A number of routine program questions are received daily at DXCC. Most of this information can be found within these FAQs and also in the rules section on the DXCC web page.

If you have general questions about the DXCC Program and do not find them below, or need further clarification about the specific concern, you may send your questions directly to the DXCC branch.

You may do this by e-mail or phone:

E-mail: dxccadmin@arrl.org
Telephone: (860) 594-0200
Fax: (860) 594-0346

Or by regular mail at:

ARRL/Awards Department
225 Main Street
Newington, CT USA 06111

 
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ARRL offers a valuable resource for anyone who plans on participating in the DXCC program. It is a publication called The ARRL DXCC List. You can purchase the latest edition online from the ARRL Store

This publication contains:

All program Rules

A current entities list along with applicable reference notes

A deleted entities list along with applicable reference notes

A prefix cross reference (A valuable resource for non-standard prefixes)

The most current list of DX Advisory Committee (DXAC) Members

Information about the ARRL Incoming and Outgoing QSL Bureau Services

The international call sign allocation table (ITU)

The latest application form and record sheet. 

To locate the most up-to-date DXCC information, please visit our website at:  www.arrl.org/dxcc 

When looking for information on the main ARRLweb page, use the "Site Index". This will give you an alphabetical list of everything on the ARRL site and this section should help you find anything you need that is provided by ARRL

You can contact DXCC for program information by sending a note to DXCC at:

ARRL/Awards Department

225 Main Street
Newington, CT USA 06111

Please be sure to include a SASE with sufficient postage to cover the response and any additional information you are requesting.

No, as long as your new callsign is for the same DXCC entity as your existing DXCC award. (eg: If you move from Connecticut to Alaska, you are moving to a different DXCC entity.) Here, your Connecticut contacts will NOT count towards your Alaska callsign. In this case you would start a new DXCC record from Alaska. But, if you ever travel back to the mainland USA you can still feed the USA award). With your next submission simply place your new callsign on the line on the application form where it asks for your callsign. Below this line there is a line for ex-calls. Place your old callsign(s) there. When we receive your application with the new callsign, your records will be updated. You can order certificate(s) with your new callsign on it for a fee of USD $12 per certificate, plus postage. (The postage fees are $5 USA/$15.00 Non-USA). The data from the original certificate will appear on the new certificate.

This also covers applicants who have held more than one callsign in their lifetime. Applicants who apply for DXCC and also have cards noting previous callsigns, these can be combined into one DXCC. Keeping in mind the entity status or each callsign. Meaning that all callsigns from the 'Lower 48 contiguous states' would all count towards a USA DXCC remembering that Alaska and Hawaii are separate entities for DXCC.

For example: If you live in the Connecticut using W9JJ and in the past you operated using KH6/W9JJ, you cannot apply KH6/W9JJ contacts towards your mainland USA DXCC. If you've had multiple USA callsigns like W9JJ,  KB9NM, and W1JJ, you can combine contacts from all of these callsigns into one DXCC from the mainland USA.

 

The DXCC Monthly Lists formerly found in QST have been discontinued. With so many DXCC participants using the web now, we have replaced this with the DCC Daily Standings.  Daily standings are updated overnight.  You can access this off the DXCC home page under Daily Standings.    
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On occasion, there will be an applicant disqualification from the DXCC program. In addition, we correspond with a number of DXCC participants regarding discrepancies related to cards they have submitted. Disqualifications and warnings are usually for violations under DXCC Rule 12. Rule 12 states:

"All confirmations must be submitted exactly as received by the applicant. The submission of altered, forged, or otherwise invalid confirmations for DXCC credit may result in disqualification of the applicant and forfeiture of any right to DXCC membership. Determinations by the ARRL Awards Committee concerning submissions or disqualification shall be final. The ARRL Awards Committee shall also determine the future eligibility of any DXCC applicant who has ever been barred from DXCC."

There are times we find that applicants make alterations on cards or, add QSOs not originally written on the card by the DX station in order to receive credits not earned. During the DXCC data entry and editing process, close scrutiny is given to the cards in order to find discrepancies. We see thousands of cards each day and many are the same, so things out of the ordinary become quite obvious to DXCC staff.

