, 2019)

Danaus29 said:


> I just checked Starlink. They do not offer service in my area but for $100 they will put me on a waiting list. $500 set-up fee, $100 a month for unspecified service, plus fees and taxes which equal more than a year worth of Spectrum service. They did not have any way to check on what service, how much data, data speed or any information on their service or products.


Holy COW!! $500 down, and a $100 to put you on a waiting list, that is crazy talk! I had Hughes and Dish years ago, never, ever, ever again will I use a satellite service, it was a mess of outages, overages, slowdowns, extra fees.
I have Rise Broadband, I get the signal off the top of the elevator in town. $63 for super high speed unlimited a month, I run my phone, laptop, and two Roku TVs with numerous steaming services and in the almost year I have had Rise I have not had one problem. The charged me nothing down, nothing for installation and I could drop them anytime I want for no charge.


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## Rodeo's Bud (Apr 10, 2020)

I assume Starlink will go to that business model as well eventually.

They will have to, as other isp's continue to do it to keep them out of the market.

Right now, I agree. It would be hard to pay that. However, after using Viasat, I would for sure if I could afford it.


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## SLFarmMI (Feb 21, 2013)

It looks to be a whole lot cheaper than what we are currently paying for the hot spots we are using.


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

After reading this thread, the wife and I discussed it and put down our deposit. Like @mreynolds , we’re at the end of a long run of DSL, and our internet stinks. We explored a couple other options mentioned here (like the Verizon LTE) and can’t get them here.

The $500 in Starlink equipment isn’t unreasonable, and we’d make it back up in about 8 months after we turn off the DSL. If the internet really is functional for streaming, we’ll also cancel direct TV, and pay for the equipment in just a few months.

I really do hope they make their “mid-late” this year goal for our area. They’ll have a check on the way the same day they send the email.


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## HDRider (Jul 21, 2011)

GunMonkeyIntl said:


> at the end of a long run of DSL


I am the final node on my DSL line.

Being generous, my reliability is a 7 on a scale of 10, 10 being perfect. I get almost 6MB download, and less than 512K up. My latency is 66 ms +/-

How does your compare?


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## HDRider (Jul 21, 2011)

Consider his propensity for hyperbole, but SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says the company’s Starlink satellite internet service “will double” speeds to customers “later this year.”


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

HDRider said:


> I am the final node on my DSL line.
> 
> Being generous, my reliability is a 7 on a scale of 10, 10 being perfect. I get almost 6MB download, and less than 512K up. My latency is 66 ms +/-
> 
> How does your compare?


It had been a while so I just tested.
1.05 Mbps Down
230k Up
75 ms latency

About 2-5 days per month, our internet acts like we’re on a 28.8 baud dial-up. When we call the provider, they tell us nothing is wrong in our area, then, within a few hours it’s back to “normal”. At first, we didn’t call, and the non-useable periods would last for days at a time, but, every time after calling, they have it unscrewed a few hours later. Hmmmmm...


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## HDRider (Jul 21, 2011)

GunMonkeyIntl said:


> It had been a while so I just tested.
> 1.05 Mbps Down
> 230k Up
> 75 ms latency
> ...


I have CenturyLink. Their customer services is totally offshore, and all they can do is read script in a form of English that is almost indecipherable.


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

HDRider said:


> I have CenturyLink. Their customer services is totally offshore, and all they can do is read script in a form of English that is almost indecipherable.


Same here. 
The wife handles all that stuff, and I just asked her. She agreed that their phone CS is almost unusable, so she uses a chat function they offer.


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## HDRider (Jul 21, 2011)

GunMonkeyIntl said:


> wife handles all that stuff


You lucky


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

HDRider said:


> You lucky


It’s a division of labor.

Anything with a dollar sign, an account number, or a customer service representative is hers. 

Anything involving heavy/shocky/pokey things, poop, or having to kill something is mine.


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## HDRider (Jul 21, 2011)

GunMonkeyIntl said:


> It’s a division of labor.
> 
> Anything with a dollar sign, an account number, or a customer service representative is hers.
> 
> Anything involving heavy/shocky/pokey things, poop, or having to kill something is mine.


We have division of labor too. I make the money and she spends it.


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## mreynolds (Jan 1, 2015)

HDRider said:


> I am the final node on my DSL line.
> 
> Being generous, my reliability is a 7 on a scale of 10, 10 being perfect. I get almost 6MB download, and less than 512K up. My latency is 66 ms +/-
> 
> How does your compare?


