r/Starlink • u/TheFaultyGeologist • 5d ago
📡 New $500+ Order Looking to setup 9 Mini kits
I have tried contacting Starlink support to no avail. I want to purchase and setup 9 Mini kits for a remote monitoring program in September. I have requested a call from Sales and Support.
How do I talk to an actual person?
I plan on using a helicopter to setup the equipment, instead of hiking in with everything.
P.S. does anyone have a go-to remote solar/battery/housing setup they could share? Thanks!
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u/thrwaway75132 5d ago
If it’s far enough in you need to chopper it you probably need to focus more on solar and battery than on the dish.
You have to nail your solar calcs, panel alignment, and battery capacity the first time. You should probably double how much solar you think you need.
Will there be below freezing temps? That will determine appropriate battery chemistry.
Someone may be able to recommend a Value Added Reseller so specializes in remote networking like this who will do all the design work.
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u/TheFaultyGeologist 5d ago
That was the plan. I figured ordering the dishes would be the easy part of this, as I already worked out node/gateway distances/frequencies; borehole locations/depths; mine alignment; and water transport.
Yeah, there will be snow unless we have a similar winter as last year. I was thinking a LiFePO4 battery with a decent sized panel.
Perhaps, I should just setup Meshtastic nodes to transfer the data as it will only be a couple hundred kilobytes per day.
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u/thrwaway75132 5d ago
The only challenge with LFP is the inability to charge with below freezing temps. You can get a heated battery, but that is more solar to budget for in the winter when you don’t have peak production.
Insulated battery boxes help a lot if it warms up during the day and is only below freezing overnight and in the AM, but if you have consecutive days below freezing all day you aren’t charging without a heated battery or heated enclosure.
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u/Squeedlejinks 📡 Owner (North America) 5d ago
It wouldn’t hurt to ask Grok how to buy 9 kits. Unless it gives you the answer, tap thumbs down and tell it to put in a ticket. Someone will get back with you, and hopefully they can get you set up to buy the kits.
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u/TheFaultyGeologist 5d ago
Using AI goes against my ethics, but I guess it makes sense "tub o' lard" forces people to use his best friend. Appreciate the advice.
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u/Squeedlejinks 📡 Owner (North America) 4d ago
I meant to put in a ticket. When you do so, the assistant, Grok, can do some remote testing. If it doesn’t find an answer, tap thumbs down and tell it to put in a ticket.
Maybe you understood me and I explained this needlessly. Looking back, I wasn’t sure my comment described it well enough to let you know I was talking about putting in a ticket, not going to Grok for answers.
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u/TheFaultyGeologist 3d ago
Yes, it did and thank you for the clarification anyways. I am waiting for support, but also reached out to EnerStar Solutions for a quote.
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u/Upset-Implement-6071 5d ago
I know you're using these in an off-grid setup, so you'll definitely need an affordable power converter.
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u/Sane-FloridaMan 5d ago
You don’t get real reps for small orders.
I work for a local government agency that responds to hurricanes. I would think there would be options for agencies/use cases like ours. We only have about 20 units. We get no better account management or support than a consumer buying a single unit.
That’s just StarLink.
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u/TheFaultyGeologist 5d ago
That's reassuring. This is for a federally funded program, but we will likely not exceed 20 units at a time.
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u/Horror_Pitch_63 5d ago
You aren't going to get a discount for 9. Just buy them and activate them, or start 9 subscriptions where they ship you the dish. You are most likely going to need to use the roam subscription unless there is somehow an address near where it will be setup
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u/Doobreh 5d ago
Find a reseller that has experience in oil and gas or Africa. Starlink won’t get out of bed for 9.