DXCC Applications at the ARRL

After chasing the DXCC countries and upon receipt of confirmations for the contacts either by paper QSL card (...the classical way...) and/or by using the LoTW sytem you will want to get your contacts Accepted by the ARRL's DXCC desk. TurboLog 4 ideally supports you in all viable procedures for getting your confirmed DXCC countries Accepted, either by:

•Filing a classical paper application to be checked manually by the DXCC desk

•Submitting your QSO records for automatic checking by the LoTW system

•Online DXCC application  ( New since 2013 )

•Updating your Logbook for the QSOs which were Accepted

This paragraph outlines the recipes for each one of the application methods and for updating your logbook by the results returned from the DXCC desk. Since all applications make use of extracting suitable QSO records for proof from your logbook the Logbook Listings facility is the work bench of choice.

The following is a synopsis of alternatives you have in TurboLog 4.TurboLog 4

Classical Paper Application:

This procedure requires both, submitting original QSLs and a list of these QSLs containing QSO data to be arranged in a specific layout format. TurboLog 4 and the Logbook Listings facility help you to compile a list of the QSLs you will need for the DXCC award application you have in mind.

All details are outlined in the paragraph on DXCC Application. As described there you will first have to decide on the type of DXCC Award you want to apply for:

•Mixed: ( Apply for DXCC country count only; regardless of Band and Mode permitted for the award ). No particular input required.

•Mode: ( Apply for DXCC country count for a particular Mode; regardless of permitted DXCC Bands ). Select the particular DXCC Mode ( CW, Phone, Digital or Satellite ) from the Mode drop-down box. Please enable modes not appearing on the list in the DXCC setup tab sheet.

•Band: ( Apply for DXCC country count for a particular Band; regardless of DXCC Mode ). Select the particular DXCC Band from the Band drop-down box.

The specific routines for gaining a list of candidate log records for the DXCC application are triggered from the DXCC Application checkbox. TurboLog 4 will suggest to submit the first QSO found in your Logbook which fulfills the necessary conditions. Upon checking the DXCC Application checkbox another checkbox

right below it, named Mark for Bulk Update becomes active. If you check this one all log records on the data grid will be enabled to be marked by an X in the QSL_sent field. Rationale for this procedure is to save you a lot of time at later-on marking the particular records for QSL_Accepted when your cards were positively checked by the ARRL and returned to you. This work will then be reduced to just starting the Bulk Update item from the Execute menu.

Pressing the Go button will produce the list of candidate QSO records for inspection, at this time still displayed with your customized selection of fields. If you find everything being alright and you are now about to printing the final list you should think of checking the Mark for Bulk Update box as well.

Pressing the Print button will now print the application list in the layout format as required by the DXCC desk. Of course the user will always be responsible for garnering the required cards from his (...hopefully...) well structured QSL archive.

Before you can mail your submission you must get/download a copy of ARRL DXCC application form MSD-505 in order to enter your personal data and how you want to pay for the fees.Finally, application form, list of QSLs produced by TurboLog 4 and QSLs  can be mailed in a small parcel.

Done!

Using LoTW for DXCC Applications:

This is a much more comfortable and contemporary way of working the DXCC Awards. However, the applicant must undergo a rather tedious procedure for getting access to the system. Full details are available at https://lotw.arrl.org . However, once you have gained access to the system everything is very easy. All you need to do is to upload your logbook to the system once and then regularly increment your account by the QSOs you recently worked.

Uploading your logbook data to LoTW is readily available from the FILE menu, sub item EXPORT.  The procedure is described in full details in the paragraph on Automated LoTW Support.

You can monitor the matching results between your log records and others from foreign logs being submitted by viewing the Award Credit Matrix at: https://lotw.arrl.org/lotwuser/awardaccount . When you are ready to apply your LoTW credits to your DXCC record you simply move into the Application procedure on the very same web page.

Finally you can download the QSO records for which credit was gained and update your logbook by importing the downloaded ADIF file. This is outlined in the paragraph on Bulk Import Update from LoTW.

Online DXCC Application:

This is the newest way of applying for the DXCC Awards. It became available by the year 2013. The procedure works in close conjunction with ARRL's voluntary field checkers which are available in many countries. A list of field checkers is published on the ARRL's web site.

You will need to get in touch with a field checker who lives close to you and ask him for the paperwork needed, fees, return postage, etc. Then, instead of mailing the "small parcel" (see above) to overseas you just mail it to your field checker. Thus, what you need to do is to produce a package as described above under the section Classical Paper application. The field checker sends the results of his investigation on a private channel to the ARRL. After the bunch of cards was returned to you from the field checker there is just one more job to do for you:

You need to send the list of QSLs you have presented to the field checker as an ADIF file to the DXCC desk for final processing of your application.

In order to support the latter theLogbook Listings provides the ADIF Export button at the most right position on the bar of control buttons. Pressing the ADIF Export button will allow you to export the list of QSO/QSL candidates which you generated for the particular DXCC Award application as an ADIF file. The procedure is described in more details in the section on ADIF Export of the Logbook Listings topic.

Don't forget to check the Mark for Bulk Update box in order to facilitate easy updating your logbook with the QSO records which were Accepted.

Finally you will have to send the ADIF file as an E-mail attachment to the ARRL's DXCC desk.

Logbook Update for Records being Accepted:

As referenced above the key element for an easy update of the QSO records which were Accepted by the ARRL at the end of the classical and online application procedures as described above is the Mark for Bulk Update facility on the Logbook Listings window. All details are outlined in the separate paragraph on DXCC Application.

The bulk update of QSL records being Accepted for these two procedures is described in the section Bulk Update DXCC ACCEPTED of the Logbook Listings topic.

In case of LoTW applications the update is provided by the import of the ADIF file generated by the LoTW system which contains the log records being Accepted. This is outlined in the paragraph on Bulk Import Update from LoTW.

This topic was last edited on  Monday, 03-Jul-2023,  at  23:57