Finnish man Ronny Klemets found CKBI with his receiver, over 6,000 kilometres away in Northern Finland. (submitted photo/Ronny Klemets)

By Jeff D'Andrea

All the way from Finland

Finn tuning in to CKBI from over 6,000 kilometres away

Jan 17, 2021 | 10:00 AM

Despite being in a small radio cabin in snowy northern Finland, Ronny Klemets was still able to find CKBI radio.

No, he didn’t use a radio app on his smartphone to receive the signal, nor did he tune into the livestream at ckbi.com — that would be too easy.

On a clear night with no signal interference on Nov. 5, Klemets was actually able to capture and record 900 CKBI on his radio receiver in the Laplands in the north of Finland — well over 6,000 kilometres away.

He may live halfway across the world from Prince Albert, but Klemets is now a CKBI listener and a fan.

“It’s a nice station, I liked your music quite a lot,” Klemets said. “I also listen now to your station on the Internet. It’s a good feeling to listen to your programs.”

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The hobby is called DXing, the practice of finding distant radio signals which Klemets has been involved with for the past 50 years. Radio stations can be heard at farther distances during the night as the radio frequency reflects off the atmosphere and back to earth. Receivers and long antennae can be used to find and tune into these signals.

A sunny view from near Klemets’ radio cabin. (submitted photo/Ronny Klemets)

Klemets also has the advantage of having his radio cabin in swamplands, where there are no hills, short trees and little obstacles to get in the way of the radio signals.

DXers used to collect QSL cards, like mini-paper trophies from radio stations to confirm the sighting. The practice is a lot less common now, as confirmations are mostly done by email. Reaching out to the radio stations he’s heard and getting confirmation is Klemets’ second favourite part of the hobby.

The first is the feeling when he discovers a new station from a distant continent. It never gets old.

“It’s a thrill. Maybe when you begin with something when you’re a teenager — it’s there, even if you grow old. It’s something amazing when it’s possible to hear stations from very far away,” Klemets said.

Klemets has also been able to find stations from across North America, a continent for which he has a soft spot. He’s also listened to stations in South America and all the way in Australia and New Zealand — about as far away as one could go from Finland.

Klemets also really enjoys tuning into Spanish stations, to the point where he actually learned the language to follow along.

So when you tune in to CKBI in the car, at work, or in the store, just know that Finland’s number one fan is probably doing the same.

Klemets’ radio cabin. (submitted photo/Ronny Klemets)

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW