On Monday, March 16, 2026 at 07:49:26 PM CDT, BILL KENNAMER via ADXA <[email protected]> wrote:

Further to my comments earlier, here are comments from W1YL, and W3AZD on the matter.

Ellen White, W1YL (SK) discusses this quality of rareness in “How’s DX” January 1983, pg. 67.

She says” Obviously, certain countries are rare because of infrequent operation. The “why” they’re rare generally falls within the two categories of difficulty of access or political considerations within the country”. She goes on to discuss several that are rare. The article is worth reading. She concludes with “Back to one of those basic question: “How can I ever hope to get on the Honor Roll if there hasn’t been activity in the needed countries for about 10 Years?” Well, I’d have to say that the answer to that might well be that it wouldn’t be much of an honor to be on this illustrious roll if the challenge itself was met too easily”

In an interview with Clarke Greene, K1JX, in QST, January, 1980, pg.77, Don Search, W3AZD (SK) discusses several factors, including integrity (which we’ll return to later). Search mentions, at that time, every country on the DXCC List has been active at least once since 1964. He says, “A lot of guys with their big beams and kilowatts work 250 countries in their first year or two. After that, it gets really slow and the important factor is patience, not a big station. A lot of guys want to get to the top right away. It just doesn’t happen.”

In November, 1974 QST, pg. 108, the first DXAC agenda is published. Item 5) States, “Should a country in which there has been no amateur radio activity for a period of 10 years be considered (for purposes of the DXCC Honor Roll) as are deleted countries? (Any subsequent activity would reinstate past credits. This is to be retroactive to all current listings on the ARRL Countries List).” This is the first mention I could find in the pages of QST, but already it shows that some are expecting instant gratification.

In QST, December, 1977, pg. 66, “The ARRL DX Advisory Committee welcomes comments from DXers on the following agenda item, a proposed change in the ARRL DXCC rules: “Should a country be temporarily deleted for Honor Roll purposes if there has been no amateur radio activity there in the last 10 to 15 years?”

In QST, March, 1978, pg. 74, “The ARRL DX Advisory Committee welcomes comments from DXers on the following external agenda item: “Any country on the DXCC list which bans amateur radio by not issuing amateur license to its citizens or not allowing amateur operations by its citizens shall be removed from the list for Honor Roll purposes until such time as the restrictions are lifted?”

In QST, September, 1978, pg. 47, Minute 28 of the Board meeting states that the DXAC rejected deletions for inactive countries, as well as those where no licenses are issued.

.

In June, 1983, pg. 65, correspondence from member Yardly Beers, W0JF, wants all uninhabited islands to be deleted.

From my ADXA talk in 2022:

Currently the top fifteen are:
1. P5 North Korea Last credited in 2015
2. 3Y Bouvet first in 1962 (LH4C) latest 2007 1500Qs
3. FT5W Crozet Latest in 2009
4. BS7H Scarborough Reef latest 2007
5. CE0X San Felix last operation in 2002
6. BV9P Pratas Island latest operation in 2003
7. KH7K Kure Island latest operation in 2005
8. KH3 Johnston Island latest operation in 2003
9. 3Y1 Peter I island latest operation in 2006
10. FR5/G Glorioso Island last operation in 2009
11.FT5X Kerguelen Island latest operation in 2016
12. YV0 Aves Island last operation in 2011 (very few QSOs on 17 meters only)
13 VK0M Macquarie Island latest operation 2022 (all FT8)
14. Prince Edward and Marion Islands latest operation 2018
15. KH4 Midway Islands latest operation 2011

You will notice that FT5W and 3Y0/B are now gone. That makes CE0X the rarest, with it not being active for 24 years.

Bill K5FUV

On Monday, March 16, 2026 at 07:35:26 PM CDT, Joel Harrison, W5ZN via ADXA <[email protected]> wrote:

Charles,

I did NOT refer to any ADXA person as feeling entitled and I most certainly did not refer to Debbie in my email.

