[WWYC] WRTC 2002

[9A6XX]

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WRTC  - Onward to 2002 !
(by Ari Korhonen, OH1EH)

The World Radiosport Team Championship, the Olympics of amateur radio, will
take
place in Finland in the year 2002.

What is the WRTC ?
The WRTC is organized around an on-the-air competition among two-person
teams
representing the best contest operators of the world. By bringing the
competitors
together in one geographical area and providing equal operating conditions
(antennas, power etc), the variables normally associated with a radio
contest
are
neutralized, thus the operating skills are emphasized.

WRTC 2002 - a joint effort
Discussions where to have the next WRTC started already during the highly
successful WRTC 2000 in Slovenia. Due to her long history and high activity
in
contesting, Finland was one of the obvious locations. A common theme in the
discussions in Slovenia was: "You guys must do it!"
We are now pleased to announce that the WRTC 2002 is jointly organized by
Contest
Club Finland (CCF) and the Finnish Amateur Radio League (SRAL).

The teams
The team selection process is just about to start. Participants will be
invited
from all
continents focusing their track-record in the past contest results. Some 45
to
50
teams will be selected using a variety of seeking methods. These include an
Open
Application method as well as encouraging letters directly from the
committee.
Leading contest clubs as well as national IARU societies will be approached
for
their
assistance. We'll keep the contest community informed of the selection
process
on a
regular basis.

The contest
The actual contest will be held within the IARU HF Championship. In keeping
with
the original WRTC idea, every effort is made to secure to the teams as equal
operating conditions as possible. The idea is to have 45 - 50 operating
locations
around the Helsinki area, equipped with identical antennas.
The Finns are considered as forerunners in the IT and telecom areas.This
means
that
during the WRTC 2002, some new exciting technology will be utilized,
something
not
seen before!

The social aspect
While the WRTC competition certainly is the focal point of the WRTC 2002,
the
social
aspect will also be taken care of . After having arrived in Finland, the
competiors and
other guests will be taken to the SRAL summer camp. The summer camp is one
of
the oldest traditions in the Finnish amateur radio history, with more than
1500
visitors annually. The summer camp is something like a combination of Field
Day
and
hamfest, where just about every ham-related activity is present. There's
something
exciting in the air during these camps - something one has to experience
himself!
In addition, there are several other activities planned such as excursions,
parties etc.
The WRTC 2002 Management Team
- Jouko Häyrynen, OH1RX, Organizing Committee Chairman
- Jari Jussila, OH2BU, Events Chairman & Domestic Publicity
- Martti Laine, OH2BH, Competition Co-Chairman
- Pasi Luoma-aho, OH2IW, Competition Co-Chairman
- Jukka Kulha, OH2MA, Site design & Management
- Veijo Kontas, OH6KN, Wireless & Web technology
- Merja Veisterä, Financial Controller & Treasury
- Ari Korhonen, OH1EH, Competitor Correspondence & Int. Publicity
- Timo Klimoff, OH1NOA, Competitor Correspondence & Webmaster
- Risto Lund, OH3UU, Logging & Scoring Management

WRTC 2002 - Preliminary Schedule

Tuesday 9. July:
Competitors arrive in Finland,  get-together, registration.

Wednesday. 10. July:
Transportation to the SRAL summer camp, official openening ceremony.

Thursday 11. July:
The first official contest meeting, pileup competition, evening party.

Friday 12. July:
The second contest meeting, transportation to the contest sites.

Saturday 13. July:
WRTC 2002 competition begins at 12.00 GMT.

Sunday 14. July:
WRTC 2002 competition ends at 12.00 GMT. Late-night "after the contest"
happening in Helsinki.

Monday 15. July:
Tour around Helsinki, prize giving and closing ceremony.

Tuesday 16. July:
Departure.

WRTC 2002 Publicity
The contest community will be informed of the progress of WRTC 2002 through
various methods. The best way to keep informed is to check our website at:
http://www.wrtc2002.org.
Amateur Radio In Finland
The Finnish Amateur Radio League (SRAL) membership total stands at 5000,
representing more than 95 percent of all OH licensees  - the highest
percentage
in
the whole of  Europe. SRAL has retained its membership numbers in contrast
to
many other countries. To this end, the League employs some highly advanced
initiatives, probably being the only national society with the experience of
recruiting
new members through television commercials.  SRAL is professionally run, and
its
efforts are supported by the Finnish Ministry of Education.
 Front-row contesting and DXing have a long history as two outstanding
segments
of
amateur radio in Finland. Adding to many domestic and regional highly
spirited
sub-
groups, the country-wide activities are also well organized under the
Contest
Club
Finland (CCF) with a membership of 160 and the OH DX Foundation (OHDXF) with
216 members.
Located at 62 degrees North, Finland is the KL7 of Europe on exactly the
same
latitude as Anchorage, Alaska. Within the auroral zone, Finns seem to
believe
that by
hoisting their antennas higher and adding more elements, they can close the
propagation gap they have against the rest of Europe.  In Finland, rotatable
140-
footers are everyday stuff. With 70 feet, you would barely get recognized in
this
highly competitive society.

