BajaNomad

StarBand Satellite Internet Going Away?

BCSTech - 5-22-2009 at 11:44 AM

We heard from a current Starband client in our area that Starband is moving their services to another satellite that will no longer service Southern Baja / Mexico. Is this true, and if so what exactly is happening?

(BajaBus, come on...)

BCSTech - 5-22-2009 at 12:36 PM

Yes, it's a bummer if true. We were just getting ready to pick them up to replace our HughesNet offering.

BigWooo - 5-22-2009 at 01:13 PM

Oops, accidental deleted my post. Sorry BCS Tech. I think Bajabus will post soon about what's going on.

Bajabus - 5-22-2009 at 10:04 PM

Basically, the current primary satellite that starband uses, g27 @ the 129 degree orbital slot is nearing the end of it's operational life of about 13 years, it has already suffered one large failure in the not to distant past. it may go fine for another 5 years or it may crap out sooner....fact is that it is older.

Intelsat was not willing to guarantee if and when a new bird would be placed in that slot, nor were they willing to negotiate future transponder leases on any new bird that would replace this aging one.

based on the above starband is going to let 4 of the 5 transponders it leases on G27 go and retain only one for the Spacenet commercial services to AK and other OCONUS areas and approximately 1600 other starband consumer class customers.

The have now acquired long term leases on 6 transponders on the much newer echostar9/G23 located @121 degrees. Many here will recognize that this same bird is where DN TV HD programing comes from, it's signal in B.C.S requires a 1.8 meter dish. What is not known since the new transponders are not fired up yet is what the actual coverage or footprint will be.

The first transponder is set to start broadcasting a carrier in the 1st week of June when a lot of us will be testing to see what is actually the case.

If it's like the TV transponders then many existing BCS customers on 1.2 meter dishes are screwed unless they are in contract and have a strong dealer that will fight for one of those scarce spots on the single remaining transponder on G27 or upgrade to a 1.8 meter antenna so they can move to the new E9/G23 bird which honestly is not likely because of the expense involved.

best thing to do is get in contact with your dealer ASAP to see what your best course of action is.

We are advising our customers that are not under contract to quickly extend their contracts so that as their dealer we will be in a better bargaining position to keep them on the remaining space.

As of June 1st no new accounts will go on g27 all will automatically go on E9/G23 and starband will be contacting all their customers with a mandatory free repoint (in the USA) to the new bird.

If you can't see the new bird and are out of contract you may be SOOL and find yourself terminated or paying a lot more for the privilege of staying on that older bird.

the whole thing is a cluster f^(k because it's all going to be done over the next few months in stages and no one really know how each stage is going to play out because it is going to be largely determined by what the outcome of the previous stage was.

example, what is the real coverage? How many OCONUS customers will be able to see the new bird and can move to it? how many customers can they legally terminate if they are unwilling to move? How many will take them up on an offer of more expensive service? How many 1500 VS 1000 plan customers will be left? based on that will they be able to realistically offer two levels of service on the old bird or just go with the 1000 plan so they can fit the maximum number of customers on the remaining sat? if the number of 1500 customers is not too many can they move them to AMC-6 where space is really limited?

As you can see there are a lot of variables. no one really knows what the hell is in store for sure.

For USA customers , a lot of mainland Mexico customers and northern Baja customers the news is great. more transponders, more space, a stronger signal, plenty of room to grow all = better service. For many in B.C.S. it could potentially be the kiss of death to their current setup.

For the nitty gritty and up to date info as we know more, check www.starband-users.com

it is what it is...for now I am just going to do my best to make lemonade outta these lemons

[Edited on 23-5-2009 by Bajabus]

[Edited on 23-5-2009 by Bajabus]

Thanks for starting this post BCS tech!

oladulce - 5-22-2009 at 11:55 PM

We wouldn't have known anything about this issue until it was way too late.

We have crappy luck with satellite technology...

In '99 we bought a $1500 Iridium sat phone. One week later the Iridium network went belly up and the phone was completely useless.

We got our Starband internet system set up in BCS last year and got one full month of use out of it. Whoo hooo! I'll be bummed if we can't salvage some level of service from it. What a waste of another chunk of change if we can't.

More importantly, if we loose our internet access, living, managing finances, communication etc, in remote Baja Sur will be nearly impossible.

BCSTech - 5-23-2009 at 05:10 AM

Bajabus what about the Gilat commercial service, can you confirm same issue or no?

We've been installing iDirect commercial systems and we're just about ready to drop the home gear, especially if Starband is no longer an option. More expensive but they work so much better, support VoIP telephone service no problem, and they're happy to service Mexico. At least the commercial service providers seem to understand there's a market here, unlike Hughes and Starband apparently.

Bajabus - 5-23-2009 at 05:44 AM

No problem on the commercial services which are mostly offered on AMC-6 and get a great signal.

