First a background of the change in the existing setup.
In Singapore, most of the population (>90%) live in a Housing Development Board (HDB) flat aka government flat. Traditionally there would be standard antenna access points for FM and TV in every unit which are clearly marked in the living room. These antenna access point were supposed to be connected to the antenna at the top of every HDB building.
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| Traditional FM & TV antenna connector in HDB flats |
On the Sunday morning of 6Jan2019, all I was able to hear was static from the FM radio via the access point marked FM in the living room.
When I contacted the authorities the next working day, I was informed the reported service disruption in my apartment was due to the withdrawal of all cable services by the telco Starhub. Only catch was I did not subscribing to any services from Starhub at the present time.
Hence when I visited several electronics DIY shops in the Sim Lim Tower and Sim Lim Square area, the shops informed many experience the same issue as myself. Thus indoor FM antennas and boosters😵 were flying off the shelves!
Prices were better online and I ordered a set. While awaiting the delivery, I had to use a DIY FM antenna - basically just hookup a 3m cable to the antenna socket of my Kenwood KT-5020. It's doing a decent job for the station I wanted to listen to but did not fare well for distant stations.
The order is scheduled to be delivered tonight. Will update once I have time to setup the item(s). For non-Asian visitors, this is a very busy period in the Far East as it's Chinese New Year week eg our version of Christmas😄!
Apologies for the delay for this month's post😞
Update (11Feb2019)
I purchased the following package online which includes a signal amplifier and a "multi-purpose antenna" (according to the seller's website). The signal amplifier provides 20dB boost and is powered using a typical USB phone charger - great for making reception possible in "poor areas".
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| Signal amplifier and "multi-purpose" antenna purchased online |
Assembly of the components is "easy as 1--2-3" and all that was required was a USB charger.
Unfortunately the new components did not deliver a complete solution. Signal strength on the tuner is full but no stereo light on the tuner.
Hence I bought the indoor antenna originally recommended by a number of stores, the Daiyo EU-1703.
I then proceeded to test various combinations to determine which would provide the best reception - DIY antenna (with/out signal booster), digital antenna (with/out signal booster), and Daiyo antenna (with/out signal booster).
Best combination seem to be pairing the signal booster with the Daiyo antenna. Not the perfect solution as was able to receive most of the available stations with high signal strength, and, about 90%+ in stereo.
Luckily my favourite stations were not among the low number of casualties😀
Update#2 (23Mar2019)
This diagram explains why I can no longer use the traditional designated FM and TV ports in my apartment. Starhub was using them (aka SCV port in the pix) as their "new transfer facility". Don't the residents get any say about this?
