Whilst announcements of new DXCC are inclined to generate an incredible buzz in the ham/11m communities, spare a thought for the DXCC entities which, for one reason or another, have been removed from the register. What for those ‘Divisions’ (as 11m enthusiasts call them) that have been extinguished from the DXCC list — snuffed out unceremoniously from the official directory and into the memory bank…!!!!
What does this mean for dedicated DX Hunters too? For past QSOs? For cherished QSL card collections in revered albums on the mantle? For prized DXCC awards that once relied on these newly cremated ‘GHOST entities’?
To unpack this reflection on the world’s obsolete DXCC and the ramifications for DX Hunters further requires a quick explanation of how the DXCC concept actually works…
Essentially, the ‘DXCC List’ is based on Clinton DeSoto’s landmark 1935 QST article, “How to Count Countries Worked, A New DX Scoring System”. In his words, the basic rule is simple and direct:
“Each discrete geographical or political entity is considered to be a country”.
And direct it is.
Deleting a DXCC
So what happens when political jurisdictions change? What ensues when a country is no longer considered ‘discrete’? A separate ‘geographical entity’? Did DeSoto’s initial scheme contain provisions for this eventuation? Well, um…no.
This deliberation brings us back to the topic of our DA-RC editorial — what of the rubbed-out DXCC; does it simply fade into oblivion? Where does it go? And what does it mean for us, the DX seeker?
Basically, when a DXCC entity no longer satisfies the criteria under which it was added, it’s moved to the ARRL ‘Deleted List’ (aka the DXCC Graveyard).
For the most part, the 11m Division system shadows the same coordination too, recognising the same entities as being attributed to either ARRL inventory. Dead…or alive…
Not only does this demonstrate a healthy respect for Desoto’s system in the 11m ranks BTW but it also aids consistency for those who work across the bands. (And as we know, there’s many of those — whether they disclose it openly or not!)
So how many DXCC have been deleted over the years? How many have gone by the wayside? How many ‘Ghost DXCC’ are we looking at here? The answer to that I’d not hesitate to guess is “more than you might imagine!” Certainly more than I’d realised prior to researching this topic anyway.
At the time of keyboarding this article, there were 351 ‘active’ DXCC and 61 ‘deleted’ ones; the last to disappear being Malyj Vysotskij Island on 17 February 2012.
For the sake of history, this particular DXCC, a small island off Russia — a lush but desolate and uninhabited DXstination with thick vegetation and ruins of houses left by Finns in the WW2 — carried the 11m Division number ‘326’ and, according to reputable data bases such as Islands Base Online and Cluster DK archives, was only ever activated once on this band by the TRC.
In the ham community, however, Malyj Vysotskij Island (R1M) was activated many times. But of course these details are insignificant when it comes to DXCC conservation.
So, why was it rubbed out by the ARRL then? What made this entity less important than one like Scarborough Reef in the South China Sea — a collection of pebbles between the Macclesfield Bank and Luzon island in the Philippines — to be eradicated from the list.
Basically, Malyj Vysotskij Island no longer satisfied the DXCC criteria as the Finnish government elected not to continue to lease it out to Russia.
In fact, this is the case with many DXCC entities which have vanished into the realms of defunctness (i.e. Change of political authority, shifting borders, etc.). Sad? Yes I know. Heartbreaking even!
Apart from being an inconvenience to DX Hunters, losing the status of ‘DXCC’ for any entity could be considered a hefty downgrade in importance; a major slap in the face really. Fortunate are we then that DXCC are not living, breathing creatures, as the impact on their self esteem might be catastrophic to say the least!
In spite of this public denigration, there’s a strong case for suggesting that such entities will always maintain that certain charm which goes with being one of the world’s once nominated DXCC though. Regardless of whether or not they’re still officially known by the title.
DXCC Live on
By the same token, while most deleted DXCC have fallen back under the guise of other zones and/or had their identity/ name swallowed up by another entity, others maintain their uniqueness in the eyes of some DX Hunters.
Alternative systems such as the Radio Society of Great Britain’s IOTA program which allocates references to the world’s islands sees those deleted DXCC, which are in fact islands, at least remain distinguishable from the geographical arch or political jurisdiction they’ve now been attributed to.
Bajo Nuevo (Also known as the Petrel Islands), for example, was deleted from the ARRL DXCC List in 1981 and is now part of the San Andreas & Providencia DXCC.
A small, uninhabited reef with some small islets, covered with grass, located in the western Caribbean Sea, it maintains its identity, nevertheless, via the RSGB IOTA Program thanks to its grouping in the Bajo Nuevo and Serranilla Bank Cays island group (NA-132).
