Starlink installation of 2019 Tiffin 40 IH

[firechief26]

Looking for assistance for semi-permanent installation of starlink portable. I want to be able to move it when needed due to obstructions, but not have to have wire running through windows, etc. I would like to have it permanaently mounted on roof and be able to move it when necessary.I know I am asking for the moon and more!

[Mighty_J]

Couple questions for you…

1) when you say semi-permanently mounted, do you mean you want the Starlink dish on your roof, even while driving?

2) do you need to have your router inside?

I’m assuming you’re interested in using dishy mcflatface (gen 2 rectangular dish) as you also mention you wanted to move it if necessary

There’s a lot of threads on here about it and there’s ways to do it you can find on YouTube, though most of them will involve disabling the motors and then placing the dish in a deep roof mount. Disabling the motors means drilling into your dish to unplug them. Some people drill a hole with a hole saw in the right location, access the motor wires, attach them to a toggle switch that then fits back in the hole. That way they can toggle the motors back on if they need to remove the dish from the roof and gain back full functionality.

Personally, I wanted to keep my warranty and wasn’t brave enough to do that. Instead, I added the short wall mount to the roof of my Ventana by affixing it to the metal bracket on the drivers side rear that holds the fake awning cover. The top of the wall mount sits flush with the top of the facade. When we get to a campsite, I climb up the ladder and put the dish in the mount. It has full clearance to rotate and tilt and has worked great.

I’ve also tried flagpole buddy, which works great but I didn’t think that would meet your semi-permanent requirement.

I’ve now got a new concept. I’ve purchased another short wall mount and two 2” diameter rare earth magnets with m6 studs. I’ve bolted the magnets to the mount through the mounting holes. Each magnet has 24pounds of holding force on 1/8 inch metal plate. I’ve tested the mount with the two magnets with vertical and horizontal pulling force and it holds up to about 55 lbs before I get separation or sliding.

My plan is to now pick whichever six of the metal awning/facade brackets has the clearest view of the sky (front, middle or back, left or right) and stick the mount there - it does mean I still need to climb up a ladder each time, but again, I’ve got no desire to drill into my dish and I’m too cheap to buy the in motion dish for 2500 bucks.

As for cords, I’ve mounted the router in the basement behind the electrical bay. That way I just run the cable through the same grommet as the electrical cord. I’ve had no signal problems inside the RV.

I did make one change to the cable as I don’t find the connection ends to be very robust. I’ve left about one foot of cable attached to the dishy end and them cut it. I leave that always plugged into dishy. I then used shielded cat6 terminators with the one twisted pair flipped to align with starlink’s pattern (not standard a or b). I connect those two ends using a waterproof cat6 connector as it’s more robust. I still need to coil up the cable and shove it in the electrical bay, but I feel better about the constant disconnecting. Even if the terminator goes bad, it can be replaced rather than starlink’s proprietary end.

I hope you find an approach that works for you! Good luck and share what you end up doing so we can add your solution to the mix!

[firechief26]

I like your suggestions for the magnets. I'm thinking that installing the power supply and router in the basement is going to give the most options. Thanks for you options/suggestions.

[SamKVA]

I also keep my router in the basement and have never had any WiFi issues inside. Instead of cutting the dishy cable, I purchased the wired ethernet adapter from Starlink. Doesn't get rid of the proprietary connection but it allows me to unplug from the adapter instead of the long and more expensive cable. This also allows me to connect the MagicJack from the house and keep the home phone with us if desired.

Sam

[Exofish]

How did your install go? I have a 2019 Tiffin Phaeton 40AH myself and thinking of going the flagpole mount and keeping the router in the same location as where the defective Winegard ConnecT router is. Often I find shady places to camp so I want a second cable to relocate dishy to the open sky if needed.

[SamKVA]

Originally Posted by Exofish

How did your install go? I have a 2019 Tiffin Phaeton 40AH myself and thinking of going the flagpole mount and keeping the router in the same location as where the defective Winegard ConnecT router is. Often I find shady places to camp so I want a second cable to relocate dishy to the open sky if needed.

I bought the Starlink outdoor pole and this from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's made out of durable aluminum, not plastic as the Flag Pole Buddy.

