EASTER BANDSCAN IN THE BALKANS

   I passed the night from Great Saturday to Easter Sunday, listening to radio stations of the medium wave band, which cancelled their regular programme in order to carry the Easter Divine Liturgy.

   I scanned in Athens, a plethora of radio frequencies of Radio România, relaying the Romanian Church Service, for many hours.

   Those frequencies were: 555 kHz, 558 kHz, 567 kHz, 603 kHz, 711 kHz, 945 kHz, 1179 kHz, 1314 kHz, 1332 kHz, 1404 kHz, 1422 kHz, 1458 kHz, 1530 kHz, 1593 kHz.

   Some of them were used by ERT two months ago, now they are either inactive or suspended.

   On 630 kHz Radio Timisoara relayed a different Service from the local Cathedral.

   ERT had during that night a poor presence from 23:00 to 00:30 on 729 kHz, while Voice of Greece on 666 kHz carried Cosmos FM programme with Brazilian music (!).

   Bulgarian Radio broadcasted the Easter Service, till 01:00 when they signed off, on 1224 kHz, Vidin, 873 kHz and 1161 kHz, Stara Zagora. By the way it seems to me, that Bulgarian chanting is closer to the Byzantine–Greek style than that of the Romanians.

   Foreign services of Bulgarian Radio, in both Albanian and Greek language had special Easter programmes with songs, hymns and narrations of elder women related to these days.

   It is worth mentioning that the English Service of Radio Romania International (short wave, 7435 kHz), had special programmes dedicated to Orthodox Easter, referring to local customs.

   TECSUN PL-390 proved to be adequate for the occasion.