Originally published: 1999-07
Reformatted: 2012-08-04
Notice: © 1999 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.
Most of the leaders improved their scores by very small margins for this listing. The only exception is W5UN, who added a whopping 17 countries to his total on 144 MHz. It is not impossible that his scores may be higher than the leading 50 MHz scores on the next list! W4ZV's total on 1,8 MHz continues to amaze, and it is possble that he will exceed 300 counters before the next list is published.
Several new countries have recently appeared on the list, and as this article is being written (July 1999), the country total stands at 332. The additions are:
All these countries have been very workable during the past year, and cards have been received. Clearly, the leaders on most bands will have added at least these four countries to their totals, so there is likely to be a shakeup in the next Yearbook! However, the most severe shakeups will be in the Honour Roll, where stations are listed in order of countries needed. Many stations will disappear from these listings, and those that missed the new countries will have slipped down the rankings.
Locally , the most noteworthy addition is ZS6P's 5BDXCC. The award requires 100 or more countries on each of the five traditional HF bands (10, 15, 20, 40 and 80 m), and represents a challenge by any standards. Many local operators have four bands wrapped up, but 80 m probably represents more work than the other four combined!
Another interesting development is that the next Yearbook is likely to register the first 50 MHz activity from southern Africa. ZS6WB has already been issued with the first DXCC in Africa on this band, and ZS6AXT is ready to submit his application before the deadline. Several other operators are also creeping up on the magic 100 mark. With 6 m out of the way, the 2 m award is the only one not yet claimed by a South African.
Unfortunately, the lists are becoming top-heavy, as the Honour Roll members can remain on the list without having to submit cards, while the up-and-coming DXers have to regularly submit cards. This phenomenon is clearly visible on the Mixed listings, where the latest Yearbook does not contain a single ZS below HR level! The trend is reflected internationally too, as two thirds of the stations listed have totals over 325.
There is hope, though. The DXCC 2000 programme is likely to include provisions for local checking of cards. We're in touch with ARRL to ensure that a checking team can be established locally the moment the measures are implemented. Local checking will substantially reduce the cost of participation, and we're hoping that this cost reduction will be a shot in the arm for local activity. There is a lot of interest in DXing that is not reflected in the list.
The lists were manually extracted from 17 pages of fine print in the Yearbook. Please point out any possible errors or omissions, and include substantiating documents. Before you complain, though, do check the submission dates covered by the tables.
Back to the 1998 annual list.