My next long trip will take me to Patagonia, a region in the south of Chile and Argentina.
There is mobile phone coverage in the cities in these regions, but there is a high chance of losing signal along the way, so I will consider installing Starlink.
What is Starlink?
It is a service that allows you to connect to the Internet by catching radio waves from satellites launched into space.
If you set up a terminal in a place where the sky is open, you can connect to the Internet anywhere.
Check the service availability
First, I will check the service availability of Starlink
The situation in South America as of March 2025 is as follows
Bolivia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname
These four countries are not included, but the service is available in other countries
This way there are no problems with signal
I can’t imagine there’s any cell phone signal in a place like this.
Check the specifications
It supports use while moving in a car, so I need to check whether it can be used on motorcycles.
First, the regular Starlink
It weighs about 3kg and consumes an average of 75-100W of power.
So if you want to use it with a 12V voltage, you need a battery of 8.5V or more.
I’ll check the specifications of the HONDA XRE300.
It says 6A here.
Of course, I could use a larger capacity battery such as 9A, but the size of the battery itself would be larger, so it wouldn’t fit in the current space.
Lithium-ion batteries are space-saving and light, so if I look, I might be able to find one that fits in the space, but it’s expensive.
Next, I’ll look at the Mini.
It weighs about 1kg and consumes 60W of power.
That means it can be used with 12V-5A.
I think I can use this.
Buy
I buy from the official website
I have residency in Paraguay, so I will buy it in Paraguay
The price of the Mini is Gs. 1,732,000, approx. USD 217
The price of unlimited data is Gs. 560,000 per month, approx. USD 70
I can return the product within 30 days after it arrives and I activate it
I ordered
I will check it when it arrives
I ordered it on February 15th and it arrived in Asuncion, Paraguay on February 27th.
I’ll install it first and check it out
This is more than enough speed.
I tried several locations, but the device needs to be placed horizontally.
Also, if there is a house eaves or a tree, it will be considered an obstacle and communication will be cut off or it will not be possible to connect.
In other words, the place where I set it up needs to be at least 70% open to the sky.
I check the following:
I’ll try running it on battery power.
I found that it works with a 100W power supply, so next I will check if it works with a 12V battery.
I bought the cable in advance on Amazon.com.
I bought two types just in case.
So I’ll give them a try.
First, a car battery, 12V-300A.
Of course Starlink was recognized.
Next, a 12V-5A battery
In the photo it is connected to a car battery, but this did not work
Starlink is not recognized with a 5A battery
This may be due to insufficient voltage, so I tried connecting a 5A battery in parallel to make it 10A
This allowed Starlink to be recognized.
In other words, 12V-5A requires a maximum of 60W of power to operate, so the capacity may be a little insufficient.
However, I was able to confirm that it would work with 12V-10A.
It requires 60W, but it has 120W, so it should work.
So, I’m going to buy a 6A battery that fits in the space of the XRE300.
I searched for a size that would fit in the battery space, and the YTZ7S was possible.
This is 7A, so it can handle up to 84W at 12-7A, so it probably won’t be a problem.
I’ll buy one via Chacomail and check it out.
I was able to connect it
I was able to check that Starlink works directly from the battery, so next I’ll install it on the motorcycle
Installed on motorcycle
Considering that Starlink needs to be installed horizontally, I have no choice but to install it on the rear carrier.
Luckily, it’s the right size, so I drilled a hole in the top of the rear carrier and secured it in place with a screw.
It does interfere a little with the center part, so I’ll deal with that by inserting a spacer.
Completed
I finished installing Starlink and loaded my luggage.
I have Starlink secured in place with a band and string so it won’t fly away while I’m driving.
I actually drove and Starlink was available even in places where cell signals were offline.
When I entered a tunnel it temporarily disconnected, but when I came out it automatically reconnected, so I had no trouble communicating.
This will allow me to enjoy Patagonia comfortably.
