ARLA/CLUSTER: 13 antenas Beverage - Cada uma com 1 km de comprimento e as "míticas" AM DXpedicion para escuta de raras emissoras de Onda Média na Lapónia - Finlândia.

[João Costa > CT1FBF]

The Ultimate AM DXing Base
in Lapland
Available for Rent

by Mika Mäkeläinen <http://www.dxing.info/about/dxers/mtm.dx>
[image: Aihkiniemi cabin in 2017]
<http://www.dxing.info/photos/AIH72_cabin_1024x680.jpg>
The Aihkiniemi DX cabin in September 2017

Imagine spending a week in the middle of nowhere with 13 Beverage antennas
— each roughly a kilometer in length and capable of hearing hundreds of
rare stations. It's possible because we're making our famous AM DXpedition
base in Aihkiniemi, Finland, available for rent to other DXers as well.

Aihkiniemi became the first ever purpose-built AM DXpedition base in
Scandinavia in 2010. Most of the construction work was done in the summer
of 2010, but both the cabin as well as the antennas have been improved
continuously since then.

We want you to succeed and we'll do everything to make your DXpedition as
comfortable and successful as possible. Visiting Aihkiniemi is as easy and
as memorable as a DXpedition can be because we've already made the
investments and done the hard work for you. Forget the drudgery of spending
days setting up the antennas and get right into the business of
unforgettable AM DXing!
[image: Map: location of Aihkiniemi]

*Antennas and Equipment*

Below are the directions of each antenna and their intended target areas
(updated in November 2017):
*Beverage Antennas in Aihkiniemi*
255° Spain, U.K., Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay
270° Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Eastern Caribbean
(and lower band Argentina, Paraguay)
291° East Coast of North America, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Central America
304° North America: Great Lakes, Midwest, Mexico
321° North America: Prairie states, Rocky Mountains, Western Mexico
335° North America: West Coast
9° Alaska, Hawaii, the Pacific
29° The Pacific, New Zealand (North Island)
46° Japan (Hokkaido), New Zealand (South Island)
60° Siberia, Japan, Koreas, Northern and Eastern China, the rest of Eastern
Asia, Eastern Australia
80° Western and Southern China, South-East Asia, Thailand, Central Australia
100° India, Pakistan, Thailand, South Asia, Western Australia, the Middle
East
160° Iran, the Middle East, Eastern and Southern Africa

As you can imagine, Beverage antennas of this length are very directional
on the AM band, so during good conditions you have to choose what you want
to focus on. The same antennas can also be used for shortwave listening.
Below is our aerial setup on a Great Circle Map (click for a larger
version).

[image: Antenna directions in Aihkiniemi]
<http://www.dxing.info/images/map_finland_aihkiniemi_antennas_2017_AIH72_750x750.jpg>

The antennas from 255° to 46° are spread out on the northwestern side of
the main road on a flat but otherwise very challenging terrain with forest,
dense brush vegetation, small lakes and swamps. The rest of the antennas
are located on the southeastern side of the road in a bit hillier terrain
where the forest is much easier to walk in.
[image: Antenna at lakeshore]
The antennas are hung a few meters off the ground.

The antennas hang 3–5 meters above the ground to prevent reindeer and moose
from getting stuck in the wires. You should inspect all of the antennas at
least once during your DXpedition week to clean them from snow and ice, and
to make sure that the wires are sufficiently off the ground and place
additional sticks to lift low-lying wires, where necessary. Having a
reindeer hanging in a low-lying wire would be a nightmare scenario, in
terms of our community relations, which we need to avoid at all costs. We
have a rowboat to take you over the tiny lake, or in the winter you can get
to the other side using a small bridge a few hundred meters away
downstream. Don't try to walk across the ice, because it remains
treacherous even in mid-winter.

Once you've made a reservation, we'll email you a detailed map of the
antennas and cabin surroundings. You'll also get more detailed information
on the type of connectors used and answers to any housekeeping questions
you may have.

All antennas are grounded and fed into an impedance transformer, from which
a coax cable leads into the cabin. Inside the cabin, all coax wires are
HFX50, which is more resilient towards radio-frequency interference (RFI)
than the common RG58. One of the antennas (321 degrees) is equipped with a
toroid-based RF choke. Inside the cabin, you'll need to handle the coax
connectors very gently. Rough handling and unnecessary plugging/unplugging
of the cables can cause a major headache to the following crew.
[image: Jim peeling copper to for grounding]
Jim Solatie peeling copper for grounding.