I also drilled a hole through the two pieces of the Starlink pole and bolted them together to make it more secure.

Not for permanent/in motion use but it's solid and raises the antenna to a good height. Can be a challenge to setup in high winds but so far so good. As mentioned in my previous post, I keep the router in the basement; the most forward one on the passenger side. Not fond of the proprietary cable but oh well and I keep a spare on hand.

Sam

[zombiewoof]

I would route the antenna wire up through the sink drain hole in the mid bath. I would place the router in the cabinet under the sink. I can't recall how I would get 120Vac to it but it has been a few years since I had an IH. I would run the antenna wire to the passengers side bay opposite the AquaHot unit, if so equipped. I would coil up the remaining of the antenna wire and store it in the bay. I would mount the dishy antenna to the door and affix the antenna cable to the dishy in a semi-permanent fashion only because this connector was never meant for repeated connect/disconnect cycle and it is the weak point in the whole connectology scheme. I used duct tape to hold the connector in place. I would then mount a Flagpole Buddy system on the rear ladder. I would also take the standard four legged mount with me in case I needed to move the antenna to a different location to avoid the trees.
Sorry about the sideways pictures. I can't figure out how to rotate them.

[firechief26]

Sounds like some some good options. As for now I am using the flagpole buddy on my ladder (not had any issues even in moderate wind). I mounted the router in my basement with the flagpole buddy router bracket they sell. I drilled a hole in my compartment and run the cable through the hole. I have a gromet/cover that seals the hole when not in use.



I have decided the semi-permanent mount is not as much of a priority as it is nice to be able to move the antenna when in the trees.

Originally Posted by Mighty_J

Couple questions for you…

1) when you say semi-permanently mounted, do you mean you want the Starlink dish on your roof, even while driving?

2) do you need to have your router inside?

I’m assuming you’re interested in using dishy mcflatface (gen 2 rectangular dish) as you also mention you wanted to move it if necessary

There’s a lot of threads on here about it and there’s ways to do it you can find on YouTube, though most of them will involve disabling the motors and then placing the dish in a deep roof mount. Disabling the motors means drilling into your dish to unplug them. Some people drill a hole with a hole saw in the right location, access the motor wires, attach them to a toggle switch that then fits back in the hole. That way they can toggle the motors back on if they need to remove the dish from the roof and gain back full functionality.

Personally, I wanted to keep my warranty and wasn’t brave enough to do that. Instead, I added the short wall mount to the roof of my Ventana by affixing it to the metal bracket on the drivers side rear that holds the fake awning cover. The top of the wall mount sits flush with the top of the facade. When we get to a campsite, I climb up the ladder and put the dish in the mount. It has full clearance to rotate and tilt and has worked great.

I’ve also tried flagpole buddy, which works great but I didn’t think that would meet your semi-permanent requirement.

I’ve now got a new concept. I’ve purchased another short wall mount and two 2” diameter rare earth magnets with m6 studs. I’ve bolted the magnets to the mount through the mounting holes. Each magnet has 24pounds of holding force on 1/8 inch metal plate. I’ve tested the mount with the two magnets with vertical and horizontal pulling force and it holds up to about 55 lbs before I get separation or sliding.

My plan is to now pick whichever six of the metal awning/facade brackets has the clearest view of the sky (front, middle or back, left or right) and stick the mount there - it does mean I still need to climb up a ladder each time, but again, I’ve got no desire to drill into my dish and I’m too cheap to buy the in motion dish for 2500 bucks.

As for cords, I’ve mounted the router in the basement behind the electrical bay. That way I just run the cable through the same grommet as the electrical cord. I’ve had no signal problems inside the RV.

I did make one change to the cable as I don’t find the connection ends to be very robust. I’ve left about one foot of cable attached to the dishy end and them cut it. I leave that always plugged into dishy. I then used shielded cat6 terminators with the one twisted pair flipped to align with starlink’s pattern (not standard a or b). I connect those two ends using a waterproof cat6 connector as it’s more robust. I still need to coil up the cable and shove it in the electrical bay, but I feel better about the constant disconnecting. Even if the terminator goes bad, it can be replaced rather than starlink’s proprietary end.

I hope you find an approach that works for you! Good luck and share what you end up doing so we can add your solution to the mix!