Last I check mine was a 2mb down. The upload was in the negative and it sucked it down to China and a poor Chinese Farmer with a dirt floor sends it up for me. 

Elon wants this to give broadband to everyone n the country. He says anyway.


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

mreynolds said:


> Last I check mine was a 2mb down. The upload was in the negative and it sucked it down to China and a poor Chinese Farmer with a dirt floor sends it up for me.
> 
> Elon wants this to give broadband to everyone n the country. He says anyway.


The dude’s definitely weird, but I think I like his brand of weird. He reminds me of some of the better mechanical engineers I’ve had the pleasure of working with in my career. He’s a little quirky, rarely predictable (especially on political matters, where we all _know _we’re supposed to be one one of two clearly delineated sides), and comes up with some non-standard approaches to problems.


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## mreynolds (Jan 1, 2015)

GunMonkeyIntl said:


> The dude’s definitely weird, but I think I like his brand of weird. He reminds me of some of the better mechanical engineers I’ve had the pleasure of working with in my career. He’s a little quirky, rarely predictable (especially on political matters, where we all _know _we’re supposed to be one one of two clearly delineated sides), and comes up with some non-standard approaches to problems.


I like him because he does what he says he will do. So far he has not failed. One day he might but even then that is still an excellent track record. 

What do you bet that he builds a few of those batteries here in Texas like he did in Australia?


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## manfred (Dec 21, 2005)

Our electric co-op isn running internet to our county, In started asking when about a year ago and so far they are 6 months late. You have to agree to 12 months at $49 per month minimum and Im signed up so I have to wait.


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

BUMPDATE

The wife got an email a few hours ago saying we had a slot in the Beta. $488 later, they say we should have our equipment in 2-3 weeks.


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## mreynolds (Jan 1, 2015)

GunMonkeyIntl said:


> BUMPDATE
> 
> The wife got an email a few hours ago saying we had a slot in the Beta. $488 later, they say we should have our equipment in 2-3 weeks.


They are still saying this summer for me.


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## Hiro (Feb 14, 2016)

GunMonkeyIntl said:


> BUMPDATE
> 
> The wife got an email a few hours ago saying we had a slot in the Beta. $488 later, they say we should have our equipment in 2-3 weeks.


Yeah, the important people always get in front of us plebes.


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

Hiro said:


> Yeah, the important people always get in front of us plebes.


Prolly has at least soooomething to do with latitude, but yeah, I’m with you.

Damn the man!
Power to the peapole!
And...and... other stuffis!


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

mreynolds said:


> They are still saying this summer for me.


I’ll be yer guinea pig, and yer huckleberry.


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## robin416 (Dec 29, 2019)

Trying to click on this topic, this is what I kept getting: upstream connect error or disconnect/reset before headers. reset reason: connection failure

I thought you might get the irony, this being a topic about internet connections.


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## TripleD (Feb 12, 2011)

My brother has been talking about this for months. He's ready for it and tired of landline stuff... I'm not tech savvy so I'll just have to wait...


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## NRA_guy (Jun 9, 2015)

I don't understand how their satellites can be 60 times closer to Earth than normal communication satellites. In order to be a stationary target for an antenna on Earth a satellite MUST be in a geostationary orbit 22,236 miles above Earth's equator.

22,236 / 60 = 370.6 miles above Earth

So for transmitting to the satellite (up loading) your antenna has to be fairly powerful.

And I guess in order to have an uninterrupted continuous connection with a system that is not in geostationary orbit, their 60 satellites must all be synchronized with each other (so you connect to whichever one happens to be overhead at a given moment).


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## TripleD (Feb 12, 2011)

NRA_guy said:


> I don't understand how their satellites can be 60 times closer to Earth than normal communication satellites. In order to be a stationary target for an antenna on Earth a satellite MUST be in a geostationary orbit 22,236 miles above Earth's equator.
> 
> 22,236 / 60 = 370.6 miles above Earth
> 
> ...


Brother says your dish tracks them swivels and tracks them again?. I have no idea 💡. I might be the idiot 😂...


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## Whoo (Apr 28, 2016)

A friend of mine that lives about three miles away got accepted for the beta a couple months ago. I've been on the waiting list the whole time. He has a different zip code, not sure that's the reason?


