Update August 31. 2026:   VK9XY Remote Operation Plan and Young Operator Sign-Up

The Pacific Islands DXpedition Group (PIDXG), in partnership with Youth on the Air (YOTA), is pleased to announce plans to provide remote operating opportunities to approximately forty young amateur radio operators around the world during the upcoming VK9XY DXpedition to Christmas Island.

VK9XY will operate from November 16 through December 4, 2026. As part of the operation, we will deploy two NexGen RiB2 remote radio systems, to be located approximately six hundred meters west of our primary operating site.

Remote access to the RiB2s will be provided through a new cloud-based system called DXter. DXter supports CW, SSB, and digital modes and is accessed directly through a standard web browser, with no additional software or applications required.

Young Operator Remote Team Leaders

The remote operating team will be led by Kees, W0AAE, and Steve, KI4WKR.

Young operators interested in participating on the remote team should contact:

Kees W0AAE: arrl.kvan@gmail.com
Steve KI4WKR: KI4KWR@gmail.com

Remote operators will have an opportunity to become familiar with DXter before the DXpedition begins. During October, both RiB2 stations will be made available to the remote team for training and familiarization. A short instructional video will also be provided to help young operators learn how to use DXter and prepare for the VK9XY operation.

This is an exciting opportunity for young operators to experience the challenge of a DXpedition from anywhere in the world.

How You Can Support Us

As a nonprofit organization, PIDXG relies on the generosity of the amateur radio community and our supporters to help make these educational and operating opportunities possible.

Fundraising is currently under way, with the goal of covering all expenses associated with the participation of our young operators.

Donations can be made through PayPal at supportvk9xy@pidxg.org

Checks may also be made payable to:

PACIFIC ISLANDS DX GROUP
69 Saddleview Lane
Morganton, GA 30560

Every contribution, large or small, helps provide young operators with the opportunity to gain firsthand experience in DXpeditioning, develop their operating skills, and become part of the next generation of Dxpeditioners

For additional information about VK9XY, visit vk9xy2026.com.

Thank you in advance for your support. Your QSO with VK9XY might just be with a young operator running a pile-up for the very first time!

Update August 27. 2026:  The leaders who will run tomorrow's DXpeditions are our young hams today!

VK9XY exists to change how they get there.

This November, eight young operators from the United States, Lithuania, Japan and Malawi travel to Christmas Island (IOTA OC-002) — one of the Indian Ocean's rarest entities — to plan it, build it, and put it on theair themselves. Max Freedman (N4ML) leads the team; veteran DXpeditioners Gregg (W6IZT) and Glenn (W0GJ) are along strictly to advise. In partnership with YOTA — Youngsters On The Air — we hand young hams real responsibility on a real expedition, and then get out of their way.

It reaches far past the shoreline. Thanks to an equipment grant from the Northern California DX Foundation, 30–40 more young hams worldwide will operate VK9XY remotely over NexGenRiB2 stations, earning genuine DXpeditionexperience from their own shacks. On the air November 16 – December 4, 2026, this becomes one of the largest hands-on training grounds our hobby has run.

For most of these young ops, cost is the only thing between them and the island. Our promise is simple: every team member's travel and operating expenses covered in full, so no talented young operator is left home over money.

Your gift buys a seat on Christmas Island — and the skills and confidence that come with it. Every donor receives a personalized Certificate of Appreciation to download and display.

Visit our website at vk9xy2026.com

Update July 27. 2026:  Meet Max Freedman, N4ML. Team Leader

Note: VK9XY is a DXpedition conducted by the Pacific Islands DXpedition Group (PIDXG), in partnership with Youth on the Air (YOTA).

When the Pacific Islands DXpedition Group (PIDXG) and Youth on the Air (YOTA) set out to organize the first major youth-led DXpedition, there was a natural choice to lead the effort—Max Freedman, N4ML.

