I'm mounting a Starlink Mimi on the roof. I thought I might be able to locate framing with a stud finder but that's not workin' out. I have some photos of the roof that I downloaded from the forum but they are not really helpful. Anyone have a naked photo of the flat rear part of the roof? Or maybe a better idea of how to locate framing. Thanks.
jor
Hi JOR; stud finders use eddy current to find metal (nails, wiring, plumbing), and denser areas. That won't work through aluminum. From the ceiling underneath you can use that. LD used a lot of glue, some staples, very little metal.
From inside, if you have a line of white rounded brad heads, about 1/8" diameter, that corresponds to a side to side 1x2 on edge. A white or beige strip of plastic the entire width is where a 2x3 laying sideways is placed. It separates pieces of 4' wide 1/8" thick paneling. In my case a wrinkled white plastic, wall paper. Newer rigs about 2007 and on have a darker textured wall paper. The ceiling had a 1x2 framework around recessed light fixtures, and fan/vent holes. Around the roof A/C too. I hope heavier duty, but maybe that is why 'Lake Newton' exists. The roof was about 3/8" sheet plywood, under the aluminum. Glued and stapled in the area I was taking apart. Also with layers of 1/16" foam sheet in places.
I have interior walls that probably support much of the ceiling/roof structure. RonB
edited: to reflect the change in wall paper and ceiling pattern that started in 2007
Get on top and use your feet to feel for firmer areas, going from side to side.
You can spot the roofing joists from the interior by looking for the lines of nails in the ceiling.
They are nailed into the joists to keep the ceiling paneling in place while the adhesive cures.
I located and marked the joists years ago with 3M SafetyWalk abrasive, anti-slip tape. The roof is slippery when wet.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/1154/1416467930_f070140db5_z.jpg)
The Starlink is so light that screwing into the sheet metal roof will work fine, missing the roof joists.. This is how I mount solar panels. AM Solar once glued down panels using just double-sided tape, no screws.
Larry
Thanks, guys. I'll post upon completion.
jor
On a heavy dew morning they show up.
I removed the satellite dish from my 27’ 2006 and mounted it on the rotating base. Handy for alignment north, as needed.
Only tricky part was routing in the wire so that I could use 12v or 110 at will. It’s just a little short for what I needed…
Hi JoeMama; "It" being a Starlink antenna? I haven't used my Starlink Mini yet. I was unaware that the antenna cared anything about where 'North' was located. RonB
Thinking about the comment I made earlier in this thread, I want to add the following:
My T/K floorplan electrical comes in on the shore power cord on the driver side. It gets to the power distribution box over by the generator and entry door somehow. I haven't traced it's exact path yet. (I'm pretty sure it is through the floor) Branch circuits of 110VAC do enter the wall and travel up and over the coach through the ceiling and back down the driver side wall to the microwave and cabinet underneath side, to the lone 110VAC outlet (above) between the cook top and sink. I considered adding a 110V outlet to underneath the cabinet, just above where the fold up extra counter space is located. (still a possibility).
So when screwing down items on the roof, any screws extending more than a 1/2" below the aluminum roof layer, may encounter 110 VAC wiring. And of course, the 12 VDC wiring for lighting and fans is up inside the roof also. Generally national codes require that low voltage wiring be located 18" or more away from AC wiring, but that may not apply to motorhomes.
I'm sure that AM Solar considered that possibility when they just glued down their solar panels. Other brands of motorhomes (and trailers) also have floating aluminum roofing. I wonder if the advent of larger solar arrays prompted Steve Newton to increase the thickness of the aluminum roofing material.in later model Lazy Dazes. RonB
On a heavy dew morning they show up.
We had a bit of a foggy morning today so I went out and looked at the roof. I wasn’t able to distinguish where the roof studs were.
Got the Starlink Mini mounted on the roof. I ended up just drilling where I wanted to. The bit just popped right through so no vital framing and probably no wires. Wired directly to a 12 volt source with only about three feet of wire. Added a little toggle switch. Works great.
