WORLDWIDE DX CLUB Weekly Top News

(RNW MN NL Feb 24)
The closure of the Kavala station has been rumoured already for some time
and is hardly a surprise. However, Rhodes is a different story. A look at
the maps suggests that it should put a better signal of Radio Sawa into
Syria and vicinity than Kuwait. I suspect that pulling out Greece entirely
is BBG's only option to get rid of Kavala, since otherwhise they would
certainly keep the Rhodes tx for Radio Sawa, all-important as a weapon in
the "war on terrorism". Or is 1260 kHz much poorer than one would assume
in theory?
Regarding Voice of Greece: A considerable amount of their txions direct
from Greece originates from Kavala as well. Current schedule is 0000-0400
on 9375 and 12105, 0400-0700 on 15650 and 17520, 0900-1000 on 15650 and
21530, 1100-1400 on 17525, 1100-1600 on 12105, 1400-2000 on 7430, 1600-
2000 on 7475, 2000-2400 on 9375 and 12105, i.e. two txs most of the day.
Years ago they received some of the Gloria txs as gift, but what are the
actual capabilities of ERA's own Avlis site now, especially in regard of
antennas?
(Kai Ludwig-D, wwdxc BC-DX Feb 25)
And they never got around to installing and activating some of the gifts
from Gloria. Maybe now, if they haven't totally deteriorated?
(gh, dxld Feb 27)
Comment on Voice of Greece schedule So the situation is quite obvious: ERA
has the ex-Gloria txs but no antennas to run them were constructed until
today. Apparently they just took one of the donated 250 kW beasts and
connected it somehow, i.e. probably not through the existing switching
matrix, to either an existing or makeshift antenna, creating a system
which is not frequency-agile and good for 70 kW only. I guess the costs of
high power antennas prevented them to establish any further use of the
donated equipment so far.
It is also obvious now that at present indeed no operational SW equipment
exists at the old VOA station near Thessaloniki, despite all the THE
registrations. So only the ancient 150 kW mediumwave transmitter (ex-791,
now 1044) or perhaps a new mediumwave rig is still on air there. It seems
to be an educated guess that the antennas of the decommissioned 35 kW SW
txs are of no use for the ex-Gloria equipment.
By the way, 7430 from Kavala is such a poor signal here in Central Europe
that one has to doubt the 355 degrees azimuth. Sounds like beaming to
somewhere else, despite the programming being meant for Europe (Germany,
etc).
(Kai Ludwig-D, dxld Mar 1)
IBB closing down: This is, if correct, pretty significant. It would
evidently include both Kavala (MF and HF) and Rhodos (MF only now, as HF
was shut down not too long after a complete rebuild of all the HF
antennas). Rhodos particularly is an important site for area E. of the
Maghreb.
(Aaron Zawitzky, dxld Feb 27)
Back in July 3, 1992, "I had a letter from the former freq manager of VOG:
"According to the bilateral agreement between Greece and USA, we can
transmit our programs for 12 hours. The agreement was ratified by the
Greek parliament at the end of January. Since that day the agreement was
effective. But, there were some problems . . .
"Greenville and Delano cannot cover areas such as Australia and Pacific,
Japan, coast of China because it seems that they have removed the antennas
... I need freqs in the 15 MHz. band (272 azimuth) which they do not have.