Friends, forgive the “clickbait” headline. I want to make sure that the people who need to read this article can find it. The easiest way to do that is to get Google to pay attention So, that’s what I’m doing.
Let’s talk satellite TV
For about 25 years, you’ve been able to get satellite TV on your boat. Whether it’s a luxury yacht or a workboat, thousands of thousands of boats have been fitted with satellite TV systems. It’s been a very popular upgrade, and there’s a reason: it’s a crowd-pleaser. Live TV gives you live news and sports, and while satellite internet is getting less expensive, satellite TV still costs less. In the end, I think most boat owners and operators will want both satellite TV and internet, because each gives you something different.
Satellite TV on boats
Satellite TV on boats is a little different from satellite TV on land. The service is essentially the same, but the satellite dish is very different. It’s pretty clear why — you need a dish that can stay pointed at the sky no matter which way the boat is moving. When you have satellite TV at home, you hope your house doesn’t move enough to force your dish out of alignment! But of course on boats it’s a common occurrence.
Another thing that boat owners sometimes deal with is called “going out of footprint.” In other words, you’re traveling so far away from your home port that you’ll lose local channels. Travel even further, like 100 miles off shore, and you’ll lose all US satellite TV. That’s when international operators will switch to a different TV service from a different part of the world. Again, this is not something most satellite TV customers will ever have to deal with. But if you do have to deal with it, you’ll find that it takes a little more than a simple A/B switch to change satellite providers.
Another thing boat owners often deal with is their boat being owned by a business, not a person. When you operate as a business, you need a special contract with the satellite companies. Often times the prices are pretty close to the same. But, you still need to register as a commercial account to stay in compliance with the law. It does make a difference.
What happens when something goes wrong while you’re out on the water?
Let’s say you’re sailing along and all of a sudden you lose service. Or, one of the satellite receivers gives you a weird message. If this has happened to you, you know it’s not as simple as calling the satellite company. Their overseas call centers can’t help you, and they won’t know what to tell you. They just don’t deal with marine customers. That may leave you feeling like you’ve been left out in the cold. Don’t get mad, just call the right people.
Signal Connect: the world leader in marine satellite
There’s one company that has done more marine satellite activations than anyone else in the world. They also happens to be DIRECTV’s dealer of the year, and they’re the sponsor of this article. (That’s right, unlike some web sites I’m going to be upfront: this is a sponsored article.) Signal Connect has won every major award for customer service in marine satellite TV. We have over 20 years’ experience in the marine world, and chances are you know someone who uses us, even if you don’t realize it.
We have a team of experts who know marine satellite inside or out. It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about DISH, DIRECTV, KVH, Intellian, SeaTel, or something else… we handle it all. We can give you free tech support right over the phone. You’ll talk to a real technician who understands your problems and can offer real solutions. They’ll even give you their direct line and email if you want to get hold of them for next time. And, many of our folks are available after hours because we know that problems don’t take a break after 5pm.
Call the experts.
Give Signal Connect a call. We ask that the first call be during East Coast business hours, so we can route you to the right person. Once you are talking to that person, they’ll tell you when they’re available for you. A lot of times, evenings and weekends are no problem at all.
Call us at 888-233-7563. If it’s after hours and you want quick service, fill out the form below. We’ll get back to you, usually within one business day.
