A simple YES or NO poll mostly based on these comments in relation to San Felix Island.
We could add a third or fourth vote option but perhaps it’s better if you felt inclined instead to leaving a comment about deleting DXCC entities or not.
You may like to leave a comment on this post or the San Felix post.
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I’ve been chasing DX for 30 yrs. If it can be activated, leave it. If no ham ops permitted, delete it. Why keep Mt. Athos when no ops are permitted, no women allowed….even on the perimeter of the grounds. Doesn’t sound like true ham spirit to me. I think the DXCC criteria needs to be updated as our world has changed.
The Basic Mixed DXCC and its attached Honor Roll is nothing else than a door price. With a minimum decent setup and operating experience one can always find an open band to contact any DXpedition within the first 24 hours of its activity. So where is the famous difficulty of getting the HR ? Answer: being in front of the radio every time when an expedition is activating a new one and that for decades (the door price).
Accepting that door price game comes with accepting waiting decades at the door and actually a whole life time.
Now the real question is: And what if the new world order (Ecologists, China, etc…) makes the waiting time to come longer than a whole life time?
Does the new DXers, often already grey hair, because of the ego of their elders have to wait until the majority of the HR #1’s are dead to have the scales tilted on their side ?
That`s why my personal preference goes to something like IOTA but with an inactivity period of about 15/20 years, I find 10 years a bit too short. The re-activation should be of course with a minimum of contacts (id about 10,000)
If it were easy it should be called soccer not ham radio. Let’s not remove difficult entities just because they are hard to get.
try harder.
DE CD3FJK.
As long as it is above water: leave it. As others have stated there have been countries like China which had no activity for a long time and see now. Nothing is for ever. I remember that a long time ago for some anniversary the Japanese hams built a scaffolding on a submerged rock as a new country named Okino Torishima. This was later deleted. If BS7H is submerged: delete too but go and see first.
Pls keep them always .
San Felix Island CE0X will remain as DXCC entity forever – I already vote NO – 73 CE6RC
Dear Colleagues : DX is a passion – I started doing CW DX 59 years ago and as well of many of you have seen multiple geopolitical changes originating changes in the DXCC country (entities) list.– Why trying to eliminate stars that you may reach some day ? — I would prefer to ADD entities to the list and not to reduce it — ” TO DREAM THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM” —Naturally my vote is NO — San Felix has to remain as DXCC entity for ever !!
73 Richard CE6RC
My Vote is NO !!!!!, most wanted island CE0X….
73 CE2EC
Hi!
DXCC rules shouldn’t be changed whenever you like, just becouse you can’t work some DXCC then delete it,
but when you work that DXCC must be added to list. C’mon, guys, be serious.
HR and HR#1 is liftime work.
Past: BY, ZA, JT…
Now: P5, EZ, YK, FT%…
Future: who knows
But, BS7H ( if it is under wate ) – delete and any other under same conditions.
73, GL
Im from Chile, i vote for NO. IM CD3FBI
Mi voto es NO ce3wb
I accidentally posted to the wrong thread, so here it is again (without the typos):
Entities can and have been deleted then reinstated when circumstances change (e.g., Kure, Midway). Since #1 DXCC is intended to be a lifetime (or at least, LONG time) endeavor, I feel that a reasonable compromise would be to delete “countries” from the list after 20 years of no activity.
The more entities the more challenging for participants. The important thing is to keep the interest up. Everything has become watered down over the years. Let’s keep our hobby among the best and the most challenging. Keep adding never delete. And may the best man win! 73, Hunt – K0HT
I Voted to keep them Viva San Felix Is. – VIVA CHILE by CE7KF *MAU*
I think we should be creating new DXCC entities, not deleting them. It’s disheartening to see the DXCC scores of some of our elders, then realize that even if I worked them all, I would still be a long way behind the old guys.
BS7H should be deleted. It’s under water. I wonder how many other under water islands there are that are not on the DXCC list?
