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Seeking Input on Possible Changes to DXCC List: Deadline May 14
John Scott, VE1JS
RAC Representative on DX Advisory Committee
The DX Century Club (DXCC) is Amateur Radio’s premier award that Amateurs can earn by confirming on the air contacts with 100 countries. The DXCC Honor Roll is earned by Amateurs who submit confirmation for contacts reached within the numerical top 10 of the overall number of entities on the DXCC List.
There have been several requests to delete certain countries/entities from the DXCC list because it is felt that the country doesn’t really exist (for example, Scarborough Reef) or because the country is under such tight governmental controls that DXpeditions are impossible. This would include islands under the control of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service or the United States military. Examples include Kure, Johnson, Midway and others.
As the RAC representative to the American Radio Relay League’s (ARRL) DX Advisory Committee (DXAC), which provides advice to their Awards Committee, I would like to hear your opinions so that I can provide the views of Canadian Amateurs to the committee. The DXAC has dealt with this matter a number of times in the past and it will be discussed at our upcoming Zoom meeting. I would appreciate it if you would please provide me with your feedback no later than Saturday, May 14 in time for the meeting on the following day.
Background information:
The following information has been extracted from the ARRL website:
“The DXCC List is based on Clinton B. DeSoto’s, W1CBD, landmark 1935 QST article, ‘How to Count Countries Worked, A New DX Scoring System.’ DeSoto’s article discussed problems DXers had in determining how to count the DX, or entities, they had worked. He presented the solution that has worked successfully for succeeding generations of DXers.
In DeSoto’s words, ‘The basic rule is simple and direct: Each discrete geographical or political entity is considered to be a country.’ This rule has stood the test of time – from the original list published in 1937, to the ARRL DXCC List of today. For more than 85 years, the DXCC List has been the standard for DXers around the world.
DeSoto never intended that all DXCC ‘countries’ would be countries in the traditional sense of the word. Rather, they are the distinct geographic and political entities which DXers seek to contact. Individual achievement is measured by working and confirming the various entities comprising the DXCC List. This is the essence of the DXCC program.
Over time, criteria for the DXCC List has changed. The List remains unchanged until an entity no longer satisfies the criteria under which it was added, at which time it is moved to the Deleted List. Thus, today’s DXCC List does not fully conform with today’s criteria since many entities are grandfathered under previous rules.”
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