[South Florida DX Association] Cook Islands DXCC status changed

[Bill Marx]

Cook Islands DXCC status changed (Apr 2, 2005) -- Issuance of a call sign
prefix block for the Cook Islands has made them a DXCC political entity. "It
has come to our attention that the International Telecommunication Union
Table of International Callsign Series now contains an entry for the Cook
Islands," said ARRL Membership Services Manager Wayne Mills, N7NG. "New
Zealand has been issued the E5A-E5Z call sign prefix block for the exclusive
use of the Cook Islands. As a result, the Cooks become a political entity
for DXCC purposes." Mills says the impact on the DXCC List will be minimal,
however. "In reviewing the distances, it appears that the first 'separation'
from the South Cooks likely will be Palmerston Island, which is just over
350 km northwest of Raratonga," he explained. "The remainder of what has
been known as the North Cooks is not sufficiently distant from Palmerston to
become an additional DXCC entity." Mills says the main effect of the change
will be for Palmerston to count for North Cooks instead of South Cooks. The
change also may clarify a situation with the North Cooks. "Since the
addition of the Manihiki Islands (North Cooks) in January 1959 was not based
on a specific distance, Palmerston has counted as South Cooks," he said.
"DXCC Rule 5a comes into play now, keeping both North and South Cooks on the
list, but moving Palmerston to the North Cooks because it is more than 350
km from the South islands and becomes the first separation." Under the
circumstances, Mills said, it might now be appropriate to rename the entity
"Palmerston and the North Cooks."