There is also going to be another low cost ( relative to the other commercial plans) option with Digital Voice Services available on the old G27 sat.

Gilat has about 90% of the rural sat telephone market world wide because their digital voice service is superb and flawless...no one would ever know you were talking on a satellite connection.

You should take a look at Spacenets/Gilats commercial services. The MRC is a bit more expensive than most providers using iDirect equipment but the equipment is less and the SLAs are a lot better.....for instance they are the only company that will state in writing what your minimum assured speeds will be and credit you if they don't meet the target.

Bajabus - 5-23-2009 at 05:49 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by oladulce
We wouldn't have known anything about this issue until it was way too late.

We have crappy luck with satellite technology...

In '99 we bought a $1500 Iridium sat phone. One week later the Iridium network went belly up and the phone was completely useless.

We got our Starband INTERNET system set up in BCS last year and got one full month of use out of it. Whoo hooo! I'll be bummed if we can't salvage some level of service from it. What a waste of another chunk of change if we can't.

More importantly, if we loose our INTERNET access, living, managing finances, communication etc, in remote Baja Sur will be nearly impossible.


Oladulce....who is your starband dealer in B.C.S.? depending on if they are a minor Johny come lately or major player with the company they will be able to keep you on the current bird. if you bought directly from SB and did your own install and are out of contract you may not be too lucky.

oladulce - 5-23-2009 at 10:01 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bajabus

Oladulce....who is your starband dealer in B.C.S.? depending on if they are a minor Johny come lately or major player with the company they will be able to keep you on the current bird.


I'm very confident in our Starband dealer and we are taking the necessary steps to try and keep our current service,thank you.

Sorry for whining, it's left over baggage from the Iridium thing. Reminds one that you're at the mercy of the company when you invest in their equipment. The system works great and I hope we can continue to use it.

larryC - 5-27-2009 at 02:27 PM

Has anyone done a test to see what the signal strength is from the new starband satellite in Baja sur? I'm a starband installer in BOLA and I tested the signal strength there and found it to be almost as good as the present satellite. So no problems in Bahia. Each dish (I have installed about 50 of them) will have to be reaimed but starband is paying for that so no problems for the customer. Anyway until someone does a test on echostar 9 no one knows if Starband is going away in BCS or not.
Larry

No Muy Bueno Aqui:

BCSTech - 5-27-2009 at 03:16 PM

Bajabus - 5-27-2009 at 04:45 PM

Alan, it is not as simple as that......to see what I mean check this discussion out:

http://www.starband-users.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=10&a...

It is evident from the preliminary testing on existing DVB broadcasting DN transponders on G23 that you can't trust that map....hence the uncertainty.

To compound that uncertainty we do not know the agreement between the sat operator and Spacenet. The power level on a transponder is variable and to a degree the individual transponders used are steerable. Spacenet has leased 6 transponders.

Also what is the modulation that will be used DVB or 8QPSK? That could also have a profound bearing on the actual SQ and final Ebno at any given point on the ground.

In short, until they actually start firing up the transponders sometime next week and we input the info into a modem on the actual frequency with the assigned data rate and modulation we don't know.

Time will tell.

BCSTech - 5-27-2009 at 05:12 PM

Interesting. Keep us posted on what you find out in June.

Gotta say, map #2 looks like something the marketing department put out. Hope not. Regardless, probably still need to talk to you about the commercial side.

BCSTech - 6-5-2009 at 06:16 AM

Max, any updates here? Were you able to run some tests on Wednesday?

cabobaja - 6-6-2009 at 07:25 AM

Bump..............................Max?

schwlind - 6-6-2009 at 08:12 AM

I am extremely interested in this topic, as we had a Starband residential system installed in February 2006 with a 3 year service contract (expired Feb 2009). We paid about $1200 for the equipment and install with a monthly service fee of $49.99. Our download threshhold is 1 GB and upload is 390.6 MB per rolling 7 day period. I think we have exceeded our download threshhold maybe 4 times since the install.

We are located at San Antonio Del Mar, between San Vicente and San Quintin (near Colonet). Our lat/Long coordinates are 31N / 116W. While we don't live there full time right now, our close friend does. He relies heavily on our system to stay in contact with the outside world as we are totally off grid. Cell phones work sometimes and sometimes they don't.

We have a contact person in Colonia Guerrero and the person who installed the system has two satellite internet websites. He is located in San Diego. I've sent an email to the Colonia Guerrero contact, but have heard nothing so far.

Can you two-way satellite techy-types advise if we will be affected by this transition and offer any advice, opinions, suggestions as to what we should do if we are forced to replace all our equipment due to a loss of the Starband service we are currently receiving?

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Linda

[Edited on 6-6-2009 by schwlind]

BCSTech - 6-6-2009 at 08:26 AM

Hi Linda,

I'm sure Max will chime in but, at this point, no one is sure how strong the signal levels will be in BCN/BCS and where. But since your house is right in the area where the signal starts to drop off (according to one of the two signal maps), your friend could provide some useful information.

