Partial Sky Blockage Causing Intermittent Outages

Common Symptoms

• Starlink mobile app shows 'Partial Obstruction' or an orange shaded zone on the obstruction map
• Internet drops out for a few seconds to a minute, then comes back on its own
• Video calls freeze or drop at roughly the same time of day, especially morning or late afternoon
• Starlink mobile app Statistics tab shows repeated short outages clustered in the same time window
• Speeds are normal for most of the day but dip sharply during certain hours
• Mesh nodes or connected devices briefly lose connectivity even though the router stays powered
• Ping spikes or buffering appear during streaming but the connection never fully goes offline

Probable Causes (Ranked by Likelihood)

• Tree branches, leaves, or a nearby tree canopy swing into the dish field of view as the Starlink constellation moves across the sky Very Likely
• Roof eave, gutter edge, or chimney blocks a narrow arc of sky that specific low-elevation satellites pass through Very Likely
• Dish mounted too low on a wall or fence post, leaving a persistent low-angle obstruction band Likely
• Neighboring structure such as a shed, barn wall, or second story addition blocks part of the southern sky arc Likely
• Satellite dish, antenna mast, or other hardware mounted nearby that partially overlaps the dish field of view Possible
• Seasonal foliage change causing branches that were bare in winter to now block the dish in summer Possible
• Dish physically shifted or rotated after a wind event, changing its aim and exposing a new obstruction angle Less Likely

Step-by-Step Diagnostic Procedure

1. Open the Starlink mobile app, tap your dish, then go to the Obstruction map. Look for any orange or red shaded zones. Even a small sliver of shading can cause repeated outages.

2. Tap Statistics in the Starlink mobile app and review the outage graph for the last 24 hours. Note whether outages repeat at the same time each day. Predictable timing points to a physical object blocking specific orbital passes.

3. Use the Starlink mobile app built-in sky scan feature (Check for Obstructions) while standing at the dish location. Hold your phone overhead and slowly rotate 360 degrees. The app uses augmented reality to overlay obstruction zones on the live camera view.

4. Walk around the dish and visually sight along the edge of the dish face toward every direction it points. Look for tree branches, eaves, antennas, or rooflines that fall within roughly 100 degrees of the dish centerline.

5. If branches are the suspect, gently hold them aside temporarily while a helper monitors the Starlink mobile app Statistics tab. A drop in outage count with branches held clear confirms the cause.

6. Try raising the dish. If it is on a short J-mount or fence post, temporarily place it on a ladder or elevated surface and run the obstruction scan again. Fewer orange zones confirm that height is the fix.

7. Check whether the dish has physically moved. Inspect the mount hardware for loose bolts, slipped clamps, or a bent mast. A dish that has rotated even 10 to 15 degrees can expose a new obstruction arc.

8. If you cannot relocate the dish yourself, use the obstruction map screenshot as documentation when calling an installer. The colored zones tell them exactly which compass direction needs to be cleared.

Frequently Asked Questions