Throughout the entire two-week expedition, AM stations from the US East Coast were heard every day and almost around the clock. If this is what a solar maximum offers, I'm ready for more! Comparing reception conditions between Aihkiniemi and Kontio, a nearby remote DX site, was enlightening. Surprisingly, I discovered that stations faded in and out at significantly different times, despite the close proximity of these two locations. Fittingly, the final station heard on this DXpedition was from my last missing US state, Delaware.

After an exhaustive reporting stint in the United States covering the November elections and president-elect Trump's first cabinet choices, I found myself packing for a decidedly different adventure. Gone were the formal suits, ties, and earpiece, replaced by several 5 TB hard drives and attire suited for the stark Arctic wilderness. My target? To hear remote North American AM stations from 4,000–5,000 miles (6,500–8,000 km) away.

For the first time, a family member would join me on an expedition to Aihkiniemi. My elder son, Pyry, and his boyfriend Leo were to share the cabins, eager to hone their night sky photography skills. With zero light pollution and zero electrical interference, Aihkiniemi’s DX base is a haven for both aspiring astrophotographers and seasoned radio enthusiasts. Indeed, this area ranks among Europe’s finest for stargazing.

The Aihkiniemi DX paradise consists of two small and modest cabins.

This season, my SDR recordings have been bountiful, thanks to a new remote listening station, Kontio, established in late September with fellow DXers. While Kontio features only one Beverage-type antenna pointing at 302 degrees, Aihkiniemi boasts 13 such antennas to all directions, ensuring optimal reception from any geographical area at any given time.

Thus, a remote base does not eliminate the need for a DXpedition to Lapland. Here is an overview of the current antenna azimuths in Aihkiniemi:

Equipment-wise I was using three Perseus receivers to record the entire AM dial. The listening room table was covered with laptops, antenna splitters, hard drives and coax cables. To operate the Perseus, I use exclusively the fabulous Jaguar software, which has been tailormade for this kind of AM DXing.

After a disappointing fall season, and particularly after a week of proton-induced radio silence during my previous DXpedition AIH191 in October, this 194th DXpedition to Aihkiniemi revived my enthusiasm for AM DXing, even during the solar maximum. Conditions generally improved during the first week, and I was particularly pleased to catch so many US East Coast stations.


I heard WTAD from Quincy, Illinois, already back in 2010, when WTAD made a news story about my reception and kindly sent me a t-shirt. I'm still wearing it!

It was also extremely interesting to compare reception at Aihkiniemi and Kontio, which was only some 13 kilometers away. In cases where multiple stations fought over a single frequency, very often they faded in and out at different times in these two locations.

For example, once on 980 AM, in Aihkiniemi I identified WDYN Rossville GA, and at the same time WDDO Perry GA was heard in Kontio! Both stations are very rare, and I don't think that WDYN has even been heard in Finland previously, but they are located in the same state, and were now audible at the same time — but in different nearby locations!

Here is a more detailed travelogue of the AIH194 adventure, day by day:

Friday, November 22, 2024

Pyry and Leo arrived at our place around 4 p.m., after which we packed all our equipment into my Auris. Winter had firmly arrived, and the roads in the capital region were laden with snow and slush, aptly coinciding with the conclusion of the "Slush" start-up fest. As we drove toward Helsinki, we witnessed a car ahead slip off the road, landing on a snow pile before regaining its path.

We arrived at the Pasila car-carrier station well ahead of schedule, being the first in line to load our car. Then, we waited. And waited a bit more. Eventually, it became apparent that the state railway company VR was experiencing significant issues with its trains due to the winter storm. Some car transporters were replaced, and we barely managed to board the train just before its scheduled departure. The actual departure would be very late.

We spent our waiting time at the Tripla Mall, keeping a close watch on VR's announcements. It was clear our train would be late, though the extent of the delay remained uncertain. We enjoyed a fusion Asian buffet dinner at Restaurant Teppanyaki, occasionally darting downstairs to check our train's status. Eventually, we had ample time to dine and continue waiting. When the train finally departed, about 1.5 hours late, further issues at the car-carrier station extended the delay to over three hours.

Mika, Pyry and Leo in front of the Aihkiniemi cabin.

The train arrived in Rovaniemi just under two hours late, entitling us to a 25% refund on the ticket price — a notable sum given the expense of overnight train travel with a car.

It was nearly 10 a.m. when we set out north. Road conditions were decent; it was below freezing, but the roads became icy only after three hours of driving near Saariselkä. Numerous reindeer were on the road near Rovaniemi, but we managed to avoid any accidents. We even spotted a fox by the roadside.

We stopped for breakfast in Sodankylä and in Ivalo we briefly met Jari Luoma and Timo Metso, who had just completed a productive DX week in Aihkiniemi. We then visited Alko in Ivalo for you know what, a Neste service station in Inari for gas and hamburgers, and finally the K-Market of Inari for a week's worth of groceries. We arrived in Aihkiniemi so late that that I got my first recordings running at 1615 UTC.

Mika, Timo Metso and Jari Luoma in Ivalo.

As soon as there was daylight, we went to check the antennas. On a crisp, sunny day, Pyry and I tackled the first two wires, giving Pyry a taste of the tough work involved. We returned, sweating and ready for a hot shower.

The radio dial remained lackluster. In the afternoon, strong signals came from across Asia, but no single direction was dominant, leaving the dial occupied by typical powerhouses.

Leo prepared a delightful pasta, and we continued enhancing our equipment. In the evening, the sky was clear, allowing Pyry and Leo to enjoy hours of stargazing and star photography in relatively mild winter weather — hardly any wind and just 5–10 degrees below freezing. Late in the evening, I also captured some photos of the aurora borealis, which, though not particularly strong, were rich in color. We apparently missed a more impressive light show in the early morning hours when we were already asleep.

Pyry cleaning an antenna, above, and one of his astro photos below: Polaris (the North Star) with integrated flux nebula. The total exposure time was 5800 seconds, over one and a half hours. Imagine that! Click this photo (and all the others) to open it in full size in another browser window.

Monday, November 25, 2024

US stations emerged from the static after midnight UTC and remained strong until around 1000 UTC, making this my best DX day this fall. However, most of the prime catches were made at our nearby Kontio remote listening site rather than Aihkiniemi. The conditions favored a narrow slice of the East Coast, precisely the intended target area of the Kontio wire. I was particularly pleased to find new stations from Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, which are often overshadowed by more northern stations.

Overnight and morning hours added another 15 cm of snow, complicating matters slightly. Daylight hours were few and precious, so as soon as it was light enough to walk in the forest around 10:30 a.m., I checked two more antennas, our Latin America wires at 255 and 270 degrees.

Strong winds had resulted in an even snow cover, although the ground beneath was uneven and treacherous. Each step was a surprise, as you never knew how deep your foot might sink or what lay beneath. Once, I fell face-first into the snow because my foot sank into a deep hole. Another time, I stepped into a snow-covered stream and got slush in my right boot. Such is the struggle we endure for the ultimate DX.

In the afternoon, Asian stations were quite strong from around 1200 UTC, though I am yet to determine what I captured in my SDR recordings. Browsing through this morning's recordings proved more interesting.

US stations began reaching our cabin very early on Monday evening, with the first signals from New England arriving before 2100 UTC. A couple of common daytime-only stations were heard, but nothing spectacular. Nonetheless, this was the first such early opening this season.

Modest aurora above Aihkiniemi.

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

The propagation pattern was strikingly similar to Monday, with US stations remaining relatively strong throughout the night and into the morning. Legible graveyard stations from the Midwest were identified as late as 1100 UTC. However, there was less focus, and conditions were more dispersed, making it challenging to catch anything beyond the usual suspects.

Signals from Asia were also strong, and I began recording Japanese stations before 1100 UTC.

In the evening, New England stations appeared before the local sunset, but no new intriguing catches were made.

Leo and Pyry stargazing. Using only red light helps your eyes adjust to darkness faster. They are using a telescope, which Jarmo Salmi has lent for the users of Aihkiniemi.

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Overnight and well into daylight hours, until around 1100 UTC, US East Coast stations were stronger than on any other night this fall. I managed to log at least one new station from New York, but otherwise, there was little variation, with the usual suspects dominating the dial. Even on graveyard channels, persistent dominating stations like WMMB on 1240 AM, WPGG on 1450 AM, and WBAE on 1490 AM were too strong.

Today, I made an unfortunate error with my recordings. Japanese stations would have been audible before the 1000 UTC NHK-1 local station identifications, but I realized it too late, missing the week's (or possibly the season's) best chance to identify new NHK-1 stations.

As on previous days, I ventured into the forest for a couple of hours, clearing antennas of snow and checking them for any other issues. It's quite an arduous daily routine. In theory, there is still 1.5 hours of daylight, but it vanishes quickly, especially with a small hill to the south, leaving me in twilight even before the polar night has officially begun.

In the evening, we lit a campfire and grilled some sausages. It was -20 degrees Celsius outside, so the fire's warmth was a welcome relief.

Pyry and Leo at the campfire.

Thursday, November 28, 2024

US stations continued their familiar pattern, with the first signals from New England appearing early enough for daytime catches, though nothing extraordinary followed. During the night, the focus shifted further west, so by daybreak, stations from Minnesota, South Dakota, and the Midwest dominated the dial, many remaining audible until past 1100 UTC.