If you receive a card and some of the information is not correct, it is best to send the card back to the DX station and obtain a new one, rather than risk action under Rule 12. We note that the originating operator often makes change, but it is always best not to submit a card that has been altered in any way for DXCC credit.

By rejecting a card that appeared altered, we are in no way accusing anyone of cheating. It just means that an alteration was noted, and credit was not issued.

Disqualification is the suspension of participation in the DXCC program. The disqualification period is usually 5 years, at the discretion of the ARRL Awards Committee. During this time the disqualified applicant may not participate in the DXCC program. The applicant's record is usually nullified, and all awards are removed from his/her record.

See Section I rules 12 and 13.

Applicants who apply for DXCC (or any ARRL award) should be aware that DXCC conducts random audits of QSOs submitted for credit. In addition, during the data entry process DXCC staff checks QSL cards closely. Any alteration of QSL card data may trigger an audit. If a QSO noted on the card is not what the applicant actually worked, the applicant must not "fix" the card to the correct QSO. In these cases it is best to contact the sender for a replacement card. Remember, by noting an altered confirmation DXCC is not accusing anyone in particular of the alteration, it is just that while the card is in hand DXCC staff, or a DXCC card checker notices an alteration and must investigate it further.

DXCC also conducts random audits in general. DXCC rule 13 covers the terms of these audits. Audits can be done on any application or individual for present and even past applications.

By signing the affirmation statement applicants affirm that they have followed all of the rules and conditions of the awards program. Any violations found as the result of an audit is subject to review and resolution by the ARRL Awards Committee and all decisions of the Awards Committee are final.

Yes. Once the disqualification period has ended, the applicant may apply in writing to the ARRL Awards Committee for reinstatement. The applicant will receive a letter from the Awards Committee indicating that the request has been approved with certain conditions. These conditions are that:

• No QSOs prior to the date of reinstatement will count for DXCC. In effect, they must start over from the reinstatement date.
• Reinstated members may not have cards checked by card checkers. All applications must be sent to HQ.

All correspondance regarding reinstatement should be presented to the ARRL Awards Manager at staratula@arrl.org

A DXCC member will be notified of a pending action by the Awards Committee. This will provide the member with an opportunity to comment on the case. The action of the Awards Committee is final. An applicant may challenge a decision within 30 days of disqualification. After the 30 day period, all decisions are final.

It is best NOT to use this card and risk action under Rule 12. We do not accuse anyone of alterations, but we will almost certainly reject the card on the basis of the alteration. The best course of action if QSO information on a card is not correct is to write the DX station they worked and request a replacement card.

Usually, if you send the operator the altered card with a brief note explaining that it was not accepted for DXCC credit, he/she will send you a replacement. Just be sure to include funds to cover the return postage.

"DXCC" is copyright by ARRL. You must contact DXCC to obtain permission to use this logo. Send your request to "staratula@arrl.org"

As stated in DXCC Rule 10, "All contacts must be made using callsigns issued to the same station licensee....." In short, if you make a contact under the callsign of a club, the club will receive the DXCC credit. For DXCC purposes, you as the trustee of a club call are not "the licensee."

In these cases, the club can apply for a DXCC award.

 

All clubs, worldwide, are eligible for DXCC participation. For award fees, clubs within the USA and possessions pay the same fee as an ARRL member. Non-USA clubs pay the same fee as a non-ARRL member.
 
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If you have not submitted since DXCC computerization (around 1991) chances are your records have not been entered into the DXCC computer system. These records may still exist on paper.  To determine if we have your previously submited paper application, please contact dxccadmin@arrl.org or call (860) 594-0200

Please be sure to include this information: 

• Current call sign
• Past Call sign(s)
• A list of all of the awards you have
• Your last submission date (month and year)
• Award issue date and sequential number as noted in the lower left portion of your certificate

No. There is no restart in DXCC. DXCC Members continue with their existing awards. If you submitted prior to computerization and do not have all band credits shown on the cards, all you need to do is resubmit credits to update your DXCC.

