ARRL DX Century Club (DXCC) Rules — 1979 Edition

(Effective January 1 1979 — Consolidated Restatement of 1976 Rules with 1977–79 Clarifications)

A copy of the 1979 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) distinct countries (DXCC entities) of the world, as defined and maintained by the ARRL Awards Committee.

The 1979 revision maintained the basic 1976 rule structure but introduced two key interpretive updates:

Formal recognition of “separated by intervening DXCC entity or by at least 350 km of open sea” as the operative standard for both continental and island separations.
Explicit recognition of “administrative control distinct from parent government” as a contributing—but not independently qualifying—factor (the concept that later evolved into Rule 3 in 1981).

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

A DXCC entity shall meet one or more of the following definitions:

Rule 1A – Political Entity

Any area having a separate government, recognized internationally as administering its own affairs independently of any other, shall be considered a separate DXCC entity.

Examples (1979 DXCC List):
United States, United Kingdom, France, Japan, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and other UN-member nations.

Rule 1B – Distinct Administrative Area

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

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

Rule 1C – Offshore Island Group Rule

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 entity, provided it is not part of another recognized DXCC entity.

1C(b) – Intervening DXCC Territory

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 kilometers (≈ 30 miles) of each other shall normally be treated as a single group. Islands separated by more than 50 km may qualify as distinct groups if they individually satisfy 1C(a) or 1C(b).
Intervening land belonging to the parent nullifies separation under 1C(a).

Examples (1979 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), Crozet (FT/W), Kerguelen (FT/X), Amsterdam & St Paul (FT/Z).

II. Rule 2 — Continental Definition

(as restated 1977, reaffirmed 1979)

Islands and land areas lying within the same continental land mass or on its continental shelf shall be considered part of that continent unless they satisfy Rule 1C(a) or 1C(b).

2(a) – Separation from Parent Continent

A land area shall be considered a separate DXCC entity if it is separated from its parent continent by an intervening DXCC entity or by at least 350 kilometers of open sea.

2(b) – Continental Shelf and Geologic Criteria

Islands lying on the same continental shelf as the parent continent are considered part of that continent unless they qualify under Rule 1C.
Continental boundaries follow the standards of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names and the Defense Mapping Agency.

1979 Interpretive Note

The 1979 ARRL Awards Committee clarified that the 350 km standard applies equally to separation from continents or parent island groups.
Where intervening DXCC entities exist, distance is not controlling.

III. Eligibility Requirements

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

IV. Confirmations

Each claimed entity must be verified by a QSL card showing callsigns, date, time (GMT), band, mode, and location.
Cards must be checked by ARRL Headquarters or an authorized DXCC Field Representative.
Duplicate QSOs with the same entity do not increase totals.

V. Qualification for Award

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

VI. 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.”

VII. Determination of Borderline Cases

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

VIII. Publication and Recognition

Award recipients published in QST and the ARRL DXCC List.
Certificates issued without charge to League members; non-members may apply for a nominal fee.

IX. General Provisions

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

Appendix A — Summary of 1979 Clarifications

Topic	1979 Clarification
Rule 2(a)	“Separated by intervening DXCC entity or ≥ 350 km of open sea” language reaffirmed as controlling.
Administrative Distinctiveness	Administrative differences noted but not sufficient alone for DXCC status (predecessor to Rule 3).
Island Grouping Rule	50 km standard reaffirmed; applies to coastal archipelagos and mid-ocean groups.
Continental Boundaries	Explicitly mapped per Defense Mapping Agency 1978 reference atlas.
Publication Policy	QST and ARRL DXCC List remain the official sources for rule interpretation and entity announcements.

Historical Significance

The 1979 DXCC Rules represent the final pre-modern edition, standing midway between the 1976 codification and the 1981 “administrative separation” revision.
By 1979, the geographic framework was stable, and ARRL’s Awards Committee began to integrate political/administrative distinctions that would soon formalize into Rule 3.

The 1976 DXCC Rules continued the longstanding framework of combining political/administrative criteria with geographic separation tests using specified distance thresholds to determine distinct DXCC entities. The emphasis was on clear criteria, workable separation standards, and practical application to a wide variety of global territories.

The 1979 revision preserved that core methodology but introduced incremental refinements to improve clarity and consistency. The 1979 rules offered more precise wording around borderline geographic cases and tightened up how certain separation distances were applied to complex island groups and offshore features. There was also a continued effort to reduce ambiguity in how political and administrative recognition interacted with the geographic tests, making interpretations more predictable and uniform.

In summary: the evolution from the 1976 to the 1979 rules was primarily about clarification and refinement—strengthening definitions, sharpening language in key areas, and improving consistency in applying the existing criteria—without changing the fundamental structure of the DXCC Rules.