Thursday dawned crisp and clear, with the lowest temperature so far at -25 degrees Celsius. I checked a couple more antennas and worked up a sweat removing a large birch that had fallen on the 80-degree Asia antenna. Fortunately, the antenna wire itself wasn’t broken, just pinned to the ground by the trunk.

The wind was strong, and I ended up covered in snow, even though it didn't snow.

Mika after removing a large birch from on top of an antenna.

Friday, November 29, 2024

The propagation pattern on the AM dial seemed consistent. On the western front, US stations appeared late Thursday evening as soon as the sun set there, remaining audible until past midday Friday in Finland. Identified US stations included WMNI 920, WUZZ 1200, WCED 1420, and WKKX 1600 AM, providing a steady influx of semi-rare East Coast stations, albeit without any truly surprising catches.

The official length of the day was just 26 minutes, but a few hours of meager daylight allowed me to exercise, as on all previous days. Today, I checked the 207 and 60-degree antennas, both in good condition.

Pyry DXing for the first time.

Saturday, November 30, 2024

The AM dial sounded similar to previous days, but with slightly weaker signals that evaporated earlier. When North American stations are heard at good levels, it becomes impossible to listen to South American stations, as they are buried beneath the stronger northern signals.

With no more sunrises or sunsets this year, Aihkiniemi has fallen below the horizon of our closest star's rays. The polar night will last several weeks.

At daybreak, I drove to our remote-controlled receiving site, Kontio, to check our 302-degree antenna, finding it in perfect shape — tight, high, and clear of snow. Later, I stopped in the village of Partakko to buy whitefish fillets, whitefish roe, trout, and king crab from a local fisherman. We enjoyed an exquisite seafood dinner on the boys' last day here.

Trout and whitefish from a local fisherman, enough for several dinners.

Sunday, December 1, 2024

The overnight opening to North America began promisingly early, but the emphasis shifted immediately to Minnesota and its surroundings. Stations like 1160 KCTO MO and 1190 KKOJ MN were identified using their daytime power before local sunset. During the night, the opening remained steady, with the eastern half of the US audible until around 0930 UTC, though random Western stations lingered until at least 1400 UTC.

I spent most of the day on the road, taking Pyry and Leo to Ivalo Airport. Our regular spot, Restaurant Ivalo, was closed, but we enjoyed surprisingly good hamburgers at Pubi Restaurant across the main street. After shopping for food, I drove back to Aihkiniemi through a heavy snowstorm, with visibility dropping to zero whenever an oncoming car or tourist bus passed.

A supermarket in Ivalo welcomes you in three different Sami languages.

Monday, December 2, 2024

Overnight signals from North America were strong, but daybreak brought about a marked deterioration. However, the focus remained on the US East Coast, which is always welcome.

Several technical issues complicated the morning hours. My most important overnight recording on the 304-degree wire had overloaded, rendering it almost useless. Then, my primary laptop ran some Adobe software updates, which I (mistakenly) thought had hampered and slowed down my use of Jaguar. Finally, a brief power outage resulted in every device rebooting, requiring a manual restart of the Wi-Fi router. There might have been a powerline surge at the same time.

Snowfall was relentless, necessitating two hours of driveway clearing in the afternoon. In the evening, I drove to Kontio to replace a power cable causing radio frequency interference. Whatever Asian stations were audible remains to be seen when I have time to review those recordings. It might take years.

We barely saw the sun even before the solar night set in.

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Most of my overnight recordings were compromised by a technical glitch. Jaguar stalled every ten minutes, skipping minutes or even long periods without recording. The issue spread across all three laptop setups like a virus. The symptoms began on Sunday and worsened gradually.

Upon inspection, I found the culprit: external hard drives hitting 100% memory capacity while writing data. Though each 5 TB drive still had 5–10% free space, I decided to replace them with empty ones. Voilà! Problem solved. I still can't fathom why the hard drives slowed to a halt despite having available space, but I now know what to do if it happens again. Meanwhile, I won't be purchasing that particular hard drive model, Western Digital Easystore, ever again. And next winter I will only be using SSD instead of HDD hard drives for live recording.

Another day of similar DXing followed, with a focus on North America. Stations from Minnesota and South Dakota experienced a brief resurgence before 1200 UTC, marking the first afternoon boost of this DXpedition.

Once again, it had been snowing, so more legwork was required outside.


This is what midday looks like during the polar night. The antenna wire here is pointing at 10 degrees.

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

I botched my overnight recordings by overloading the receivers. I had set the amplifiers for too much amplification. Oh well, hopefully nothing historic was missed. Conditions continued to follow the previous days' pattern. Identified stations included 1260 WSDZ, 1340 WNCO, 1350 BBN Panama, 1440 WEEI, 1560 KBEW, and 1570 WTWB. On the Eastern front, Chinese stations were strong, including Wuhan Jingji Guangbo on 1125 AM.