Licensed in 2016 at the age of 12, Max quickly developed a passion for DXing, contesting, station engineering, and DXpeditioning. Over the past decade, he has grown from an enthusiastic young operator into one of Amateur Radio's emerging leaders, earning the respect of experienced DXpeditioners through his operating skills, technical expertise, and dedication to mentoring the next generation.

Professionally, Max serves as the ARRL Education and Learning Support Specialist, where he helps develop educational programs that introduce students and teachers to wireless technology, electronics, and Amateur Radio. He also serves as editor of the ARRL Contest Update, keeping contesters informed about operating news, technical developments, and upcoming events.

Earlier this year, Max competed in the prestigious World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC 2026) in the United Kingdom as part of Youth Team #3. He also participated in the ambitious 3Y0K Bouvet Island DXpedition, one of the most challenging activations ever attempted from one of the rarest DXCC entities in the world.

Now, Max is leading the VK9XY Christmas Island 2026 DXpedition, a project that represents years of growth within the youth DXpedition program. Young operators first gained experience through remote operating during the 3D2Y Rotuma DXpedition, then advanced to on-island operating during PJ6Y Saba. With VK9XY, they now take the next step—planning, organizing, and leading
a major international DXpedition—while veteran DXpeditioners Glenn Johnson, W0GJ, and Gregg Marco, W6IZT, serve as advisors and mentors.

VK9XY will feature four on-island stations, two innovative NexGenRiB2 remote stations operating via Starlink, and a portable QO-100 satellite station. The remote stations will also allow an additional 30 to 40 young operators around the world to experience operating from rare DX, extending the mission of the project far beyond Christmas Island itself.

In addition to leading VK9XY, Max serves as a Director of the Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF), helping support major DXpeditions while encouraging young Amateur Radio operators to take on meaningful leadership roles. His vision is simple: today's young operators should not merely observe great DXpeditions—they should lead them.

"For a lot of us, DXpeditioning was always something we watched the previous generation do. VK9XY flips that. This is our team and our operation, and it is our chance to show that the next generation isn't waiting in the wings—we're ready to run a major activation now." — Max Freedman, N4ML

73,Steve Hass, N2AJ
Media Officer & Worldwide Pilot
VK9XY Christmas Island 2026 DXpedition

Update July 22. 2026: Help put Christmas Island on the air!

VK9XY is more than a DXpedition—it is an investment in the next generation of amateur radio operators.

At the end of this email, you'll find more information about the VK9XY team and the goals of the expedition. But first, we'd like to ask you to consider supporting this unique project.

VK9XY is an international DXpedition led by young amateur radio operators. 

Its mission is not only to activate one of the world's most wanted DXCC entities, Christmas Island (VK9X), but also to help secure the future of DXpeditioning by developing the next generation of operators.

We invite you to support the VK9XY DXpedition.

Your donation will help make it possible for young operators to participate in a world-class DXpedition while covering essential expenses such as travel, freight, permits, communications, and on-site operating costs.

Donation VK9XY Today

Online: www.vk9xy2026.com

PayPal: supportvk9xy@pidxg.org

Every contribution makes a difference. Even a modest donation brings us one step closer to making this expedition a reality.

As a token of our appreciation, every donor will receive a personalized, downloadable VK9XY Supporter Certificate, available in Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Diamond recognition levels. See below.

You may already know the Pacific Islands DXpedition Group from our successful 3D2Y (Rotuma) and PJ6Y (Saba) expeditions. These youth-led DXpeditions produced tens of thousands of QSOs while also inspiring and developing a new generation of DXpeditioners.

Now, those same young operators are returning—this time as the leaders of their own expedition.

From November 16 through December 4, 2026, the Pacific Islands DXpedition Group, in cooperation with Youth on the Air (YOTA), will activate Christmas Island (VK9X) using the callsign VK9XY.

The team is led by Max Freedman (N4ML) and includes Connor Black (W4IPC), Tyler Schroder (NT1S), Urgent Jere (7Q6UJ), Lukas Bartkus (LY7J), and several other talented young amateur radio operators. They are responsible for planning, organizing, and operating the entire expedition, while Glenn Johnson (W0GJ) and Gregg Marco (W6IZT) serve solely as advisors and mentors.