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## mreynolds (Jan 1, 2015)

GunMonkeyIntl said:


> I’ll be yer guinea pig, and yer huckleberry.


Cool because I do want to know how well it works.


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

NRA_guy said:


> I don't understand how their satellites can be 60 times closer to Earth than normal communication satellites. In order to be a stationary target for an antenna on Earth a satellite MUST be in a geostationary orbit 22,236 miles above Earth's equator.
> 
> 22,236 / 60 = 370.6 miles above Earth
> 
> ...


Satellite dishes work like a Newtonian telescope. The dish is the primary (gathering) mirror and the feed horn is the secondary (focusing) mirror. In that arrangement, the dish can have a fairly wide field of view, and gather and focus the signal the same way the scope can magnify an image. The shape of the dish determines whether it is a short focal-length/wide-FoV or long focal-length/narrow-FoV. I’m betting that that the Starlink low-orbit arrangement relies on a shorter focal length and a wider field of view- like a low magnification scope- compared to the traditional higher-orbit satellite dishes.

Also, the dishes will track to a certain extent, and the whole system relies on being able to relay between multiple satellites as they track across the sky. That was, the dish can keep at least one, but preferably two or three satellites in view at all times. Transmission gets handed off from a satellite that is passing out of view to one that is coming into view, and dish movements are minimized.


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## kinderfeld (Jan 29, 2006)

mreynolds said:


> They are still saying this summer for me.


Same here.


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## NRA_guy (Jun 9, 2015)

GunMonkeyIntl said:


> Satellite dishes work like a Newtonian telescope. The dish is the primary (gathering) mirror and the feed horn is the secondary (focusing) mirror. In that arrangement, the dish can have a fairly wide field of view, and gather and focus the signal the same way the scope can magnify an image. The shape of the dish determines whether it is a short focal-length/wide-FoV or long focal-length/narrow-FoV. I’m betting that that the Starlink low-orbit arrangement relies on a shorter focal length and a wider field of view- like a low magnification scope- compared to the traditional higher-orbit satellite dishes.
> 
> Also, the dishes will track to a certain extent, and the whole system relies on being able to relay between multiple satellites as they track across the sky. That was, the dish can keep at least one, but preferably two or three satellites in view at all times. Transmission gets handed off from a satellite that is passing out of view to one that is coming into view, and dish movements are minimized.


Pretty much what I thought. I had one of those giant 8-ft. dishes long ago before they scrambled things. The Playboy channel was not even scrambled back in those days.  It was programmed to move to specific geostationary satellites. Of course, that was strictly receiving (downloading) signals.

I'm wondering how fast the uplink will be and how much power the Starlink antennas will transmit for sending data up to the satellites.


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

The kit came today. I’d already installed a j-mount on the eave of my back porch, so setting it up took about 4 minutes (and another 5 or 6 for it to drive around and figure out where it was).

I’ll give my first impression in pictures, all three taken from the same place (back porch, only place my cell phone reliably works.

*Cell Phone (Verizon)*










*Century Link (it timed out before it could run the upload test, but it went for about 5 minutes)*










*Starlink*:


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## painterswife (Jun 7, 2004)

Well, that is a lot faster. You must be happy.


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## 101pigs (Sep 18, 2018)

Hiro said:


> Starlink has opened up on a first come, first service basis an opportunity to sign up for their internet service via LEO (low earth orbit) satellites. They advertise high speed, low latency and no data limits.
> 
> Starlink


Satellite is what i have. Got it 20 years ago. $50 per/mos. No limit of use. Full service with a lot of movies on youtube. All news stations on-line. They had a special life-time charge $50 per/mo. the company is now owned by AT&T however AT&T when they got the company all contracts the same for me from other company. I do like having full net service. Watch a lot of free old movies. I have news stations from all over the world. Interesting how U.S. and other countries report the same news to suit their outlook on world news. China news, Russia, Iran, and a few other countries sure see world news in a different way than in the U.S.


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## todd_xxxx (Apr 19, 2018)

GunMonkeyIntl said:


> The kit came today. I’d already installed a j-mount on the eave of my back porch, so setting it up took about 4 minutes (and another 5 or 6 for it to drive around and figure out where it was).
> 
> I’ll give my first impression in pictures, all three taken from the same place (back porch, only place my cell phone reliably works.
> 
> ...


I'll be in heaven if I get that speed.