I’m generally not in favour of deleting entities just because they haven’t been active for a while. When I was first licensed there was no activity from China and there wouldn’t be for another 15 years but look at it now. I think Mongolia was similar. But there are some entities like Scarborough Reef and Mt Athos which in my view should not have been added in the first place. If the concern is that it makes the Honor Roll unobtainable then why not adjust the qualifying total to omit anything that has been inactive for say 15 or 20 years. And if you need more DX to chase, take up IOTA as well!
I voted to keep them.
It is noteworthy that of the top 20 DXCC entities as tallied by clublog about half of them could be activated if there was a strong will to do so. The issue is mainly expense – is 3y/b, 3y/P, ft8w, ft8x, ft5g, py0s, py0t, kh4, vp8ss have no major licensing restrictions that I am aware of. Even bs7 and maybe even kp5, yv0 could be done in normal non Covid times. Zs8 and vk0m have been regularly active over the last 20 years.
The places where licensing is currently the problem are p5, kh3, kh7, ce0x, bv9p, sv/a.
It is noteworthy that 2 of these 6 are US possessions so it is bit rich when I hear US based hams suggesting that p5 or bs7 be thrown of the list for non activity. It is noteworthy that there has been more recent activity from p5 (3z9dx) than what there has been from kh3, kh7 or even kp5.
Cheers
Paul – vk4ma
What is the point of keeping these very very rare entities? Delete them for now. They can always be added should it be possible to activate them again. Many DX’er lose interest due to non availability of DX
There isn’t any logical reason to keep inactive entities for very long time (lets say 10 years). N. Korea should first deleted, after that Scarborough Reef which should never have been allowed to be an entity, 73
BS7 is no longer above water even at low Tide, and the area is claimed by 5 countries.
The world and its geographical + political entities are what they are, workable or not. They have all been workable in the past and they will be again. It is not supposed to be easy. The problem looms in people’s minds because of the vacuum created by Covid and low suspot counts. Once past, numerous groups will be applying to, and putting pressure on, administrations to allow activations often with incentives such as transportation of scientists, cleaning, recording and so much more. Let’s see how many are successful, and the majority will be, before destroying the integrity of DXCC. Erik EI4KF.
SV/A-MOUNT ATHOS
Sure, delete them. Also, when they’re reactivated, introduce a rule limiting one QSO per person so that everyone gets a chance to work them. And if they still can’t, change the rules again to legalize using remote stations from locations close to the DX-peds. And if that’s too difficult, allow counterfeit QSL cards, or why even bother – just allow cellphone texts or no QSO verification and that way everyone can be #1 on the honor roll.
Or here’s another idea: delete all DXCC entities on a dynamic basis and have each one relisted for only 1 hour after last reported QSO with that particular entity. That way, the honor roll gets to become the NY Stock Exchange and when has that ever failed anyone?
A person for whom I had the utmost respect, N4KG, (Tom Russell, SK) had BS7 and felt strongly it should be deleted. He had No. 1 Honor Roll, so it was a moot point for him. I did not get them on the last expedition, so I’m conflicted. It’s my last entity I need for #1HR and I’d rather not get this award because BS7 was deleted. That being said, men’s lives are worth more than my award, and this is not a shoal that is habitable, and operating condx are less than ideal. My understanding is that BS7 was placed on the list as a favor to China. The International Court unanimously ruled that Scarborough Reef belongs to the Philippines. The US agreed with The Hague, but it would appear the ARRL is ignoring all the above? Meanwhile, I have friends who have left up one antenna in the hopes that Kim Jong Un will allow amateur radio in North Korea before they die. Sadly, this is not likely to happen.
Have to second that – Scarborough Reef should never have been allowed in the first place, The need to build scaffolds in order to operate is completely ridiculous. The DX Advisory Committee should rectify this ASAP.
BS7H is noteworthy. However for those who have worked hard for Honor Roll I say leave them as are. (Note…….I am no where near HR)
I propose a maximum number of years allowed between activations, otherwise delete the DXCC entity (perhaps 20 years).
North Korea
BS7H Scarborough Reef