FACTS ABOUT FINLAND
Finland is a modern western country located in the northern part of Europe. It is 338000 square kilometers with forests and lakes, clean cities, a beautiful countryside and an abundance of open space and natural settings. Finland is a stable democracy, and her citizens enjoy a high standard of living. The form of government is republic, and the Parliament consists of a single chamber of 200 elected members. Finland lies between Sweden and Russia, and is the link between the East and West--with cultural influences from both areas. Finland is a member of the European Union.
To request for a free travel brochure, go to http://www.mek.fi. (Or in US call 1-800/FIN-INFO)
For additional information, see http://virtual.finland.fi
Population
The country's population is 5.1 million. There are two official languages: Finnish is spoken by 93% of the population and Swedish is the mother tongue for 5.8%. Communication for foreign visitors is easy, as most Finnish people also speak English.
Nature
Finland is the seventh largest country in Europe (after Russia, Ukraine, France, Spain, Sweden and Germany). There are almost 200000 lakes, 5100 rapids and 180000 islands--with about 100000 of these islands located on the lakes. About 69% of the country is covered by forest. A very popular activity in Finland is sauna. Today, the sauna is known the World over as one of the best forms of relaxation. While you can now find saunas in almost every country, they are never quite the same as those in Finland.
GENERAL TRAVELLING INFORMATION
Most major international airlines operating in Europe, the US and Japan offer direct flights to Helsinki International Airport. Helsinki is also easily accessible by water from Sweden, Estonia and Germany and by train from Russia. Downtown Helsinki is easy to get to from the airport by bus or by taxi. Finnair buses depart from a location near the airport arrivals hall at 20-minute intervals. The trip from the airport to the city center takes about 30 minutes. For more information see http://www.finnair.com/offices/citybus.htm.
Currency
The currency in Finland is Euro (EUR). Foreign currencies are easily exchanged for Euros at exchange agencies and banks at the airport, the main railway stations and many other places. There are no currency restrictions and all major credit cards are recognized. For exchange rate information see http://www.bof.fi/env/eng/new/fixlist.stm or http://www.xe.com/ucc/.
Electrical Power
The electrical power in Finland is 230 V/50 Hz. Plugs and sockets are the same as those used in the continental countries of the European Union. An electrical transformer will be required if your equipment operates at a different voltage.
Weather
The weather in Finland during the summer season is very pleasant. The average temperature during the month of July is around 18 degrees C (64 degrees F) and there are more than 20 hours of daylight in the southern part of the country. For more detailed weather information, visit http://www.fmi.fi/en/index.html.
Time Difference
The time in Finland is 2 hours ahead of UTC (summertime 3 hours).
CONTRACT ACCOMODATION IN HELSINKI
Are You considering a visit to Finland during the WRTC2002?
If yes, you are on the right web site and you should proceed to secure your bed and breakfast. And furthermore, experience this Northern Country during the best time of the year.
We have signed an agreement so that your accommodation can be a pleasent one, cost effective and located at the heart of the city of Helsinki and at the same time only 15 minutes away from the WRTC Headquarters. The WRTC will operate shuttle service from your hotel to WRTC HQ.
Your hotel would be Radisson SAS Hesperia Hotel.
Their website is: http://www.radisson.com/helsinkifi_hesperia.
The room rates are (valid 9th - 16th July 2002):
Single room 95 EUR / Standard single room / night (82 USD*)
Double or twin room 113 EUR / Standard double or twinbedded room / night (97 USD*)
Single room / 7 nights 560 EUR / Standard single room (483 USD*)
Double room / 7 nights 665 EUR / Standard double or twinbedded room (574 USD*)
(Additional nights exceeding the 7-night-package: Single 80 EUR and double 95 EUR (69/82 USD*)
Children less than 17-years of age free and adult extra-bed 30 EUR per night (25 USD*, limited amount of extra beds available).
[*rates per 26.01.02, USD amounts are approximates, valid currency is Euro(EUR)]
These WRTC2002 rates include Super Buffet breakfast, service, VAT ( 8%) and sauna.
Reservations:
Rooms may be booked at the Radisson SAS City Central Reservations Office in Helsinki:
Tel: +358-9-6958 6000
Fax: +358-9-6958 7000
e-mail: room [dot] reservations [dot] helsinki [at] radissonsas [dot] com
Please quote "WRTC GUEST" block code when you make your reservation in order to receive these special rates.
The WRTC2002 opening ceremony and competitor/referee meetings will be held in Himos, Jamsa, OH6-district, some 3.5-hour drive from Helsinki. The departure to OH6 would be on Wednesday, July 10th and return to Helsinki on Friday, July 12th. An excursion package can be purchased for this tour at the WRTC service desk..
To avoid any inconveniece of re-packing etc, Hotel Hesperia has further emphasized the 7-day package price, allowing their guests to keep the room also while on exercursion in OH6. The assumpition is that the booking is from July, 9th through July, 16th 2002.
While making your travel plans, please be informed that a variety of extensive sightseeing tours which have been organized by the CCF are available after the games, starting Tuesday July 16th with a duration of one, two and three days. These packages will be announced shortly and they will cover St. Petersburg, Russia (UA1), Lapland, Finland (OH9), Tallin, Estonia (ES1) and a special tour of Aland Islands (OH0). Please find more information from "About Finland" -section of this website.
