Voice of Greece - Final Transmission: June 15, 2022

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Live off-air recording of the final two hours of the shortwave transmissions of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation's (ERT's) Voice of Greece (I Foni tis Elladas) on 15 June 2022 on a frequency of 9420 kHz. Also known as ERA 5, the Voice of Greece broadcast its programs from Avlis about 50 km north-east of Athens using a transmitter with a registered power of 150 kW with an antenna beam of 323° towards western Europe. Avlis had a large transmitting complex with multiple transmitters and antennas but at the end of its service was reduced to just one operational transmitter.

The Voice of Greece continues to be available via Internet streaming and satellite.

The recording, all in Greek, starts with a time check, the beginning of the Voice of Greece interval (tuning) signal with station identification. Then follows two programs. The first program is Fones kai Mousikes tis Ellinikis Kardias (Voices and Sounds of the Greek Heart). It features an interview with singer Natalia Soledad Petsalis from Buenos Aires. At just after 16:00 UTC, there is news from ERA 1, the Proto Programma network, before returning to Voice of Greece programming. The second program is Kales Thallasses (Good Seas) and includes an interview with retired ship captain Georgios Mavrakis. Captain Mavrakis recounts how during his 30 years of service as a sailor, the broadcasts of the Voice of Greece kept him company at sea. At the end of the recording, there is the short interval signal and identification of the Voice of Greece just before the transmitter leaves the air.

The broadcast was received by the Web-interface wideband software-defined radio at the University of Twente in Enschede, The Netherlands, with a "Mini-Whip" antenna in synchronous AM mode with 5.08 kHz total bandwidth RF filtering. Reception of the broadcast was good with some fading at times and with some slight co-channel interference from a Chinese transmitter especially after 16:00 UTC.

Voice of Greece: May 16, 2016

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I Foní tis Elládas : Elliniki Radiofonia/ The Voice of Greece : Hellenic Radio

I Foní tis Elládas : Elliniki Radiofonia/ The Voice of Greece : Hellenic Radio

Voice of Greece recorded in London, UK on May 16, 2016 at 2300 UTC on the frequency of 9420 kHz using a Lowe HF-150 radio with the Lowe PR-150 preselector, DX Engineering NCC-1 phaser connected to two Wellbrook ALA1530S+ antennas (positioned indoors) to mitigate severe local man-made interference. The transmitter has a power rating of 170 kW and is located in Avlis, Greece. 

Voice of Greece: November 15, 2013

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I never know what to expect when I tune around on one of my shortwave radios.  Perhaps that's one of the things I find captivating about the medium; there's no playlist, no app, no content controls, other than the tuning knob.

Sometimes, I tune to a station, and it's as though I've just opened a door and walked in on a party--one in full swing, with dancing and incredible live music.

That's exactly what I felt when I tuned to the Voice of Greece on the night of November 15, 2013. I walked in on a party.  And I needed no invitation; I was welcomed there.

Hear it, just as I did, starting right in the middle of this party:

Voice of Greece: June 29, 2015

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For your listening pleasure: the Voice of Greece.

Recorded on 29 June 2015 starting around 01:50 UTC on  9,420 kHz using a WinRadio Excalibur and a horizontal delta loop external wire antenna. Location of reception is North Carolina, USA. 

Notes: In the last 15 minutes of this recording there are a number of multi-language station IDs for the Voice of Greece and ERT.

 

Helliniki Radiophonia: January 2, 2015

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It’s been a while now since 9,420 kHz–a former Voice of Greece frequency–should have gone off the air.  Fortunately, it has not.

The station is no longer referred to as the Voice of Greece; it’s now a relay of ERT Open, otherwise known as the Helliniki Radiophonia (you’ll hear this name in the station ID).

January 2, 2015, I recorded nearly four hours of Helliniki Radiophonia starting around 2230 UTC.

Simply click here to download an MP3 of the full recording, or listen via the embedded player below.

The music begins, in earnest, a little after 17:00–enjoy:


ERT Open (Voice of Greece): October 24, 2014

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View from the town of Litochoro, in the foothills of Mount Olympus, Greece. (Source: Public Domain via Wikimedia)

View from the town of Litochoro, in the foothills of Mount Olympus, Greece. (Source: Public Domain via Wikimedia)

Many listeners have noticed that the former Voice of Greece (ERT Open) has moved from 9,420 kHz to 9,415 kHz. This must be due to interference from the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) who has been transmitting on 9420 kHz as well.

Here in North America, even when IRIB was broadcasting simultaneously on 9420 kHz, VOG always overpowered their signal. In other parts of the world, though, it was not the same case.

I’m happy VOG/ERT is still on shortwave and broadcasting to the world–though no one really knows for how much longer.

I recorded about one hour of VOG on 9,415 kHz, starting around 0045 UTC today. 

Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below. Please subscribe to our podcast to receive future recordings automatically.

ERT Open (Voice of Greece): July 6, 2014

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As I prepare the largest post I’ve ever published on the SWLing Post–a review and comparison of the PL-660, PL-880, ATS-909X and ICF-SW7600GR–I’ve been listening to the music I recorded Sunday night on ERT Open (Voice of Greece).

Regular readers know that I’ve always had a particular fondness of this station. Some nights they play hour long sets of music ranging from folk to modern (I especially love the folk) on 9,420 kHz. Their signal booms into North America as well; indeed, ERT Open can even be heard on a basic shortwave portable with relative ease.

Since I don’t speak or understand the Greek language, I can listen to this music while writing posts and catching up on email correspondence (I’m terribly behind at the moment).

For your listening pleasure: two hours, six minutes of ERT Open recorded on July 6, 2014 staring around 01:00 UTC.

Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

Radio Station of Macedonia (VOG): June 11, 2014

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Last night, while learning the ropes of the new Elad FDM-S2, I noticed some great music on 9,420 kHz, the former Voice of Greece frequency.

It was then that I realized yesterday (June 11) marked the one year anniversary of the day that the Greek government shut down ERT and the Voice of Greece. If interested, click here for some audio I recorded that very night.

Amazingly, one year later, 9,420 kHz is still active out of the Avlis transmitter site and last night, the Radio Station of Macedonia (a.k.a., ERT 3) was playing an excellent mix of Greek music and jazz.

Click here to listen to the 51 minute recording, made with the Elad FDM-S2 software defined receiver, starting at 00:50 UTC:

Radio Station of Macedonia, ERT 3: May 23, 2014

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Greece.jpg

For your listening pleasure: three hours, seven minutes of the Radio Station of Macedonia (a.k.a. Voice of Greece/ERT Macedonia 3) recorded on May 23, 2014 starting around 19:00 UTC on 9,420 kHz.

This recording was made using my WinRadio Excalibur receiver and a large horizontal delta loop antenna.

Click here to download as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below: