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Satellite TV in the Caribbean

Updated: November 2021

Looking for marine satellite TV service in the Caribbean? We sell and service marine stabilized antenna systems, convert existing antennas for Caribbean satellite service,  provide receivers and subscriptions and ensure seamless integration with your yacht’s AV systems, all from our convenient location in St. Maarten.

Regretfully we do not provide residential/terrestrial installations or service.

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DirecTV Latin America/Caribbean (DLA)

DirecTV LA is the most popular English- and Spanish-language pay-TV service in the Caribbean. The service is carried on the DLA-1 and DLA-2 (95W) satellites with circular polarization and requires a 24″ or larger antenna for optimal reception, and a specialized DLA LNB.

Programming varies from country to country in the region. Yachts sign up for service from DirecTV Caribbean in Trinidad. DirecTV Puerto Rico, a long time favorite for yachts has migrated off the DirecTV LA platform and is no longer offering services to marine customers.

We provide complete DirecTV Caribbean turnkey solutions, including antenna conversion, receiver sales, service activation and integration into your yacht’s A/V system.

More Information: DirecTV Caribbean

Choose DirecTV Caribbean for:

• High-quality coverage with small antennas across their full service area
• English and Spanish languages
• International sports
• Control-system compatibility with DirecTV USA
• Simple to acquire and setup
• Only Eastern Caribbean option for KVH HD7 antennas

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Dish Network USA

Dish Network provides service in Puerto Rico and the USVI, and the footprint of the two of its main ConUS satellites, 119W and 110W (as well as the “Legacy Eastern Arc” 61.5W), extends further to the Northeastern Caribbean. Likewise, its 77W satellite extends coverage to the Western Caribbean and Mexico. A large (1m+) antenna is useful for coverage throughout the entire footprint, while smaller antennas can be used in areas with “hotter” signal.

We provide complete Dish Network turnkey solutions, including antenna conversion, receiver sales, service activation and integration into your yacht’s A/V system.

If you are arriving in the Caribbean from across the Atlantic, with the USA as your eventual destination, or if you will be spending time in the Western Caribbean or Mexico, Dish service could be a good solution.

More Information: Dish Network in the Caribbean

Choose Dish Network for:

• Single provider for USA, Northeastern Caribbean, Bahamas, Western Caribbean, Mexico
• US news and sports channels
• Pay-as-you-go plans

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DirecTV USA

Until recently, the footprint of the DirecTV USA satellites did not reach the Caribbean. However this may have changed and we have confirmed that many of the transponders on their Ku-band satellite 101W as well as some on the Ka-band satellites 99W and 103W are now being received in the northeastern Caribbean and can be tracked with marine antennas.

Many vessels report continuing to receive DirecTV USA (mostly SD channels) coming down from the US through the Bahamas and as far south as St. Maarten & St. Barths. In some cases antennas and receivers need to be re-configured to enable reception of all channels – contact us for a service call to help you optimize your system for the best possible reception.

For vessels heading from the Caribbean to the USA we can now provide installation and activation services through a DirecTV USA authorized reseller, so that you can enjoy service as soon as you enter the coverage area. Please note that DirecTV USA does not have a pay-as-you-go program and requires a 2-year contract and US billing and service addresses and a valid credit card, so this option makes sense only to vessels heading for a long-term stay in the US, or those that want to take advantage of HD programming and exclusive sports that DirecTV carries. Other vessels may prefer using Dish Network.

Choose DirecTV USA for:

• Best-quality USA coverage (with an HD antenna)
• US news and sports channels

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Canal+/Canalsat Caraibes

The French-language service is carried on the Intelsat 35e (34.5W) satellite with good coverage throughout the Caribbean.

We provide complete Canal+/Canalsat turnkey solutions, including antenna programming, receiver sales/rental, service activation and integration into your yacht’s A/V system.

More Information: Canal+/Canalsat Caraibes

Choose Canal+ for:

• French-language programming
• Linear LNB – no antenna conversion required for European-based yachts

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Sky Mexico

Sky Mexico is an alternative service for yachts that can no longer receive DirecTV Caribbean service in the Western Caribbean and Pacific coast. Service is primarily in Spanish, with some channels in English as a primary or second language.

Service is provided from two satellites:

The older satellite (58W) has more limited coverage and programming. Reception requires a linear LNB.

The newer satellite (at 79W) has a larger coverage area and better programming. However, reception requires a specialized stacked LNB which is currently not available for marine antennas.

Sky Mexico has created a subscription package for visiting yachts for the 58W satellite, though it is quite lengthy in its terms (18-24 months) and cumbersome in its setup. Even though it does not show on the coverage map, coverage does extend to St. Maarten with large antennas, so we can assist you with the signup process, antenna conversion and receiver installation.

Channel lineup from Lyngsat.com

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Dish Mexico

Spanish-language Dish service with Mexico local channels

Channel lineup from Lyngsat.com

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Free-to-Air (FTA)

Unlike many European countries where free satellite TV service is subsidized by local taxes on TV sets, very few Free-to-Air services operate in the Americas. Those that do offer mostly specialized programming, such as religious and international/ethnic channels. In the Caribbean, some FTA programming is available on the The Galaxy 19 (97W) satellite.

More Information: Galaxy 19 on Lyngsat.com

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KiwiSat

KiwiSat is a new Caribbean Satellite TV provider operating on the SES-10 satellite at 67W and focusing on the residential and hospitality markets. Our understanding is that they do not currently support marine installations. If you have acquired their receivers and service, we can assist you with antenna setup, receiver installation and configuration, and integration with AV control systems.