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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

73 de Darren