To clarify on flat mounting, it is not necessary that the Mini be "pointed" north; it just needs to include the northern sky in its view so as long as you don't have a big structure or tree or whatever blocking the northern sky you should be good.
Here's the flat mount I used and the magnetic legs.
veritas mount (https://veritasvans.com/product/starlink-mini-mount/)
jor
On a heavy dew morning they show up.
We had a bit of a foggy morning today so I went out and looked at the roof. I wasn’t able to distinguish where the roof studs were.
Maybe if you had put the furnace on the night before. It does work if you get a temperature differential from inside to outside.
I wasn’t able to distinguish where the roof studs were.
It worked great on one of our previous rigs. Not on the roof though.
jor
I removed the satellite dish from my 27’ 2006 RB and mounted it [Starlink mini] on the rotating base. Handy for alignment north, as needed.
Only tricky part was routing in the wire so that I could use 12v or 110v at will. I have a 12v near a 110v near my rear bath toilet so I needed a little more length than the Starlink 12v wire, so I found a USB C adapter for the Starlink connector online so I could use the stock wire.
Got the Starlink Mini mounted on the roof.
Here's the flat mount I used and the magnetic legs.
veritas mount (https://veritasvans.com/product/starlink-mini-mount/)
jor
Our rigs are not magnetic. How did you get it to stick to aluminum?
Linda
How did you get it to stick to aluminum?
I used these mounting discs. You buy the main unit and select the appropriate mount.
jor
JOR - I just ordered one of the Starlink mini because they’re having a sale. I should receive it in a couple of days.
I am thinking that you did not get the Wi-Fi extender but instead you are simply able to connect devices to the built-in Wi-Finetwork and that the signal is not blocked by the aluminum roof. Can you confirm?
Thanks…Jack
Hi Jack; I'm not JOR, but there are enough plastic vent lids and windows that the mini wi-fi signals should get to the inside of the rig. A 50' away neighbor might get better signal strength. I think that was the idea behind mounting it in the shower skylight. To keep the antenna inside and the wi-fi less obstructed.
I should have my Mini up and running in the next few weeks. I plan on mounting it on the ladder rail portion next to the ladder. Flat while driving, Pointed more up and north-ish while stationary. Results and photos then. RonB
Hi Jack; I'm not JOR, but there are enough plastic vent lids and windows that the mini wi-fi signals should get to the inside of the rig. A 50' away neighbor might get better signal strength. I think that was the idea behind mounting it in the shower skylight. To keep the antenna inside and the wi-fi less obstructed.
I should have my Mini up and running in the next few weeks. I plan on mounting it on the ladder rail portion next to the ladder. Flat while driving, Pointed more up and north-ish while stationary. Results and photos then. RonB
Good point about the signal coming through the plastic vents and the windows, etc. I should’ve thought of that
I’m really interested in seeing exactly how and where you mount yours. Also, exactly how and where you wire the power to. Thanks so much.
the signal is not blocked by the aluminum roof. Can you confirm?
Jack, like Ron said, no prob.
jor
Jack, like Ron said, no prob.
jor
I am now understanding what you did with a few small exceptions. The picture that you show with the wire coming through the ceiling looks like it goes into reflectix on a window, but I’m not sure. Can you maybe explain that picture better? Also, what did you tie the power to?
Thanks so much.
As a longer-term Starlink user, permanently mounting the antenna on your LD's roof means you will need to park in the open and will need to stay away from trees.
Starlinks need a good view of the sky, not just a small opening.
As I have reported before, many times we have used a 150 cable to get to a spot with a decent view of the sky, and even this sometimes isn't enough. I don't know about others' camping experiences, but many campgrounds we have stayed in over the last two-plus years have extensive tree coverage with little or no maneuvering room to get the rig in a spot with a good-sized view of the sky.
We like camping under trees in the summer to beat the heat, YMMV. If you always park in the open, you can ignore this advice.
Using a mounting system that allows remote positioning of the antenna is my preferred way of installing a Startlink.
