ZCZC AE48
QST de W1AW
DX Bulletin 48 ARLD048
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT November 16, 2001
To all radio amateurs
SB DX ARL ARLD048
ARLD048 Ducie is newest DXCC entity; DXpedition imminent

Ducie Island in the South Pacific is the latest DXCC entity--the 335th. As of 0000 UTC on November 16, 2001, Ducie Island became eligible for DXCC credit as a result of a favorable vote to accept the Pitcairn Island Amateur Radio Association (PIARA) as an International Amateur Radio Union member-society.

PIARA filed its application for IARU membership last March, and the matter went to a world-wide vote of IARU member-societies in June. Votes were counted this week, and PIARA's application was approved. Under DXCC rules, an entity that hosts an IARU society is considered a ''political entity.''

ARRL Membership Services Manager Wayne Mills, N7NG, emphasized that only contacts dated November 16, 2001, and later will count for DXCC. The island has been activated previously for the Islands On The Air program (it's IOTA OC-182), but Mills says those earlier contacts will not count for DXCC.

A DXpedition group now headed for Ducie will use a VP6 call sign--to be announced. Operation is planned for 160 through 6 meters on CW, SSB and RTTY.

Pilot station Bill ''Dr Bill'' Avery, K6GNX, said the team was expected to arrive on Ducie early on November 17. The DXpedition operation should last about five days. Ducie is located east of Pitcairn Island, perhaps best known among hams as the home of Tom Christian, VP6TC, who's PIARA president and head of the Ducie DXpedition team.