DXCC
Perhaps the most coveted award is the DXCC sponsored by the ARRL, it has been the standard for decades and is your full measure of operating achievement. Now before my readers say it is impossible,I do not have a big antenna, or KW amp, my rig is 100 watts and so forth, let me say this dear readers. Working the DX stations is just like working any one else on the bands, except with lower power you may need a little patience,
However, put your marbles in a good antenna system and there are plenty out there, Verticals work well, multi element antennas work very well. Dipoles, long wires, inverted Vee antennas and of course sloper and delta loops.
So let’s see what the requirements are for DXCC? As the name implies it is DX Century Club, to gain admittance you must submit proof of as a minimum of one contact in 100 entities, Confirmations may be in the form of paper cards, or LOTW, nothing else is accepted.
You may apply for mixed mode, all cw, all SSB, or all digital. You can apply for a single band, namely 80/40/15/10 or 6. However, you must submit proof of 100 countries, or entities to the league for consideration.
So, where do I find information on all the countries of the world? Try the ARRL site and look for the DXCC countries list. Print out one. For years the list of countries were found in ARRL produced paper log books on the back cover page.
Since few of us keep paper logs any longer, you may want to set up your own data base, checking off the ones you have worked and confirmed.
DXCC listings have around 360 current countries for the exact figure again consult ARRL since this might change in time. You may endorse your certificate with issued stickers from the league, this is your advancement beyond 100 entities. Get within less then ten entities on the current list and you are on the honor roll.
You may ask my friends what are my standings with DXCC, well I was not satisfied with only one certificate. I have six of them. One Mixed, CW, SSB, 10,15 and 80 meters. I also have my honor roll plaque and you can see this on my web page QRZ.com.
Chasing DX can be the ultimate challenge, in my case I lack only a contact with North Korea, and so does the rest of the world.
There are others who sponsor an award very close to DXCC example is QRZ and EQSL, but contacts confirmed via these services do not count towards DXCC. It depends on whose award you want to pursue and if you want to stop at the basic entry level. To confirm contacts for DXCC you may want to go LOTW no post office, or hassle. Then again, you might want to qsl direct and some request that route. You may want to donate to DX expeditions, some leave this as an option, I think it is very fair. After all, DX expeditions can be expensive, you can help the cause with a donation.
You may want to use the OQRS system and that is send in a donation via electronic means, your qsl is not required, but you will be sent one from the expedition. It works, I use it, less expense for postage, you normally receive your confirmation in about a month via this method.
I would use Pay Pal most DX stations have an electronic log, so be sure you are in the log first, then submit your data per the instructions by the expedition. Or, it is listed on QRZ,com.
I know I cannot cover all the questions on one short column, so if you have questions you can e mail me k4lrx@att,net and I will be glad to answer them.
DX can be fun, or a challenge, it can also become an obsession, moderation is the best policy after all this is a hobby.
Bill, K4lRX