Too bad it doesn’t have its own IOTA number though!
Though being deleted in 1991, Jabal al-Tair Island (292 Division) (Pictured right) too, retains its individuality via the RSGB recognized Red Sea Coast group (AS-009), albeit clumped with 50 odd other isles.
A roughly oval volcanic island northwest of the constricted Bab al-Mandab passage at the mouth of the Red Sea, about half way between Yemen and Eritrea, this old DXCC now falls under the guise of Yemen.
Few would begrudge the abolition of East Germany as a DXCC in 1990.; the associated dismantling of the Berlin Wall in 1989, etc. Forgetting it robbed the world’s ham and 11m DX fraternities of a DXCC, this was a great time for the world. A great, great time.
And spare a thought for the old Saudi Arabia/ Iraq Neutral Zone (8Z4) DXCC — exterminated on Christmas Day 1981. What a way to go out — on the coat tails of Santa’s Sleigh!
This former DXCC was an area of 7044 km² on the border between Saudi Arabia and Iraq within which the border between the two countries hadn’t been settled.
On 25 December 1981, it became defunct when a border treaty expired and the ARRL followed suit with an announcement soon after.
It wasn’t until 1991, some 10 years later, though, that Saudi Arabia registered previous boundary agreements with Iraq at the United Nations, thus ending the legal existence of the Saudi–Iraqi neutral zone.
Does this mean the ARRL was too hasty in its decision? Should it have maintained its identity as a DXCC for another decade? Well that’s an argument for another day perhaps!
How this Affects Awards
So what are the ramifications for DA-RC DX Hunters and Awards when a DXCC is deleted? Should you rip up the QSL cards and toss them in the trash? Are the awards you worked so very hard to attain over a number of years now obsolete?
The short answer is NO!
Under DA-RC Award guidelines, if you worked one of these ‘deleted’ entities prior to it being expunged from the official list then you’re still able to count it in your DXCC worked tally for any possible DXCC Award.
This tallies with other award programs also which state that:
“Credit for any of these entities can be given if the date of contact in question agrees with the date(s) of it being deleted….”
So hold on to those old QSL cards and DXCC awards, Gentlemen. Any contact with a now deleted DXCC is worth just as much as it did when the contact was first made, many years ago!
Actually, perhaps it’s even of MORE value given that any ‘new-to-the-hobby’ DXers will never have the chance to claim or have claimed it in their DXCC tally!
Below you can see a complete list of deleted DXCC I’ve put together. I’ve also listed details which show the DXCC’s date of deletion, when contacts with this particular entity count, as well as ham and 11 prefixes, and more.
For more information on our Club’s awesome awards program, please click: HERE.
Deleted DXCC Table:
Ham | 11m | Entity | Cont | Lat | Long | Valid Dates |
R1MV | 326 | Malyj Vysotskij Island | EU | 61N | 29E | Only contacts made 17 Feb. 2012 & before count. |
1M [Unofficial prefix] | — | Minerva Reef | OC | 24S | 179W | Only contacts made from 15 July 1972 & before count. Contacts made 16 July 1972 & after count as Tonga (A3). |
4W | 139 | Yemen Arab Republic | AS | 15N | 44E | Only contacts made 21 May 1990 & before count. |
7O | 87 | People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen | AS | 13N | 45E | Only contacts made 22 May 1990 & before count. |
8Z4 | — | Saudi Arabia/ Iraq Neutral Zone | AS | 29N | 46E | Only contacts made 25 Dec. 1981 & before count. |
8Z5 | — | Kuwait/ Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone | AS | 29N | 48E | Only contacts made 14 Dec. 1969 & before count. |
9S4 | — | Saar | EU | 49N | 7E | Only contacts made 31 March 1957 & before count. |
9U5 | — | Ruanda-Urundi | AF | 3S | 30E | Only contacts made from 1 July 1960 to 30 June 1962 count. Contacts made 1 July 1962 & after count as Burundi (9U) or Rwanda (9X). |
A1 | 292 | Abu Ail, Jabal at Tair | AS | 14N | 43E | Only contacts made 30 March 1991 & before count. |
