Bulgaria DX

The first Bulgarian website dedicated to DX-ing!

FM DX-ing in Bulgaria

SERBIA

Constant Reception

Serbia

Listening to Yugoslavian radios on FM and watching Yugoslavian TV has a long tradition in Bulgaria, especially in its western parts.  In fact, due to the closeness of Bulgarian and Serbian languages, electronic media from Serbia (then part of Yugoslavia) were a precious source of information and entertainment during communist times, as Yugoslavia, although a communist country, was situated behind the “Iron Curtain”. Many people in areas close to the Yugoslav border grew up with Radio and TV Belgrade’s shows, which were considered much more interesting than Bulgarian ones. This phenomenon was enhanced by the fact that Yugoslav transmitters were then very powerful and constant quality reception of radio and TV-signals was possible in western and most of northern Bulgaria.

However, after the fall of the totalitarian communist regime in 1989, western-like TV stations began to appear in Bulgaria and the popularity of the Yugoslav State-owned media dropped very fast. Furthermore, NATO-bombings of strategic Yugoslav transmitters in the spring of 1999 destroyed nearly completely the network of RTS (Radio and Television of Serbia) putting an end to the reception of Serbian (Yugoslav) radio and television in regions where quality reception was previously possible.

 

The transmitter on mt. Kopaonik after  NATO-bombing on  May 19, 1999.

Nowadays, the Serbian transmitter network is slowly recovering, but most of the transmitters use powers often 10 times weaker than those before 1999. Serbian FM-radios can still be received in most of western Bulgaria, as well as on particular spots in northern and southern Bulgaria. Strongest Serbian transmitters received in Bulgaria include Kopaonik, Besna Kobila, Jastrebac, Tupiznica and Deli Jovan. The last two transmitters are the only ones which can be received in central southern Bulgaria (Plovdiv region) as well as in the eastern parts of northern Bulgaria (Ruse, Veliko Turnovo, Gabrovo regions etc.).

In the summer of 2008 many transmitters from eastern Serbia, including Jastrebac, Crni Vrh near Pirot, Sljivovicki Vis etc. were received near Vrhovrh chalet, some 25 km. to the southwest of Plovdiv—probably the easternmost location in southern Bulgaria were constant reception from a large number of Serbian transmitters is possible.

In December 2008, the first reception of Serbian FM-signals in the region of Smoljan was realised. The signals were of Radio Beograd 1 from Jastrebac on 96,9 MHz and of Radio Belle Amie from Sljivovicki Vis on 104,8 MHz. These stations were received not far away from the Persenk hut to the north of the town of Chepelare making it the southeasternmost spot in Bulgaria where Serbian signals have been received. Here is a video recording.

Bulgarian regions where FM-reception from Serbia is possible.

The legendary transmitter on Besna Kobila peak (1922 m.) from which many inhabitants of the Bulgarian capital Sofia were receiving Yugoslavian television during communist times. It was severely damaged during the NATO-bombings in the spring of 1999 and its power now is probably 10 times weaker than before 1999.