Satellite Internet In Havana, Cuba.

[ian77ex]

Hello Guys.

I found this community while surfing the internet and after reading a lot I'm afraid I still have a lot of questions, I'm a newbie regarding internet via satellite. I hope that you are able to help me.

I live in Havana, Cuba, and I'm willing to subscribe to an isp which provide access through a satellite in the US. A friend of mine who lives in Florida would request the service, get the equipment and pay the monthly fees, then he would bring me all the equipment (Satellite modem, Dish, cable, and two-way LNB), I can install those by myself since I'm an engineer who has experience in Satellite TV installation (Dish network and Direct TV), have the expertise in networking, I got a Cisco (CCNA) certification, and I hope I have all the help I can get from these forums.

Which one is the best option for me, Wildblue or HugesNet?
What equipment do I need, modem, LNB, Dish? Can I get it from this site?
I have a Twinhan 1020A and a DirectTV Dish, Can I use them? This will be a great advantage because my friend would only need to bring me the LNB.
Wildblue's Ka band and located beams system could be a problem, doesn't it?
What else do I need?

Dish network TV and Direct TV signals are very strong in this place. We are only 90-100 miles away from southern florida.

Please help me. There's no other way to get connected to the world in this country and I really need it. I would highly appreciate any help you can give me.

[grohgreg]

Wildblue spot beams purposefully avoid Cuba for political reasons. Average spot radius is 200 miles, with the strongest signal obviously being at the center of the beam. Typical US hardware includes a 28x26 dish. Without some way to get your hands on the larger (and very elusive) 1.2m Wildblue system, you'll have signal level issues in both directions.

Don't waste any time on the HughesNet HN9000 system either, it's Ka-band spot beamed as well. That leaves the Ku-band HN7000S. But I wouldn't go through Hughes. You're better off going through one of the dealer/installers here, or an online retailer like Montana Satellite. Self-installation is not difficult with the right tools, the most important being the OPI (outdoor pointing interface). They too are hard to find, having been replaced by a similar (and more expensive) device now called the DAPT (DiSEqc Antenna Pointing Tool).

//greg//

[cjav]

So are you saying the best way to get Satellite Internet in Cuba is to buy a Hughes Ku-band HN7000S through someone like Montana Satellite?

[grohgreg]

Not exactly. This is a self-help forum. We're not capable of helping you directly. What I was trying to impart, was that it's outfits like Montana Satellite that are set up for that kind of assistance. They're not the only game in town, they're just the first one that came to mind.

//greg//