The goal is to give as many amateurs as possible the opportunity to work this rare DXCC entity on all HF bands using CW, SSB, FT8, as well as via the QO-100 satellite. But VK9XY is about much more than putting a rare entity on the air

In addition to the on-site team, 30 to 40 young amateur radio operators from around the world will have the opportunity to participate remotely through the NexGenRiB2 remote station network. This allows young operators who could never travel to Christmas Island to experience the excitement and challenges of a real Dxpedition.

When you support VK9XY, you are doing far more than helping activate a rare DXCC entity. You are investing in the next generation of amateur radio operators, giving them the experience, knowledge, and confidence that will shape the future of DXpeditioning.

We hope you will join our growing list of supporters, and we look forward to seeing VK9XY in your log this November and December.

73,Gregg Marco, W6IZT
On behalf of the VK9XY Team
Pacific Islands DXpedition Group

Next Generation Takes the Lead: Announcing the 2026 VK9XY DXpedition to Christmas Island

The Pacific Islands DXpedition Group (PIDXG), in partnership with Youth on the Air (YOTA), is proud to announce a DXpedition to Christmas Island in November and December 2026 that will be planned, led, and operated by the next generation of DXers.

This is a milestone for our program. Across our recent DXpeditions, the role of young operators has grown at every step from remote operators on 3D2Y (Rotuma), to on-island team members on PJ6Y (Saba), and now to the leadership of the VK9XY team itself. For the first time, the veterans are the support crew. The eight-operator on-island team is composed entirely of operators under the age of 25, led by Max Freedman, N4ML. Veteran DXpeditioners Glenn Johnson, W0GJ, and Gregg Marco, W6IZT, join the team as on-island advisors and mentors. Confirmed team members include Connor Black, W4IPC; Tyler Schroder, NT1S; Lukas Bartkus, LY7J; and Urgent Jere, 7Q6UJ, several of whom cut their DXpedition teeth on 3D2Y and PJ6Y, first from the remote side and now leading in the DXpedition. We will be rounding out the team over the next few weeks.

“For a lot of us, DXpeditioning was always something we watched the previous generation do,” said Max Freedman, N4ML, team lead. “VK9XY flips that. This is our team and our operation, and it is our chance to show that the next generation isn’t waiting in the wings, we’re ready to run a major activation now.”

“My job on this one is to stay out of the way,” added Gregg Marco, W6IZT. “These operators have earned the lead. Glenn and I are here to guide the team through the planning process, not to run the show. That’s exactly the point.”

The team will arrive on Christmas Island on November 16 and be on the air through December 4, 2026 — approximately 18 days of operation.

The station plan calls for four local stations, two remote NexGenRiB2 stations operating over Starlink, and a portable QO-100 satellite station. Activity will be on 160–6 meters, plus satellite including QO-100. The team will participate in the CQWW CW Contest.

The youth leadership extends well beyond the island. We thank the Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF) for a generous equipment grant funding the two NexGenRiB2 stations, which over Starlink — will put an additional 30 to 40 young operators worldwide behind the key and microphone at VK9XY. On the island and around the globe, this activation is by young operators, for young operators — the fullest expression yet of our mission to enable DXpeditioning for the next generation of amateur radio operators.

QSL via MØOXO (Charles Wilmott).

How You Can Support Us

Fundraising is under way, with the goal of covering the costs for our young operators. Donations can be made by PayPal to supportvk9xy2026@gmail.com or by check payable to:

PACIFIC ISLANDS DXPEDITION GROUP

69 Saddleview Lane

Morganton, GA 30560

For more details, visit our website at vk9xy2026.com.

Thank you in advance for your support, your next contact might just be with a young operator running the pile-up, not just working it, for the very first time!

Contact: Max Freeman, N4ML