A number of other tour packages may also be arranged privately, both before the games ( for those who may wish to come over to Helsinki early ) and after the games ( for those who may wish to join the WRTC growd on one of the CCF-organized tours ) and we will be pleased to provide more specifics in a subsequent announcements. In short, the month of July is a peak tourist month in Finland thus the touring offering is plenty on the spot.
Because of the high season, it is suggested that you proceed with your travel arrangements as soon as possible.
Other accomodation in Helsinki
A great deal of other accommodation is available in Helsinki for a variety of categories and rates.
Here is a good contact point for general accommodation:
http://www.hel.fi/tourism/html/artikkelit/artikkelit/hotelNET.html
SOCIAL PROGRAMS AND OPTIONAL TOURS
WRTC2002 GUEST PROGRAMMES 14.07.2002
Hvittrosk
Porvoo Old City
POST CONTEST DESTINATIONS
link Magical Lapland
link Imperial St. Petersburg, Russia
link A Day in Tallinn, Estonia
link The Aland Islands
If you have questions or want to make a reservation, email to: wrtc-travel [at] sral [dot] fi
AMATEUR RADIO AND CONTESTING IN FINLAND
The Finnish Amateur Radio League (SRAL) currently has 5000 members. This number represents more than 95 percent of all Finnish amateur licensees-- the highest percentage member-to-licensee ratio in all of Europe. SRAL has retained its membership while many other countries have experienced declining numbers. To this end, the League employs some highly advanced initiatives-- SRAL is quite possibly the only national Amateur Radio society that recruits new members through television commercials. The organization is professionally run and the Finnish Ministry of Education supports its efforts.
Contesting and DXing are two of the most popular Amateur Radio pursuits in Finland. Countrywide amateur activities are also organized by the Contest Club Finland (CCF) and the OH DX Foundation (OHDXF).
Located at 62 degrees North, Finland is considered by some the "KL7 of Europe"-- as it is within the auroral zone at roughly the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska. Finnish hams seem to believe that by hoisting their antennas higher and adding more elements they can close the "propagation gap" that exists between them and the rest of Europe. In Finland, rotatable 140-foot towers are fairly common. With antennas positioned at lesser heights it would be very difficult to be competitive under typical conditions.
When the propagation is favorable, however, OHs are right in the thick of things-- fighting for victory. Some of these individuals are not content with leaving their fate to the whims of the local propagation though-- they head south and set up operations in contesting "hot spots" in equatorial regions.
Those who visit Finland may be surprised to see that the reach of the internationally renowned OH2AQ DX Summit-- the global network of Web-based DX spotting-- has been extended into the horizon of new innovation. The DX Summit is carried by the Finnish nationwide teletext TV network. Switch on a TV set anywhere in Finland--in any household-- and you'll enjoy instant access to the latest information from the site on DXing and Amateur Radio contesting.
Many Finnish hams are exposed to state-of-the-art technology in their employment as well-- as they work for companies that are front-runners in high-tech sectors. Some of these companies will be providing support for WRTC-2002-- Elektrobit, Nokia and Vaisala for example. (Nokia, incidentally, currently employs more than 10 percent of the ham population of Finland.)
But ultimately, the greatest factor that has contributed to the success of Amateur Radio in Finland is the unity of its ham population. While OH DXers and contesters compete head-to-head in many events, the following day they are back around the same table, sharing what they've learned and planning their next endeavors. As the hosts for WRTC-2002, we invite both the competitors and others to come to Finland and experience firsthand the beauty of our country, the depth of our culture and the tremendous camaraderie that has become the hallmark of the WRTC events.
IMPORTING RADIOS AND PCS FOR WRTC2002
WRTC2002 has informed the Finnish Customs about our radio sport activity where the passenger carries with him a transceiver and a PC, which most often are used ones.
The contact person set by WRTC is Jorma Saloranta OH2KI, in case there is needed support at the moment of import. OH2KI's phone is +358 50 5142 111.
Finland uses the general Temporary Import Law which applies to all 15 EU countries.
If the passenger wants to fill the form for importing the goods temporary, the form on PDF-format is available here http://europa.eu.int/comm/taxation_customs/customs/law/reform_customs/re... .htm
[PDF-file locally at WRTC2002 here]; all customs offices have the same form available also in paper format.
European Customs authority says:
"Temporary importation means that goods may be used in the Community without payment of duty or VAT under certain conditions and re-exported afterwards in the same state as they were in at import.
Oral, rather than paper, declarations can be made for certain types of goods. However, the customs authorities may require a written inventory or list to support the oral declaration. A form exists which can be used for this purpose."
http://europa.eu.int/comm/taxation_customs/customs/law/reform_customs/re... (22 April 2002).
EXCESS WEIGHT
WRTC2002 is offering a special arrangement for excess weight when using Scandinavian Airlines (SAS ) and those arrangements can be made directly with the closest SAS ticket office. This option has been communicated to WRTC2002 participants earlier.
It is agreed that SAS will do their utmost to facilitate the excess package.