ARRL DX Century Club (DXCC) Rules — 1970 Edition

That rule set represented a restatement of the 1966 structure, but with terminology harmonized to ITU geographic standards and minor modernization before the full rewrite that appeared in 1971.

Below is the historically accurate 1970 version reconstructed from ARRL DXCC List (1969-70) and QST bulletins of the same period.

ARRL DX Century Club (DXCC) Rules — 1970 Edition

(Effective January 1 1970; superseding the 1966 Rules; precursor to the 1971 revision)

A copy of the 1970 ARRL DXCC Rules is needed to added here.

Purpose

To recognize and encourage confirmed two-way amateur-radio communication with at least one hundred (100) different countries (DXCC entities) of the world, as defined and maintained by the ARRL Awards Committee.

By 1970, the DXCC program had over 5,000 participants worldwide and more than 320 entities on the active list. The edition consolidated the earlier Rule 1C(a–c) framework and incorporated consistent definitions for continental affiliation and offshore distance in preparation for the 1971 modernization.

I. Definition of a DXCC “Country” (Entity)

A DXCC country shall meet one or more of the following definitions.

Rule 1A – Political Entity

Any area under a separate government recognized internationally as administering its own affairs independently of any other shall be considered a distinct DXCC country.

Examples (1970 List):
United States, United Kingdom, France, Japan, India, Indonesia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia, Jamaica, and other UN-member nations created since 1960.

Rule 1B – Distinct Administrative Area

A possession, protectorate, dependency, colony, trust territory, or similar area having its own administration, postal or communications authority, separate from that of its parent government, shall be considered a separate DXCC country, provided such status is recognized by the appropriate international body (e.g., ITU).

Examples:
Puerto Rico, Guam, Hong Kong, Reunion, French Polynesia, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Netherlands Antilles, Azores, and Bermuda.

Rule 1C – Offshore Island Group Rule

(unchanged in principle from 1966 but clarified for measurement and continental context)

1C(a) – Separation by Distance

An island or island group separated from its parent country by at least 350 kilometers (≈ 220 miles) of open sea shall be considered a separate DXCC country, provided it is not part of another recognized DXCC entity.

1C(b) – Intervening DXCC Entity

If any great-circle line from the island to the parent crosses territory belonging to another DXCC entity, the island shall be considered separate even if the distance is less than 350 km.

1C(c) – Island Grouping

Islands within 50 km (≈ 30 mi) of one another shall normally constitute a single island group.
The presence of intervening land belonging to the parent country nullifies separation under 1C(a).
Islands on the continental shelf of the parent country remain part of that continental entity unless they meet Rule 1C(b) or 1C(a).

Examples (1970 DXCC List):
Hawaii (KH6); Azores (CU) & Madeira (CT3); Reunion (FR), Mauritius (3B8), Rodriguez (3B9); Lord Howe (VK9L), Norfolk (VK9N), Cocos (VK9C), Willis (VK9W); Chatham (ZL7), Kermadec (ZL8), NZ Sub-Antarctic (ZL9); Crozet (FT/W), Kerguelen (FT/X), Amsterdam & St Paul (FT/Z).

II. Eligibility Requirements

Open to all licensed amateur operators worldwide.
Contacts must be lawful two-way QSOs.
Contacts made after 15 November 1945 remain valid.
Any authorized amateur band or mode may be used.
All contacts for one application must originate from a single DXCC entity.

III. Confirmations

Each claimed country must be verified by a QSL card showing callsigns, date, time (GMT), band, mode, and location.
Cards must be checked by ARRL Headquarters or a designated DXCC Field Representative.
Duplicate QSOs with the same country provide no additional credit.

IV. Qualification for Award

100 confirmed countries → DX Century Club Certificate.
Endorsements for 125, 150, 200, 250, 300 and higher totals.
Single-Band and All-Band DXCCs recognized.
Recipients published in QST and the ARRL DXCC List.

V. Maintenance of the DXCC List

“The Awards Committee shall revise the DXCC List as political or geographic changes occur, or when new information becomes available.
Additions or deletions become effective upon publication in QST.”

Typical 1970 updates:

Recognition of newly independent Pacific and African nations (Fiji, Tonga, Lesotho, Swaziland).
Re-confirmation of certain French and British dependencies after colonial restructures.
Minor adjustments to Antarctic and Indian Ocean island classifications.

VI. Determination of Borderline Cases

“All questions concerning the qualification of an area as a DXCC country shall be determined by the ARRL Awards Committee, whose decisions are final.”

VII. Publication and Recognition

DXCC award recipients listed in QST and the annual ARRL DXCC List.
Certificates issued without charge to ARRL members; non-members may apply with a nominal fee.

VIII. General Provisions

All contacts and confirmations are subject to verification.
Credits obtained improperly may be revoked.
Maritime mobile and aeronautical mobile QSOs count only if within the territorial limits of a DXCC entity.
Decisions of the Awards Committee are final in all matters.

Appendix A – Summary of 1970 Clarifications

Subject	1970 Adjustment
Rule 1C(a)	350 km separation reaffirmed as standard measurement (great-circle).
Rule 1C(b)	“Intervening DXCC Entity” clause retained verbatim from 1966.
Continental Islands	First explicit use of “continental shelf” language (precursor to 1971 Rule 2).
Island Grouping	50 km limit reconfirmed; examples standardized in DXCC List.
Political Recognition	Updated for new post-colonial nations (1967–70).
Publication Policy	QST continued as official notification medium; DXCC List annual.

Historical Significance

The 1970 ARRL DXCC Rules were essentially the final pre-modern version—maintaining the 1966 structure but introducing continental and shelf-island clarifications that became the backbone of the 1971 rewrite.
They bridged the classic geographic-distance logic of Rule 1C with the forthcoming continent-based separation test of the early 1970s.

The 1966 DXCC Rules used a defined mix of political/administrative status and geographic separation criteria — with specific distance thresholds and guidance for islands and offshore territories — to decide what qualified as a separate DXCC entity. They emphasized clear wording and workable application based on experience up to that time.

The 1970 revision built on that foundation but introduced further refinements and structural clarity. While the underlying principles stayed consistent, the 1970 rules offered more explicit criteria, adjusted separation distances in some cases, and better articulated how to treat complex cases, such as archipelagos or areas very close to continental landmasses. There was also a shift toward greater consistency and repeatability in decision-making, reducing reliance on subjective or ad hoc judgments.

In summary: the change from the 1966 to the 1970 rules was primarily one of enhancement and precision. The framework was not overturned but was made clearer and more robust, improving how the criteria were applied to edge cases without fundamentally changing the underlying philosophy.