Electronic copies of DXCC records are now available via Logbook of the World (LoTW). In order to access them you need to visit the site and register (all free). Once you have registered you can link to your existing DXCC computerized record. 

To do this, sign on and go to the users home page. Once registered, go to LoTW then: 

Click on Awards
Click Link Account

The completion of the link will take one working day. After this, you will be able to access your DXCC account.
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Not usually. Records of rejected cards are held in the computer with the original data-entry session. An email will usually enable us to award credit. It is usually not necessary to send the card again. Do not send a card unless we have asked you to do so.

Upon approval of a previously rejected QSO, DXCC sends announcements out to social media, the DX bulletin and is posted on the ARRL website.  

Yes. Please see the 'DXCC and LoTW' section below for information on how to access your DXCC and print copies of DXCC records. Copies from an applicant's LoTW account are free. PDF copies of your record are available by contacting dxccadmin@arrl.org

DXCC Staff processes anywhere from 1,500 to 3,000 cards per staff person on a daily basis. This represents many thousands of keystrokes and errors occasionally occur. The best way to handle errors is to review your submission completely BEFORE contacting us. Do not send in cards for corrections without being asked to do so. 

Once you review your submission, send an e-mail to:  dxccadmin@arrl.org detailing what you have found. We will review your record and in most cases, we will be able to correct the errors without having to see the card again. Once fixed, we will contact you and report what was found and what action was taken. In some cases we may need to see the card again. In this case, just follow the instructions we give you. It is not necessary to complete another application form to send with corrections. Remember, we handle hundreds of applications daily. If your correspondence involves a correction, mark it clearly, otherwise it could be mistaken for a new submission and handled differently. 

While problems can be resolved, it is best to avoid them in the first place. One of the best ways to avoid errors is to be sure to arrange your cards properly. If we caused an error, and we need to see a card again, we will pay for return postage to you. If a problem was determined not to be our fault, the applicant is responsible for all charges.

For the Online DXCC system remember, you, not DXCC staff enters the QSO data so please be sure to check your work before completing and submitting your electronic application.

 

In order to appear in any award listing you must have an active award for that band or mode. (You must have the certificate). Having 100 credits does not automatically give the award to you, it just qualifies you for that award. Since DXCC charges for each award (see rule 16) you must request the award(s) you qualify for but do not, yet, have a certificate. Once this is completed your callsign will show in the live Daily Standings the next work day.

There are many references on prefixes. Some old and some new, but all may be of value. The ITU (International Telecommunications Union) headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland is the international organization within the United Nations System which is responsible for allocating call sign blocs. You can access their list of prefixes at  ITU. This is a list of the basic allocations from which the ham radio prefixes are derived. Virtually every prefix can be resolved by referring to this list. 

On the DXCC web site there are three primary references: 

The DXCC List under Country Lists and Prefixes
The Prefix Cross Reference List
International Callsign Prefix Allocations (from ITU)

Almost everything that you need can be found in at least one of these three references. If you cannot find what you are looking for, check to be sure the callsign or prefix you are looking for is correct. Also, try your favorite search engine to attempt to locate a prefix allocation.

Electronic QSLs or eQSLs are not accepted for DXCC (See DXCC Rule 2). If you receive a QSL by electronic means and print it out, it will not be accepted for DXCC credit. Please see the ARRL E-QSL Policy.

Currently, the only electronic confirmations that are acceptable for DXCC credit are Logbook of the World QSLs.

In short, no. If you have had more than one callsign from any DXCC country, be it current or in the past, DXCC is able to track that DXCC but using only one callsign and this is usually the most recent callsign in use.

However, if you have held more than one callsign for a DXCC country you can purchase a certificate for that callsign without the need of making a submission. For example, if there was an older operation as W1AW/KG4 from Guantanamo Bay and a full callsign was later issued as KG4ZA, the operator can either combine cards for an award using both callsigns or just a single one. But, say KG4ZA was used but the operator wants a certificate for W1AW/KG4, too. As long as a DXCC has already been issued the operator can request a "replacement" certificate under the old callsign without the need for having to submit an application for it. But, again, this can only be done if an award has already been issued for the DXCC country in question.

