Starlink Mounting for Utility Fleets
Reliable Connectivity for Vessels and Marine Operations
The Problem
New Zealand’s 29 lines companies, along with telecommunications and water crews, keep the country running from the road. Lines crews restore power, telecommunications crews bring cell sites and fibre links back after a storm, and water crews keep pump stations and treatment plants running. They work along rural routes, in hill country and at remote sites where mobile coverage is patchy, and they are among the first sent out when the weather turns.
When the power goes, mobile coverage often goes with it. After Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, most cell site outages were caused by loss of power, so the crews restoring supply were working in places that had just lost their phones and internet. A truck with its own satellite connection keeps job sheets, outage systems, maps, photos and messaging running wherever the job is. It adds to your radio network and safety procedures; it does not replace them.
Utility trucks are also busy on the roof. Booms, ladders, beacons and aerials are already there, and the vehicle works on rough access tracks. A mount has to fit around what is already fitted and stay put.
Recommended Configuration
Most utility fleets need more than one setup: a mount on each vehicle that needs a connection, a quick setup for storm response, and a backup at the depot.
Clamps to the existing rails, so there is no drilling. Positioned clear of the boom and its travel, ladders, beacons and aerials.
Service ute or van with a steel roof, no rack
Use with eight 66 mm magnets or four 88 mm magnets, plus a safety tether. Steel roofs only. Placed clear of beacons and aerials.
Vehicle with a fibreglass or aluminium canopy or roof
Bolted to a fixing point your fleet manager or vehicle builder approves. Magnets will not hold on fibreglass or aluminium.
Storm response staging area or work site
Up in minutes on open ground, and packs away when the job moves on.
Depot, substation building, pump station or other remote site
A fixed backup connection that is ready before it is needed.
Power: the Starlink Mini runs from 12 to 48 V DC, so it can run from a 12 V or 24 V vehicle electrical system or a battery. The Standard kit runs from its own 100 to 240 V power supply, so it suits a depot or site 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 vehicles. See our engineering reports.
Installation Notes
01.
Clearances. Keep the dish and its cable clear of the boom and its full range of travel, ladders, beacons and aerials. Nothing fitted to the roof should change the clearances your crews work to near live lines. We agree the position with your fleet manager at quote stage.
02.
Vehicle builders. Many line and elevating work platform trucks are fitted out by specialist builders to your own standards. Where that applies, have the builder approve or carry out the fitting. We supply the hardware and fitting details.
03.
Cabling. Bring the cable into the vehicle through a proper sealed entry point and secure it clear of doors, hinges, hydraulics and moving parts. Follow the vehicle’s existing wiring routes where you can.
04.
Power. The Starlink Mini runs from 12 to 48 V DC, so it suits both 12 V and 24 V vehicles. Use a fused supply; we confirm the right cable and fuse at quote stage. For long jobs with the engine off, plan for a battery or power station so the vehicle battery is not run flat.
05.
Magnetic mount. Steel roofs only. Place it on clean, flat, dry steel and always fit a safety tether.
05.
Sky view on the job. Park with open sky above where you can. Trees, buildings and steep banks block the view. The Starlink app has an obstruction check that shows what the dish can see.
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 a utility vehicle should follow your organisation’s fleet fit-out and electrical safety standards, and must not change the clearances your crews work to near live lines. Your fleet manager should confirm each installation meets your own rules. Starlink is an extra layer of communication and does not replace your radio network or safety procedures. Starlink supports the Mini in motion on eligible plans, where permitted (Starlink Help Center).
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