Friday, January 28, 2011

AM AND SHORT WAVE TRANSMITTERS IN GREECE

** GREECE. Greece: Re. >> 792 kHz is transmitted from Malgara, west of
Thessaloniki together with 1179 kHz, via a combiner through the same
antenna. 792 kHz is using a HARRIS 100 KW transmitter, transferred to
ERT by IBB, years back. An identical transmitter is operating in Corfu
(Kerkyra) for at least 4 years by now. <<

This is quite interesting: IBB gave away two new mediumwave
transmitters to Greece and at almost the same time did bother to move
a rather old tube transmitter (I think it's a Continental 318.5A which
should be basically a 150 kW version of the 317 model) from
Holzkirchen to Kuwait.

Do we still have to be surprised about IBB rigorously shutting down
their Greece operations after hearing about such things?

And in fact activating 792 from Malgara is a return, since it was on
air from here until the Xanthi/Kavala plant had been opened and the
150 kW at Malgara reused by ERT on 1044. Probably this old VOA
transmitter is still on air there, or has it been replaced by a new
one in the meantime?

Btw, Malgara is located on the shores of the Axios river, certainly a
good location for an AM transmitter site. But don't bother, only poor
aerial images of this are are online. (Yahoo has the best material, if
somebody still wants to try.) (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Nov 17, dxldyg via
DX LISTENING DIGEST)

Re: various Thessaloniki sites [all the below aggregated by wb]

Kai, some correction; the US-Greek VoA relay terms matter is much more
difficult. Greek negotiations with US Athens embassy for prolongation
of Kavalla and Rhodes relay contract was not very friendly especially
in the nineties and in 2002y.

US had to fear the worst case of Kavalla & Rhodes closure after April
25, 1996. I guess more or less the negative negotiation climate
described by Athens personnel took effect heavily to sudden closure of
Kavalla [Apr 1973 - 21 Apr 2006] and Rhodes [1964-] installations in
1998/2001. (wb)

The terms between Greece and VOA concerning the relay sites were
renegotiated twice. First time in 1997, and then again in 2002. In
2002, the agreement called for VOA granting Voice of Greece the use of
relay time on the US based Delano and Greenville SW transmitters (John
Babbis)

Then the contract prolonged for another 5 years. The US embassy
offered a gift to the Greeks, five former RFE Gloria Portugal site 250
kW SW units; [and as another discovered detail chip N O W , also two
x 100 kW Harris MW tx units too. One erected at Kerkyra-Corfu in 2004y
and the other at Kimina, Nea Malgara in 2007y]. (wb)

> Kai Ludwig: "...IBB gave away two new mediumwave transmitters..."

:: I guess that gift happened already after negotiations in 1997 ??
:: Long before Holzkirchen closed and IBB Kuwait site was erected ...
(wb)

John Babbis-MD-USA, dxld Jan 10/12, 2001:
"A few years ago, you had an article in Monitoring Times that the
Radio Free Europe-Portugal facility was closing up and that five 250
kW transmitters were being donated to the Greek government - three to
Athens and two to Thessaloniki.

As for info about progress on their installation, it seems that the V
of Greece engineers are being close-mouthed, except for that one
postcard that I received from Dionisios Angelogiannis saying that VOG
hoped to begin transmitting on one of the new transmitters in
November." (JB)

wb, bc-dx Jan 10/12, 2001:
Perea 1044 was featured in DSWCI Shortwave News March-1991, meaning
two half wave vertical masts for mediumwave mentioned, 2 x 75 kW
units, off for maintenance on Wednesdays 1100-1300. Two easy SW dipole
arrays 115 degrees to Cyprus, and 315 degrees to Central Europe. MW
1179 kHz is from different Kimina, Nea Malgara site; off Tuesdays
1000-1200. (wb)

Kai:
``And in fact activating 792 from Malgara is a return, since it was on
air from here until the Xanthi/Kavala plant had been opened and the
150 kW at Malgara reused by ERT on 1044. Probably this old VOA
transmitter is still on air there, or has it been replaced by a new
one in the meantime?``

No:
:: The former VOA/EIR/ERA 791 kHz outlet never appeared from Nea
Malgara site, only at Perea on March 15, 1950 til March 3, 1973.
ERT 1044 kHz 150 kW is still and ever via Thessaloniki I Perea site.

VOA 791/792 kHz moved to Kavalla in March 4th, 1973.

Thessaloniki I contained 791 kHz 50 kW of VOA - partly Greek national
program relay in daytime, latter as well at Kavalla too.

And 1043 kHz 50 kW of EIR/ERA, as well as 4 x 35 kW Collins
transmitters, three transmitters for VOA broadcasts, the fourth used
partly by ERA [R Macedonia] to Greek nationals [foreign workers] in
Western Europe during late daytime and evening.

EIR - Ethnikon Idhryma Radiophonias, Radiophonikos Stathmos
Macedonias, Thessaloniki.
ERA - Hellenic Radio. Elliniki Radiophonia.