Please note that this is wilderness and things happen. Although we work on
it year-round, we can't guarantee that all of the antennas will be in
working condition when you arrive. Bears, moose, reindeer and rabbits have
all wreaked havoc with our antennas at some point (mostly cutting or
damaging the coax cables on the ground). If you encounter problems, please
let us know so that we can fix it as soon as one of us has an opportunity
to travel north. Even if a couple of the antennas are out of service — and
you can't find a way to fix them — there's still an abundant array of wires
that will keep you busy DXing.

The cabin is equipped with an excellent ground wire that should be used to
ground also the antenna switcher. There's also a grounding panel where all
unused antennas can be attached to reduce interference.

To minimize RFI, there are currently several laboratory-grade power
supplies for your laptop computers and external hard drives. However, using
hard drives which are powered via USB is recommended to eliminate one
potential source of RFI. Because the level of electromagnetic interference
in Aihkiniemi is extremely low, you may notice that some of your own
equipment cause RFI which you haven't been able to detect at home.

There is also a separate power supply to provide 5V DC for Perseus
receivers. Several laptops are available for DXing, but they should not be
connected to the Internet. If you do bring a laptop of your own, which is
recommended if you want Internet connection or wish you to use your
favorite pre-installed SDR software, note that you also need a wire
connecting the power supply to your laptop, as laptops have a variety of
different power plugs.

You will also find a MiniVNA <http://miniradiosolutions.com/minivna> which
you can use to analyze antenna performance. Additionally, we have splitters
to give both listeners access to the full array of antennas, but you should
bring your own preamp if you wish to use one. Preamps are recommended,
because there are very few AM stations in northern Europe, and you can
usually boost the signal without overloading a decent communications
receiver.

*What can you expect to hear?*

If you've never experienced a DXpedition in Lapland before, the AM band may
initially sound confusing. It's very different from Central Europe, for
instance. You're likely to enjoy a very undisturbed band and be impressed
with the multitude of far-away stations both in the morning and afternoon.
On the other hand, a location in the far north means that the AM band can
become almost dead silent during a solar storm. In any case, you're in for
a lot of surprises, and conditions are likely to change from day to day. A
week should provide enough time to overcome a solar storm and still enjoy
some decent conditions at some point of the week, which is why we wouldn't
recommend going through the trouble of traveling up there for only a
weekend or so.
[image: Inside the cabin]
The DXing room has enough space for two DXers at a time.

The main target areas in this Arctic location are the Americas, Pacific,
Far East and Southeast Asia, but of course hundreds of AM stations from
Europe and the Middle East are also audible. The following is a review of
what you can expect to hear during a typical 24-hour cycle under average
conditions.

Most listeners travel to Lapland taking the overnight train, so a new crew
normally arrives in Aihkiniemi at the earliest around 2 p.m. (on a Saturday
which is when a weekly reservation begins and ends), by which time the
previous crew has already left to catch the evening train. Setting up your
gear will take some time, but during the first day you'll still have time
to get a taste of the Eastern Hemisphere.

>From November to February, the first stations from the Far East can appear
as early as 0900–1000 UTC, and Asian stations can be enjoyed until around
1400–1700 UTC, when stations from the Middle East and Europe gradually take
over the AM band. Be alert for local breaks, such as NHK2 station
identifications at closing time (at 1600 UTC or before). Indian stations
can be best identified around sign-off time at 1740 UTC or after 0023 UTC
sign-on.

Sub-Saharan AM stations are notoriously difficult catches because Central
European stations tend to dominate the same frequencies. Our extensive
antenna farm is not very helpful because European stations are in the same
direction, so don't count on getting many African stations, except in the
case of solar storms. Your best shot to catch sub-Saharan African stations
is to watch for Ethiopian stations signing off after 2100 UTC; Nigerian,
Mozambican and others signing off around 2200–2300 UTC, and stations from
Sudan and Ethiopia signing on around 0300 UTC.
[image: Jim listening]
Jim is hunting for new AM stations.

The first signals from the Americas appear around 2000–2200 UTC. They're
usually from Newfoundland, Venezuela or northeastern Brazil, depending on
the direction of the conditions. Gradually targets from further west appear
on the dial. Overnight conditions vary a lot, but the peak listening time
to the Western Hemisphere falls after sunrise Finnish time, around 0600–1000
UTC. If conditions are good, stations can be heard at almost every 10 kHz
throughout the AM band. A true feast! Even during poor conditions there's
usually a short peak in conditions at daybreak.

In midwinter, the sun remains below the horizon, but DXing conditions are
similar. During good conditions, North American stations from the West
Coast can be heard until 1500–1600 UTC, and Alaskan stations even later.
The strong signals from Alaska will give you chills.

