ARRL DXCC ENTITY RE-EVALUATION MEMORANDUM – CT3

CT3 — MADEIRA ISLANDS
Evaluation Under 1947 ARRL DXCC Rules

I. PURPOSE

This memorandum evaluates whether CT3 — Madeira Islands qualified as a separate ARRL DXCC Entity under the 1947 ARRL DXCC Rules, the ruleset used during the early post–World War II reconstitution of the DXCC List.

The evaluation examines:

• Madeira’s political status within Portugal (1947)
• ARRL’s 1947 geographic “detached island group” criteria
• Great-circle separation and oceanic distinctiveness
• Prefix identity and telecommunication administration
• Whether Madeira satisfied all DXCC requirements for recognition as an independent geographic entity in 1947

CT3 appears on the DXCC List as the prefix assigned to the Madeira archipelago.

II. BACKGROUND

Political & Administrative Status (as of 1947)

In 1947, the Madeira Islands were:

• An autonomous district of metropolitan Portugal (Distrito do Funchal)
• Not sovereign
• Not a colony or protectorate
• Fully governed under Portuguese civil law
• Distinct in geography but not politically independent

Thus Madeira does not qualify as a Political Entity under 1947 DXCC rules.

Geographic Characteristics

The Madeira archipelago includes:

• Madeira Island
• Porto Santo
• Desertas Islands
• Several islets

Key geographic features:

• Located ~870 km (540 miles) southwest of mainland Portugal
• Entirely volcanic, with no continental shelf connection
• Not part of the Azores; not part of mainland Europe
• A discrete, remote island group with no intervening Portuguese islands

DXCC Prefix Identity

• CT3 is the DXCC prefix assigned to the Madeira Islands
• Distinct from:
– CT (mainland Portugal)
– CU (Azores)

This separation reflects DXCC’s early “detached island group” framework.

DXCC Historical Context (1947)

The 1947 ARRL DXCC Rules recognized a Geographic Entity when:

An island or island group
Lies a substantial distance from its parent country
Is clearly detached and not part of any coastal island chain
Is permanently above high tide
Supports amateur radio operation

No numeric distance, no “intervening entity,” and no continental-shelf rule existed in 1947.

The ARRL relied solely on the concept of a “clearly detached island group significantly removed from the homeland.”

Madeira fits this definition precisely.

III. ANALYSIS UNDER THE 1947 DXCC RULES

1. POLITICAL ENTITY CRITERIA (1947) — FAIL

A political entity required:

• Sovereignty
• Independent administration
• International recognition
• Distinct political status

Madeira:

• Was fully part of Portugal
• Had no sovereign authority
• Shared Portugal’s national identity

Thus Madeira cannot qualify politically.

2. GEOGRAPHIC ENTITY CRITERIA (1947) — PRIMARY QUALIFICATION PATH

2(a) Permanently Above High Tide — ✔ PASS

• All major islands (Madeira, Porto Santo) and the Desertas are emergent year-round
• No tidal or reef-only structures

2(b) Substantial Distance From Parent Country — ✔ PASS

• ~870 km (540 miles) from continental Portugal
• Significantly farther than many other 1940s detached-island entities (e.g., VP9 Bermuda, EA8 Canaries)
• Considered “remote” under 1947 ARRL practice

2(c) Clearly Detached Island Group — ✔ PASS

• Madeira sits on an isolated volcanic hotspot in the Atlantic
• Not part of the Azores or Canary archipelago
• No stepping-stone islands link Madeira to Portugal
• A wholly independent geographic island group

2(d) Geographic / Oceanic Distinctiveness — ✔ PASS

• Volcanic seamount rising from deep ocean
• No continental-shelf continuity with Iberia
• This feature—although not required in 1947—reinforces its separation

2(e) Amateur Radio Operability — ✔ PASS

• Licensed stations existed and operation was feasible
• 1947 rules required only potential operability

Conclusion:
Madeira satisfies all geographic DXCC criteria in the 1947 rulebook.

3. SPECIAL-AREA CRITERIA (1947) — NOT APPLICABLE

Madeira was not:

• A UN trust territory
• A mandate
• An international zone
• A polar territory

Thus §3 does not apply.

4. 1947 DELETION CRITERIA — NOT TRIGGERED

Deletion in 1947 required:

Loss of geographic distinctness, or
Discovery that the entity was added in error

Neither applied:

• Madeira’s geographic separation remains unchanged
• Its DXCC listing aligned perfectly with contemporaneous ARRL island-group policy

V. FINAL DETERMINATION

✅ CT3 — MADEIRA ISLANDS qualifies as an ARRL DXCC Entity under the 1947 DXCC Rules.

Qualification Basis (1947):

✔ A fully detached island group
✔ ~870 km offshore from Portugal
✔ Volcanic oceanic formation with deep-water separation
✔ Independent CT3 prefix within Portugal’s CEPT/ITU allocation
✔ Strong alignment with all 1947 geographic DXCC criteria
✔ Comparable to other contemporaneous DXCC detached-island entities (EA8, EA6, VP9, ZB2, CU)

Conclusion:
Under the 1947 ARRL DXCC Rules, CT3 — Madeira Islands is a textbook Geographic DXCC Entity, meeting the full definition of a detached island group.

VI. SUMMARY TABLE

Rule (1947)	Pass/Fail	Notes
Sovereign State	❌	Portuguese territory
Independent Government	❌	No political autonomy
International Recognition	❌	Not independent
Above High Tide	✔ PASS	Volcanic islands
Substantial Distance	✔ PASS	~870 km from Portugal
Detached Island Group	✔ PASS	Distinct Atlantic archipelago
Prefix Identity	✔ PASS	CT3
Deletion Criteria	Not Triggered	Classic detached island entity
Final Status	VALID GEOGRAPHIC ENTITY (1947)	Detached island group

References

ARRL DXCC Rules, Post–World War II Edition (1947)
Clinton B. DeSoto, W1CBD, “How to Count Countries Worked, A New DX Scoring System,” QST, October 1935
ARRL DXCC Country Lists, late-1930s through late-1940s editions
Nautical and geographic charting of the Madeira Islands (pre-1950)
Early DXCC precedent involving Atlantic island groups administered by European states