Last updated: 2002-03-31 (no longer being maintained)

Notice: © 1994 to 2000, Chris R. Burger. This document may be reproduced as required for personal use, and may be freely referenced from other Web sites. However, publication elsewhere requires express written permission from the author.

Chris R. Burger ZS6EZ
Box 4485
Pretoria
0001 South Africa
chris@zs6ez.za.org

The DX Century Club programme is administered by the American Radio Relay League. The basic requirement is the submission of proof of two way communications with at least 100 countries on the DXCC Countries List. DXCC is probably the most prestigious and sought-after awards world wide.

All QSL cards have to be submitted directly to the ARRL, and application has to be made on the official application forms. The countries list, and a full set of rules, can be obtained for $ 3,00 and application forms are free of charge. Write to DXCC Desk, ARRL, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111-1494 USA. The information and all forms are also available on the ARRL Web site.

The basic award fee is now $ 20,00 per submission for non-members of the ARRL. However, during one application, the initial issue or endorsement of any number of awards may be requested. If credit for more than 120 QSOs is being requested, there is a small fee for each additional credit. Finally, return postage for the QSL cards must be included.

Traditionally, lists published in South Africa have included only stations listed in a single year. However, because of increased DXCC fees and the continued deterioration in the exchange rate, many local participants feel that annual submissions are now too expensive. They are now submitting every second or third year, often skewing results when others with lower scores end up as the only entries on the lists.

To address this problem, submissions for the last three years have been included in this list. Callsigns carried forward from '98 and '97 were labelled with 1 and 2 respectively.

Relief from the high costs of DXCC might be on the way. There are strong indications that card checking may be done locally in future, obviating the necessity to send a pile of cards to the USA at great expense. Also, the ARRL may be able to accept inputs on-line in future. When this happens, the data entry costs will drop drastically. It is expected that the savings will be passed on to members in the form of a reduction in fees. Should this process happen, we will obviously discontinue the practice of listing three years' submissions.

This list was extracted from the past three issues of The DXCC Yearbook (1997 to 1999), published by the ARRL. The extract lists world leaders and every ZS station on each of the DXCC lists. Members who submitted cards between 1 October 1996 and 30 September 1999 are shown, as are all Honour Roll members (those needing less than 10 current countries). Honour Roll members are indicated by a "*" behind the call sign.

Stations holding 5 Band DXCC are not listed annually in the Yearbook; this list of ZS stations was compiled from previous announcements in QST and direct correspondence with the individuals concerned and with the ARRL. Stations are listed in chronological order, i.e. ZS5LB was the first ZS, and ZS6IR the most recent. Over 4000 5BDXCC certificates have been issued. 5BDXCC is a very worth while project. Single- operator stations have worked 5BDXCC in a single contest weekend, but from South Africa it is definitely not a trivial undertaking!

The listed scores include credit granted for countries that have subsequently been deleted.

New countries

The number of countries for this list is 332. The most recent additions include Marquesas (FO), Australs (FO) and Temotu (H40). Two more countries, Chesterfield (FK) and East Timor (4W6), were recently added, but cards from these countries will not be accepted before 1 October 2000. These countries are therefore not yet included in these totals. Both countries have seen large-scale operations in the past year, and most DXCC participants probably already have a QSL card ready for submission.

New developments

Clearly, Phone is still the most popular mode for ZS amateurs, and 28 MHz the most popular band. Perhaps the biggest news is the fact that Hal Lund ZS6WB and Ivo Chladek ZS6AXT have appeared on the 6 m list. These two amateurs became the first and second Africans respectively to obtain DXCC on this band. Several others are within striking distance, and are hoping to pass the DXCC entry level before the end of the current solar cycle. The 2 m award is now the only one not yet claimed by a South African.

The DXCC 2000 programme has lead to a number of changes that are being phased in over the next years. A major change is the introduction of single band DXCCs for those bands that didn't have them previously. Submissions for 14 and 21 MHz can already be made this year. 18 and 25 MHz will follow over the next two years. This exercise is not cheap; in my case, over 600 cards that have never been submitted, will have to be sent to Newington! However, it is a one-time charge, and once a card has been credited for DXCC, it will remain in the computers for possible later use.

Those wishing to submit 14 and 21 MHz totals and do not want to run the risk of duplication, can request their latest tallies from the DXCC Desk. They provide a copy of one's full credits in PDF format by return email.

A cumulative total for all bands will be published in future, and an annual trophy is on offer for the station with the highest total. Nine bands count for these totals; all bands from 1,8 to 50 MHz are valid, except for 10 MHz. The fact that the 50 MHz band has now been included in the rankings and the ready availability of HF radios with 50 MHz capability have contributed greatly to the increased level of activity on this band. Many hard-core HF DXers are heard calling in the VHF pileups these days.

The lists are manually extracted from almost 20 pages of fine print in each Yearbook. This year, Bushy Roode ZS6YQ has to be thanked for most of the hard work. It would be appreciated if any errors or omissions could be pointed out to the compiler so that corrections can be published. Please include substantiating documentation. Before you complain, though, please take the time to check that your last submission falls within the period indicated.

The closing date for DXCC submissions, as in every year, is on 30 September. Applications should be air mailed several weeks in advance to ensure that they get there before the closing date. These days, a few of us in Gauteng get together and use a courier to get our parcels there speedily and safely. Because costs are shared, this way is actually cheaper than air mail.

Start getting that paperwork ready now!

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