Starlink for Amateur Radio

A Practical Guide for Emergency Communications 

Starlink operates the world’s largest satellite constellation, with over 6,750 satellites currently in orbit, Reliable internet connectivity is a game-changer for amateur radio operators, especially during emergency and remote field operations. Starlink, a high-speed satellite internet service, opens new possibilities for operators to stay connected and maintain critical communications when traditional infrastructure fails. This guide will show you how Starlink can improve your amateur radio setup through practical applications like Winlink, EchoLink, and APRS.

What Starlink Can Do for Amateur Radio

Internet Access Anywhere

Imagine you’re responding to a disaster where traditional internet infrastructure is unavailable. Starlink provides high-speed internet anywhere in the world, keeping you connected when it matters most.

Wi-Fi Calling

In emergency scenarios where cell towers are damaged or out of range, Wi-Fi calling can be a lifesaver. Using Starlink’s internet connection, operators can make phone calls through their smartphones over a Wi-Fi network. This is especially valuable in disaster response, ensuring critical communication channels remain open even when traditional cellular networks fail.

Streaming TV, News Updates, and Apple TV Apps

During downtime or emergency deployments, staying informed is crucial. Starlink allows you to stream live news updates, weather forecasts, and critical alerts, keeping you updated on evolving situations. You can also connect an Apple TV to Starlink to stream apps like Sling TV for live news and entertainment, even in remote areas.

Email and Data Transfers

Reliable data sharing is essential for amateur radio operators, especially during emergency communications. With Starlink, you can securely send and receive emails, share digital logs, and transfer important documents. During emergencies, operators can use Starlink to send situation reports, maps, and resource requests to incident management teams without delays.

Unique Amateur Radio Use Cases for Starlink

Roam 10GB Plan Gone

Just a couple of months ago, in March 2025, Starlink added the Roam 10GB plan that included 10GB of high-speed Roam data for only $10/month. It was an excellent option for occasional and weekend users, along with those using Starlink as a backup to cellular. 

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, Starlink is apparently eliminating this plan.

While there is no formal announcement from Starlink on the plan ending, it is no longer listed on Starlink's Roam Plans support page, and multiple customers, including MIRC staff, confirmed that it is no longer an option for customers to switch to it in their user accounts. The plan is still mentioned in some areas of Starlink's website, but this is not historically unusual - Starlink can sometimes take a few days to update all content on the site after a significant change.

Existing customers who have the Roam 10GB plan have not yet been notified of any plan changes, and the plan remains active for those users for now.

However, Starlink generally does not grandfather plans or terms of service, so current Roam 10GB customers will likely lose the plan in the next 30 days or at the end of their current or next billing cycle. At this point, we predict that Roam 10GB users will automatically transition to Standby Mode (see below) unless they switch to a new plan manually.

We'll update this story if/when we get confirmation and provide details.

Pause Feature Becomes Standby Mode

One long-standing advantage of Starlink was the ability to easily and painlessly pause Roam service. Your account remained active and tied to a specific plan, but there was no monthly charge, and no service. It was a handy feature to be able to stop and start service as needed without needing to cancel and reactivate an account.

Now, Starlink is changing this feature and calling it "Standby Mode." Here's how Starlink describes it in their new support page:

"You can pause your service with Standby Mode, which provides unlimited low-speed data for emergency messaging, ongoing Starlink software updates, and easy reactivation in dead zones for a small monthly fee."

Standby mode costs $5/month and includes unlimited low-speed data. Starlink states the throttle is 500 Kbps for both upload and download - roughly 2G speed, and user reports confirm this.  500 Kbps is very slow for 2025, but it is sufficient for very basic needs like texting, email, and Wi-Fi calling. However, it won't support anything but very low-resolution video streaming or provide smooth web surfing. 

Starlink also states that "Standby Mode is not intended for constant, maritime, or high-bandwidth use," although the terms do not explicitly prohibit this, and we don't know if or how Starlink would enforce this intention.

Additionally, Standby mode is only intended for use for 12 months or less. After that, Starlink can, in its discretion, require either a move to a standard plan or loss of all connectivity except for access to the user's Starlink account.

Residential Customers Can Use Standby Mode

Standby Mode has been expanded to include Residential customers. Pause was previously only available with Roam.

This will be handy for those who have vacation homes, or other seasonal arrangements. It's also an option now for mobile users who utilize a Residential plan while updating their service address as they move. 

However, Residential customers who use Standby Mode may not be able to return to Residential service if the address is in an at-capacity area on the Starlink map. However, those who are in an area with a demand surcharge won't have to pay the surcharge again when returning to regular service.

Business and Enterprise accounts are not eligible for Standby Mode. Additionally, those on consumer accounts with "certain promotional plans" and offerings (which Starlink doesn't elaborate on, but possibly includes their current sale in select areas), are also not eligible for Standby Mode.

Standby Mode and Billing

Like the previous Pause feature, if you enable Standby Mode during your billing cycle, Standby Mode won't kick in until the next billing cycle. However, if you exit Standby Mode mid-month, you'll immediately switch to your new plan and be charged on a pro-rated basis.

Any data blocks purchased before moving to Standby Mode will not be retained and will not rollover when returning to the plan after leaving Standby Mode - an important caveat for those on Priority plans.

Concluding Thoughts

Starlink is once again making unannounced changes that affect scores of users, and this set of changes is decidedly a mixed bag, and a negative for most of our audience of mobile users.

Ending the Roam 10GB plan only a few months after its introduction is especially unfortunate, as this plan was ideal for a significant niche of users. We don't know why Starlink reversed course on this plan without an equivalent low-cost option to replace it. Many customers using Starlink occasionally will likely end up on Standby Mode at half the cost, cancel service, and potentially utilize the more expensive 50GB option at $50/month when Starlink service is needed. 

Standby Mode at $5/month for unlimited 500 Kbps service can be very handy for keeping smart devices in an RV or boat online while in storage. It can also serve as an emergency backup for very basic needs should cellular or other connections not be available - including being enough to support Wi-Fi calling. But don't expect to stream video or do any tasks that take even moderate bandwidth.

Even though the ability to pause service for free is now gone, customers still have the option to cancel service and then restart it as needed, but doing that is a bit more of a hassle than the convenience that Pause provided.

Conclusion

Starlink is transforming the way amateur radio operators stay connected, especially in remote and emergency situations. Starlink enhances your setup by keeping Winlink gateways online, enabling real-time APRS tracking, and supporting portable mesh networks. With flexible subscription plans and custom mounting options available at the Wavetalkers Amazon store, it’s never been easier to integrate Starlink into your amateur radio toolkit.

Explore our Starlink solutions and start your Starlink journey today!

Starlink power consumption

The Starlink power consumption can vary depending on the location, temperature, and utilization of the Internet system. The Starlink Mini consumes around 20 - 40W of electricity per hour. When used for around 24 hours (or 1 day), the Starlink Mini solar power needs around 480Wh - 960Wh per day. Here is a detailed table revealing how much solar power is needed to run Starlink in one hour and one day: 

The Starlink Mini's average power consumption ranges from 20 to 40 watts, with idle consumption around 15 watts. It requires a 100W (20V/5A) USB Power Delivery (PD) source to operate optimally and will not function with PD ratings below 65W (12-48V). During startup, the Mini may draw around 42W, but typically settles at 22W during normal operation. 

• Average: 20-40W

• Idle: 15W

• Startup: 42W

• Normal operation: Around 22W

• Required Power Supply: 100W USB PD (20V/5A)