DX Century Club
The DX Century Club, or DXCC, is an amateur radio operating award earned by making a distant contact, or DX, with 100 or more geographic entities around the world.
The award is granted by (and is a registered trademark of [1]) the American Radio Relay League. Radio amateurs worldwide are eligible to apply although applicants from the US, its possessions and Puerto Rico must be ARRL members. Proof of two way contacts, either in the form of QSL cards or via digital entry into Logbook of The World (LoTW), must be submitted to qualify. Each DXCC award certificate is dated and individually numbered.
As amateur radio grew, achievement awards for working several distant places were developed. As early as 1926 the International Amateur Radio Union started issuing the Worked All Continents certificate. In 1934 R/9 magazine began the Worked All Zones award.[2] The ARRL started to examine the issue in 1932 and, after considerable work to determine what a "country" was, presented its criteria in 1935.[3] The first DXCC certificates were awarded in 1937, but the system was suspended during World War II. A new start began when American amateurs returned to the air on November 15, 1945, and the program has continued since that time.
The basic certificate is awarded to those amateur radio operators who successfully complete and confirm amateur radio communications with land based amateur radio stations located in at least 100 different entities[4] on the DXCC List.[5]
Entities are often, but not always, countries. Each entity contains some definable political or geographical distinctiveness. For example, although Hawaii is not a separate country from the United States, it is a separate DXCC entity due to its distance from the rest of the US.[6]
The basic awards
There are 16 DXCC awards. Each award is earned the same way: by submission of proof of two-way amateur radio contact using the radio bands or transmission modes called for in the award rules. Mode-based awards are:
Single-band awards are issued for:
- 160 meters
- 80 meters
- 40 meters
- 30 meters
- 20 meters
- 17 meters
- 15 meters
- 12 meters
- 10 meters
- 6 meters
- 2 meters
Endorsements
Endorsement stickers for affixing to certificates or pins will be awarded as additional DXCC credits are granted. For the Mixed, Phone, CW, Digital, 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10-Meter DXCC, stickers are provided in exact multiples of 50 (i.e. 150, 200) between 100 and 250 DXCC credits, in multiples of 25 between 250 and 300, and in multiples of 5 above 300 DXCC credits.[7]
As of March 2016, there are 339 entities on the current published DXCC List. The most recent additions to the DXCC List were the four arising out of the former Netherlands Antilles, which were added on October 13, 2010,[8] and South Sudan on July 14, 2011. Another 61 entities are also listed and marked as "Deleted", although count for credit if worked while still in existence. Examples in this group include former countries such as Czechoslovakia and extinct colonial areas like French West Africa.
5-Band DXCC
A 5-band DXCC award is awarded to hams who successfully complete and confirm two-way contacts with 100 or more entities on the current DXCC List on each of the 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 meter amateur radio bands. Endorsements are awarded for working and confirming 100 or more entities on the current DXCC List on any of the 160, 30, 17, 12, 6 or 2 meter amateur radio bands. A 5-Band DXCC award plaque may also be purchased.
DXCC Honor Roll
A radio amateur who has confirmed contacts with 331 (total count - 9) or more entities on the current DXCC List is eligible for the DXCC Honor Roll. Honor Roll qualifiers receive an Honor Roll endorsement sticker for their DXCC certificate and are eligible for an Honor Roll lapel pin and an Honor Roll plaque. Mode-based Honor Roll awards are Mixed (any combination of modes), Phone (radiotelephone), CW (radiotelegraphy) and RTTY (radioteletype).
DXCC #1 Honor Roll
A radio amateur who has confirmed contacts with all 340 entities on the current DXCC List is eligible for the #1 Honor Roll plaque. #1 Honor Roll qualifiers receive a #1 Honor Roll endorsement sticker for their DXCC certificate and are eligible for a #1 Honor Roll lapel pin and a #1 Honor Roll plaque. Mode-based DXCC #1 Honor Roll awards are Mixed (any combination of modes), Phone (radiotelephone), CW (radiotelegraphy) and RTTY (radioteletype).
DXCC Challenge
The DXCC Challenge Award recognizes radio amateurs who have contacted a combined total of at least 1000 current band-entities on the current DXCC List on any combination of amateur radio bands from 160 to 6 meters. The amateur with the highest DXCC Challenge total at the end of each year is awarded the Desoto Cup. The DeSoto Cup honors the memory of Clinton B. DeSoto, W1CBD, who wrote the definitive 1935 QST article that inspired the original DXCC program. Silver and bronze medals will be awarded to the second and third-place winners each year. A gold medal will be awarded to a first-place winner who had won the Desoto Cup in a prior year. Each year, the ARRL announces the winner of the Desoto Cup and the top contenders above the 3000 level.
QRP DXCC
The QRP DXCC award recognizes radio amateurs who have contacted at least 100 DXCC entities using 5 watts output power or less. Contacts made any time in the past will count, and no QSLs are required.
Satellite DXCC
The Satellite DXCC award band endorsements recognize radio amateurs who have contacted at least 100 DXCC entries via amateur radio satellite.
See also
References
- ^ However the Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) issues a similar award also called DX Century Club since 1947 [1].
- ^ A Brief History of the CQ WW Contest
- ^ How to Count Countries Worked A New DX Scoring System
- ^ ARRL Web, DXCC List
- ^ ARRL Web, DXCC Entities List
- ^ ARRL Web, The ARRL DX Century Club Program
- ^ ARRL Web, DXCC Rules
- ^ Dissolution of Netherlands Antilles Creates Four New DXCC Entities