On the SB Users' Forum, there was a report last weekend from a SB user in Haiti who was supposed to be outside the signal area for the new satellite. He reported good signals so perhaps the "official" signal level map is wrong.

schwlind - 6-6-2009 at 07:46 PM

UPDATE


After sending an email this morning, I received a response from Chris, the individual from whom we purchased our system as well as did our install.

In addition to his comments below, he also said that I should make sure Starband has my correct contact information (you can update your information at the www.starband.net website). He also suggested that I check my Starband email account at least once per week to see if there are any updates from Starband.

This is what Chris had to say...
"It is true Starband is moving most of their customers to a third satellite. Starband currently has AMC4 Galaxy27 and the new Echostar9 satellite.

They are not moving because the satellite is getting old. When satellites get old (10 yrs) they send them into a self destruct orbit. This is because they run out of fuel. They park a new satellite in the original position. In a few years there will be a new satellite in place of Galaxy27. Airtime on the new satellite will be more expensive. Starband is moving customers to make their business more profitable. The move requires an installer to go to your home, repoint the antenna on the roof and reprogram the modem. Starband is paying the installer for the work to be performed. You may be asked to pay a small travel fee due to your remote location in Baja.

The time frame is unclear at this time. Right now I know they are testing up to June 22. After June 22 they plan to move certain groups of customers in a phases. The entire process will take 5 months. You will not lose service from one day to the next. You will be contacted for an appointment and we will repoint your antenna to take advantage of the higher speeds and better resources of the new satellite.

Regarding your equipment, you have a Starband 481 modem. This modem will work on the new satellite. If you don't want to spend more money, you can keep this modem. If you like, you can take advantage of an upgrade program. For $149 instead of $300 they will provide a new Nova modem. The Nova modem is capable of entering on the largest speed plan. Upgrading your modem is not required for the satellite transition. It is a good idea if you need more resources or more speed. The nova modem can only be activated on speed packages with a higher monthly cost.

Any other Starband customers you know in baja, regardless if they are my customers or not, should contact me to schedule a repoint."
He was great to work with in 2006 and in getting back to me promptly today, so if anyone would like Chris' contact information, send me an email...

For now at least, I'm relieved...

Linda

bajabound2005 - 6-6-2009 at 07:55 PM

Free to a good home: complete Starband system including dish and modem. Come get it and take it away.

We love our Starband system when it was our only choice, but our good friends at Telnor finally brought us DSL and we're pretty darn happy with it. And it costs a lot less and lets us do a lot more.

DENNIS - 6-6-2009 at 07:58 PM

When I got rid of my Starband set-up, I was going to put it in the street and run over it with my truck but, somebody rescued it. Good riddance.

cabobaja - 6-6-2009 at 09:08 PM

Bump...........................Max?

schwlind - 6-7-2009 at 08:36 AM

I suppose for those of you who have satellite internet alternatives, I would definitely go your route. But when you are in a remote area, no utilities, off grid... you do what you have to do.

Linda

BCSTech - 6-7-2009 at 08:46 AM

Agreed. Given a choice between DSL and Satellite, DSL wins in cost and reliability.

Nonetheless, someone without DSL should grab BajaBound's system. I'd take it in a heartbeat but I'm too far away to get it. :bounce:

larryC - 6-8-2009 at 07:23 AM

Just heard from the *band dealer I do installs for that not only is *band not going away but they are going to offer the $49.99 monthly service plan again. I have done some testing in BCN and found that the signal from the new sat is about 95% as strong as the old sat. Well within the parameters that *band says is necessary for reliable service.

Schwlind,
If I can help you with the repoint I'd be glad to. If it could be arranged while I'm traveling between San Diego and Bahia I could swing in and repoint it and be on my way and not have to charge you a travel fee. Let me know if this helps.

Bajabound,
I'm interested in your system, could I come and get it in mid July?
Larry

BCSTech - 6-8-2009 at 07:57 AM

Quote:
*band not going away but they are going to offer the $49.99 monthly service plan again
The question is whether we'll lose *Band in BCS.

For the most part, BCN looks to be well within the footprint of the newer satellite by either map.

Keri - 6-9-2009 at 08:36 PM

Anyone have a starband connection that they are going to give up. I need to connect in to a system that is activated right now.Evidently they won't let me hook up with an old system event though it does work with their new sat. But I could do it if it is an existing acct. Does that make any sense ,anyway anyone have any suggestions or help,k

larryC - 6-10-2009 at 06:36 AM

Keri
Do you need an existing account that is at the $49.99 so that you can get that monthly rate? If so then send me a U2U and I will give you the info of the dealer I work with and he will probably be able to help you out. If that is not what you need then give me more info and I will try to help you.
Larry