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The DX Century Club (DXCC) is the most widely pursued and most prestigious DX award in amateur radio. Established by the ARRL in 1937, DXCC recognizes operators who have confirmed two-way contacts with stations in 100 or more DXCC "entities" — the program's term for the countries, territories, and other distinct geographic areas that make up the DXCC List.
For many operators, DXCC is the defining long-term goal of their amateur radio career. The basic award is achievable by any HF operator with patience and decent equipment, but the upper reaches — Honor Roll and the top of the list — represent years or decades of dedicated DX chasing.
The DXCC List is not a list of sovereign nations. It is maintained by the ARRL's DXCC Desk and follows a specific set of criteria that determine which geographic areas qualify as separate entities. In general, an area qualifies if it meets one or more of these conditions:
As a result, the DXCC List includes entries like Svalbard (a Norwegian archipelago), Crete (part of Greece but geographically separated), and various overseas territories. The total number of current entities on the DXCC List fluctuates as political boundaries change and entities are added or deleted. As of the mid-2020s the list contains around 340 current entities.
When an entity is removed from the list (because of a political change or annexation, for example), contacts made before the deletion date still count, but no new contacts can be credited. These are called deleted entities, and some operators pursue them as an additional challenge.
To earn the basic DXCC award, you must:
There is no time limit — contacts made over your entire amateur radio career can count, provided they meet the rules in effect at the time the contact was made.
DXCC is not a single award but a family of related awards. The main variants are:
DXCC Mixed — The standard award. Any mode, any band. This is where most operators start.
DXCC Phone — All contacts must be made using voice modes (SSB, AM, FM).
DXCC CW — All contacts must be made using Morse code.
DXCC Digital — All contacts must be made using digital modes (FT8, FT4, RTTY, PSK31, etc.). This variant has seen explosive growth since the rise of FT8.
DXCC on a single band — Separate awards are available for 160, 80, 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12, 10, 6, 2 metres, and satellite contacts. Single-band DXCC is significantly harder on some bands than others — 160-metre DXCC is one of the most difficult achievements in amateur radio, while 20-metre DXCC is relatively achievable.
DXCC Challenge — A cumulative award that counts the total number of current entities confirmed across all bands (each entity on each band counts separately). The Challenge award starts at 1,000 and goes up in increments. It rewards operators who chase DXCC on multiple bands.
5-Band DXCC (5BDXCC) — Requires DXCC on each of five bands: 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 metres.
Once you earn the basic DXCC (100 entities), you can receive endorsement stickers for your certificate at each 25-entity increment — 125, 150, 175, and so on.
DXCC Honor Roll recognizes operators who have confirmed contacts with all but a small number of current entities. Specifically, you must be within 9 of the current total to qualify for Honor Roll. Reaching the very top — confirming every current entity on the list — earns Number One Honor Roll status.
Honor Roll is a moving target. As new entities are added, the requirement changes. Maintaining your place on Honor Roll requires ongoing effort.
If you are new to DX chasing, here is a practical approach:
Set up LoTW. Logbook of The World is the fastest and most convenient way to accumulate confirmed entities. Many DX stations upload to LoTW, and confirmations appear within days rather than the weeks or months that paper QSL cards require. See QSL Cards for more on confirmation methods.
Use a logging program with DXCC tracking. Software like Log4OM, N1MM Logger+, or DXKeeper can show you which entities you have worked and confirmed, and which you still need. This turns DXCC from an abstract goal into a visible checklist.
Learn the bands and their characteristics. Different bands open to different parts of the world at different times. The 20-metre band (14 MHz) is the workhorse for DX — it is open for long hours and reaches worldwide. The 17, 15, 12, and 10-metre bands open to distant regions during periods of high solar activity. The 40 and 80-metre bands provide nighttime DX to nearby continents. Understanding HF propagation and monitoring band conditions will dramatically improve your success rate.
Use DX clusters and spotting networks. Websites and telnet clusters report what DX stations are active in real time. When you see a new entity spotted, you can tune to the frequency and try to make a contact. Most logging programs can connect to spotting networks directly.
Work contests. Major international contests like CQ World Wide bring rare stations on the air. A single contest weekend can add 10 or 20 new entities to your total.
Be patient with pileups. When a rare station is on the air, dozens or hundreds of operators may be calling simultaneously. Learning to work pileups — listening to the DX station's pattern, calling at the right moment, and keeping your transmission brief — is a core DX skill. See DX Operating for techniques.
A pattern familiar to every DXCC chaser: the first 100 entities come relatively quickly, the next 100 take longer, and the final entities on the list can take years. Some DXCC entities have no resident amateur population and are activated only by DXpeditions — organised teams that travel to remote locations specifically to provide contacts. Notable examples include Bouvet Island, Peter I Island, and various remote Pacific atolls.
Following DXpedition announcements, understanding their operating patterns, and being ready when they appear on your target band and mode is a key part of the advanced DXCC chase.
Although DXCC is administered by the ARRL (an American organisation), the award is fully international. Operators in any country with a valid amateur licence can apply. The rules are the same worldwide, and LoTW is available to operators everywhere.
Many national amateur radio societies offer their own DX awards as well. See Other Awards for examples.
DXCC applications submitted through LoTW are processed electronically. There are fees associated with DXCC applications and endorsements — check the ARRL website for current pricing. Card-based applications may involve additional fees for card checking.
ARRL members receive reduced fees, but membership is not required to apply for DXCC.