AC3 [Unofficial prefix] | — | Sikkim | AS | 27N | 89E | Only contacts made 30 April 1975 & before count. Contacts made 1 May 1975 & after count as India (VU). |
AC4[Unofficial prefix] | — | Tibet | AS | 30N | 92E | Only contacts made 30 May 1974 & before count. Contacts made 31 May 1974 & after count as China (BY). |
C9 | — | Manchuria | AS | 46N | 127E | Only contacts made 15 Sept. 1963 & before count. Contacts made 16 Sept. 1963 & after count as China (BY). |
CN2 | — | Tangier | AF | 36N | 8W | Only contacts made 30 June 1960 & before count. Contacts made 1 July 1960 & after count as Morocco (CN). |
CR8 | — | Damao, Diu | AS | 21N | 71E | Only contacts made 31 Dec. 1961 & before count. |
CR8 | — | Goa | AS | 16N | 74E | Only contacts made 31 Dec. & before count. |
CR8 | — | Portuguese Timor | OC | 9S | 126E | Only contacts made 14 Sept. 1976 & before count. |
DL | — | Germany | EU | 52N | 7E | Only contacts made 16 Sept. 1973 & before count. Contacts made 17 Sept. 1973 & after count as either FRG (DA-Dl) or GDR (Y2-Y9) |
EA9 | — | Ifni | AF | 29N | 10W | Only contacts made 13 May 1969 & before count. |
FF | — | French West Africa | AF | 15N | 18W | Only contacts made 6 August 1960 & before count. |
FH | 185 | Comoros | AF | 12S | 43E | Only contacts made 5 July 1975 & before count. Contacts made 6 July 1975 & after count as Comoros (D6) or Mayotte (FH) |
FI8 | — | French Indo China | AS | 11N | 107E | Only contacts made 20 Dec. 1950 & before count.. |
FN8 | — | French India | AS | 12N | 80E | Only contacts made 31 Oct. 1954 & before count. |
FQ8 | — | French Equatorial Africa | AF | 5N | 18E | Only contacts made 16 August 1960 & before count. |
HK0 | — | Bajo Nuevo | NA | 16N | 79W | Only contacts made 16 Sept. 1981 & before count for this entity. Contacts made 17 Sept. 1981 & after count as San Andres (HK) |
HK0 | — | Serrana Bnk, Roncador Cay | NA | 14N | 80W | Only contacts made 16 Sept. 1981 & before count. Contacts made 17 Sept. 1981 & after count as San Andres (HK). |
I1 | — | Trieste | EU | 46N | 14E | Only contacts made 31 March 1957 & before count. |
I5 | — | Italian Somaliland | AF | 2N | 46E | Only contacts made 30 June 1960 & before count. |
JD1 | — | Okino Tori-shima | AS | 30N | 140E | Only contacts made from 30 May 1976 to 30 Nov. 1980 count. Contacts made 1 Dec. 1980 & after count as Ogasawara (JD1). |
JZ0 | — | Netherlands New Guinea | OC | 10S | 147E | Only contacts made 30 April 1963 & before count. |
KR6 | — | Okinawa (Ryukyu) | AS | 26N | 128E | Only contacts made 14 May 1972 & before count. Contacts made 15 May 1972, & after count as Japan (JA). |
KS4 | — | Swan Island | NA | 17N | 84W | Only contacts made 31 August 1972 & before count. Contacts made 1 Sept. 1972 & after count as Honduras (HR). |
KZ5 | — | Canal Zone | NA | 9N | 80W | Only contacts made 30 Sept. 1979 & before count. |
OK | 179 | Czechoslovakia | EU | 50N | 15E | Only contacts made 31 Dec. 1992 & before count. |
P2 | — | Papua Territory | OC | 10S | 147E | Only contacts made 15 Sept. 1975 & before count. Contacts made 16 Sept. 1975 & after count as Papua New Guinea (P2). |
P2 | — | Territory New Guinea | OC | 10S | 147E | Only contacts made 15 Sept. 1975 & before count. Contacts made 16 Sept. 1975 & after count as Papua New Guinea (P2). |
PJ2 | 7 | Netherland Antilles | SA | 12N | 69W | Only contacts made starting 0400 UTC 10 Oct. 2010 or after count for this entity. |
PJ5 | 166 | St Maarten, Saba, St Eustatius | NA | 18N | 63W | Only contacts made starting 0400 UTC 10 Oct. 2010 or after count. |
PK1 | — | Java | OC | 6S | 107E | Only contacts made 30 April 1963 & before count. Contacts made 1 May 1963 & after count as Indonesia (YB). |
PK4 | — | Sumatra | OC | 1S | 100E | Only contacts made 30 April 1963 & before count. Contacts made 1 May 1963 & after count as Indonesia (YB) |
PK5 | — | Netherlands Borneo | OC | 3S | 115E | Only contacts made 30 April 1963 & before count. Contacts made 1 May 1963 & after count as Indonesia (YB). |
PK6 | — | Celebe & Molucca Islands | OC | 5S | 119E | Only contacts made 30 April 1963 & before count. Contacts made 1 May 1963 & after count as Indonesia (YB). |
