Starlink and TMobile

Starlink has FCC approval for aircraft but I imagine the dish has to be externally mounted which might be an issue on certified aircraft. I am also assuming they have some version of it that’s not like what’s on my roof because that probably would create some aerodynamic issues.
 
T-Mobile probably just like most other providers, internet service is spotty to non-existent above 6,000 ft AGL at least that has been my experience.
 
I get some service in flight with T-Mobile. A couple of weeks ago, at least at 11,000 if not 13,000.

Hmm, 2 - 4 MBPS is more than messaging. Heck, I ran many years on ISDN with 128 KBPS.
 
I have T-Mobile Home Internet (5G base station), and it works Very Well. Happy as a clam.
 
Seems like T-Mobile bought the old UHF band and has plans to use it for internet - Band 71 or some such.
 
The initial announcement is for messaging only and could take 30 minutes to deliver the message. This is not anything interesting. And it's hard to see how it could ever be. The kind of antenna needed to push any bandwidth is not going to fit in your hand, because physics.
 
cowman said:
Starlink has FCC approval for aircraft but I imagine the dish has to be externally mounted which might be an issue on certified aircraft. I am also assuming they have some version of it that’s not like what’s on my roof because that probably would create some aerodynamic issues.
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The Starlink "Dish" isn't really a dish, although it sort of looks like one. It is actually a phased array. Check this out: https://arstechnica.com/information...mcflatface-the-spacex-starlink-user-terminal/ Phased arrays can also be made in the form of a flat panel, so that is what I'd expect for aviation use.

Dave
 
Albany Tom said:
I have trouble with t-mobile Internet on the ground.
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Same here, although I suspect that the problem is due to where I live (NIMBYs blocking the installation of the necessary infrastructure). I have noticed that it appears to work noticeably better
when I go to other areas.

Dave
 
172andyou said:
The initial announcement is for messaging only and could take 30 minutes to deliver the message. This is not anything interesting. And it's hard to see how it could ever be. The kind of antenna needed to push any bandwidth is not going to fit in your hand, because physics.
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LOL!

Yep, I'm sure it was impossible to ever get this supercomputer (then considered the most powerful in the world) with 96 KB of RAM and 576 KB of storage into your hand!
upload_2022-8-27_7-6-36.jpeg
 

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Once upon a time I knew a certain airline captain who may have forgotten to turn off his cell phone before takeoff. He was at FL350 over New Mexico and lo and behold He had two bars. He, of course, immediately turned off my phone so his phone wouldn’t interfere with the aircraft’s navigational systems. He also has T Mobile.
 
midlifeflyer said:
LOL!

Yep, I'm sure it was impossible to ever get this supercomputer (then considered the most powerful in the world) with 96 KB of RAM and 576 KB of storage into your hand
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Moore's law was postulated not too long after that photo was taken. It didn't say that it was impossible to make that computer small. It said that the power of computing would double in power about every two years. It turned out to be largely correct.

There is no similar law at play for making an antenna small enough to fit in a pocketable smart phone that can communicate with a satellite 300-700 miles away. And as you contemplate how massive a deal that is, keep in mind that the current, comparatively giant, phased arrays antennas are blocked by things as simple as leaves on a tree. Don't forget about the fact that it will have to work while being blocked by your pocket, head or hand. And that's after the signal managed to get through the leaves to begin with.

Shuckers86 said:
Once upon a time I knew a certain airline captain who may have forgotten to turn off his cell phone before takeoff. He was at FL350 over New Mexico and lo and behold He had two bars.
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Two counter points.

1) That's exceedingly rare. Most of the time it is impossible to get a single more than 5-10K up.

2) 35k is five miles. Starlink sats are between 300 and 700 miles from whatever ground terminals they are talking to.
 
cowtowner said:
Wonder if it's gonna work at 10,000 ft?
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It's a cellular connection direct from a satellite to an existing phone. At 10,000 feet, you are closer to the satellite that if you were on the ground.

It should work just fine...
 
Pinecone said:
I get some service in flight with T-Mobile. A couple of weeks ago, at least at 11,000 if not 13,000.

Hmm, 2 - 4 MBPS is more than messaging. Heck, I ran many years on ISDN with 128 KBPS.
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Without going back to look it up, and not being an expert, take this with a grain of salt, but I read that that 2-4MBPS is for an entire grid area, not just one user.

edit: I just went back and looked:
With their “Coverage Above and Beyond” setup, mobile phones could connect to satellites and use a slice of a connection providing around 2 to 4 Megabits per second connection (total) across a given coverage area.
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172andyou said:
Moore's law was postulated not too long after that photo was taken. It didn't say that it was impossible to make that computer small. It said that the power of computing would double in power about every two years. It turned out to be largely correct.

There is no similar law at play for making an antenna small enough to fit in a pocketable smart phone that can communicate with a satellite 300-700 miles away. And as you contemplate how massive a deal that is, keep in mind that the current, comparatively giant, phased arrays antennas are blocked by things as simple as leaves on a tree. Don't forget about the fact that it will have to work while being blocked by your pocket, head or hand. And that's after the signal managed to get through the leaves to begin with.



Two counter points.

1) That's exceedingly rare. Most of the time it is impossible to get a single more than 5-10K up.

2) 35k is five miles. Starlink sats are between 300 and 700 miles from whatever ground terminals they are talking to.
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So far, I haven't seen leaves at altitude.
 
The service is for (mostly) text messaging in areas that have no other service. It will be something in areas where otherwise you'd have nothing.
 
Larry in TN said:
The service is for (mostly) text messaging in areas that have no other service. It will be something in areas where otherwise you'd have nothing.
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Yeah, as competition for InReach or SPOT it's an interesting possibility.
 
cessna182b said:
Same here, although I suspect that the problem is due to where I live (NIMBYs blocking the installation of the necessary infrastructure). I have noticed that it appears to work noticeably better
when I go to other areas.

Dave
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It may be getting better but T Mobile has always been the worst of all carriers in the rural parts of Texas. When I had clients coming out of the MetroPlex, Houston, or Austin they all said their phones were useless once they got out of the built up areas.
 
It's incredible that you can get a T-Mobile signal at altitude. I have enough trouble getting a T-Mobile signal on the ground.
 
O2 Birddog said:
It may be getting better but T Mobile has always been the worst of all carriers in the rural parts of Texas. When I had clients coming out of the MetroPlex, Houston, or Austin they all said their phones were useless once they got out of the built up areas.
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Interesting. When I switched from ATT to T-Mobile, I had both phones for about 3 months to be sure before I switched. I found them to be quite similar in coverage, but not at the same point. There would be rural places with one phone having a signal and the other not, take two steps and they would switch which one had a signal. And this was something like 10 years ago when T-Mobile was somewhat new to the US market.
 
Pinecone said:
Interesting. When I switched from ATT to T-Mobile, I had both phones for about 3 months to be sure before I switched. I found them to be quite similar in coverage, but not at the same point. There would be rural places with one phone having a signal and the other not, take two steps and they would switch which one had a signal. And this was something like 10 years ago when T-Mobile was somewhat new to the US market.
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AT&T was close behind in terrible reliability in our area. The only one that I've found to be consistently good in rural parts of the state away from the interstates is Verizon.
 
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