Starlink is very good

[Blumlein 88]

RFLMAO... haha... I feel your pain. I worked contract piece work receiving 50% of the total labor rate in my jeans @ ~$55/hour to~$ 95/hour to ~$1000 per day if doing mass modifications for manufacturers (Like receiving 5300 electronic devices for MODing and I can do a lot of them in a day and make ~$500 in my jeans.) , straight 100% commission as a salesperson and was also a United Auto Workers of America dues paying member for awhile too. I wayyy prefer contract work or commission. I am not held back on the income level and the rate of work that I can produce. I can work ~6 hours in a day and make more than others and go to the park or surf the net instead of being at work if that suites me on that day or I can really go steady all day and get lotsa stuff done if required. It's all about being responsible and taking varying levels of responsibility.

Least you could do for that kind of money is wear a t-shirt with your jeans.

 

[Doodski]

Least you could do for that kind of money is wear a t-shirt with your jeans.

The work environment there was wear anything desired but at a minimum shorts and a muscle type shirt. I wore shorts all year round. I loved working there for sure. Even had my own huge skylight right over my workbench with power open/close operation and a full size kitchen right nearby. Everybody working there was a specialist in one area of specialization or another so we where very effective at those specific operations that we where responsible for. I was mechatronics and mass modification when those MODing contracts became available or where offered/requested which is not very often but they do occur. For a lowly electronic technician I was doing OK for the 90s.

 

[pjug]

Yes, watched these several times. Best to catch them soon after release as they spread out. There are phone apps to help you find them. After complaints they now coat them so they aren't very reflective. Don't think you'll see what is in that video since then. They also orient them differently to reflect less as they are moving into position.

Thanks. I didn't really know anything about it. I think I saw a line of maybe 8 or 10 about a month ago, and was wondering why I do not see them more often.

 

[Brian Hall]

You poor sods in the US pay utter rip-off prices for an internet connection.

The land area is too big and we are too spread out. Lots of very small towns with low population far away from each other. That is why something like Starlink makes sense. Not enough potential customers for the phone companies or anyone else to invest in upgrading to provide better service.

 

[Count Arthur]

The land area is too big and we are too spread out. Lots of very small towns with low population far away from each other. That is why something like Starlink makes sense. Not enough potential customers for the phone companies or anyone else to invest in upgrading to provide better service.

China and Russia seem to manage, last time I looked, they were pretty big.

Price Rankings by Country of Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) (Utilities (Monthly))

www.numbeo.com

 

[Blumlein 88]

China and Russia seem to manage, last time I looked, they were pretty big.

Price Rankings by Country of Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) (Utilities (Monthly))

www.numbeo.com

While large China has a population density about 5 times greater. Russia has a population density in the western half near the USA, but an income level of about 20% of the USA.

 

[RayDunzl]

Starlink satellite tracker

Live view of SpaceX starlink satellite constellation and coverage.

satellitemap.space

 

[kemmler3D]

The land area is too big and we are too spread out. Lots of very small towns with low population far away from each other.

This is true, but the government has also dropped the ball by not holding local monopolies to account, even to the extent of enforcing the terms of agreements under which they took subsidies from the government. The telcos gamble that they can lie, cheat, and steal and get away with it, and unfortunately they are often correct.

 

[amirm]

Isn’t Starlink working on direct to mobile phone service?

Yes, in the middle of trials and licensing. That, would be great.

 

[JSmith]

New tech is great... but we need to consider the effects of same;

Picture imperfect: light pollution from satellites is becoming an existential threat to astronomy

Low-orbit satellites are photo-bombing astronomers’ pictures of the night sky, ruining images and affecting their ability to make new discoveries

www.theguardian.com

Low-orbit satellites are photo-bombing astronomers’ pictures of the night sky, ruining images and affecting their ability to make new discoveries

SpaceX Starlink satellites had to make 25,000 collision-avoidance maneuvers in just 6 months — and it will only get worse

Since the launch of the first Starlink spacecraft in 2019, the SpaceX satellites have been forced to move over 50,000 times to prevent collisions.

www.space.com

SpaceX's Starlink broadband satellites were forced to swerve more than 25,000 times between Dec. 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023 to avoid potentially dangerous approaches to other spacecraft and orbital debris, according to a report filed by SpaceX with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on June 30. That's about double the number of avoidance maneuvers reported by SpaceX in the previous six-month period that ran from June to November 2022. Since the launch of the first Starlink spacecraft in 2019, the SpaceX satellites have been forced to move over 50,000 times to prevent collisions.

The steep increase in the number of maneuvers worries experts because it follows an exponential curve, leading to concerns that safety of operations in the orbital environment might soon get out of hand.

Will Musk's Starlink satellites lead to Kessler syndrome?

Space weather poses a tremendous threat to all satellites, knocking all computer systems offline. Is that a recipe for Kessler syndrome?

bigthink.com

• Over the past 4 years, the number of active satellites in low-Earth orbit have increased by several thousand, with tens of thousands more planned in the coming years.
• The ultimate nightmare is that we'll experience Kessler syndrome: where a runaway chain reaction of collisions litters low-Earth orbit with millions of pieces of debris, making new launches all but impossible.
• Currently, Starlink satellites avoid collisions through on-board AI software that tells them how to move. If that software gets knocked offline, such as by space weather, we have no protections against this catastrophe.