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## mreynolds (Jan 1, 2015)

Can't wait until I get mine here in Texas. May take a while though. They finally piped daylight here when I was three years old.


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## SLFarmMI (Feb 21, 2013)

mreynolds said:


> Can't wait until I get mine here in Texas. May take a while though. They finally piped daylight here when I was three years old.


Can't wait until we get ours either. "By the end of the year" is the best estimate we've gotten.


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## mreynolds (Jan 1, 2015)

SLFarmMI said:


> Can't wait until we get ours either. "By the end of the year" is the best estimate we've gotten.


They said late summer here. Here's hoping. I have the slowest dsl in the world I think here.


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## Hiro (Feb 14, 2016)

Wonderful!!


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

todd_xxxx said:


> I'll be in heaven if I get that speed.





mreynolds said:


> They said late summer here. Here's hoping. I have the slowest dsl in the world I think here.


There’s been a few noticeable outages. 30s here 1m there. It’s noticeable when web pages load this fast, and suddenly they stop. Had it been on DSL, and the blue bar stopped moving, I would not have realized anything was happening.

The tribal wisdom is that the first few days have hiccups as the dish is figuring out precisely where to point, and it has to wait 24hrs to update firmware.

It definitely feels like a Beta. The app has real-time metrics, and even a text-based debug code screen you can read if you want to see what is happening. It says I have had 12 minutes of outages in the first 4 hours; 2 minutes of no satellite, and 10 minutes of “other outages”. It actually has 22 minutes listed, but the first 10 minutes of “no satellite” were just it turning on, connecting to the local router and pointing around. 

This band in NC (looks to be about 4 cells spread across the state) just went live yesterday and today, and the beta-base say that the first few days are rocky and improve rapidly as they dial in the ground stations.


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

mreynolds said:


> Can't wait until I get mine here in Texas. May take a while though. They finally piped daylight here when I was three years old.


There’s actually a couple cells that just opened up in north-Texas/south-OK. It seems random how they’re doing it, but I’m sure they have a method.

There are no published maps, but it’s been discerned that the US map is covered by a honeycomb-grid, with cells that are roughly 15 miles across. There doesn’t seem to be a predictable model to which cells get turned on, when.

They’ve built a series of ground stations all over the US, and a lot of them have snuck in without people noticing. Google earth and street images show them to be about 100x100’, privacy fenced enclosures with a small shack and 4-6 big white balls - maybe 6 or 8 feet in diameter.

Until they turn on the feature that lets the satellites communicate with each other via laser, a functioning cell has to be populated with user dishes that can see the same roaming satellite as the ground stations. They apparently build the ground station, choose few local cells, and send an email to the first preorders in those cells to let them know they’re going live and about to charge their card. Even being in Texas, with no mention of people around you having it, you could get the email tomorrow.

Got any new fenced enclosures holding giant white beach balls around you?


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## mreynolds (Jan 1, 2015)

GunMonkeyIntl said:


> There’s actually a couple cells that just opened up in north-Texas/south-OK. It seems random how they’re doing it, but I’m sure they have a method.
> 
> There are no published maps, but it’s been discerned that the US map is covered by a honeycomb-grid, with cells that are roughly 15 miles across. There doesn’t seem to be a predictable model to which cells get turned on, when.
> 
> ...


If they head from Dallas to Houston I should get mine before Houston does.


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## TripleD (Feb 12, 2011)

I have my own guinea pig. No internet or home phone in almost seven years ... It's really been good . I get it at the office and on this phone...


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## painterswife (Jun 7, 2004)

Any update.


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

painterswife said:


> Any update.


Cancelled DirectTV yesterday. We’ve wanted off “cable” for years, but the little TV that we do watch is not available on an antenna. The wife set up a Hulu account, and, between that and Netflix, our TV watching options are more than adequate. The cost savings over DirectTV will amortize the cost of the Starlink equipment in about 8 months.

I’m planing to call CenturyStink tomorrow and see if I can get them to a more reasonable package pricing over threat of cancelling outright. Our package is for 50mb/s, but we’re normally around 0.5-1.5mb/s. If they can bump us down to a cheaper 5mb/s plan but keep the actual service they’ve given us these last 8 years, I’ll let them keep charging me.