 

How and when you submit an application can play a big part. We often see applications that are not prepared according to our instructions. Because the data-entry screen is set up to remember the previous data arranging cards in band then mode order can help. Arranging cards in alphanumeric order will cause considerably more work. Applications set up properly (by band then by mode with cards with multiple QSO's at the end) take about half the time to process. 

Multiple submissions are not always needed. While multiple deadlines no longer exist keep in mind you can save yourself money and DXCC processing time if you plan your submission according to your needs. People often make 2 or 3 or more submission a year, when only one well-planned submission would have sufficed.

Everything an applicant does to prepare their application according to the published requirements helps reduce processing time and also processing costs.

Wall plaques are available for the following DXCC awards:

#1 Honor Roll
Honor Roll
5 Band DXCC
DXCC Challenge

 
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Currently, there is no site from DXCC available on the web for verifying the status of an operation. The file where this information is kept contains tens of thousands of lines of data and it is accessed several times a day, so this information can change often. Maintaining a list on the web would be a complicated and time-consuming project and since this file changes almost daily keeping it up-to-date would strain current manpower resources.

What we recommend is to just submit cards in question and let the DXCC program make the decision at the proper time. If it is rejected you can include it in some future submissions but after a while it may be obvious that some things will not change.
 

There is no QRP or Mobile category in the regular DXCC program. Like Mobile, there is no way to satisfy the strict verification requirements in the DXCC rules. QRP contacts can be used towards a DXCC award, but "QRP" cannot appear on a regular DXCC program certificate callsign field.

There are QRP and Mobile programs but they are separate from the regular DXCC program. See this link for details:

http://www.arrl.org/qrp-dxcc

http://www.arrl.org/mobile-dxcc

 Send questions to dxccadmin@arrl.org

First, and very important, when you receive your plaque in the mail before doing anything be sure to do a complete inspection of the box then after opening be sure to inspect your plaque closely. 

While ARRL regrets a damaged plaque we will replace this plaque at no cost to the applicant.
 

If your credit slip shows an amount due to DXCC, it is will appear in the upper right portion of your credit slip and appear in parenthesis as: (43.96). Also, just to the left of this amount a line will only appear if there is an amount due stating:

Negative amounts are shown in '( )'. Balance is due to ARRL.

If your return credit slip notes an amount due to DXCC, please do not ignore this.  Contact dxccadmin@arrl.org for instructions on how to clear your balance due.

If an amount due is not resolved, it could cause a delay with a current submission, items ordered, or card return.
 

Written confirmation is the means by which applicants for awards receive confirmations for their 2-way contacts. In order to receive award credit these contacts written confirmation must be:

1: In writing by non-electronic means directly from the DX station worked or their designated representative (eg: QSL manager). This is normally by means of a QSL card but any written letter, official certificate or other items received directly by regular mail will suffice.

2: Electronic confirmation via ARRL's LogBook of The World (LoTW) is the only electronic means of confirmation for 2-way contacts valid for ARRL awards.

e-QSLs or other electronic means of receiving confirmation are not acceptable for any ARRL award. However, if an individual does receive an electronically transmitted confirmation the receiver can choose to send a record of the transmission to the DX station or their representative by regular mail. The DX station then makes a note on the transmission, manually, then sends it back to the applicant, again by regular mail (AKA snail mail). This then constitutes official 'Written Confirmation' directly from the DX station and this form may then be used for award confirmation.





 

Occasionally, files are sent to DXCC in order to clarify data on some QSO cards that may have been rejected or other items necessary to get information to DXCC like supporting documentation in order to get operations accredited.

Due to the potential for malicious viruses to be introduced DXCC can no longer accept messages with files that contain the ZIP and RAR file extensions.

If there is a need to send a large set of documents you can contact ARRL Awards Manager Sharon Taratula, by e-mail at staratula@arrl.org to make special arrangements.