The day's outdoor activity was, once again, shoveling snow. We have no shortage of that white stuff. Later in the evening, temperatures fell to -25 degrees Celsius, but that didn't stop me from capturing some modest aurora borealis shots around midnight. With no major solar storms, the northern lights have been more subdued than expected, despite the many clear nights offering ample viewing opportunities.

Reindeer as seen from the front door of Aihkiniemi.

Thursday, December 5, 2024

Radio conditions were similar to previous days. US stations predominated, effectively masking any potential South American signals. Stations were heard coast to coast, with emphasis around the Great Lakes. Minnesota stations were audible past 1200 UTC, but no daytime-only stations were found. This pattern is typical, making new discoveries nearly impossible.

Logged stations included 960 WSBT, 1240 WBEJ, 1250 WJMK, 1320 KELO, 1340 KDLM, 1480 WPWC, 1490 KXRA, 1510 KMSD, 1520 KOLM, 1580 KCHA, and 1590 WALG & KDJS & WPIW, and 1600 WKKX — none of them new to me.

For the first time I actually heated the sauna properly. It makes one wonder what sort of a Finn would wait so long to use a sauna in a cabin equipped with one. I guess the answer is: a busy Finn.

Friday, December 6, 2024

Happy Independence Day to my fellow compatriots! This was probably my first Independence Day spent on a DXpedition. Not that it made much difference on the AM dial — Finland's independence wasn't exactly headline news elsewhere.

US stations were once again strong and widespread, especially from around Minnesota. The day's highlight, however, was the inaugural broadcast of Radio Ambience on the shortwave frequency of 6095 kHz, which was well received here in Aihkiniemi, despite the station transmitting with only 20 watts of power. This was already the fourth new and legal hobbyist shortwave station to be launched in Finland this year.

Päivi and Antti preparing dinner.

In the evening, I took a break from DXing and drove to Partakko to visit my friends Antti Kokkonen and Päivi Tahkokallio at their beautiful cabin. What a fabulous evening with sauna and a locally hunted game meat dinner, with cured whitefish as an appetizer. It was the best meal of the two-week expedition.

Upon returning to Aihkiniemi, I looked forward to meeting the next DXpeditionist. Around midnight, I welcomed Harri Kiikeri for his first visit to Aihkiniemi. He would spend the following week here, but we arranged for him to arrive early so I could show him around and he could learn the ropes.

Mika and Harri Kiikeri on Saturday morning, just before Mika's departure.

Saturday, December 7, 2024

Once again, fabulous AM conditions hit the dial just as it was time to depart! Oh well, I can't complain, since most of this DXpedition has been well above average.

Even though I spent the morning packing my gear and belongings, it was worth leaving the last Perseus, coupled with a 304-degree wire, to record the top-of-the-hour still at 1000 UTC, midday local time, because that's when I finally nailed my 50th US state, Delaware!

The station in question was WJWL "La Raza" from Georgetown on 900 AM. It is not really a huge rarity, but until now, I had been unlucky in my hunt for many years. Not anymore. The legal ID a bit before the hour was comprehensive and was heard very strong. A week later my reception report was promptly verified by President & CEO Kevin Andrade.

As you have read this far, you deserve to hear some audio files as well. Here are a few clips of US stations, which can all be considered pretty nice catches up in Lapland:

• WJWL Georgetown DE 900 AM (La Raza)
• WURD Philadelphia PA 900 AM
• WENK Union City TN 1240 AM (Rudolph Radio around Xmas)
• WIRY Plattsburgh NY 1340 AM
• WPIF Georgetown SC 1470 AM
• WTRB Ripley TN 1570 AM (Tiger Radio)
  

After scoring WJWL, it was finally time to head home. I wasn't able to enjoy driving in daylight further than Ivalo, and driving in the dark in Lapland is somewhat risky with all the reindeer roaming around. Nevertheless, I made it safely to Rovaniemi, where reindeer can mostly be found on the restaurant menus. On Antti's recommendation, I opted for Santa's Döner Kebab, which turned out to be a very good and popular restaurant.

Later in the evening, I boarded the train, slept quite well, and, for a change, the train arrived at its destination, Helsinki, on time.

A comprehensive log will be added, and this report will be updated as soon as I have reviewed all recordings made during these two weeks. That won't happen anytime soon. My guess would be 2026, at the earliest.

Text and photos: Mika Mäkeläinen

Published on February 2, 2025

AIH194 DXpedition Log (later)

AIH194 DXpedition Log by date and time (later)