I’m averaging about 3-4min of outage per 24hrs with Starlink in Beta. That should improve as only about 60% of the satellites in orbit are functional yet. My hope is to have a cheap, low bandwidth plan as my backup. I’ve come to understand that you can pipe two services into a single router for failsafe. That would help when I’m on a Zoom call with the C-Suite overseas, and I get that 10 second satellite outage.

So far, we’re beyond happy.


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

Here’s the outside end of the equipment, FWIW. Incredibly easy to DIY install.









I’ve since cleaned it up a bit. That was about 15 minutes after the package arrived, and I wanted to confirm my install was solid before taking the time to route the wiring right.


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## altair (Jul 23, 2011)

Our rural town just voted to contract with a company to put in fiber.


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## keenataz (Feb 17, 2009)

GunMonkeyIntl said:


> Cancelled DirectTV yesterday. We’ve wanted off “cable” for years, but the little TV that we do watch is not available on an antenna. The wife set up a Hulu account, and, between that and Netflix, our TV watching options are more than adequate. The cost savings over DirectTV will amortize the cost of the Starlink equipment in about 8 months.
> 
> I’m planing to call CenturyStink tomorrow and see if I can get them to a more reasonable package pricing over threat of cancelling outright. Our package is for 50mb/s, but we’re normally around 0.5-1.5mb/s. If they can bump us down to a cheaper 5mb/s plan but keep the actual service they’ve given us these last 8 years, I’ll let them keep charging me.
> 
> ...


Our the outages predictable?

Thanks


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

keenataz said:


> Our the outages predictable?
> 
> Thanks


No. Reconnect seems to be, but the disconnects come without warning.

That said, it’s still in beta, so a lot of the disconnects show as “other”, meaning they’re messing with stuff, either on the satellite or ground station end. The “no satellite” down time should reduce with time, since only 2/3 of the launched satellites are operational yet, and everything that is up there is only like 25% of the initial roll-out plan.

The thing that I’m most impressed with so far is that it is satellite internet that feels like terrestrial internet. I’ve never had Hughes/Viasat here at home, but I have used it serval dozen times in my travels. The latency of traditional satellite internet makes it pretty much useless for anything other than TV and email, and web-browsing just feels clunky. This service actually feels like terrestrial service.


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## todd_xxxx (Apr 19, 2018)

A couple people in my area have received theirs, so I hope that means I will soon. There doesn't seem to be any way to find out where you are on the list or how it is determined when you get your equipment.


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## keenataz (Feb 17, 2009)

GunMonkeyIntl said:


> No. Reconnect seems to be, but the disconnects come without warning.
> 
> That said, it’s still in beta, so a lot of the disconnects show as “other”, meaning they’re messing with stuff, either on the satellite or ground station end. The “no satellite” down time should reduce with time, since only 2/3 of the launched satellites are operational yet, and everything that is up there is only like 25% of the initial roll-out plan.
> 
> The thing that I’m most impressed with so far is that it is satellite internet that feels like terrestrial internet. I’ve never had Hughes/Viasat here at home, but I have used it serval dozen times in my travels. The latency of traditional satellite internet makes it pretty much useless for anything other than TV and email, and web-browsing just feels clunky. This service actually feels like terrestrial service.


Thanks. We are in the same boat with previous satellite.

I have looked into this and would be eligible. But also at the extreme north of current service. So will be holding off for awhile.

Hope it works


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

todd_xxxx said:


> A couple people in my area have received theirs, so I hope that means I will soon. There doesn't seem to be any way to find out where you are on the list or how it is determined when you get your equipment.


No. They’ve set it up so that the only way you can contact them is via a support ticket, and that only shows up in the app after your account has paid the complete fee for a dish. The consensus is that they did that to avoid being deluged with questions during the beta test, and that they’ll have to put up normal Customer Service comm channels once they go live.

The folks with it in your area were selected for the beta test for whatever reason. The “mid to late 2021” that most of us saw when we preordered is when they expect to have the service live. All the recent launches have been going off without a hitch, and there aren’t more than a handful of failed satellites in the fleet, so the general feeling is that they’ll likely be able to start rolling out nearer to the “mid” than “late” 2021.

The launch last week put up the final satellites to complete the first shell. It takes something like 90 days for them to reach operational altitude and position themselves in the shell. That would imply that the system is ready for prime time sometime in August- assuming no major setbacks.