We regret any inconvenience this may cause and we appreciate your cooperation.

No. Stickers are used only for endorsements as you increase your numbers on an award category. (See DXCC Rule 5).

Example: On Mixed you have a certificate which indicates you have achieved at least the minimum requirement of 100 entities. Now, you increase your count to level 150. There is an endorsement sticker for this level.

For the award categories shown in DXCC rule 1 there is an individual certificate for each one.

For example: If you have a Mixed certificate you cannot get a sticker for achieving 10 Meters. In this case you can apply for an individual award certificate for this (and all other) award categories shown in DXCC rule 1.




 

Prior to DXCC computerization, tracking was done on old paper records (we refer to them here as backfills). A MS DOS program was provided to DXCC for processing these backfills and data entry only consisted of a point and click method of data selection. Upon completion a utility was provided allowing for the importing of this data into the DXCC computer system in use at that time. When data was uploaded the callsign field was filled in with only the 3 digit country code number instead of a prefix or callsign. This was the only way backfills could be processed up until DXCC started using a newer system in early 1998.

How can this be updated?

Since data from the backfills only related to the award category requested, no other data could be recorded at that time. There were separate and completely individual backfills for each award requested. For example, if you had a Mixed award, the only data brought into the DXCC record was Mixed for mode and unknown for band. Even for the date, a default was used and no callsign or prefix was available.

In order for the records to be updated to reflect the actual QSO information, applicants must make a submission to DXCC. The same, exact cards are not necessary; just a card to fill in more data for the countries in question to place an "X" on the matrix. DXCC does not go back and make changes individually since there could be virtually hundreds of thousands of entries like this and it would be time prohibitive. The credits that were issued for a country are 100% correct based on DXCC processing at that time. Also, making a submission with cards to fill in the needed information has a double benefit for an applicant. Not only does an applicant get the data filled in, they also receive proper credit for all QSO data fields for the contact(s) in question. (eg: on backfill entry only one mode OR band was credited. Making a submission gets all data pertinent to the QSO entered into the computer including complete callsign full date, band and mode).

 

The complete question here is "I am a non-USA amateur whose non-USA callsign is not an ARRL member but, I maintain a valid USA callsign, also, of which I am an ARRL member". Based on this if I apply for a DXCC under my non-ARRL member callsign will my USA callsign membership allow me to participate as an ARRL member for DXCC?

Yes, regardless of which callsign you have an ARRL membership under as long as you as an indivudual hold an ARRL membership, regardless of what country/callsign the membership is under, the ARRL membership covers you for all callsigns regardless of what you apply for DXCC under.

Important: In this case when you apply for a DXCC be sure to note your membership status on the line where it asks and also be sure to note the callsign for which your membership is under if it is not the callsign of the DXCC application.

DXCC began computerizing 5 Band DXCC awards into the DXCC computer in December 1991. Prior to this period actual QSO data for this award is no longer available. In order to bring your numbers up-to-date for the bands included in 5BDXCC you must make a regular submission. You do not need to send in the same original cards just points in order to place an "X" on the DXCC matrix.

Note, this is not a free submission and all submission fees apply for this project.

If you have a DXCC issued prior to the above period you must send a note to DXCC, or, make a note of this award in a regular DXCC submission and DXCC will bring the record of your 5BDXCC into your account. This only includes: Applicant callsign, award date and award number. Again, this will not affect the QSO counts it will only bring into your account the fact that you have achieved 5Band DXCC.

DXCC could not keep the old QSO records for possible future data entry because of all the QSOs claimed it is not known all of which were actually checked towards the first 100 current on each of the primary bands. Due to this the potential for entering possible incorrect data was avoided by doing this. In addition, as standard practice, DXCC does not retain application paperwork for more than 6 months. After this, application paperwork is destroyed with priority given to paperwork with credit card data for security reasons. In the early years of maintaining application paperwork the period may have been slightly longer but no more than one year at most. Retention of paperwork for more than this time is not needed mostly for storage space and possible fire hazards with so much paper.