Adding 12v Connection for Starlink Mini: which side of trailer? (need opinions)

So, I finally got around to working on this project….

I decided to install it on the driver's side. I liked the idea of having the bulkhead pass through port mounted in the Nautilus where it'd be more protected from the weather, and I wouldn't have to drill a hole in the body of the 320. I popped out the dummy plug for the black tank flush connection and and clipped off the plastic retaining clips located on the back side of the Nautilus. Then I only had to do a minimal amount of filing to enlarge the existing hole enough for the port to fit. A dremel tool made short work of it.

I got a rocker switch so I can control the power to the dish from inside the camper without having to unplug anything. I wanted to mount the switch up next to the radio, but that would have involved more logistics than I was willing to deal with (ie, too much dismantling other unrelated stuff just to make it happen). I though about mounting it down low next to the power converter/fuse box, but I didn't want to be on my hands and knees trying to cut out an opening for the switch while dripping sweat everywhere. And I'm glad I didn't because once I lowered the dinette seat I realized the seat legs (that pull out when you make it into a bed) would have covered up/interfered with the switch.

Instead, I ended up mounting the switch in the microwave cubby which I use as an open overhead storage compartment. I chose this location because that's where my cell booster is mounted, the switch will be less prominent in there (I like the cool blue light, but probably not at night though) and there's an access hatch I could take off for easy access to run the wiring down to the electrical area. This also meant I could take the access hatch over to a workbench and take my time getting a square cut into it for the switch that would be, well, square (straight, level).

After the switch was all "squared away" I ran a fish tape down the space in the bathroom wall and it came out under the wall in the electrical area under the dinette seat. I taped the three wires needed to operate the switch to the fish tape and pulled them up through the wall and was able to plug them into the switch.

I was originally going to get power by using a piggy back fuse (kind of like an extension cord for fuses) but after taking the face plate off of the converter (or is it inverter?) I realized there was no way to get the wire to the back side without more dismantling of things. So I found a wire for an acceptable circuit (I chose the fan and toilet circuit) and traced it to the spot where it splits off to the different devices.

NuCamp uses a lever-style quick connect housing for their wire junctions, and I noticed that this circuit had an open bay on it's connector. I simply had to lift the lever up on the open bay, insert the end of the "hot wire" and close the lever back down. Then I loosened one of the screws on the ground bus bar and inserted two ground wires into it and tightened it back down. There was a ground wire for the step up converter for the mini and another ground wire for the switch. All that was left was to connect the power wire (accessory wire) from the switch to the step up converter for the mini and then plug everything in.

I was definitely on high alert when I switched the battery back on, but no sparks or melting wires occurred and I had power to the dish. This literally took me all day to accomplish. The majority of it was consulting the all knowing google to verify that I was doing it correctly. I think my biggest source of doubt was getting the rocker switch wired since the directions were nonexistent.

Now I can plug the starlink cable into a power port in the Nautilus when I get to camp, and control the power from inside the Tab via a switch. I like being able to turn the dish on/off without having to run around unplugging things.

The wiring for the system is connected like this: power from battery positive to switch, power from switch to the mini, ground from mini to battery negative, ground from switch to battery negative. I seems really simple once you've done it, but there was a lot of doubt on my end until I got finished.

Anyway, just following up on the above post in case anyone else is considering something similar and hoping it helps.

Good information to know… I wasn't sure about which one to use so I went with a circuit with a 15 amp fuse, but I was totally guessing at it.