Around midday Finnish time is the best time to hunt for stations in the
Pacific, which tend to be overcome by Asian stations later in the
afternoon. The Southern Pacific is on the opposite side of the world, so it
is a rare treat, with V7AB on 1098 kHz being the most common catch.

During less than ideal conditions, the AM band can be completely silent for
hours during daylight hours. Take it as a good opportunity to get some
exercise, check the antennas and enjoy the Arctic nature. During very
severe solar storms, transatlantic signals can become inaudible for days.

If you're interested in European stations, the morning hours around
0600-0800 UTC are best for Spain and the U.K., which have loads of local
stations. They can also be heard in the evening hours.

So when do you sleep if interesting stations are heard 24/7? We usually
sleep around 1700–2000 UTC and again around 0200–0500 UTC. If you trust
your instincts in antenna selection, you can of course sleep through the
night and have your SDR record overnight. The most interesting DX sessions
are after sunrise and before sunset, which need to be monitored carefully.
[image: Bedroom]
The bedroom sleeps two comfortably, but there are also two spare beds, so
temporarily even four people can stay overnight.

How many new AM stations are you going to catch during one week in
Aihkiniemi? It is difficult to predict, as it all depends on your
experience, persistence, equipment, the solar weather, and pure luck. We'd
say that if you haven't visited a Scandinavian DXpedition base before, if
you are equipped with an SDR receiver capable of recording the entire AM
band, and your week happens to be average in terms of reception conditions,
you can expect to record hundreds of new stations. Even though we've been
on dozens of DXpeditions in Lapland, we'd still expect an average week in
Aihkiniemi to yield around 100 AM stations that we have never heard before.
For examples of what can be heard in Aihkiniemi, check out reports of
recent DXpeditions in Aihkiniemi: AIH3
<http://www.dxing.info/dxpeditions/aih3rep.dx>,AIH7
<http://www.dxing.info/dxpeditions/aih7rep.dx>, AIH10
<http://www.dxing.info/dxpeditions/aih10rep.dx>, AIH17
<http://www.dxing.info/dxpeditions/aih17rep.dx>, AIH18
<http://www.dxing.info/dxpeditions/aih18rep.dx>, AIH29
<http://www.dxing.info/dxpeditions/aih29rep.dx>, AIH39
<http://www.dxing.info/dxpeditions/aih39rep.dx> and AIH72
<http://www.dxing.info/dxpeditions/aih72rep.htm>.

*Accommodation and Amenities*
[image: Kitchenette]
Kitchenette

The 30-square-meter cabin in Aihkiniemi has two rooms: one for sleeping and
the other is for cooking and DXing. There are two beds, so the cabin can
comfortably accommodate two DXers at a time. In addition, there are two
spare beds, but using them leaves hardly any floorspace, so housing more
than two is definitely not recommended.

Between the two rooms there is an indoor composting toilet, which works
great and is odorless. It needs less maintenance if you pee mostly in the
forest outside and only use the toilet for number two. You will find
English-language instructions for use.

Two doors separate the bedroom and DXing room, so any DXing/cooking
activities will not disturb the sleepier one too much, although earplugs
are still a good idea.

The kitchenette includes an electrical hot plate with an oven, a new
induction stove, some closet space, a microwave oven, a coffee maker, a
water heater, a fridge with a freezer compartment, and basic cooking and
kitchen utensils. You can use the outdoors as a spare freezer, if you need
one. Rest assured, the bears are asleep in the winter.

The cabin has electrical heating and is warm even when it's extremely cold
outside. Heating is very expensive, however, in case you wondered what you
are paying for, in addition to the antennas.
[image: Composting toilet]
Composting toilet

There's no running water in Aihkiniemi. The previous crew will leave you
some drinking water. You can get more from Matkapaikka Jounila
<http://www.jounila.com/?deptid=22405> (a few km to the southwest), which
offers lodge-type accommodation. For an off-season fee of 15
euros/person/visit you can take a shower, wash your dishes, get more
drinking water, and watch TV, but not stay overnight. Another alternative
is to drive a bit longer up the road towards the Norwegian border for a
shower. We've negotiated with Reino Fofonoff, the owner of Nitsijärvi
Cabins, for the use of his hot showers for a modest fee. Reino can also
provide you with more drinking water and the use of the sauna in the fall.
Nitsijärvi Cabins has an English-language website
<http://personal.inet.fi/koti/riiko/index_english.htm> with detailed
instructions on how to get there.

The Aihkiniemi cabin has a smoke detector and a fire extinguisher.

There's no closet space for your stuff, so you'll have to pile most of it
on the floor and tables, or just keep it in your luggage.

