BajaNomad

Satellite (and Cell) Access in BCS

JDCanuck - 8-6-2021 at 09:44 AM

Just wondering if anyone has recommendations for Internet and Cell phone access in remote areas where cell signals are weak or non-existent.

JZ - 8-6-2021 at 09:52 AM

Inreach Mini for basic two way texting to anyone. And SoS. Very good choice if you don't actually need to talk to someone.

You can connect your phone via Bluetooth and use the phone's keyboard for typing.





[Edited on 8-6-2021 by JZ]

JDCanuck - 8-6-2021 at 10:00 AM

Very interesting concept. Does this device also give you GPS positioning? Our greatest need at present is receiving Canadian based text messages from financial institutions so we can access them from a new location over the internet. We have considered Hughes net Satellite at our remote home for internet access, this device might give us the cell phone text receiving we need in addition. Thanks, I'll look into it.

StuckSucks - 8-6-2021 at 10:06 AM

Similar for me as well. I use the Garmin inReach Explorer+ -- it will track our locations for others to see, we can send and receive texts friends and family, or we can use it to call for help. When racing or when more communication is necessary, I'll rent a sat phone from from Satmoto in San Diego (great people).

JDCanuck - 8-6-2021 at 10:13 AM

This would come in really handy next time we bury a rental Sentra in a sandy arroyo. Really hard to find a La Paz rental 4 by 4, but i did take note of the Hertz rental that provides them down on the Malecon. None available when we needed it.

El Jefe - 8-6-2021 at 11:26 AM

Get on the list for Starlink. I paid my hundred bucks and am waiting for the email that service is available on the East Cape. Hopefully within the coming 12 months.

JDCanuck - 8-6-2021 at 11:39 AM

Quote: Originally posted by El Jefe  
Get on the list for Starlink. I paid my hundred bucks and am waiting for the email that service is available on the East Cape. Hopefully within the coming 12 months.


Is Starlink equivalent to Hughesnet? We are located north of Todos Santos, I think about 50 miles up the coast. Cell access is apparently very weak in that location, but some boost it with their own Antennae equipment.

[Edited on 8-6-2021 by JDCanuck]

mtgoat666 - 8-6-2021 at 11:40 AM

Quote: Originally posted by JDCanuck  
Just wondering if anyone has recommendations for Internet and Cell phone access in remote areas where cell signals are weak or non-existent.


I recommend doing without. Being unreachable and off grid is the ultimate luxury.

El Jefe - 8-6-2021 at 01:04 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JDCanuck  
Quote: Originally posted by El Jefe  
Get on the list for Starlink. I paid my hundred bucks and am waiting for the email that service is available on the East Cape. Hopefully within the coming 12 months.


Is Starlink equivalent to Hughesnet? We are located north of Todos Santos, I think about 50 miles up the coast. Cell access is apparently very weak in that location, but some boost it with their own Antennae equipment.

[Edited on 8-6-2021 by JDCanuck]


We had Hughesnet back in the day when we first built our place. It was just a little bit better than nothing. Too slow for making calls over the internet and forget about streaming. Then we upgraded to our local provider Alexanet which serves our needs most of the time. Now we can call via the internet and watch netflix etc. using the little dish that points at the mountain. However, when our daughter visits she needs a bomb proof connection to do conferencing and so on Soooo, in order to get her down to visit more often we are going to get Starlink. It is very fast compared to what we have. Another benefit is that when the system goes down due to a hurricane there is no effect to the satellites. You might loose signal while in the thick of it, but as soon as it clears a bit you will be on line (as long as your dish didn't blow away)

JDCanuck - 8-6-2021 at 01:17 PM

Thanks a lot for that info. I did a little research on starlink and hughesnet and found most areas Starlink is faster. I think the best idea for me is to contact the local supplier in Todos Santos and get their recommendation, hopefully they have both.

SFandH - 8-6-2021 at 01:26 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JDCanuck  
Quote: Originally posted by El Jefe  
Get on the list for Starlink. I paid my hundred bucks and am waiting for the email that service is available on the East Cape. Hopefully within the coming 12 months.


Is Starlink equivalent to Hughesnet? We are located north of Todos Santos, I think about 50 miles up the coast. Cell access is apparently very weak in that location, but some boost it with their own Antennae equipment.

