Cell booster or Starlink mini? No coverage in coves

[Aborders]

Lake Cumberland boater here
Has anyone ever had a cell signal booster installed or used one on their boat less than 30 foot?
I'm on call seven days a week, I need to be able to have data and voice phone call coverage. Lake Cumberland has very high hills and when you get into a cove, most often the cell coverage just disappears.
I'm considering a Starlink mini just to have data coverage, including radar, which is spotty on a cell phone. But I see boosters on many commercial vehicles, including heavy duty trucks that must run on 12v.
I do not have a generator in my boat

Looking for ideas. Considering a battery back up with a star like mini as the best option for now, but would love to have a cell coverage option and I do not want to drill into my boat.


Yes, I know some of you were lucky enough to turn the phone off, I am not. But I will spend every weekend on a lake if possible.

[AsLan7]

.

So glad you found us Ab.

I've only heard good things about Starlink but do not have personal experience with it. Others will chime in shortly.

Welcome aboard mate.

.

[bruceb58]

Buy a lithium battery and use a dc to dc converter/charger to charge it. In order for it work properly, you will need to keep the length of the wire to a minimum and the gauge big enough to avoid voltage drop. People that don't do this bump the voltage up to 24V but not needed if you take my advice about the wire length/size.

[Jeeper]

The Starlink Mini works great. It comes with a 12 volt plug in and 110. Starlink have plans starting at $50 per month that you can turn the service on and off if you dont use it year round.

[Norris_Boating]

I spend time on Norris with the same issue. Skip the cell phone booster, that would just by range to the next tower, if there is a mountain blocking your signal no amount of boost will get through it. I tried these years ago at my house on the lake before I was able to get internet.
I use a Garmin/ Sirus XM satellite weather on my boat and love it. It simply overlays on the lake map on my Garmin screens, so even if I am not thinking about checking the weather it sometimes pops up.

For your situation, sounds like the Starlink Mini is the way to go.

[jhnmdahl]

Starlink mini is nice because you don't have to aim precisely at one satellite for it to work well - just pointing it generally in the right direction is enough, which is huge if you're on the water. Sounds like the best plan to me, too.

[MnLakeBum]

I have Starlink on my boat in Naples FL and it works amazing, even when underway at 35mph in chop. As already mentioned, the mini runs off of 12 volts and has a built in modem. It’s super popular down here even on boats under 28’. It’s best to buy an adapter that steps up the voltage for more stable operation from your boat. The mini draws only about 3-5 amps on average so the electrical system in your boat will power it. If your going to be running it with the engine off and have two starting or dual purpose batteries on your boat, it should be no problem running off the batteries for 8 hours.

It’s amazing how well Starlink works on a boat whether stationary or not. Mine is mounted on the underside of the fiberglass top and I’ll typically get 100-320mbps speeds. Here’s a speed test from 10 miles offshore while fishing a few weeks ago. I pay more monthly because I often go more than 12 miles offshore which requires the unlimited roam plan($165/month) but in your situation you could easily get by with the $50 or $80 plan and shut it off on the months while you are not using it.

[AsLan7]

I have Starlink on my boat in Naples FL and it works amazing, even when underway at 35mph in chop. As already mentioned, the mini runs off of 12 volts and has a built in modem. It’s super popular down here even on boats under 28’. It’s best to buy an adapter that steps up the voltage for more stable operation from your boat. The mini draws only about 3-5 amps on average so the electrical system in your boat will power it. If your going to be running it with the engine off and have two starting or dual purpose batteries on your boat, it should be no problem running off the batteries for 8 hours.

It’s amazing how well Starlink works on a boat whether stationary or not. Mine is mounted on the underside of the fiberglass top and I’ll typically get 100-320mbps speeds. Here’s a speed test from 10 miles offshore while fishing a few weeks ago. I pay more monthly because I often go more than 12 miles offshore which requires the unlimited roam plan($165/month) but in your situation you could easily get by with the $50 or $80 plan and shut it off on the months while you are not using it.

.
That's awesome, bum....thanks for the update. Good info for many here.