Starlink Gen 3 DIY Vehicle Mount for 4x4 Overlanding and RV in Africa

[@J.Dibble]

Robert, I think you have a technology habit. 😁

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

😂 I have a problem

[@J.Dibble]

@@MovingPicturesAfrica LOL

[@J.Dibble]

@@MovingPicturesAfrica You remind me of my brother-in-law. Could think in 3-dimensions and engineer and create amazing pieces of furniture or wood carvings. You can see how to engineer things to make them work for you. Your habit is feeding your gift!!!

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

@@J.Dibble very kind of you to say that. Thanks

[@JakeShirley]

Definitely a great tool to have when out in the middle of nowhere. Imagine nightly backups of content mid-trip to make sure no footage is lost. Great mount!

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

Thanks Jake!

[@hammer-r]

Another excellent video on Starlink. Gives me ideas on how to mount on top of our RV. Tks from Chicago.

[@mhornet18]

Great job. I enjoyed seeing how you made your own mount.

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

Glad you enjoyed it 👍

[@mhornet18]

How much have you used it with magnets? I’m going to make a mount very much like yours and using magnets to mount to my roof of my vehicle for a 2100 mile trip.

[@marisapfenning1979]

Thank so much for this awesome custom idea!

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

Absolute pleasure 😊

[@smetlenn6480]

Interesting, really enjoyed this video 👍

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

Glad you enjoyed it Smet. Hoping to get back to the wildlife videos soon 🤞

[@ridiculousthings4x4]

I really can't wait until they manage to get the form factor of this "bikeable". Good effort with the mount. "swivel feet" might help with your magnets too.

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

Thanks Matt. I did look online for swivel feet but the ones that popped up were all for furniture with rubber feet and no way to attach the magnets.

[@salliehaws1529]

Which Gen 3 did you purchase? The standard or the Flat High Performance?

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

Standard

[@JeremyToh]

Hi Robert, thank you for sharing this amazing idea. I am wondering how well it’s been going. Will corrugated roads knock it loose from the the Pipe Adapter mount? Any information you can provide on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

No prob. It is working great. Have done quite a few nasty roads with no issue at all 👍

[@JeremyToh]

@@MovingPicturesAfrica Thanks Robert. Love this idea of modifying the pole mount. Thanks again for sharing. 🙏

[@TitoJaksVlogs]

Very good setup, Sir! I like it!

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

Thanks 👍

[@peTeMelster]

If the Starlink is flat mounted to the roof, how can it be aligned to the proper angle? You have to move your whole entire vehicle?

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

I just pointed it straight up and it works fine. If it is pointing up then the direction the vehicle is facing makes no difference. Obviously it is not perfectly optimised though.

[@ccsuccess8744]

Excellent video! Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for sharing.

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

My pleasure. Thank you 👍

Considering it is a standard cat6 cable now, would the antenna work with a poe injector and a 3rd party router, without using the Starlink router at all?

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

I believe so but I have not tested this

[@MonkeyPunchZPoker]

Im curious about the direcr DC power draw. With Gen2 people seemed to get around a 40% reduction with direct DC vs AC, I wonder if its about the same with Gen3.

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

I'm also curious. I purchased a DC boost converter but it was not powerful enough. I've now got a more powerful one but my starlink is up in Botswana till mid February. As soon as it gets back I will test and report back 👍

[@harryhenderson594]

Gotta get me a Rooter..... LMFAO

[@maphirimutshutshu2128]

This is Magic. Brilliant man

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

😊 thank you!

[@keninvic2627]

I am building a roof mount where the dish will slide in, but won't have the dish until it is available in Canada; could you tell me with the thickness along the edges is? Specs say 1.5" at the widest point (centre), but need the thickness on the outside edges, looks to be about 5/8" to 3/4" ? Thanks!

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

@@keninvic2627 sorry. I am not with my vehicle at the moment. I think if you ask on one of the starlink Facebook groups you will get a quick answer 👍

[@keninvic2627]

@@MovingPicturesAfrica Got a response, just a bit under 1/2”. thanks for replying!

[@4x4OutFar]

soooooo, I'm going to mount mine with rubber round brackets onto a L bar. Rig it to my rear roof rack. Going to be exciting. magnets on the bonnet would be great but I drive a defender. also I have the Gen 2 and not paying $400 without shipping for the conversion

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

Sounds like a plan. Have you seen the recently announced Mini?

[@4x4OutFar]

@@MovingPicturesAfrica i have, looks lekker b ut a buddy of mine in the US did a video on her 12V conversion and discussed the Mini. seems it's limited in a few ways for now. i'm also not buying a new dish (as much as i'd love it). it's too much admin right now and i'm trying to get into Okavango to do some human wildlife conflict work so no time to play around with that

[@ojobee]

What did you mean by transferring your US account? I am buying my unit in the US and taking it to Africa. I don't have an account yet. Will I have same issues?

[@msku1985]

Hello, very nice instalation, you have big talent. Is there any chance of having link for that spacers on your special holder please? 😊

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

Thank you. The spacers were 3d printed. I could share the file, but I think it will not work for other people since it is unlikely that they will have the exact same dimensions.

[@eduardopujol7111]

Random question, No stickers on the new dish?

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

None

[@eduardopujol7111]

Besides that, how is the dish working?@@MovingPicturesAfrica

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

@@eduardopujol7111 worked great in the brief test I did. I've sent it up to a crew in Botswana and will get feedback in a week or so.

[@petervandommelen9733]

Hi Robert, thanks for the video!!! Quick question, so is it possible to buy the equipment in the US (or Europe) and then set up and activate a regional account for Southern Africa? No need then to reregister or something every 60 days? Thanks!

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

Thanks. Yes it's possible. You just need to transfer the kit from the US or UK account to an African account. This only needs to be done once. The catch is you must wait 90-120 days before you can transfer.

[@lionridds]

Nice video Rob👌 Looking forward to your test updates in the field🙌

[@toh59]

hi Robert, enjoyed the video, havent you explored option of buying from Zambia , Moz etc, would one have to wsait 120 days , thanks

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

@@toh59 Yes, it is better to buy in Africa to avoid the 120 day wait. But the gen 3 dish is not yet available here.

[@dekkardnexus5]

Nice video man! Have you considered using the mobility mount? Hugs from Brazil

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

Thanks! When I made this it was not yet available. And anyhow, I would still have to modify it to mount it flat since I would worry about catching it on branches if it was at an angle.

[@FrancoisBadenhorst]

Awesome work Robert! It looks like a Front Runner roof rack you are using.. you make these things look so easy but anyway, I am no handyman so just an idea: if you can manufacture these roof rack "kits" for gen 3 Starlink and make them available somewhere I will definitely be your first customer.. ;-) I can help put together an eCommerce site for you if you don't have one already.

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

Thanks Francois. Appreciate the confidence in my DIY skills 🙂. Don't think I will start manufacturing these, but there is a guy who sells something similar (and probably better). Check out www.trioflatmount.com/

[@FrancoisBadenhorst]

@@MovingPicturesAfrica awesome, thank you!

[@ZaZa-ra]

What power consumption are you seeing off this setup? Wondering if I could power this off a 108 mAh 12V lithium battery overlanding setup.

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

I've had to send my kit to Botswana. When it gets back I will test power consumption. I also plan to do a 12v conversion so I don't need to run it through my inverter. I have read that it uses around 60W on average. I assume you meant 108Ah. If so your battery will run it for roughly 20 hours.

[@ZaZa-ra]

Yeah 108Ah not mAh! @@MovingPicturesAfrica 😆Ok, that's pretty cool. With a Namib 240W solar setup as well I think that would be pretty workable.

[@TysonJM15]

Haven't they got rid of starlink in Africa?

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

No they just restricted it quite a lot and raised the price

[@TysonJM15]

That's a shame hey

[@ZED-PV]

Are you using an African subscription or global roam?