If you got that impression, you are wrong.

73 Joel W5ZN

From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Charles McKenzie via ADXA
Sent: Monday, March 16, 2026 7:30 PM
To: Roger <[email protected]>
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [ADXA] Message From DXAC - Delta

I this Mr Rutledge ask an open question to all, we ALL have different views and options on matters, I respect everyone until I feel me and mine attacked! I don’t care either way. My gramma told me something when I was 8 or 9 I didn’t understand till much older. There can be different answers to an issue, it all is in perspective, and remember you can be wrong usually more then right.

As far as entitled ….. if you are referring to Debbie you can’t be more wrong. She gave options to a question raised PERIOD. She loves a challenge you best attack me then her. I won’t stand for it! If you feel that strong I suggest you convey your type of conviction to the committee so yes I’m freekin pissed.

KF5TL

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 16, 2026, at 7:07 PM, Roger via ADXA <[email protected]> wrote:

Joel
I agree with you completely my only complaint is not the threshold for Honor Roll but the maintaining entities that do not and never have qualified legitimately.
I will not get farther into that discussion.
A question I would like to see an answer to, and the answer has no influence on my opinion, just curiosity and I don't know if anyone has an answer.
How many entities have been active in the last 10 years?

Roger

On 3/16/2026 6:48 PM, Joel Harrison, W5ZN via ADXA wrote:
ADXA Folks,

That a country does not allow amateur radio, or it has not been activated in 10 years or more is simply not a valid argument and has been debunked here many times. Three prime historical examples are China, Albania, and Viet Nam. There are ADXA members (me included) who cried to the high heavens we could NEVER work those countries because amateur radio wasn’t allowed. I remember ole Jim Crowley, W5IRG (SK) in Hazen claiming he would die before he could ever work BY. Then, low and behold out of no where and all of a sudden amateur radio was allowed in China. Same with Viet Nam and Albania. There are other examples. So these countries that are not on the air as of today, March 16, 2026, could change on a dime tomorrow. It has happened before and will happen again.

How many of you thought you would NEVER have a shot a Bouvet after the last failed effort a couple of years ago? How many of you thought you would never have a shot a Peter 1? That one is planned by the group that just very successfully pulled off Bouvet. The recent KP5 operation was a very successful experiment that proved to the U.S. Gov’t that amateur radio could be used in a restricted area with very minimal human intervention. The result will prove beneficial in activating other restricted areas that some of you need. I can tell you for a fact there are ongoing discussions with world governments to activate some countries that are currently highly restricted. It is unknown if those negotiations will be productive, but the effort is being made.

I still want to hear a valid argument as to why some folks believe they are entitled to achieve DXCC Honor Roll? DXCC is not, and never has been, an entitlement program. North Korea is standing in the way of me having #1 Honor Roll and I may very well be SK before it is activated again but that does not entitle me to an achievement level that would be watered down and the requirements lowered simply because of an entitlement belief.

I do realize and agree there are a couple of entities on the list that seem ridiculous. Roger noted Scarborough Reef as one but that is a different matter to address in the DXCC rules than lowering the requirement for Honor Roll.

All of the current arguments to reduce the required level to achieve Honor Roll are nothing more than entitlement crying because some believe their DXCC achievement should receive some special reward. Well, it is rewarded by acknowledging the total number of DXCC entities they have confirmed and if you’re over 300 that is very special, but it does NOT warrant Honor Roll.

If I haven’t pissed enough of you off already let me finish by saying it is now easier to work DX than ever before thanks to FT8. Don’t believe me? I have a friend who just got on FT8 about 3 weeks ago and he has already worked 200 DXCC countries. 20 years ago that would have NEVER, NEVER, EVER happened in that period of time.

DX’ing is a marathon, not a sprint. I want to see every ADXA member achieve Honor Roll and I want to help you get there, but not by believing you are entitled to achieve it with lowered requirements.

73 Joel W5ZN
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