#swling

Intermittent Audio Drops on WTWW

2021-NOVEMBER-28 @ 03:25 UTC

On 28 November 2021 at 03:25 UTC, my reception of WTWW here in Ohio was marginal, but worse, the audio feed into the transmitter appears to be having intermittent cuts.  The audio drops often, intermittently, during this short aircheck.

The international shortwave broadcasting station, WTWW, was broadcasting on the HF frequency of 5085 kHz, from their transmitting location which is south of my receiving station.

My station consists of an SDRPlay RSPdx radio receiver, hooked up to a 220-foot doublet antenna.

Video of the capture with audio:

Could this have something to do with the German financial interest in Greece? Greek Shortwave Radio in jeopardy!  http://g.nw7us.us/1br1rPz

Story:

The degradation of Greek Radio is going on, having shortwave radio "Voice of Greece" as a victim. This includes 39 shortwave antenna masts hosted in Avlis, which the government plans to sell as scrap metal. The shortwave service started 75 years ago and it is still transmitting in 5 frequencies that cover the globe with shows in Greek for expatriates and foreign language news. The facilities are currently controlled by redundant ERT employes and broadcast the guerilla service of the Greek National Radio ERA. Eighteen months ago, shortwave facilities in Thessaloniki were dismantled.

According to a statement by ERT employees, on Monday morning "in the shortwave broadcasting center of Avlis, a representative of a company that sells metal showed up and started taking photos of the site. After we, ERT people, asked him, we got informed that he had been mandated by the Ministry of Finance to give an offer for the dismantling of 39 masts and purchasing the metal as scrap." The name of company and the registration plate of the car are available.

The union body of ERT notes that this is an area of 1160 acres, featuring 39 metal masts, with a height between 30 and 70 meters each, that function as the shortwave aerials that transmit the "Voice of Greece", the ERA-pénte, across the world.

"Greek shortwave started operating in 1938 and later was also used sent information to the Greek soldiers fighting Fascists in Albania. The only ones who dared to turn it off were the Nazis during the occupation. Since the liberation, it never stopped to link the country with Greek seafarers and the Diaspora. The Voice of Greece broadcasts information, entertainment, culture and tradition from Greece with programs in 12 languages, all over the globe".