[@ZED-PV]

Nevermind.. I've found the answer in the comments you've replied to! Love your setup. Would have killed for a gen 3 but I'm very happy with my Starmount gen 2 dish permanently attached to my roof! And it works so well it's mind blowing.

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

Great! Yeah I still have to test thoroughly, but so far it seems to be really good.

[@jenningsc001]

They are having a recall on the poll mounts fyi

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

Yeah. They have shipped me the new one and offered me 1 month free subscription

[@flip0x01]

What Starlink plan are you using? If I may ask. Thanks

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

Currently on global roam, but will change to regional roam as soon as I can

[@flip0x01]

@@MovingPicturesAfrica will regional roam still work while vehicle is in motion?

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

@@flip0x01 it seems to work fine - obviously the connection is not perfect. It drops out occasionally. Maybe Starlink will make you pay extra for in motion use in the future, but for now that is not necessary.

[@flip0x01]

@@MovingPicturesAfrica thanks, glad to know it works

[@ZED-PV]

As long as there's no big trees overhead, the stability is phenomenal even in motion up to 160kmh. It's so good I no longer use mobile cell data in my car when travelling.

[@dru24334]

You guys are my spirit animals, operating that vehicle from the wrong side 😂. In all seriousness, any concerns with road debris contacting the edge of that dish, with no protection around the edges?

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

@@dru24334 😂 I've moved the dish to the rear of the rack. Works great but does get scraped by branches when we go off-road. I plan to add a metal lip around it for a bit of protection 👍

[@amaky23]

Did you initially purchase gen3 on residential or roam?

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

If I recall it was on regional roam then I changed to global roam when I activated it.

[@amaky23]

Did you activate global roam when it arrived in sa or at myus?

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

@@amaky23 when it arrived in SA.

[@amaky23]

Hi Rob, what was the cost of shipping and import duty and did myus administer the import duty for you?

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

@@amaky23 so I shipped it with a bunch of other things so I'm not sure what it would have cost by itself. Myus has a calculator you can use to check the costs. IIRC I shipped with FedEx and they handled the import duties and I was only charged 15%VAT.

[@bermontoto]

Do you use African plan or US GLOBAL?

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

Currently on US global but will change to African as soon as I can transfer the kit.

[@ZED-PV]

Could you do another video or update us in the comments once that time comes around?

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

@@ZED-PV sure.

[@ZED-PV]

@@MovingPicturesAfrica thank you 🫡

[@J.Dibble]

Do you think it will be safe in the rain with that gap along the edge of the dish? Did you drill a hole in the roof for the cord? Always the questions. 😁 That’s my gift. 😂👍 Looking forward to seeing it in action!

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

Good questions. I contacted Starlink about the gap and they responded that it is a common problem but it does not effect performance and I must not shove glue in the gap 🙂. No I could not bear drilling into the roof. My plan is to run the cable down the front edge of the passenger door (attached with small magnets) then in near the top hinge. The gap is big enough 👍

[@J.Dibble]

@@MovingPicturesAfrica 😊

[@duncangroenewald]

Has Starlink cut you off yet - I see still no sign of it being approved by the SA government.

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

I'm not using it in SA, but I know people who are still online. I got shut off in Botswana but the Mobile Priority and Global Roam plans still work 👍

[@duncangroenewald]

@@MovingPicturesAfrica oh, hasn’t Botswana just approved starlink

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

@@duncangroenewald in principle, but it's not yet active or available unfortunately. I'm sure it will be soon

[@duncangroenewald]

@@MovingPicturesAfrica I'll be in your neighbourhood next week and then in Botswana in July - I certainly hope my global roaming work as I need it for work too.

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

@@duncangroenewald I think you will be fine but you never know for sure with Starlink 🤷‍♂️

[@JuanBarberis]

Starlink is an average solution for professional digital users - as well as overpriced.

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

😂 what do you reckon is better / more affordable? Bearing in mind that it needs to be portable and work in very remote locations.

[@grandsoleil56]

Good luck with paying for VSAT as fast 😂