You may find it surprising, but there's good cell phone coverage even in
the middle of nowhere, so the cell phone network is the way to have
Internet connection in the cabin. Carry your cell phone when checking the
antennas or walking in the forest in case you get lost or hurt yourself. Be
sure to check that your cell phone operator has roaming agreements with the
major Finnish operators or get a prepaid SIM card on arrival in Finland.

Instructions for obtaining the key will be given to you after reservation.

*Directions*
[image: Road to Aihkiniemi]
Road number 971 near Aihkiniemi

We recommend that you fly first to Helsinki and then to Ivalo. From there,
you can rent a car and drive to Aihkiniemi in two hours. Alternatively, if
you don't mind the extra driving, you can fly to Kittilä (a ski resort in
northwestern Lapland), Rovaniemi (on the Arctic Circle) or Oulu (an IT
industry boomtown further south) and drive from there. Flying to any of
these destinations has just become cheaper thanks to increased competition.
In addition to Finnair <http://www.finnair.com/>, you can fly with Norwegian
<http://www.norwegian.com/>, which often has cheaper deals.

If you have more stuff than you can take on an airplane, and you have more
time, you can take an overnight train from Helsinki to either Rovaniemi or
Kolari (the northernmost railroad station), and rent a car for the rest of
the journey. You can check the schedules and purchase the tickets from the
national railroad operator VR online <http://www.vr.fi/en/index.html>. Of
the two stations, driving time from Rovaniemi is shorter and also the road
is better.

[image: Map of the location of Aihkiniemi]

The Ivalo airport <http://www.finavia.fi/airports/airport_ivalo> is located
8 kilometers south from Ivalo downtown. Ivalo is the best place to shop for
groceries, for winter clothing if you need it, and the last point where you
can find a liquor store (Alko
<https://www.alko.fi/en/shops-services/2851?referMethod=StoreFinder-List>).
[image: Intersection]
At this intersection you leave the main road (4/E75), and turn right on
road 971. Still 43.5 kilometers to Aihkiniemi.

>From Ivalo, drive north along highway 4 (also known as E75), through Inari
until almost Kaamanen. After 63 kilometers, you'll come to an intersection
pointing to Kirkkoniemi, Näätämö and Sevettijärvi. Turn right on the road
"Sevettijärventie" (number 971). From this point on there are no services,
so be sure you have all the food and gas that you need. The road becomes
narrower, and you'll need to be very careful with oncoming traffic. You can
get more detailed driving instructions after your reservation.

In case you've ever wondered why many signs in Finland have two versions of
each place name: the one on top is in the dominant language spoken in the
area — most often Finnish — and the one on the bottom is the minority
language. In southern coastal areas, it's often Swedish. In Lapland, it's
one of the three dialects of Sami, which is the native language for a few
thousand people in Finland.
[image: Reindeer crossing]
Wild encounters

If you arrive in winter, there'll be some snow on the driveway of the
cabin, so drive carefully. The main road is kept in good driving condition
throughout the winter.

You're guaranteed to see reindeer on the road at some point, so drive with
caution. Hitting a reindeer is only lethal to the reindeer, but there are
also tall moose, which can come through the windshield if you happen to
drive into one. All public roads in Lapland are open throughout the winter
and are well kept, but they will still be icy and snowy.

*What do you need to bring along?*

While we have the antennas, you'll need to bring your own receiver(s),
power cables and other cables, an antenna selector, and a preamp/amplifier.
A splitter without an amplifier is available in the cabin. You'll probably
also need earphones, and loads of external hard drives to store your
catches.

A compass and a GPS, USB wires, etc. can come in handy. It wouldn't hurt to
have basic tools to fix coax connections and antennas, although some tools
can be found in the cabin. The environment is largely free of interference,
and the most likely sources of unwanted sounds on the dial will be your own
power sources, so at least for your laptop(s), it may be wise to use the
power sources that we have provided.

Check out the Finnish plugs
<http://goscandinavia.about.com/od/finland/f/eloutletfinland.htm> beforehand,
because you may need to bring along shape adapters or even voltage
transformers. You won't find them in the grocery stores in Lapland.
[image: Hole in ice]
The small lake next to the cabin may look like it's frozen, but it is
essentially a slow-moving river, so find a narrow and shallow part to
cross, look for the most solid ice, or use a bridge further downstream. We
have a rowboat that can be used until October.

Although you'll find mattresses, pillows and blankets in the cabin, you'll
need to bring your own sheets, pillow cases and towels. There's also a
vacuum cleaner. You're expected to clean after yourself, unless maybe
you're traveling with your mother... no maid service within at least 100
kilometers ;)

There'll be snow — lots of it. And it'll be cold. In terms of outdoor
clothing, be prepared for any kind of weather. The temperature can vary
between freezing point and minus 40 degrees, even lower. Rubber boots or
other water-resistant winter boots are a good idea unless you visit in
February when everything is frozen solid.