ST0 | 295 | Southern Sudan | AF | 5N | 32E | Only contacts made between 7 May 1972 & 31 Dec. 1994 count. |
UN1 | — | Karelo-Finnish Republic | EU | 64N | 32E | Only contacts made 30 June 1960 & before count. Contacts made 1 July 1960 & after count as European RSFSR (UA). |
VO | — | Newfoundland, Labrador | NA | 48N | 53W | Only contacts made 31 March 1949 & before count. Contacts made 1 April 1949 & after count as Canada (VE). |
VQ1 | — | Zanzibar | AF | 7S | 39E | Only contacts made 31 May 1974 & before count. Contacts made 1 June 1974 & after count as Tanzania (5H). |
VQ6 | — | British Somaliland | AF | 2N | 46E | Only contacts made 30 June 1960 & before count. |
VQ9 | — | Aldabra | AF | 9S | 46E | Only contacts made 28 June 1976 & before count. Contacts made 29 June 1976 & after count as Seychelles (S7). |
VQ9 | — | Desroches | AF | 6S | 55E | Only contacts made 28 June 1976 & before count. Contacts made 29 June 1976 & after count as Seychelles (S7). |
VQ9 | — | Farquhar | AF | 10S | 51E | Only contacts made 28 June 1976 & before count. Contacts made 29 June 1976 & after count as Seychelles (S7). |
VS2 | — | Malaya | AS | 3N | 102E | Only contacts made 15 Sept. 1963 & before count. Contacts made 16 Sept. 1963 & after count for West Malaysia (9M2) or East Malaysia (9M6,8). |
VS4 | — | Sarawak | OC | 2N | 110E | Only contacts made 15 Sept. 1963 & before count. Contacts made 16 Sept. 1963 & after count as West Malaysia (9M2) or East Malaysia (9M6,8). |
VS9H | — | Kuria Muria Island | AS | 18N | 56E | Only contacts made 29 Nov. 1967 & before count. |
VS9K | — | Kamaran Island | AS | 15N | 43E | Only contacts made 10 March 1982 & before count. |
Y2 | 46 | East Germany | EU | 53N | 13E | Only contacts made from 17 Sept. 1973 to 2 Oct. 1990 count. On 3 October 1990 the GDR became part of the FRG. |
ZC5 | — | British North Borneo | OC | 6N | 116E | Only contacts made 15 Sept. 1963 & before count. Contacts made 16 Sept. 1963 & after count as West Malaysia (9M2) or East Malaysia (9M6,8). |
ZC6 | — | Palestine | AS | 32N | 35E | Only contacts made 30 June 1968 & before count. Contacts made 1 July 1968 & after count as Israel (4X). |
ZD4 | — | Gold Coast, Togoland | AF | 5N | 0W | Only contacts made 5 March 1957 & before count. |
ZS0 | 324 | Penguin Island | AF | 27S | 15E | Only contacts made 29 Feb. 1994 & before count for this entity. |
ZS9 | 322 | Walvis Bay | AF | 23S | 15E | Only contacts made from 1 Sept. 1977 to 28 Feb. 1994 count. |
— | — | Blenheim Reef | AF | 7S | 72E | Only contacts made from 4 May 1967 to 30 June 1975 count. Contacts made 1 July 1975 & after count as Chagos (VQ9). |
— | — | Geyser Reef | AF | 12S | 46E | Only contacts made from 4 May 1967 to 28 Feb. 1978 count. |
Disclaimer:
While the greatest care has been taken to ensure the accuracy presented in this article, if you find an error with the information provided then please contact us via the contact form.
Very interesting article. According to the IBO 326 has been activated 4 times. The first was 326/314AT101 in 1992, followed by 326TRC/DX in 2000, 326SD/0 in 2002 & the last activation was 326AT/0 in 2009.
The most common deleted divisions would be 7, 46, 166 & 179. The only other rare one would be 322 Walvis Bay. 322AT/DX would be the only legitimate activation of this rare division from 1991/1992. I have found proof of resident operators in the late 80’s & early 90’s ZRAA7917 & IO03 being active and confirmed direct from Walvis Bay. Others have worked/confirmed 322AWT116 & 322TI/DX but both of those are really only valid for 74 division as they were worked after Walvis Bay became deleted on 28/2/94.
87, 139, 292, 295 & 324 were never active on 11 meters. Some Op’s who have been involved in CB Radio for a long time may have worked an even rarer one, the Panama Canal Zone. Although the Canal Zone never had a division number assigned to it I have seen at least 1 confirmation of this rare place from the mid 1970’s.
Interesting article.
Big Tnx for nice info.
best 73
4SD032 – LU7CAW