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From 1 to 14 June 2026, a seven-member team of radio amateurs will activate Lord Howe Island with the call sign VJ2L. This is one of the few DX expeditions this year that, in addition to classic DXing, actively supports the DX Marathon program and uses the latest platform SDR transceivers directly in field conditions.
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Expedition details VJ2L
The team is led by Chris Chapman, VK3QB. Other members include Matt Holden, K0BBC, who was in charge of preparing the radio equipment before the flight from the US state of South Dakota to Sydney. Lord Howe Island is located in the Tasman Sea, about 600 km east of Port Macquarie, Australia. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site – a volcanic remnant with a strict limit of 400 visitors at a time, which in itself places logistical constraints on any expedition.
An important note regarding DXCC Status: the Australian regulator changed the callsign allocation for Lord Howe Island from the prefix VK9 to VK2 in 2024. However, Lord Howe Island remains a separate DXCC entity and most logging and diploma programs record it as VK9L. Therefore, when logging VJ2L, it is necessary to check whether the QSO is recorded under the VK9L entity.
Planned bands and modes
The expedition focuses on the 40m to 10m bands in modes CW , FT8 and SSB. The 6 m and 160 m bands are not planned; the 80 m operation will be decided by the operators on site according to the conditions. With seven operators, the team plans intensive operation structured according to promotional windows and demand. Internet connectivity permitting, it will run Club log Live Stream.
FlexRadio Aurora 520M – technology in the field
FlexRadio supports this activation by delivering two transceivers Aurora 520MEach AU-520M unit integrates into a single 8.5 kg chassis: a 500 W SDR transceiver, power supply, automatic antenna tuner and 7-pole bandpass filters. It has two independent SCUs (Spectral Capture Units), which allows up to 4 slice receivers and 4 independent panadapters in the range of 30 kHz to 54 MHz simultaneously - and therefore native SO2R operation from one physical unit.
For an expedition of this type, weight and complexity reduction are key. Instead of the usual combination of HF transceiver, amplifier, power supply, tuner, filters and extensive cabling, the Aurora 520M, laptop and operator accessories are sufficient. The team emphasized that this activation will also be a real-world deployment of the Aurora platform in a demanding expedition environment.
DX-Commander Expedition – antenna assembly
The antenna used will be the DX-Commander Expedition vertical – a multiband vertical antenna designed by Callum McCormick, M0MCX. It is assembled around a telescopic fiberglass pole about 9 m high (under 70 cm when folded), with radiators for each band coming from a single feed point at the base. The advantage for expeditions is quick installation by one person and low transport weight.
DX Marathon 2026
The VJ2L expedition is the official activation for the DX Marathon – a year-round competition in which participants collect points for every new DXCC entity and CQ zone logged in a given year. DX Marathon Manager Mark Wohlschlegel, WC3W, encouraged participants to actively call Lord Howe Island . The team will be on FT8 virtually non-stop and is planning an intensive CW operation with six CW operators in parallel.
In addition, the team sponsors a plaque for the best CW result in the VK category within the DX Marathon 2026, thereby actively supporting the expansion of participation from the Oceania region.
Special VJ2L diplomas
The expedition announced its own mini-award program, which the team says is the first of its kind:
| Diploma | Condition | Sponsor / Note |
|---|---|---|
| First past the post – all CW bands | Prvý operátor , ktorý zaloguje VJ2L na všetkých pásmach CW | CWops Oceania (not for UK/ZL) |
| First past the post – all FT8 bands | First operator on all FT8 bands | Plaque |
| First past the post – all SSB bands | First operator on all SSB bands | Plaque |
| 1000 miles/watt Award – CW | QSOs reaching 1000 miles per watt of transmitted power, CW | Certificate for all, plaque for the first |
QSL VJ2L
QSL services for VJ2L are managed by Charles, M0OXO – experienced QSL manager with many years of experience in international DX expeditions. Contact details are available on the website QRZ .com/db/VJ2L. The QRZ page is maintained by Matt, K0BBC.