Starlink needs local up/downlink stations so can't be used everywhere until the infrastructure is in place

Thanks tony, but the infrastructure supplied (some $700-odd) seems to be a sat. dish and
a modem of sorts, both of which I reckon would be portable as FOX currently is.

On the face of it seems to be similar to my FOX in every way regarding infrastructure
and other basics. Just internet rather than entertainment?

Would be able to use as facetime like on phone now, for personal calls - which immediately
means that I would have all current facilities like phone and internet one account
for all travels everywhere.

B

This site show the Starlink satellites in sky (white dots) , and base station on the ground (orange icon).

https://satellitemap.space/

Australia is missing coverage in a lot of the outback areas for base stations.
The next regeneration satellites will be able to talk to each other to get to a base station.

I don't if any of it is live for the general user yet.

Starlink (SL) works much the same as any other satellite system in that it bounces signals between their ground stations and their satellite and your dish. SL have divided the earth up into a large number of hexagonal "cells" where they control the number of users in each cell so the satellite and the corresponding ground station do not become overloaded.

In Australia, only a small number of cells are activated (actually are able to be used). The number of active cells is steadily increasing as extra satellites and ground stations are added to the network. Hence SL is not available everywhere in Australia. Also, the Australian regulator has not granted SL a licence to sign up users in the more populated areas of Australia, only the less densely populated areas. SL has spasmodic access in various parts of Australis but is concentrating on northern Victoria and slowly working their way north up inland of the eastern seaboard.
They have only just come out of the Beta state of implementation, but for Australia, we should think of us as being still in the Beta stage.
To date, there are only a limited number of ground stations and a limited number of satellites (despite there seeming to be thousands up there according to their info) so they are moving in a slowly-slowly way to introduce their system throughout the world. They are launching several hundred new satellites every fortnight for worldwide deployment. It takes about 6 months from launch to move each satellite into its allocated position and activate it.

As part of their control, they will only accept applications for a fixed street address and hence a particular cell. As long as the dish is in that cell, then it will work. If the dish moves outside its allocated cell, it may or may not work, most likely not. By the dish moving to another cell in an uncontrolled manner, it may overload the performance of the new cell and everyone is grumbling (or move to a non-working cell and have a grumbling user complaining of no service).
SL has a very technically ambitious plan to equip new satellites with laser beams that connect to adjacent satellites and as such can load shed in overload situations or if the user dish is moving around between cells, as would be the case if mounted on a RV, can accommodate the uncontrolled movement.
However, roaming is not available yet anywhere in the world but will be some time - when the light at the end of the tunnel gets brighter.

As it stands at the moment, to have a SL dish on an RV and that user wants to move around, the user needs to apply to SL for a "change of fixed address" and specify precisely where this new physical address is. SL then assess if there is an active cell that covers this new address and if the relocation of the dish to this new cell will compromise the performance of the new cell. If all the dots align, then a change is approved and the dish will now work in the new cell and be de-registered with the old cell. Fine for those who move every month or two, but useless at the moment for full time, on the move, travellers.
Even in the USA, where RVérs will be the first to be granted roaming status, the move to roaming is still quite some way off.

Thank you Bookleaf. Thats very helpful.

How good it would be to take your dish with you everywhere and forget about reception for phones or data etc!

I don't understand the "ground stations" reference since I assumed that my dish is the "ground station" ?

Maybe one has to always aim at the appointed sat. as with FOX and VAST.

Be interesting to see as the matters develop.

Thank you for your information.

No. No association with SL, Just an old techie.

The satellites are in constant motion in the sky in a crisis/cross pattern. Each satellite circles the earth continuously (I do not know how long it takes to complete one revolution, but they move very quickly). Some move S/N, some N/S. They have to move quickly as they are only about 550km above the earth. A fast speed gives them enough centrifugal force to stay up there (but only for a couple of years apparently when they fall back to earth and need to be replaced!!).
As the satellites go overhead, your dish detects its signal and latches on to it for the period of time it is "in-view" of your dish. Currently, at any one time, there are between 2 and 4 satellites "in-view" of a ground dish (or a ground station) and locked to any one user dish (called "Dishy" in SL lingo) or ground station.

Each satellite communicates both with your dish and with a fixed ground station. You get your signal from the internet fibre cables that run all around Australia. This fibre is connected to each ground station and then the internet data is beamed up to the satellites which then pass on the signal to your dish. As you type, what you type goes from your PC, to the satellite via your dish and then to the ground station and hence to the internet.
Those satellites are busy little things as they not only have to continuously lock on to and disconnect to ever charging ground stations, they also have to do the same with ever-changing users that they communicate with.

It is sort of like our mobile phone network in reverse, where there are fixed ground stations (telecommunication towers) and mobile phones that move around all the time but which continuously need to connect to several new towers as they move around. Only with SL it is more complicated as there is a satellite that keeps moving between the ground station (the tower) and the phone (your dish) - even though your dish (phone) does not move.

Here's clarification of my original query.

My reading indicates that the antenna will find the nearest sattelite
and away we go.

will be a godsend for travellers, take it home and away just like FOX
but is internet rather than entertainment.

But by using the internet facility as wi-fi calling or facetime, etc.

Here's the link to the article:
www.afr.com/companies/telecommunications/elon-musk-s-starlink-global-internet-creeps-onto-nbn-s-turf-20211221-p59j87

The article is only readable by subscribers so no-read for me.

Yes, it will be easy and convenient and will do what you/the article indicate, but as I have pointed out, it is not available in the USA yet let alone Australia.

Do not hold your breath waiting got it.