And no wonder, when the conditions shift North, OHs are right there to fight
for
victory. But some of them cannot wait - so, they move South to build up a
competitive appetizer in any of those equatorial  contesting "hot spots"!

Upon your arrival in Finland, you will be surprised to see that the OH2AQ DX
Summit
of international fame and the global network of  web-based DX spotting are
expanded locally into the horizon of new innovation.  The DX Summit is
connected
to
a Finnish nationwide teletext TV network. Thus, switching on your TV set
anywhere
in Finland, in any household, will put you always in touch with DX and
contest
happenings on the bands.

State-of-the-art technology is also experienced by many OH hams in their
daily
lives
as employees of front-runners in several modern high-tech sectors - such are
the
companies involved with WRTC-2002 - Elektrobit, Nokia ,Vaisala -  of which
Nokia
alone employ more than 10 percent of the entire ham population of  Finland.
But ultimately, the greatest success factor in OH-land is the unity of its
ham
population. While OH DXers and contesters flex their muscles at many
competitive
events, the next day they are back around the same fireworks planning their
next
endeavors. Such an event is the WRTC-2002 in which you are welcome to
participate
and experience the midnight sundancers of the North coupled with the unique
feeling of camaraderie and  twilight propagation.

Some Facts About Finland
Finland is a modern western country located in the north of Europe with a
total
land
area of 338,000 square kilometers. It is a land of forests and lakes with
clean
cities, a
prosperous countryside and an abundance of open space and natural settings.
Finland is a modern country with a high standard of living, advanced
technology
and
a stable democracy. The form of government is republic and the Parliament
consists
of one chamber of 200 elected members. Finland lies between Sweden and
Russia,
and is the link between East and West with cultural influences from both
areas.
Finland is a member of the European Union. More information about Finland at
http://virtual.finland.fi
Population
The population is 5.1 million. There are two official languages in Finland.
Finnish is
spoken by 93% of the population and Swedish is the mother tongue for 5,8% of
the
population. Communication for foreign visitors is easy as most Finnish
people
speak
English.

Nature
Finland is the seventh largest country in Europe (after Russia, Ukraine,
France,
Spain, Sweden and Germany). The maximum distance is 1160 km (721 miles) from
south to north and 540 km (336 miles) from west to east. You can find almost
200,000 lakes in Finland, 5,100 rapids and 180,000 islands, of which almost
100,000
in the lakes. Of the country's entire surface area, 69% is coveted by
forests.
A very typical phenomena in Finland is sauna. Today, all over the world the
sauna is
known to be one of the best forms of relaxation and you can find saunas in
almost
every country, but they are never quite the same as in Finland. In Finland,
we
have
approximately 1.6 million saunas.

Finland In A Nutshell
- Location: north Europe (Neighbors: Sweden, Norway, Russia and Estonia)
- Population: 5.1 million, GNP in Finland USD 24,790. In 1997 for comparison
some other countries; Canada USD 19,640, France USD 26,300 and US USD
29,080.
- Life expectancy: 77 years.

Traveling Information
Most major international airlines have direct flights to Helsinki
International
Airport
from European capitals and major cities in Europe, US and Japan. Helsinki is
also
easily accessible by boat from Sweden, Estonia and Germany and by train from
Russia.
Downtown Helsinki can be conveniently reached from the airport by bus or
taxi.
Finnair buses depart from near the arrivals hall at 20-minute intervals and
the
journey to the city center takes about 30 minutes. For more info:
http://www.finnair.com/offices/citybus.htm

Currency
The currency in Finland is the Finnish Markka (FIM). One EUR is equivalent
to
5,94573 FIM, one USD approximately 6, 35 FIM. Foreign currencies are easily
exchanged for Finnish Marks at exchange agencies and banks at the airport,
main
railway station and many other places. There are no currency restrictions in
Finland.
For exchange rates see http://www.bof.fi/env/eng/new/fixlist.stm
All the main credit cards can also be used.


Electrical current
The electrical current in Finland is 230V (50hz). Plugs and sockets are the
same
as in
the continental countries of the European Union. An electrical transformer
is
needed
if your equipment requires a different voltage.

Weather
The charm of the summer season is a unique charasteric of Finland. The mean
temperature in June is +19 degrees Celcius and there are more than 20 hours
of
daylight in Southern Finland. For weather forecasts, please visit
http://www.fmi.fi/ENG

Time difference
The time in Finland is 2 hours ahead of GMT.







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