Power outages are rare and short, but bringing a flashlight is still a good
idea, because it will be dark outside most of the time. Two UPS units with
four power outlets each are available in the cabin to enable you to
continue DXing even in case the power goes out. Plan carefully in advance
for what you might need. Remember, it's a long drive to the nearest store,
especially for toilet paper — which is why we store a lot of it in the
cabin.

Supermarkets in Ivalo are large, well-equipped and accept all major credit
cards. There are smaller grocery stores in Inari and a tiny one in
Kaamanen. ATMs can be found both in Ivalo and Inari. The nearest library
with free Internet access is in Inari.

If you have used any of the pans, pots or kitchen utensils, please boil
water and do the dishes before you leave. It can be a bit cumbersome.
Alternatively, you can buy paper plates, cups, and utensils on your way to
the cabin. In any case, please clean the kitchenette. When you leave,
please take all your trash with you. You can drop it off at large roadside
bins, the nearest one of which is located in Käyräniemi
<https://www.google.fi/maps/place/K%C3%A4yr%C3%A4niemi/@69.1731238,27.9088798,17.5z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x45ccefcf3ef574d7:0xe259207376e28339!8m2!3d69.1732029!4d27.9102639>
close
to Matkapaikka Jounila.

*Reservations*
[image: Jari, Late, Jape, Olli]
Half of the original Aihkiniemi team, from left to right Jari, Lauri, Jarmo
and Olli.

The cabin is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Most likely
September and October are booked solid by us, and openings can generally be
found from mid-November. If you email Jari Sinisalo <jari.sinisalo  viria.fi>,
he can let you know about availability. If you're traveling alone, you can
inquire about the possibility of joining one of us for a DXpedition week.

Rent for the cabin and antennas is *500 euros a week*. If there are two
DXers, it comes to 250 euros per person. The rent must be paid *in advance
at the time of the reservation* into our association's bank account. Your
reservation is confirmed once we have received your payment.

*What to do in addition to DXing?*

You might want to consider combining your DXpedition with a more
traditional vacation trip in Finland. Saariselkä
<http://www.saariselka.fi/content?set_language=en>, one of the largest ski
resorts in Finland, is located just south of the Ivalo airport. So, if
propagation conditions happen to be exceptionally poor, you can take
advantage of the slopes, relax in a spa, or enjoy after-ski partying. For
something cheaper, but equally impressive, you can watch the aurora
borealis, the northern lights! Further south, you can meet Santa Claus in
Rovaniemi or cruise on an icebreaker <http://www.visitkemi.fi/en/sampo> or
visit the largest snow castle <http://www.visitkemi.fi/en/snowcastle> in
Kemi.
[image: Winter in Lapland]
This is what Saariselkä looks like in the winter, so don't spend all of
your trip just DXing.

For more information about visiting Finland, check out the Finnish Tourist
Board website <http://www.visitfinland.com/>, especially on winter travel
<http://www.visitfinland.com/winter/>. Compared to most destinations,
Finland is very safe, clean and organized, so even if midwinter is
weather-wise not the ideal time to come over, it is still an opportunity
not to be missed. The capital, Helsinki, has loads of sights that you can
experience year-round, from modern architecture, opera and dozens of
museums, to nightlife and gourmet dining.

In case you happen to be traveling in Lapland during the summer, you can
rent the Aihkiniemi cabin for any period of time for half of the winter
rate. It's a good base for exploring Lapland, and in the summer you can
enjoy 24 hours of daylight, which is an experience in itself. There are
ample opportunities for fishing, hiking, and picking wild berries (which
you can do even without landowner's permission). In Lapland you can even
try your luck in gold-panning <http://www.tankavaara.fi/>.

We own fishing rights in some areas of the surrounding wilderness, so when
you rent the cabin, you can fish in these areas. And we have lots of
coveted cloudberries in and around our property in early August. As for
your luggage — add mosquito repellent and delete your radio equipment;
there's not much to listen to on the AM band in summer.

In Finland most people understand English well enough to be able to help
you, so getting around and finding what you need is easy. Be in touch if
there's anything more that we can help you with in preparing your DX
vacation of a lifetime! Welcome to our paradise!
*Jorma Huuhtanen, Markku Jussila, Martti Karimies, Mika Mäkeläinen, Lauri
Niemi, Jarmo Salmi, Jari Sinisalo and Jim Solatie*

Published on May 25, 2011 (last update November 2017)
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