[Edited on 8-6-2021 by JDCanuck]


Starlink is very different than Hughesnet. Starlink uses a constellation of low earth orbit satellites (340 miles high), Hughesnet uses a geo-stationary satellite (22,223 miles high).
The result is Starlink will be much faster.....will be. It's only partially up and running. Coming to Baja and the rest of the world soon.

https://www.starlink.com/

Interesting video "Why SpaceX is Making Starlink"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giQ8xEWjnBs

willardguy - 8-6-2021 at 02:55 PM

https://news.yahoo.com/spacexs-starlink-satellite-internet-f...

thats full gallop in my world!

SFandH - 8-6-2021 at 03:18 PM

As explained in the video I linked to above, Starlink will provide the fastest link between the London and New York financial centers. Faster than the super special multi-gazillion dollar fiber optic trans-oceanic cable that's there now. Both systems use laser light to carry the data but Starlink is through space, fiber optic is through glass. The speed of light is slower in glass. The thinking is Elon Musk is going to make MEGATONS of money carrying high-speed financial transactions for the big boys between New York, London, Hong Kong and ???? He'll have the fastest system over long distances and milli-seconds are important to these guys.

willardguy - 8-6-2021 at 03:59 PM

with TREE'S being the Achilles heel, I would think Baja should be a perfect fit here!
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-spacex-updates-star...

[Edited on 8-6-2021 by willardguy]

JZ - 8-6-2021 at 10:57 PM

Quote: Originally posted by StuckSucks  


When racing or when more communication is necessary, I'll rent a sat phone from from Satmoto in San Diego (great people).



Thanks for the tip SS. We rent a sat phone maybe once a year or two, when we go way out there. The place I've used for the last 5 years is in Georgia.

Planning a long boat trip in October and will give your guys a call.

eastmeetswest - 8-7-2021 at 09:04 AM

Quote: Originally posted by El Jefe  
Get on the list for Starlink. I paid my hundred bucks and am waiting for the email that service is available on the East Cape. Hopefully within the coming 12 months.

We are on the East Cape as well. We currently use the local provider who has a small network of repeaters running out the coast. It is okay but we learned last year that video meetings can be challenging. We signed up for StarLink but haven't heard anything yet. If others get notice of service, we should post here? I am really hoping to be able to spend more time on the East Cape, but can't cut the tether to work yet. Good internet will be a bonus

JDCanuck - 8-7-2021 at 02:21 PM

So it seems for now we are stuck with Stargo or Hughesnet. We'll try out the cheapest plan we can handle and wait patiently for Starlink.

PaulW - 8-7-2021 at 02:58 PM

Off topic but you all should know Inreach Mini had less capability than the explorer. Explorer gives you all the intended functions for tracking communication and saving trails as .GPX and .KML and saved track point forever.

JZ - 8-7-2021 at 03:07 PM

Quote: Originally posted by PaulW  
Off topic but you all should know Inreach Mini had less capability than the explorer. Explorer gives you all the intended functions for tracking communication and saving trails as .GPX and .KML and saved track point forever.


I don't think Garmin is a good choice for those capabilities.

Offroad GPS phone apps like Gaia and Back Country Navigator (my favorite) are much easier to use and much more powerful.

JZ - 8-7-2021 at 03:11 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JDCanuck  
So it seems for now we are stuck with Stargo or Hughesnet. We'll try out the cheapest plan we can handle and wait patiently for Starlink.


Make sure you are on the wait list for Starlink.

They just got approval to offer service in MX and will start rollouts at the end of the year. I signed up a couple months ago.

PaulW - 8-7-2021 at 07:01 PM

You missed the point
Inreach is a communicator with add capabilities that otherwise would require another device. Yup, I have several others and the Inreach which is always on give me my tracks as soon as I get to the web. Nice resolution with track points every second. Much better that my other devices. The mini cannot do that.
JZ, surely you use Inreach like many of us do.
===
Quote: Originally posted by JZ  
Quote: Originally posted by PaulW  
Off topic but you all should know Inreach Mini had less capability than the explorer. Explorer gives you all the intended functions for tracking communication and saving trails as .GPX and .KML and saved track point forever.