Larry
Remember the wifi antenna in the Mini is in the antenna. If you put it on a long cable and have problems make sure there is no metal interference between it and your computer. A skylight should be perfect.
Can you maybe explain that picture better? Also, what did you tie the power to?
Thanks so much.
Sure! The attached two photos should do it. When I first got this rig, I did several things to all the interior compartments. I carpeted the bottoms, installed reflective insulation on walls and added auto lighting. You can see the reflective stuff in the first photo.
For the Starlink, I drilled the roof and fed the wire behind the Reflex and into the bottom of the compartment. I connected it to 12 volts there. Originally, I was going to use 120v along with the inverter but thought I'd try this first. Works fine.
jor
Thanks JOR. Everything you’ve done is certainly impressive and I love your rig.
I agree with Larry on this. A permanently placed Starlink would not work for us. We spend a lot of time in the Sierra Nevada where CG trees are often 100 feet or higher tall. When I can't clearly pick up a north-facing sky, I move the antenna to someplace that works. When I do so, I use the DC power cord and a power bank to power the antenna. As long as I am within 100-120 feet or so, I pick up a good connection. The power bank I use lasts about 2.5 to 3 hours, much longer than I would need it to be used that way. Here are a few pix of our various Starlink set ups"
The first two show the antenna located about 100' from the rig, working on the power bank. Reception was great. At this particular spot, the CG road passes between the rig and the antenna, so using the AC cable was not an option.
In the next two pix, one shows how we hang the antenna out of the window when we have unobstructed sky, as in this photo from an AZ campground. The other is just a close up showing how I can turn the antenna for optimum reception. This was taken at our storage yard.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I surmise that you never run the Starlink other than when you are set up at a camp site?
I think of these use cases:
1. Set up at camp, remote antenna.
2. Set up at camp, close antenna.
3. Parked but not set up.
4. Moving. (I don’t know if this is even allowed with all systems.)
Your arrangement with antenna stowed when not set up to camp supports cases 1 and 2.
The antenna mounted to the RV supports cases 2, 3, and 4.
Mounting the antenna in the skylight but easily removable would support all cases, but involve some finagling.
Battery versus wired, and AC versus DC, are choices available for all mounting arrangements. You have all this figured out, of course, I’m just summarizing my understanding. Please let me know what I may have misunderstood or omitted.
Nope. You have it. One day last month we were transiting from Colorado back to California. Just for grins, I asked my better half to lay the Starlink on the back of our passenger side sofa and point it toward north. She did, barely turned it and pulled in a strong signal through the tinted glass, and while we were moving 60 MPH along westbound I-40!
One more question on the topic, we bought a mini to mount on our Piston Bully groomer for wifi calling for the operator. Our groomer has a sun roof and all fiberglass cab. If we chose to mount the mini to the sunroof glass would it receive through it or would we be better off mounting outside at some location below cab level? We don't want to mount it on the top of the cab because of tree branches.
Thoughts anyone?
Jon
I have heard of many people using sunroofs with a suction cup mount on the inside.
I also know of at least one LD'er with a 31 ft who has their starlink mini mounted in their skylight with great results.
Linda
We use 2 tension rods in the shower of our mid bath. When we stop I set the starlink on the rods and use the plug in the bathroom to power it. The rods are not very thick so we have not tried using them when on the road. As long as there are not many trees it works well. If needed we can put it on a small table and use the plug on the side of the rig to power it.
We mounted the Starlink mini in our shower. This is a link to my post. https://www.lazydazeowners.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=40026.0;attach=40185 (https://www.lazydazeowners.com/index.php?topic=40200.msg261546#msg261546)
We mounted the Starlink mini in our shower skylight. If you search for Starlink mini and my username you will find my previous posts including some pictures. We use it while traveling and in camp. If we have trees over our skylight we can pull it out and deploy it on the ground or on a collapsible flag pole.
Now you can get your Starlink and Starbucks at the same location!
https://www.rvtravel.com/starlink-vending-machine-offer-deal/