The answer is no, if you use either a HughesNet HN9000 or a Wild Blue satellite system. These systems use a spot-beaming technology, which localizes the coverage beam of the satellite to a small area. This is a much more efficient approach for service providers. However, it means that you can not travel with your satellite system.

If you have an StarBand system or a HughesNet DW6000, DW7000, or HN7000S, then yes, you can!

However, it is important to get proper training in how to do this. Improper setup of a two-way satellite dish can cause interference for other satellite users, as well as for yourself. It can even cause problems for adjacent satellites. This translates to reduced speed for everyone affected. In severe situations, your transmitter can be disabled by the satellite service provider.

Most mobile deployments in use today are unofficial. That is, the service provider does not officially recognize, authorize or support mobile users.

StarBand® allows anyone who desires, to become certified as an installer. As an installer you are authorized to deploy two-way satellite systems and, therefore, move your dish. However, StarBand® will not offer support for mobility issues. You should rely on your dealer or installer for this. The installer training materials are available online. See Training and Support for more information.

The only mobile systems that are recognized by the satellite service providers are the much more expensive automatic pointing systems. In this case, also, mobility support issues are the responsibility of the dealer.

Unless you are one of those who never calls for help, this is probably the most important factor to consider, when selecting a dealer for your two-way satellite system. This is especially important for your first few moves. Make sure the dealer you select offers telephone support, for when you can't get online, as well as email and other online support options.

Training is a related item to consider. Getting good training when you first become a two-way satellite user can make your first few setups fun, instead of nerve-wracking events.

If you have set up your own TV satellite dish, then the set up of an Internet dish will be familiar. However, it takes a more careful setup technique than for TV, to ensure a successful two-way satellite deployment. Typical set up time for an experienced user is about 20 minutes.

Here is some information to help you decide which satellite meter to use:

• The top-of-the-line satellite meter is called the Birdog. It retails for $500. It will positively identify up to 64 different satellites, including HughesNet (formerly Direcway), StarBand®, and television satellites. It is a tool created for professional installers. It can make the task of pointing correctly less uncertain, but if you are not pointed in the right direction with the right elevation, it will not find the satellite any better than the less expensive meters.
  
  
• There are also more affordable satellite meters for both StarBand® and HughesNet - For StarBand®, there is a good digital meter called the Digisat III Pro, which will make it easy to peak the satellite signal you find. However, until you go inside and turn on the modem, you won't know for sure, that it is the correct satellite. Some handy pointing hints can make it almost certain that it is the correct satellite. It retails for about $125. For HughesNet, there is a good digital meter called the Outdoor Pointing Interface (OPI), which will positively confirm that you are pointed at the selected HughesNet satellite. It retails for about $100. The OPI meter has been replaced by a newer meter, which includes additional functionality for the HughesNet Ka-band services and, therefore, costs more. There is also a free software version of the OPI available on the DatastormUsers.com web site.

The laws of physics and of radio frequency (RF) transmission say that perfectly horizontal signal propagation will not interfere with perfectly vertical signal propagation. In reality, there is always some amount of interference, whenever radio waves are involved.

The best way to think of cross-polarization, or cross-pol, is that it is a measure of the interference potential of your transmitter. Whereas, co-polarization, or co-pol, is a measure of the clean signal strength of your transmitter.

ASI stands for adjacent satellite interference. Like cross-pol, it is an interfering potential of your transmitter, but on an adjacent satellite, in this case.

How these values are tested and reported varies, across technologies and implementations. For example, when pointing a HughesNet satellite dish, the cross-pol number must be maximized, but for StarBand®, it must be minimized and less than 3.0.

Here again, there are several variables involved:

• Satellite assignment - StarBand® satellites cover the continental US almost completely, as do most of the HughesNet/Direcway satellites. However, in these cases, two-way Internet service is usually only available roughly 100-200 miles north and south of the US borders. How far depends on the exact satellite and its corresponding coverage area or footprint. HughesNet uses one satellite that extends well into Canada and parts of Alaska, but won't reach south of the border. Likewise, there is one that reaches all the way to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California, Mexico, but won't work at the northern US border.
  
  
• Dish size - The two-way satellite dishes come in three basic sizes: small large ( .72 to .75 m), medium large (.98 m), and huge (1.2 m). The above text applies to using the small dish. Coverage can be extended significantly by getting one of the larger size dishes, which are very unwieldy and difficult to travel with. The further you are from the main footprint, the more you will need the larger antenna (dish), to receive the signal.
  
  
• Transmitter - Most domestic consumer satellite systems use a 1-watt transmitter. The larger dishes are often used with a more powerful 2-watt transmitter. It can be equally important to have increased power in the transmit direction, when trying to use your system outside the main footprint.
  
  
• Please see Interesting Satellite Info & Links in the forums, for more information on this topic.

Download and upload speeds vary by satellite assignment, subscribed service, dish size, transmitter strength, how accurately you are pointed, local or remote interference sources (including weather, RF, and other), and how busy the Internet is, among other things.

In general, consumer broadband services are asymmetrical, which means that the speed is much greater in one direction (down) than the other (up). Upload speeds are usually at least as fast as dial-up service (53 Kbps) with higher upload speeds available, sometimes only with the premium level services.

Download speeds for the basic service average from about 500 Kbps to 700 Kbps, with speeds up to 1.5 Mbps reported under optimal conditions and slower speeds reported at other times. Premium services offer faster speeds, in general, and larger bandwidth allocations, before speeds are throttled down. How much faster depends on the service plan selected.

Yes, you can receive satellite television on the same dish as your Internet service. The attachment used is sometimes called a "bird on a wire" or BOW. However, you cannot always receive the service you want on your Internet dish - it depends on the satellite assignments. The general "rule of thumb" is that you can receive TV on the Internet dish if the television satellite is either two degrees from the Internet satellite, or between about 10 and 20 degrees away.

If you have StarBand® Internet service, there is currently no attachment available for TV.

If you have HughesNet Internet service, there was an attachment available for the Gen V outdoor equipment. There is currently no attachment made for the newer Raven or Prodelin antennas. However, the Gen V BOW can be adapted for these antennas

There are more than one manual available for RVers using two-way satellite systems, including the following:

• SMSN StarBand® User Guide - This publication by MobileInternetSatellite.com contains over 200 pages of information, including full color pictures of exactly how to set up and properly point a StarBand® two-way satellite antenna. There is also an extensive troubleshooting section, which includes information about other good resources that are available, including online user groups dedicated to RVers and two-way satellite Internet. A PDF version of this document is available from any Satellite Mobile Support Network (SMSN) dealer and on this web site, on the Satellite Accessories page. It is also available online for no charge.
  
  
• SMSN HughesNet User Guide - This publication by MobileInternetSatellite.com contains over 100 pages of information, including full color pictures of exactly how to set up and properly point a HughesNet two-way satellite antenna. There is also troubleshooting information and information about other good resources that are available, including online user groups dedicated to RVers and two-way satellite Internet. A PDF version of this document is available from any Satellite Mobile Support Network (SMSN) dealer and on this web site, on the Satellite Accessories page. It is also available online for no charge
  
  
• Dustyfoot Manual -For those who use the Align-a-site pointing instrument, the Dustyfoot Manual will be especially useful. It is also available online for no charge.