amadman,
Have you looked into getting a visa with epassporte? There's no credit check involved and for $35 they'll send you a visa electron. But you may not even have to spend the $35. If your satellite company accepts online payments, the epassporte visa will likely be acceptable (it's a virtual visa, good pretty much anywhere you see the visa logo). Check 'em out if it sounds useful:
http://www.epassporte.com