Gallery of photos from the VK9NA Dxpedition in 2011. Click any photo to view larger size, with slideshow control options.

Haze over the ocean at Norfolk Island
View from Mt Pitt
More about the VK9NA VHF Dxpedition
About amateur radio in Australia

IMG_7132
Antennas ready for final assembly on Mt Pitt. The yagis were partly assembled on the concrete at the hotel, then transported in sections inside the Honda van to Mt Pitt.
More about the VK9NA VHF Dxpedition
About amateur radio in Australia

IMG_7133
Another view from Mt Pitt. This is the easterly view. Some houses can be seen on the right and they are part of the Burnt Pine township, which is the main town area on Norfolk Island.
More about the VK9NA VHF Dxpedition
About amateur radio in Australia

2m and 70cm beams on Mt Pitt, Norfolk Island
The 2m and 70cm antennas on their mast at Mt Pitt, mounted on a 6m aluminium mast in three sections. Rotation manual, direction controlled by two guy ropes due to the windy conditions this year. We left these antennas up like this overnight and each morning when we arrived onsite I was mildly surprised (but relieved) to find it all still upright and safe.
When the wind became too high for comfort we dismantled this mast and took the antennas down to the lower site where the EME antenna had been taken. After setting up the antenna at the new site we were amazed to hear and work Rex VK7MO on 2m, whose signal burst through the speaker almost the second we connected the cable to the radio.
See vk9na.com

IMG_7139
The FT817 was monitoring 144.100 for any signals. During a 20 minute period, several pings were received from a station transmitting our way from the Port Macquarie area and a full callsign VK2AMS was received. As this little radio outputs only 5 watts and there were no power amplifiers connected yet, there was no option to return the call yet.
vk9na.com

IMG_7140
Michael, Kevin and Alan setting up radios and testing laptop connections for digital modes. The shelter was constructed from two tarps which were attached to the wire fence using cable ties and ropes.
More about the VK9NA VHF Dxpedition
About amateur radio in Australia