STARLINK and REMOTE Ops - SOLVED

VK1HF

Hi All,

I know many people have or want to use Starlink for their remote site but know or have found out the hard way - it's not as easy as it seems - or as easy a we'd like it to be. You could or might consider using Starlink on the HEAD end or the TAIL end. HEAD end would be WHERE your actual radio physically is. TAIL end would be where YOU are.

Let's use my most recent setup as an example;

HEAD end : is in Cooma, NSW, Australia - at a friends property/farm/ranch. There is where the radio actually is. 8400 in my case. And there is Starlink there of course. 100% off grid.

TAIL end : me - wherever I am. Lets say I am camping on my motorbike and have my iPad and Starlink mini with me.

» What are the issues - the show stoppers.?

HEAD end : CG NAT. Starlink uses CGNAT. All non-terrestrial telco services will typically use CGNAT - yes you can pay for their premium services (business grade) but they are often very expensive and still not viable for our needs.

TAIL end : network path session persistency. As you move around from sat to sat your connection changes and the path will drop.

For my own uses, I solved both these issues. I have been using Starlink at my remote location now for some time and it works REALLY well - in fact, it is amazing. As an experienced networking guy I was skeptical at first - but it just works so well. I am fully onboard with remote ops now.

I did consider all the options that have been suggested in different places. zeroteir, tailscale, LAN bridge extenders, paying extra for static IP, using a business grade plan, port 'whole punching' etc - as I considered all these long and hard I concluded myself that none of these solutions were ideal.

So in a different post on here, I connected with Ed - K5YZW, and we worked together to build him his own version in TX,USA of what I have here in VK land. I'll let Ed chime in and talk about things from his side of the story.

Moving forward - I plan to make the system I have built as an open source project, so others can get the same enjoyment that Ed and I get from our systems. I call the system RS1 (Remote Station Mk1). RS1 is made up of RS1 CORE, and RS1 modules. All you need is RS1 CORE for the most part. Note - I am a station minimalist. Whilst I do admire and appreciate these massively complex stations I personally prefer less over more, the clean look.

The plan is that if you are a Linux/networking/techie guy like me, you can just draw down from what I have built for Ed and I (RS1 CORE plus modules) and build your own. If you don't have those skills I will have a commercial offering, which is essentially just consulting services to help you setup your own RS1 system.

The online information about RS1 is very much in it's infancy - but here is the most I have put together at the moment, I will add more later as I get it sorted out more : https://1zulu.com.au/products/rs1m.html

I was planning to commercialise things when I made that site - but now I am just going to donate my efforts to the Ham radio community via an open source project with optional consulting services as/if desired.

We name our remote stations ;

Ed : ALAMO. (mains power, Graford, TX)
Ian : IKARA. (100% off grid, near Canberra, Australia)

So why am I posting this.? Well, Ed and I chatted this morning and we are looking for some other HAM that would like to have what we have. I am offering to give away the services (my time) to help someone else make up their own RS1 Core and join our little RS1 community (Just Ed and I at the moment)

Is this you.?

• you have the Flex gear already (or are about to get it)
• you have a remote location with mains power or a good off grid setup with plenty of battery power. (I have 300Ah LifePo4 at mine).
• you're good to buy a Starlink or already have one.
• you're ok to buy a few other bits and bobs - like a raspberry pi etc.
• there are some ongoing costs - typically around $5-$10 per month - goes to amazon(AWS).
• you are happy for me (VK1HF) to use your station when you're not using it (that's what's in it for me). I often use Ed's when he is asleep - he always has priority of course!
• you have time to devote to your side of this - we will be working together.
• you are mildly technically competent - doing things like remote control over zoom and the like are not challenging for you.
• you're a good communicator / team player. This only works with effective team communication.

If that's you and you're keen - please drop me a line - ian.vk1hf AT gmail.com (as per my QRZ). At this point in time, we are just looking for one other station/Ham so it'll be a bit first come first served.

73 - Ian

this post was written by hand, by me, no AI.

VK1HF

Following up with a video where Ed and I discuss what we have built : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C63WJUqsOE

https://1zulu.com.au/projects/