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E6GG : Niue : September 2015.
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| The E6GG team (G3BJ, G3SVL, G4TSH, G3WPH, G3WGN, G4JKS and G3TXF) are welcomed on arrival by Miss Niue. |
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Air New Zealand runs two flights per week for the three and a half hour trip from Auckland out to the Pacific island of Niue. |
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| Baggage trolleys galore as the E6GG team makes the short journey across the road from the Novotel into Auckland Airport. |
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Flight NZ784 (AKL-IUE A320 ZK-OKG) landed on Niue in a heavy rain shower. |
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| The island of Niue rises up out of the sea. There are hardly any beaches, just varying height cliff drops into the Pacific Ocean. |
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Chris G3SVL, Mike G3WPH, David G3WGN, Don G3BJ, Hilary G4JKS and Justin G4TSH at the site of the four E6GG stations. |
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| Amateur Radio licences are issued by Telecom Niue which has a small office in Alofi, the main town on Niue. |
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E6GG team accommodation was a short up-hill drive away from the four operating stations. Five-star it was not! |
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| Nine separate vertical supports were used to separate antennas for nine bands. |
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The 40m vertical was run up against the side of a palm-tree. |
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High horizontal dipoles were used for the HF bands, with verticals for 40m/80m/160m. |
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Uploading the E6GG log to both Club Log and LoTW had to be done from an Internet cafe in town, involving a 25 mile round-trip. |
One of the two shacks : David G3WGN, Chris G3SVL, Hilary G4JKS and Justin G4TSH. There were three K3s and one K3S. |
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| Chris G3SVL operates E6GG on RTTY on 17m, using an Elecraft K3 and KPA-500. There were three KPA-500 amps at E6GG. |
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Chris G3SVL collects supplies of bottled water from the one supermarket in main town of Alofi. |
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| The three KPA-500s were supplemented (for a bit more umph on 160m) by an SPE 1.3 Expert amp kindly loaned by Olof G0CKV. |
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Justin G4TSH samples a local beer : DB Draught. Although in the view of the beer drinkers, the brew was distinctly lacking in dBs! |
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| Our host Frank with Don G3BJ. Frank had kindly arranged for our use of the Mutalau village hall for our operating and eating areas. |
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Justin G4TSH, David G3WGN and Mike G3WPH at the second of the two two-station shacks (all Elecraft K3/K3S) in use at E6GG. |
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| Justin G4TSH takes a panorama view of the E6GG site with his iPhone just prior to departure. |
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Farewell dinner for the seven members of the E6GG team with the locals who had helped us out with catering during the two weeks. |
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| A farewell to our host Frank, as all the luggage is loaded onto a truck for the ride to the airport. |
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David G3WGN does a baggage count as the various suitcases, ski-bags and carry-ons are prepared for the long journies home. |
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| The rigid vertical lines on the World Map in Win-Test confirm that the E6GG operation included the September 2015 Equinox. |
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"Machette Mike" G3WPH prepares to hack away at the undergrowth to ease the installation of the numerous antennas. |
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| Hilary G4JKS and Justin G4TSH share a joke at the one main cafe in Alofi : the Crazy Uga. |
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Tsumani evacuation route signs and tsunami shelters are dotted all around the Pacific island of Niue. |
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| Six of the E6GG team in the grounds in front of the village hall at Mutalau. |
The Niue flag is bright yellow with a facsmile of the Union Jack in the top left corner. |
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| Iced coffees all round at the Crazy Uga café : Mike G3WPH, David G3WGN, Chris G3SVL, our host Frank and Justin G4TSH. |
Nigel G3TXF operating a K3S. Does the K3S work better in CW pile-ups than earlier K3s? Subjectively the answer is "definitely yes"! |
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| Chris G3SVL and Don G3BJ working on antennas at E6GG. |
Installing the 160m vertical. The top loading of the Top Band vertical was in a tee. |
Don G3BJ and Justin G4TSH adding more radials to the 80m vertical. |
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| Rocky coves, cavans and sheer cliffs are more common on Niue than beaches. |
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Radials at the base of the 80m vertical. Operation on 160m, 80m and 40m and 30m was only on CW. |
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| Mutalau is the most northerly village on Niue and as such provides the best short-path sea-path take-off for Europe. |
Avid readers of "Practical Wireless" (edited by top DXer Don G3XTT) are to be found in exotic DX locations around the world! |
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| Whale watchers : Don G3BJ, Mike G3WPH, Chris G3SVL, Justin G4TSH and Hilary G4JKS. |
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Numerous whales regularly pass close to the shore on Niue. From the E6GG location we saw whales passing on several occasions. |
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| "No more photos, please" says Mike G3WPH while boarding the Air New Zealand flight (A320 ZK-OJG) back to Auckland. |
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Justin G4TSH in the departure lounge at Alofi airport with a souvenir photo of the Niue coastline. |
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