MotoSat F1, F2, or XF2?

[lloyd&pamela]

I think I have room between a roof air and the TracStar In Motion dome for a .98 meter dish. It will be tight with the bathroom vent on the side forcing the placement right behind the roof air and having the motor toward the rear.

Ray, I lost my note about what you recommended. Could you please resend to me.

What is the difference between the MotoSat F1, F2, and XF2 besides cost?

We will use the TracStar for TV and want the Motosat for an internet connection only.

What are the pros and cons of each system? We have a local installer that will move my Canadian Xplorenet (Hughes) subscription from a fixed location account to the bus. He will charge $1000 to install and has done good work in the past.

He has the contract to install 29 F2 for Irving Oil here in Nova Scotia.

Suggestions and comments will be helpful. Thanks

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Lloyd, here's a group you might want to join.

http://www.datastormusers.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi/index.html

Good luck, JIM

[dreamchasers]

Lloyd,

I have owned and used a Datastorm F-1 for the last three plus years (I used it on my previous American Eagle. I am in the process of relocated the system to my Prevost). My system is an F-1 (Using Motosat D2 series controller) and a DW6000 Hughes modem. My system is outdated, but still functions fine for my purposes. I have used it from Key West, Florida to Fairbanks, Alaska. My uploads speeds typically are 100 kps and my typical download speed is 800kps.

These systems are 'cutting edge' technologies, so you must be able to 'tweak' the system at times to get it to function correctly. Most of the users that use these systems report great success, am I am one of those. Your speeds will be dependent on which transponder you are assigned on the Hughes communication satellite. If you get your service from a provider like Motosat, they will help you get a good transponder.

Since I have owned the system, there are perhaps 2-3 times I was not able to get on line (Less than .01 % of the times I have deployed the system.). So for me, it worked out well.

I also second the recommendation of joining the Datastormusers group. There forum is very active and support is always at hand. I used it frequently, when I first got my system.

Good Luck.

Hector

[lloyd&pamela]

I joined the datastorm forum this morning. Thanks. I occasionally upload some large 20-50 mb files. We are very internet dependent, in other words we live on it daily. I was hoping to get 500 up and 1-2 MB down. That what we had with our land based satellite from xplornet/hughes.

I understand that some are upgradable and others are not. some alow multiple satellites and others do not.

I was hoping Ray might know the difference. Otherwise I will check out the datastorm forum tonight. Thanks.

[Ray Davis]

Hi Lloyd,

So, there is F1, F2, F3, XF2 and XF3.

F1 is a .74 meter dish
F2 is a .92 meter dish
F3 is a 1.2 meter dish

XF series is a higher grade motor system, commericial grade, which will lock onto your satellite in about 1/3 the time of the regular F series.

Which one to use? Depends upon your needs. The F1 series is their entry level series, and maxes out at about 1Mb speed. It is the cheapest however, and you can get Hughes service for about $79 per month.

In my case I needed faster speeds, and was concerned about using the F1. I originally ordered the F2 (XF didn't exist), but because of issues with F2 and Unasat service (no longer available), I purchased an F3 system. The good news is this provides me the most flexibility in higher bandwidth packages.

For business type of use, which you're indicating, I'd look at least an F2 system, F3 if you could afford it, and the iDirect service plans. They are more expensive, however you can purchase higher bandwidth. You can also up the bandwidth for just a day if you have one specific day that you need the high bandwidth.

If you can afford the XF series, go for it, but it is significantly higher priced. There are times I wish I had it, however, because of taken 10 minutes to lock onto the satellite. XF does it in about 3 minutes.

I love my Motosat system, just wished I were on the road more often with it!

Feel free to call me if you want to discuss it.

Ray

[lloyd&pamela]

Thank you Ray that is exactly the information I needed. Now it is time to make a decision.

[VegasDogMan]

I've been using F1 for past 5 years. Had it on my Beaver, moved it to Prevost and just moved it to new Essex the other day. Bought a DW7000 moden on Ebay and experience better speeds than with the older DW6000.

Hughes does not support DW6000 any more for new accounts - it is an obsolete modem.

System works great - Except in Rain and when parked under a tree. I'm on satellite 89W and get good coverage from as far south as Florida to as far north as Calgary. I even have a "Bird on Wire" LNB so I can get DirecTV on same dish using DirecTV Receiver.

I too must be on-line on a regular basis so I also carry a Tripod Mount dish (same size as F1) as well.

Good luck.

[lloyd&pamela]

Lee what is a "Bird on Wire" LNB? Thanks.

[Ray Davis]

A BOW is an extra LNB which attaches on an offset mount to the existing LNB. That points it at a different satellite, and is used to allow you to pick up satellite TV on the same dish.

It is not available on the bigger dishes, only the F1.

Ray