Originally published: 2003
Reformatted: 2012-08-04
Notice: © 2003 to 2012, Chris R. Burger. This document may be reproduced as required for personal use, and may be freely referenced from other Web sites. However, publication elsewhere, in full or in part, requires express prior written permission from the compiler.
These notes were originally published with the list of South African stations extracted from the list described above. During 2012, a single integrated South African DXCC annual list extract and a South African DXCC Honour Roll extract were published. Because these lists do not have room for comments, and because some of the comments provide useful context, the comments have been extracted into this separate file.
This year, the 10 MHz band was also included in the totals, completing the complement of 10 bands. As could be expected, CW skills have suddenly become a great asset for Challenge members. The leading station jumped from 2753 to 3083 (a jump of 330!) with the inclusion of the new band.
The table shows the world leaders, and all southern African stations on the list. The scores include current countries only (no deleted countries). The entry level is 1000 band-countries, and 1335 stations are listed, up from 1064 last year. The closing date for the Yearbook list was 30 September 2003.
On the international front, W4DR retains the top spot, with W1NG and OZ1LO in hot pursuit. The competition is fierce, with the top 10 stations being separated by only 65 counters, or 2%. Locally, only ZS4TX managed to improve his ranking (from 742 to 673), with all the others slipping down the list.
The leading scores are truly impressive. An all-band score of over 3000 implies an average band score of over 300! If one remembers that the top 50 MHz scores are around 200, the feat becomes even more impressive.
Rank Callsign Score ==== ======== ===== 1 W4DR 3083 Bob Eshleman 2 W1NG 3076 Ken Bolin 3 OZ1LO 3051 Leif Ottosen 180 ZS6EZ 2221 Chris R. Burger 638 ZS6IR 1401 Uli von Aswegen 673 ZS4TX 1369 Bernie van der Walt 767 Z22JE 1299 Dudley Kaye-Eddie 981 ZS6WB 1155 Hal Lund 1027 ZS6KR 1130 Hans Kappetijn 1335 Last station 1000
This list was manually extracted from The DXCC Yearbook 2003. The extract lists world leaders and every southern African station on each of the DXCC lists. Members who submitted cards between 1 October 2002 and 30 September 2003 are shown, as are all Honour Roll members (those needing less than 10 current countries). Honour Roll members are indicated by a "*" behind the call sign. Southern Africans who did not submit during this year, and who are not Honor Roll members, are not shown. Records for these stations can be seen in the previous years' listings, or in the South African DXCC Gallery.
Stations holding 5 Band DXCC are not listed annually in the Yearbook; this list of ZS stations was compiled from previous announcements in QST and direct correspondence with the individuals concerned and with the ARRL. Stations are listed in chronological order, i.e. ZS5LB was the first ZS, and ZS6IR the most recent. Over 4000 5BDXCC certificates have been issued. 5BDXCC is a very worth-while project. Single- operator stations have worked 5BDXCC in a single contest weekend, but from South Africa it is definitely not a trivial undertaking!
The listed scores include credit granted for countries that have subsequently been deleted.
The number of countries for this list is 335. No new countries were added in the year concerned.
This year sees little change from the previous year. Sadly, there is not a single southern African below Honour Roll level in the Mixed list, implying that little new blood is entering the DXCC programme. This phenomenon does not bode well for the hobby of DXing in southern Africa!
Let's hope again that the introduction of the Logbook of the World and on-line DXCC submissions in the next year or two will provide the needed impulse to increase local participation. This on-line verification system promises to reduce costs and paperwork for all concerned. In fact, it is likely that almost-instant DXCC credit will be possible for future DXpeditions.
There is now a single-band DXCC for every frequency band, with 10 MHz being the last to join the list for the first time in this year's Yearbook. The 144 MHz award remains the only one not yet claimed by a South African.
If you want to apply for a new single band award, you can request an updated copy of your DXCC records from the ARRL. You can then clearly see which credits are already in the computer, to avoid expensive duplication. The easiest way to obtain your records is by email [link originally provided]. They generally respond within a day with a pair of PDF files that you can print with the free Adobe reader [link originally provided].
These lists have been manually extracted from almost 30 pages of fine print in the Yearbook. Although everything was double-checked, it is not inconceivable that something could have been overlooked or incorrectly re-typed. If you notice errors or omissions, please let me know so that I can fix them.
The closing date for this year's DXCC submissions, as in every year, is on 30 September. Applications should be air mailed several weeks in advance to ensure that they get there before the closing date. Perhaps it's time to get in touch with Tjerk [email link originally provided]!
Thanks to Tjerk Lammers ZS6P for helping me to extract the information from the Yearbook!
Back to the 2003 annual list.