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## mreynolds (Jan 1, 2015)

GunMonkeyIntl said:


> No. They’ve set it up so that the only way you can contact them is via a support ticket, and that only shows up in the app after your account has paid the complete fee for a dish. The consensus is that they did that to avoid being deluged with questions during the beta test, and that they’ll have to put up normal Customer Service comm channels once they go live.
> 
> The folks with it in your area were selected for the beta test for whatever reason. The “mid to late 2021” that most of us saw when we preordered is when they expect to have the service live. All the recent launches have been going off without a hitch, and there aren’t more than a handful of failed satellites in the fleet, so the general feeling is that they’ll likely be able to start rolling out nearer to the “mid” than “late” 2021.
> 
> The launch last week put up the final satellites to complete the first shell. It takes something like 90 days for them to reach operational altitude and position themselves in the shell. That would imply that the system is ready for prime time sometime in August- assuming no major setbacks.



Since you installed yours, how feasible would it be to move it. Like as in working on the road.


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## todd_xxxx (Apr 19, 2018)

mreynolds said:


> Since you installed yours, how feasible would it be to move it. Like as in working on the road.


The user agreement says specifically that it won't work that way.


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

todd_xxxx said:


> mreynolds said:
> 
> 
> > Since you installed yours, how feasible would it be to move it. Like as in working on the road.
> ...


It does, but that is only for now. They’re working on a mobile program for boats/RVs. What’s been said so far is that the mobile capability would use the same equipment.

Right now, you’re limited to an address change only, and that only works if there’s an open beta slot where you’re going. They can’t do mobile right now because of the high demand and limited spots in beta. If it were open that way, people would find out where the open cell was, order for there, and then set it up at their home- ruining the beta test.

As it is, several users have been able to order outside of their home cell. Your ship to and service address do not have to be the same. By using Google + codes, folks have been able to find that they’re only a few miles away from a physical location that is open to the beta, ordered it with the + code as the service address, shipped it to their house, and they’re up and running. It seems like if you’re within about 5-8 miles of the correct cell, it will work.


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## KC Rock (Oct 28, 2021)

Don't know if it is still in the infrastructure bill..
*Infrastructure Law Includes $65 Billion for Improving Internet Access*
From 8 - 21. Had hopes this would happen as there are too many really rural areas with zip for access...


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## mreynolds (Jan 1, 2015)

KC Rock said:


> Don't know if it is still in the infrastructure bill..
> *Infrastructure Law Includes $65 Billion for Improving Internet Access*
> From 8 - 21. Had hopes this would happen as there are too many really rural areas with zip for access...


Last year they were given about 20 billion to do the same thing. 5 companies got the money in hand. Suddenlink got something like 13 billion of it I think and they won't even drag the line 500 feet to my house. Musk only got like 2 billion and he is doing more then the rest even though they got more of the money. 

I guess what I am trying to say is that I hope they took that out because it is wasted money.


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## KC Rock (Oct 28, 2021)

mreynolds said:


> Last year they were given about 20 billion to do the same thing. 5 companies got the money in hand. Suddenlink got something like 13 billion of it I think and they won't even drag the line 500 feet to my house. Musk only got like 2 billion and he is doing more then the rest even though they got more of the money.
> 
> I guess what I am trying to say is that I hope they took that out because it is wasted money.


20 billion? Last year? After the election? Cuz I'm guessing the people now with the purse strings will be a little more diligent with the funds. Usually have oversight committees. ..


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## mreynolds (Jan 1, 2015)

KC Rock said:


> 20 billion? Last year? After the election? Cuz I'm guessing the people now with the purse strings will be a little more diligent with the funds. Usually have oversight committees. ..


It was before the election. February 2020. 

The money has been handed out already. It has probably been spent too by the private companies that got it. I guess it takes more than 13 billion to run 500 feet of cable for 4 houses that have all said they would connect. 

I have called up the chain to Suddenlink and reminded them about the money they received and they say they got nothing. Fed says they gave them 13 billion for rural expansion. Who's lying do you think?

Now that's a hundred dollar question isn't it?


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## Tom Bombadil (Mar 25, 2008)

Those of you who put deposits down, are you still waiting? Are you concerned now that the Pro account has been announced?

I am still waiting but growing concerned. Elon still has my $100 for now.


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## mreynolds (Jan 1, 2015)

Tom Bombadil said:


> Those of you who put deposits down, are you still waiting? Are you concerned now that the Pro account has been announced?
> 
> I am still waiting but growing concerned. Elon still has my $100 for now.


