Band Country Survey for Southern Africa

Last updated: 2012-01-10


Notice: © 1994 to 2012, Chris R. Burger. This document may be reproduced as required for personal use, and may be freely referenced from other Web sites. However, publication elsewhere requires express prior written permission from the author.


Introduction

This listing shows the number of current DXCC countries (or "entities") worked on each frequency band by southern African stations. To level the playing field to the greatest extent possible, the listed scores do not include deleted countries. The total number of possible countries for this list is 341. The latest country included is South Sudan ST0.

Apart from single band totals, we also list a five band total and a ten band total. The five band totals are for 28, 21, 14, 7 and 3,5 MHz. These are the bands that are valid for the major five-band awards like 5BWAC, 5BDXCC, 5BWAZ and 5BWAS. From the tables, it's obvious that the level of competition is much higher on these bands than on the remaining five.

The ten band totals also include 50, 25, 18, 10 and 1,8 MHz.

This listing is updated regularly as often as justified by inputs. Please keep me up to date with your progress, so that your scores can be kept current. A monthly update would be ideal. Revisit this URL regularly, to see what the denizens of the ether have been up to!


Chris R. Burger ZS6EZ
Box 4485
Pretoria
0001 South Africa


50 MHz
135 ZS6WB
129 ZS6AXT
128 ZS6NK
110 ZS6EZ
105 ZS6BTE
98 Z22JE ++
21 MHz
330 ZS6EZ
307 ZS6KR
305 ZS4TX
304 ZS6WB
292 ZS6YQ ++
273 ZS6AOO ==
10,1 MHz
261 ZS6EZ
237 ZS6UT
222 ZS2DL
213 ZS5LB ==
212 ZS6WB
197 ZS1EL
1,8 MHz
184 ZS4TX
177 ZS5LB ==
137 ZS6EZ
124 ZS1REC
107 ZS6UT
76 ZS5K ==
28 MHz
316 ZS6EZ
291 ZS4TX
282 ZS6WB
277 ZS6P
267 ZS6AOO ==
262 ZS6KR
18,1 MHz
300 ZS6EZ
261 ZS6AVM ++
259 ZS2EZ
253 ZS2DL
248 ZS6AJD ==
241 ZS6WB
7 MHz
327 ZS4TX
313 ZS6EZ
281 ZS6KR
265 ZS6P
244 ZS2DL
243 ZS6WB
5 Band
1529 ZS6EZ
1513 ZS4TX
1365 ZS6KR
1311 ZS5LB ==
1282 ZS6WB
1264 ZS6P
24,9 MHz
282 ZS6EZ
260 ZS6AVM ++
244 ZS2EZ
226 ZS6AJD ==
220 ZS2DL
217 ZS6NJ, ZS6WB
14 MHz
331 ZS6EZ
331 ZS6YQ ++
316 ZS6KR
313 ZS6AJD ==
312 ZS6P
311 ZS4TX
3,5 MHz
279 ZS4TX
252 ZS5LB ==
239 ZS6EZ
200 ZS6KR
168 ZS6WB
141 ZS6P
10 Band
2619 ZS6EZ
2161 ZS6WB
2075 ZS5LB ==
1997 ZS4TX
1857 ZS2DL
1721 ZS2EZ

Key: "++" indicates Silent Key (ZS6AVM, ZS6YQ). "==" indicates inactive operators whose totals are unlikely to change. Some do not have access to antennas (ZS5LB, ZS6AJD). Some have emigrated (ZS5K, ZS6AOO, ZS6IR).



Updating your Totals

Whenever you feel like it, you can send me your new totals. Whenever I feel like it, I'll publish an updated list. Fortunately, I normally do feel like it whenever I receive new information...

Basic policy: I want current, worked DXCC scores by band. All bands from 1,8 to 54 MHz are included.

To expand on this policy:

  • Current: Include only current DXCC entities. Deleted entities do not count.
  • Worked: If you've worked it, you include it. No QSL is required. Confirmed totals are recognised by DXCC lists elsewhere on this Web site. If you really, really thought you'd worked it but you subsequently discovered that you were not in the log, the decision is up to you. To my mind, if you hadn't ordered a QSL you would still think that you'd worked it, so it should probably count to make it directly comparable to other claimed scores.
  • The simpler, the better. A simple text email with the scores for every band will be sufficient. However, I'm not picky. Snail mail, phone calls and even a messenger with a cleft stick can be used, as long as they get to me.
  • No need to calculate 5 Band and 10 Band scores. I will do that myself. However, sending them provides a form of checking in case you (or I!) made a typo.

    Past Records

    Several older versions of this document can be found on this Web site:

  • Standings at the end of 2011, including a Top Ten (rather than a Top Six) in each category.

  • Standings at the end of 2010, including a Top Ten (rather than a Top Six) in each category.

  • Standings at the end of 2008, including a Top Ten (rather than a Top Six) in each category.

  • Standings at the end of 2005, including a Top Ten (rather than a Top Six) in each category.

  • Standings at the end of 2004, including a Top Ten (rather than a Top Six) in each category.

  • A summary of activity during 2002, including a Top Ten (rather than a Top Six) in each category.

  • A summary of activity during 2001, including a Top Ten (rather than a Top Six) in each category.

  • A summary of activity during 2000, including a Top Ten (rather than a Top Six) in each category.

  • The Top Six table at the end of 1999.

  • The Top Six table during 1998.

  • The Top Six table during 1997.

  • The Top Six table at the end of 1996.

    These tables make good reading for those who think that the current totals are out of reach. The leading scores were not all that spectacular when this list was first published. You could make the list on one band with 27 countries, and there were four bands with entry levels of less than 60. The leading 10 band score was less than 2000. Only three stations had single band scores over 300, and they were all on 14 MHz. The leading station on 50 MHz had 92 countries. In fact, there are two bands on which five of the top six scores would not have survived to the present day! Bottom line: Most of the leading scores on today's table were made in the past solar cycle. You can do it too!


    Rating your Progress

    I've written a short piece, describing how one can assess DX achievement a little more accurately than just comparing the numbers. For example, how much better is 280 than 240? How much effort is required to get onto the DXCC Honour Roll once you've passed the 300 mark? How much effort does it take to catch the remaining nine countries once you're on the Honour Roll? How does your score on a specific band really stack up? The answers may astound you.


    An Offshore Comparison

    In these pages, I've often mentioned that I felt that ZS DXers were under-achieving. To impart a notion of why I feel this way, I've included results from a comparable survey in Britain on this Site. Look at them, and see what you think!


    Those Callsigns listed in the Tables

    The tables can be very impersonal. I've therefore written a short profile on each of the operators. The intention is not only to put some "faces" to the callsigns, but also to give the reader an indication of how active each of these operators is. Clearly, while a few are retired and have enough time to play radio, the majority hold down jobs, raise families and generally spend time pursuing other interests. The odd spell of DXing certainly doesn't preclude balance!


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