I don't think Garmin is a good choice for those capabilities.

Offroad GPS phone apps like Gaia and Back Country Navigator (my favorite) are much easier to use and much more powerful.

JZ - 8-7-2021 at 08:49 PM

I only use the Mini for communications. I use my phone (and tablet) with it's big beautiful screen for offroad GPS apps with high res satellite imagery.



[Edited on 8-8-2021 by JZ]

BajaMama - 8-9-2021 at 10:55 AM

Quote: Originally posted by JZ  
I only use the Mini for communications. I use my phone (and tablet) with it's big beautiful screen for offroad GPS apps with high res satellite imagery.



[Edited on 8-8-2021 by JZ]


We do the same - an old cell enabled (for the GPS) iPad with Gaia maps works well. I also love StuckSucks idea of renting a sat phone for longer, more remote overlanding adventures.

Don't throw out the Viasat dish yet

SFandH - 8-11-2021 at 01:45 PM

Starlink:

"If we succeed in not going bankrupt, then that'll be great, and we can move on from there," Musk said.

Elon Musk's constellation of internet satellites, Starlink, will need up to $30 billion in funding to survive, the billionaire said on Tuesday.

https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-starlink-spacex-ba...


SFandH - 8-23-2021 at 01:51 PM

Starlink financial and technical analysis, 43-minute video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YLWlALwObA



Don Pisto - 8-23-2021 at 02:32 PM

Quote: Originally posted by SFandH  
Starlink financial and technical analysis, 43-minute video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YLWlALwObA





still....you gotta love this guy!:lol:
https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-falcon-9-rocket-moon-...

SFandH - 8-23-2021 at 03:27 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Don Pisto  
Quote: Originally posted by SFandH  
Starlink financial and technical analysis, 43-minute video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YLWlALwObA





still....you gotta love this guy!:lol:
https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-falcon-9-rocket-moon-...


Perfect, he knows how to stay in the news. P. T. Barnum would be in awe of him.

StuckSucks - 8-25-2021 at 11:45 AM

Aug 23, 2021

mtgoat666 - 8-25-2021 at 01:40 PM

Quote: Originally posted by StuckSucks  
Aug 23, 2021



that was really annoying! I watched 30 seconds, then fast-forwarded and realized it was some guy talking really slowly,......

i wish video-obsessed marooons would learn to write and post written text. why watch some guy review a product for 8 minutes when he could write up a text that would take under 30 seconds to read?

video mornonocy!

JZ - 8-25-2021 at 02:18 PM

Give me a video. Much more human than words on a page.

HeyMulegeScott - 8-25-2021 at 05:57 PM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666  
Quote: Originally posted by StuckSucks  
Aug 23, 2021


that was really annoying! I watched 30 seconds, then fast-forwarded and realized it was some guy talking really slowly,......

i wish video-obsessed marooons would learn to write and post written text. why watch some guy review a product for 8 minutes when he could write up a text that would take under 30 seconds to read?

video mornonocy!


If you click on the video description there's a link to an article on their site - https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/spacex-update-standing-down...

eastmeetswest - 12-15-2021 at 10:57 AM

Bumping this thread. Does anyone have any updates on Starlink in BCS?

JDCanuck - 12-19-2021 at 02:15 PM

There is this recent news about another rocket launch resulting in 52 more satellites.Anyone have actual starlink service in BCS to date?

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/spacex-launches-52-starlin...

mtgoat666 - 12-19-2021 at 03:55 PM

Quote: Originally posted by eastmeetswest  
Bumping this thread. Does anyone have any updates on Starlink in BCS?


I was reading a week ago that starlink is still in beta. Does the starlink website even show beta as available in BCS?

JDCanuck - 12-19-2021 at 04:21 PM

This is what Starlink shows presently for our area :

https://www.starlink.com/preorder/?invitationCode=e77c743f-b...

Order Starlink
Todos Santos - La Paz, Amp Mezquitito, La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico
Starlink is targeting coverage in your area in 2022. You will receive a notification once your Starlink is ready to ship.
Hardware
MX$11,579.00
Service
MX$2,299.00 /mo
Shipping & Handling
MX$1,420.00
Deposit Due Today
MX$2,299.00

At this point I'm not considering ordering a service that might be available some time next year.