JSmith

 

[Blumlein 88]

New tech is great... but we need to consider the effects of same;

Picture imperfect: light pollution from satellites is becoming an existential threat to astronomy

Low-orbit satellites are photo-bombing astronomers’ pictures of the night sky, ruining images and affecting their ability to make new discoveries

www.theguardian.com

SpaceX Starlink satellites had to make 25,000 collision-avoidance maneuvers in just 6 months — and it will only get worse

Since the launch of the first Starlink spacecraft in 2019, the SpaceX satellites have been forced to move over 50,000 times to prevent collisions.

www.space.com

Will Musk's Starlink satellites lead to Kessler syndrome?

Space weather poses a tremendous threat to all satellites, knocking all computer systems offline. Is that a recipe for Kessler syndrome?

bigthink.com

JSmith

You know the traditions of humans. We'll do the tech, hype and reap the benefits. We'll figure out collateral costs later.

 

[Count Arthur]

While large China has a population density about 5 times greater. Russia has a population density in the western half near the USA, but an income level of about 20% of the USA.

The US had copper phone lines all over the country in the in the 1930s when telephone exchanges were either manned, or large electromechanical devices that were likely far more expensive, adjusted for inflation, than the current technology today.

Were there any small towns, or individual farms in the US that didn't have a phone line by the 1950s, maybe 1960s? It should be possible to run fibre to those places today.

Also, what about power? If you can get mains power to a town/property, it really doesn't add up, that you can't get a telecoms cable there.

 

[Doodski]

The US had copper phone lines all over the country in the in the 1930s when telephone exchanges were either manned, or large electromechanical devices that were likely far more expensive, adjusted for inflation, than the current technology today.

Where there any small towns, or individual farms in the US that didn't have a phone line by the 1950s, maybe 1960s? It should be possible to run fibre to those places today.

Also, what about power? If you can get mains power to a town/property, it really doesn't add up, that you can't get a telecoms cable there.

I read about the intention and long terms plans for the USA communications and it seemed at the time the leadership was looking forward to wireless connections like satellite up/down linkage. It's here now. Let's see where this goes.

 

[JSmith]

You know the traditions of humans. We'll do the tech, hype and reap the benefits. We'll figure out collateral costs later.

Yeah fantastic...

JSmith

 

[Mnyb]

New tech is great... but we need to consider the effects of same;

Picture imperfect: light pollution from satellites is becoming an existential threat to astronomy

Low-orbit satellites are photo-bombing astronomers’ pictures of the night sky, ruining images and affecting their ability to make new discoveries

www.theguardian.com

SpaceX Starlink satellites had to make 25,000 collision-avoidance maneuvers in just 6 months — and it will only get worse

Since the launch of the first Starlink spacecraft in 2019, the SpaceX satellites have been forced to move over 50,000 times to prevent collisions.

www.space.com

Will Musk's Starlink satellites lead to Kessler syndrome?

Space weather poses a tremendous threat to all satellites, knocking all computer systems offline. Is that a recipe for Kessler syndrome?

bigthink.com

JSmith

Biggest problem is for radio astronomy actually.

 

[Mnyb]

The land area is too big and we are too spread out. Lots of very small towns with low population far away from each other. That is why something like Starlink makes sense. Not enough potential customers for the phone companies or anyone else to invest in upgrading to provide better service.

We swedes are fairly spread out too but almost everyone lives in the south . So the very rural areas are in the north.

For some reason internet tech has been very popular and progressive I have not used DSL in 20 years and the complete DSL network will shutdown in 2026 .

Friends in rural places have fibre too .

But your rigth North America US and Canada covers an enormous area

There seems to be some weird situations with your telcos since they removed monopolies in the us.
That went fairly well for us Swedes .

 

[JSmith]

Biggest problem is for radio astronomy actually.

It sure is another problem, as these satellites leak RF and also IR (affecting IR astronomy too) constantly.


JSmith

 

[Mnyb]

Other remote areas could be Africa and South America are Starlink active on these markets ?

They don’t seem competitive in Europe due to very dense population centres, there business fits large spread out populations ? I assume .

 

[CleanSound]

Good to know this option exists. But glad, I don't need it as my internet is fairly reliable and fast.

 

[Blumlein 88]

The US had copper phone lines all over the country in the in the 1930s when telephone exchanges were either manned, or large electromechanical devices that were likely far more expensive, adjusted for inflation, than the current technology today.

Were there any small towns, or individual farms in the US that didn't have a phone line by the 1950s, maybe 1960s? It should be possible to run fibre to those places today.

Also, what about power? If you can get mains power to a town/property, it really doesn't add up, that you can't get a telecoms cable there.

I remember living near a medium city, not terribly far from a large city. No phones until I was about to start school. Was in the mid 1960's. I agree we should be able to get fiber there. Fiber seems less expensive than the old lines on a pole, but those lines were there many years ago. Why the cost is what it is I don't know. I too find it strange that any place with power lines doesn't have some rudimentary though useful internet. That isn't how it worked out. While I think the companies have something of an oligopoly, and have cheated the gov't out of billions for very little in return I assume there is some rhyme or reason. Then again you repeatedly see stupid costs like $20k plus to cross a road and provide service. No way it costs that. Often the town will do the same thing for putting up a traffic light for a relative pittance. I've read about people being quoted stupid prices for a few hundred feet. In some cases they got together and paid for it done for 10% of the quoted price. Or like in my case, refusing service, refusing business which had to be profitable as the equipment was old and paid for. Why did it make sense for that? Yet ATT did that for millions all across the country on DSL. I spent $120 to get a wireless link to someone with service.