Still has mine too. I have been told it will be next month for me. They dont offer it for RV yet though which kinda sucks.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

A friend in San Antonio got notification that his shipment is being prepped. No delivery date yet.


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## mreynolds (Jan 1, 2015)

painterswife said:


> What are your speeds now? Is this worth the money for you?


You asked me this (I think) a year ago. I just got mine today and it's all over the place and it will be for at least a week until it calibrates.

The slowest I got was 19 MBs and the highest I got was 270MBs. Average so far has been 80MBs. It has only been on hours. We are expecting around 100MBs when it gets settled.

Cons: I didnt like the stand they give you. It is a stand that I guess they expect you to sit on the ground. That won't work in anyone's yard. I used a terminal galvanized chain link post. Then I used a 1 1/2"- 1 1/4" female bushing with a glue end on the 1 1/2". Then I drill a 1 3/8" hole where the threads are. You have to then use a sanding wheel on a grinder to grind the glue end to fit into the pipe. Fits like a glove. I grinded it at a slight angle and drove it in with a hammer and a wood block. 

The ground stand would not last one night out here if the wild hogs found it. 

@GunMonkeyIntl how is your doing since you have had it for a while now?


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## mreynolds (Jan 1, 2015)

mreynolds said:


> You asked me this (I think) a year ago. I just got mine today and it's all over the place and it will be for at least a week until it calibrates.
> 
> The slowest I got was 19 MBs and the highest I got was 270MBs. Average so far has been 80MBs. It has only been on hours. We are expecting around 100MBs when it gets settled.
> 
> ...


Sorry that was a 2" x 1 1/4" female bushing. The post is 2 1/8" ID.


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

@mreynolds it’s still doing well. I think we’re just short of a year at this point. It goes out for a few minutes, a few times per day. It’ll have 5-10 second outages several times per day. Once or twice per month, it’ll go out for an hour or two. Otherwise, when it’s on, it’s awesome. Coming from an advertised 1.5 mbps that was actually <50k mbps at best (and “best” being the rarity, not the rule), it’s been life-changing for us.

I honestly haven’t looked into the beta status in a couple months, and hadn’t heard of the “pro account” mentioned above, so I’m a bit behind in Starlink news now. It’s kind of become transparent to us at this point, and I don’t spend much time looking at or into it anymore.


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

It looks like it’s a premium service targeted at remote commercial users. I’m thinking it is the one for remote businesses, commercial ships and science stations that has been discussed since the beginning. It’s $2500 for the equipment and $500/month (vs. $500 for the equipment and $100/month).

I tend to think that it will not affect the residential users all that much as the bulk of those users will be using bandwidth running through the satellites when they’re out of range of the majority of the residential users anyway.


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## mreynolds (Jan 1, 2015)

Yeah, I have been looking into that one for an RV park we are in the process of vetting. Looks like a good deal for that instance. 




GunMonkeyIntl said:


> It looks like it’s a premium service targeted at remote commercial users. I’m thinking it is the one for remote businesses, commercial ships and science stations that has been discussed since the beginning. It’s $2500 for the equipment and $500/month (vs. $500 for the equipment and $100/month).
> 
> I tend to think that it will not affect the residential users all that much as the bulk of those users will be using bandwidth running through the satellites when they’re out of range of the majority of the residential users anyway.


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## TripleD (Feb 12, 2011)

mreynolds said:


> Sorry that was a 2" x 1 1/4" female bushing. The post is 2 1/8" ID.


The picture of the trench looked good. Better than me for hand digging ... I'm getting old or lazy!?!?


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## mreynolds (Jan 1, 2015)

TripleD said:


> The picture of the trench looked good. Better than me for hand digging ... I'm getting old or lazy!?!?


Yeah, the old buck had to teach the spike how to dig a proper ditch. That ditch looked like the el Camino Monterey it was so crooked.


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## Hiro (Feb 14, 2016)

16 months later they claim they are shipping it to me. We plebes can join those like @GunMonkeyIntl that are in the in crowd.


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

Hiro said:


> 16 months later they claim they are shipping it to me. We plebes can join those like @GunMonkeyIntl that are in the in crowd.


Yeah. I’m the one who told Elon, in our secret weekly meeting, to let you have it finally.

Enjoy!


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## Hiro (Feb 14, 2016)

This is nifty. Finally, high speed internet....


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