Thessaloniki I Perea GRC, former ERA / VOA Thessaloniki Perea at
40 30 45.32 N 22 56 34.88 E

see Yahoo Maps also
http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=40.512589&lon=22.943022&z=16.5&r=0&src=yh

VOA THA used since March 15, 1950 til March 3, 1973 for both VOA 791
kHz, 150 kW and ERA 1043 50 kW, as well as SW.

On March 4th, 1973 all VOA MW 791 and SW services moved to then new
Kavalla site.

In 1972 all ERA SW transmissions moved from THA 240 kilometers south
to then very new Avlis site, 2 x 100 kW.

ERA Voice of Greece Athens Akra Avlis SW site at
38 23 22.12 N 23 36 25.00 E --- see Yahoo Maps
http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=38.389746&lon=23.606992&z=16.8&r=0&src=yh

Remained THA used for ERA 1044 kHz with 50 kW since 1973 til 1984. And
a single 35 kW Collins for R Macedonia relay via Perea site remained
there too. (wb)

John Babbis-MD-USA, dxld Feb 13, 2007:
"On May 12, 1988, Professor Athanasios Dermanis of the Thessaloniki
Station wrote the following:

""Within a short space of time, our new rhombic antenna will be
broadcasting at 315 degrees and the power of our transmitter will
remain at 35 kW.""

Latter Collins unit for the very last time on odd 7430.29 kHz on
January 23, 2001 !! and shifted to 100 kW Avlis site the next day.
(reported by Olle Alm-SWE, wwdxc BC-DX Jan 30, 2001)

Zacharias Liangas-Thessaloniki-GRC in an e-mail of Jan 30, 2001y ! :
"Phone number transmitters 30 392 23363 at Perea. Not affilated any
more with SW, affiliate only for MW 1044 kHz."

In late 1984 the MW site Thessaloniki Perea built up another powerful
MW transmitter unit, and new 150 kW transmitter [2 x 75 kW units] on
1044 kHz appeared, and INTERFERRED HEAVILY the more or less exclusive
signal from Radio GDR I Dresden Wilsdruff in central and southeastern
Europe. (wb)
- - -
Thessaloniki II Kimina, Nea Malgara.
Greece, ERA Thessaloniki II Kimina, Nea Malgara site 1179 kHz, 50 kW.
erected across the THA bay located on the shores of the Axios river.
40 31 54.25 N 22 41 28.13 E
http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=40.531736&lon=22.691147&z=17.6&r=0&src=ggl

First appeared in WRTH 1973 with 50 kW as YENED, Greek Military Junta
Forces Radio in 1972 til 1983. From 1984 under ERT-2 service.

At present in use via a combiner on both, on both 792[100] and 1179
kHz [50 kW]. 73 (Wolfgang B�schel, Germany, Nov 17, DX LISTENING
DIGEST) see also MOROCCO

Hello, after again looking at this matter I have to warn: Beware of
any references to the now gone shortwave activities from Thessaloniki;
many sources mess up the two sites into something like "Perea Nea
Malgara", like the source quoted at
http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/dxld1011.txt
So I was never aware of 1044/1179 in fact being different sites until
now.

The notes about Perea heavily interfering with co-channel Wilsdruff
are quite true. Back in 1992/1993 it appeared as a faint whisper in
the background even here, just 50 km away from the transmitter,
running 250/150 kW at this time. Here is a recording of the last
minutes of MDR Sputnik (ex-DT64, already renamed but at this point
still from the Berlin/Nalepastra�e studios) transmission on June 30
1993. At about 4:20 into this file the mentioned whisper can be made
out, and Perea becomes were obvious towards the end, when the 250 kW
transmitter (run at 150 kW) cut carrier and the 20 kW unit came up
after a short break:
http://www.radioeins.de/meta/sendungen/apparat/030628_A3.ram

(If you find the audio processing overdone: It had been set up at
Berlin by tuning a radio to 1044 and listen to what could be heard of
it in the ET studio complex, with this result...)

And here are two pictures of the Perea site. Again BEWARE, because
1179 is incorrectly mentioned here as well:
http://www.geocities.com/zliangas/ths-trans.html

The two lattice towers are clearly visible in the Yahoo aerial images.
I guess the large four masts are a second mediumwave system? And the
small masts would belong to the former shortwave operations (which in
the end were always more or less off-frequency and suffered from
distorted modulation). All the best, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Nov 18, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)

** GREECE. Macedonian Radio Station, 7450 via Avlis, Nov 16 at 2132
with a couple of clear IDs by W, as ``Radiophonik�s Stathm�s
Makedon�as``. Better signal than VOG 7475, and the latter was also
undermodulated (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GREECE. Hellenes Around the World was missing again, UT Sunday Nov
18 0300-0400; checked during the entire hour on webcast, stayed in
Greek. Is this really the correct time for it now? (Glenn Hauser, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)

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