Thread: Starlink Mini Kit

Thought I'd do a wee review of sorts since I have managed to put this kit together and have had it running a bit to test.
I have mixed feelings about the development of communications for the backcountry as on the one hand safety and efficiency benefits, and the other hand some of the magic and solitude of being completely off the grid suffers.
However, I feel that I need to stay connected in some part due to my wife having to run the farm when I'm away etc and the Starlink Mini offers me the freedom to get away whilst knowing that I can contact home via video call etc if I needed to explain anything or take a look at any issues. I can't say I wouldn't be tempted to watch a couple of Tasmans adventures on YouTube on a wet tent day either.

So I bought the starlink unit itself from Noel Leeming. The unit cost was $649.
https://www.noelleeming.co.nz/p/star...eRhZiaNYP_s2ke
The kit comes with the dish and a pole mount for mounting it permanently on an RV, Boat etc, and it comes with a wall plug and a power cord that is about 50ft long!
I wanted to run it from a power bank so after watching a few YouTube videos I settled on the 45,000mah Xtorm 67w series power bank from outdoor action. This seemed to give the ideal balance of weight vs runtime and ability to actually run the Starlink, vs the likes of other potential units like the Anker offerings. The starlink will draw up to around 40w on start up and generally settles between 20w and 40w draw when running so you need a powerbank that will provide at least 40w via its USB-C outlet. The Xtorm is 173.25wh so will power the starlink continuously for around 6hours at 30w draw. (I plugged the unit into the USB-C outlet on my boat which has a display and it settled at around 23-28w whilst streaming YouTube.
https://www.outdooraction.co.nz/prod...BoCdLEQAvD_BwE
You also need a USB-C cable to power the unit if you plan on running it from a powerbank, even if the factory supplied cable worked you don't need 50ft of cable!
These are actually hard to come by "off the shelf" in NZ but the likes of aliexpress etc have plenty listed and I picked up a nice short 1m version for the grand sum of around $8 delivered.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005...RoCP_0QAvD_BwE
I took the unit with us down to Te Anau last week and we went up through the narrows to the glaisnock in the boat and it performed perfectly, under tree canopy it struggles like any sattelite based equipment but in a clearing or a river bed etc it is fine and on the tops there would be zero issues.
It packs away into my pack fine and I have packed it away as a trial run with all the gear I'll be taking to fiordland for the first period. The complete setup weighs just under 2kg, I haven't weighed my complete kit as yet but I manage to keep it pretty lightweight in any case including the "luxury" starlink and helinox chair zero
Should allow for a comfortable 30-40mins of use each day over the 10 day period and my sister who I am hunting with will also be carrying a fold out 40w solar panel to throw some more juice at the powerbank when we get any chance. The paper beside the unit is A4 for scale.