Starlink Mounting for Forestry Fleets
Reliable Connectivity for Forestry Crews and Machines
Starlink for emergency services has to connect when the mobile network is down, wherever a crew is sent. Air Vision Systems designs Starlink mounts in NZ for response vehicles, rescue appliances, command units and the incident control point itself.
The Problem
Forestry blocks are some of the most disconnected places people work. Steep terrain, tall stands and long access roads mean mobile coverage is patchy at best and often gone for the whole shift. Harvesters, forwarders and logging trucks need a connection for production reporting, dispatch and worker safety, in exactly the country where a connection is hardest to get.
The safety case is the strongest one. A crew with an injured worker or a machine in trouble on a block with no mobile coverage is relying on whatever is fitted to the vehicles. A satellite connection that keeps working away from the towers means the crew can call for help, send a location and stay in touch with the office. It adds to your radio, personal locator beacons and emergency procedures; it does not replace them.
Forestry is also hard on equipment. Branches, dust, bark, mud and constant vibration wear out anything fitted to the outside of a machine. A mount here needs to sit low enough to stay clear of branches and be strong enough to last a season of that without working loose.
Will Starlink Work in a Forest?
In practice, that means landings, skid sites, forestry roads, cut-over and clearings work well, and a machine working under a tall, closed stand will lose the connection until it comes back into the open. The Starlink app has an obstruction check that shows what the dish can see before you commit to a position.
Recommended Configuration
Harvester or forwarder cab
Bolted to a raised roof rack over the cab, so nothing is drilled into the cab itself. Low profile, and built for constant vibration.
Crew ute with a steel roof, no rack
Clamps to the existing rails, so there is no drilling.
Crew ute with a steel roof, no rack
Use with eight 66 mm magnets or four 88 mm magnets, plus a safety tether. Steel roofs only.
Logging truck with a steel cab roof, no rack
Steel roofs only. Use with a safety tether.
Station, emergency operations centre, or welfare centre
Up in minutes on open ground, and packs away when the crew moves to the next block.
Crib room or site cabin
Fixed for the life of the block, and moves with the cabin.
Power: the Starlink Mini runs from 12 to 48 V DC, so it can run from a machine or truck electrical system or a battery. The Standard kit runs from its own 100 to 240 V power supply, so it suits a crib room on mains or a stable generator. We supply power solutions and extension cables to suit.
Technical Specification
| Item | Figure | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Starlink Mini dish | IP67 Type 4 (with cables installed), -30 to 50°C, 1.10 kg. Built-in Wi-Fi 5 router, up to 112 m² and 128 devices | Starlink specification sheet |
| Starlink Standard (Gen 3 / V4) dish | IP67 Type 4, -30 to 50°C, 2.9 kg. Power supply 100 to 240 V, IP66. Router: current kits ship with the Router Mini (Wi-Fi 6, up to 204 m² and 235 devices); earlier Gen 3 kits came with the larger Gen 3 router (Wi-Fi 6, up to about 297 m² and 235 devices) | Starlink specification sheet |
| Starlink Mini bolt-down mount | Wind of 252 km/h, the threshold of a Category 5 hurricane, with the mount bolted to timber, steel and concrete bases | Computer simulation (airflow and structural) |
| Roof rack mount, two-rail | Wind of 252 km/h from five directions. Highest stress in the aluminium plate 16.2 MPa against a yield strength of 193 MPa: a safety factor of 11.9, and above 9 with an extra 25% allowance for gusts | Computer simulation (airflow and structural) |
| Materials | Marine-grade 5052 aluminium plates and brackets; stainless steel T-bolts on the roof rack mount: 316 on marine versions, 304 on inland versions | AVS design specification |
Mount figures come from computer simulation under defined test conditions. They support the design and are not a substitute for vehicle-specific, site-specific or regulatory certification. Figures for the magnetic mount, the Standard mounts and the tripod are not listed here; ask us about your machines. See our engineering reports.
Installation Notes
01.
Protective structures. Never drill, weld or cut the rollover or falling object protective structure (ROPS or FOPS) of a harvester, forwarder or skidder. Instead, bolt the mount to a raised roof rack over the cab. If the machine has no rack, fit one first to a point the machine maker or dealer approves. We confirm the fitting for your machine at quote stage.
02.
Low and clear. Keep the dish as low as the sky view allows, clear of lights, aerials and the boom’s working area.
03.
Cabling. Run the cable inside protective conduit for its full length and secure it well clear of pinch points and moving parts. Forestry machines push through a lot of debris.
04.
Power. The Starlink Mini runs from 12 to 48 V DC, so it suits both 12 V and 24 V electrical systems. Use a fused supply; we confirm the right cable and fuse at quote stage.
05.
Magnetic mount. Steel roofs only. Place it on clean, flat, dry steel, always fit a safety tether, and take the dish off before driving tracks with low branches.
Compliance Statement
Air Vision Systems is a New Zealand-owned company and an approved supplier to New Zealand Police. Our mounts are designed in-house and assessed by computer simulation under defined test conditions. These assessments support the design; they are not a substitute for vehicle-specific, site-specific or regulatory certification.
Fitting a mount to forestry machinery must not affect the machine’s rollover or falling object protection, and should follow your company’s health and safety plan. Your health and safety manager should confirm each installation meets your own rules. Starlink is an extra layer of communication for a crew and does not replace radios, personal locator beacons or your emergency procedures. Starlink supports the Mini in motion on eligible plans, where permitted (Starlink Help Center).
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