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The first Prewar DXCC-Lijst of 1937

The DXCC Pre-WW2 Entities Lijst (1937) "...the number of countries worked is increasingly becoming the criterion of excellence among outstanding DX stations." (Clinton B. DeSoto, W1CBD, October 1935 QST) ARRL had to do something with the proposal of W1CBD, Clinton. There should be a List, mentioning all Rules, applying to the DX Century Club. But first of all there had to be something of a Countries List, showing all countries from which you could get a credit,. And you had to show the proof of the contact, the QSL- card, to the A.R.R.L. This fact did increase the QSL system. Radio Call letters In 1913, the Department of Commerce of the USA published a government document, Radio Call Letters [C11.2:R115], which reported United States radio station call letter policies, as of May 9, 1913. The distribution of call letters among nations thus authorized is showed above for the guidance of operators of all stations, ship and shore, of the United States. As you can see on the list, The prefix-block OAA - OFZ was not assigned in 1913. And there was no assignment for Australia. Australian stations did use the prefix OA, as is proved in the QSL card of Reverent R.J.R. Delbridge, OA4RJ. However the prefix OA was assigned to Peru. Mister Delbridge later signed VK4RJ when the prefix of Australia changed from OA to VK. The first Countries List ARRL started to produce an ARRL Countries List, and showed this list in the January, 1937, QST, together with the explanation how this countries-List was made. (see below) Every DXer was invited to shoot at the list, making the list even more complete. In February 1937, QST followed with a short extra explanation of the published list. “.. Note also that there are two countries using the same prefix, VP2, the Leeward Islands, which include Antigua, and the Windward Islands, which include Grenada and St. Lucia. Five countries use the prefix K6: Guam, (unofficial OM), Hawaii, Midway Island, U.S. Samoa, and Wake Island. VK4 should not be passed up, since it can be either Australia or Papua Territory.” In this first ARRL Countries List you can find more problems than expected. Also a mistake got into the list. Zanzibar should have the prefix ZK1 and not VK1. This was corrected in the same issue of QST, February 1937. But this correction was done too fast. Te second correction ( in a later issue of QST) listed Zanzibar without a prefix. Strange names and prefixes If you look to this first Countries List, you will see strange names for countries. And you will see strange prefixes for known countries. Both country-names, and prefixes have changed since the publication of this first list. In the next pages of this story, cross-lists will be available to make things clear. Worked All States Hams could also apply for tte W.A.S. the Worked All States award. This award was also not very easy to get. Up to July 1936, 348 awards found their way to the hams who did apply for the award. Only 6 stations outside the United States did get the award; OA4J, K6CGK, XE2C, XE2N, K6MVV and VK6SA. The last one did get number 346. The call K6CGK was changed later in KH6IJ, a call familiar to most of the Old Timers under us. X2C was the call from XE2C in 1933. Sometimes it was a hard job to find out the country of the station who did sent a QSL card. Much more of these old QSL card can be found on the site of K8CX, www.hamgallery.com. Until July 1936, NO stations from Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina and Utah did apply for the WAS award. WAC growth After December 1935 there was a tremendous growth in the number of WAC certificates issued. And even foreign countries like Germany, Great Brittain, and Australia had over a hundred hams who did get the WAC award. Listed in the spreadsheet on the right are the W and VE districts, the American possessions, and the countries with more that 50 WAC holders. The WAC phone list did also grow more than expected. Strange is the fact that no station from Germany (D) did get the WAC-Phone award. And the table shows two K6 totals, the first one is the total from Hawaii (6), and the other one is from Guam (3). The WAC challenge was too easy. DXCC was needed, getting confirmation of at least One Hundred Countries.
Prewar DXCC
The famous DXCC award, for confirming of at least 100 countries
DXCC-Countries A-F Abyssinia, see Ethiopia, Aden, Aegean Islands, Afghanistan, YA Alaska , K7 Albania, ZA Aldabra Islands, Algeria, FA Andaman Islands, Andorra, Anglo Egyptian Sudan, ST Angola, CR6 Arabia, see Saudi Arabia, Argentina, LU Ascension Island, ZD8 Australia, VK Azores Islands, CT2 Bahama Islands, VP7 Bahrein Islands, VS8 Balearic Islands, EA6 Baluchistan, Barbados, VP6 Bechuanaland, Belgian Congo, OQ Belgium, ON Bermuda Islands, VP9 Bhutan, Bismarck Archipelago, Bolivia, CP Borneo, Netherlands, PK5 Brazil, PY British Cameroon, see Nigeria, British Honduras, VP1 British North Borneo, VS4 Brunei, Bulgaria, LZ Burma, XZ Cameroons, French, FE8 Canada, VE Canal Zone, (K5) Canary Islands, EA8 Cape Verde Islands, CR4 Caroline Islands, Celebes and Molucca Islands, PK6 Ceylon, VS7 Chile, CE China, XU Chosen (Korea), J8 Christmas Island, ZC3 Cocos Islands, ZC2 Columbia, HJ Comoro islands, Cook Islands, ZK1 Corsica, Costa Rica, TI Crete, Cuba, CM-CO Curacao and Netherland West Indies,PJ Cyprus, ZC4 Czechoslovakia, OK Danzig, YM Denmark, OZ Dominican Rebublic, HI Easter Island, Ecuador, HC Egypt, SU Eritrea, Estonia, ES Ethiopia (Abyssinia), ET Faeroes, The, OY Falkland Islands, VP8 Fanning Island, VR3 Federated Malay States, VS2 Fiji Islands, VR2 Finland, OH Formosa, see Taiwan, France, F French Cameroons, see Cameroons, French Equatorial Africa, FQ8 French Indochina, FI8 French Oceania, FO8 French West Africa, FF8
DXCC-Countries O-Z Ocean island, see Gilbert & Ellis Islands, Oman, Palau (Pelew) Islands, Palestine, ZC6 Panama, HP Papua Territory, VK4 Paraguay, ZP Persia, see Iran, Peru, OA Philippine Islands, KA Phoenix Islands, Pitcairn Island, VR6 Poland, SP Portugal, CT Portugese India, see Goa, Principe and Sao Thome Islands, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands, K4 Reunion Island, FR8 Rhodesia, Northern, VQ2 Rhodesia, Southern, ZE Rio de Oro, Roumania, YR Salvador, YS Samoa, U. S., K6 Samoa, Western, ZM Sandwich islands, Sarawak, VS5 Sardinia, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, VQ9 Siam, HS Sierra Leone, ZD1 Socotra, Solomon Islands, VR4 Somaliland, British, VQ6 Somaliland, French, FL8 Somaliland, Italian, South Georgia, VP8 South Orkney Islands, VP8 South Shetland Islands, VP8 Southwest Africa, see Union South Africa, ZS3 Sovjet Union,U -- European States,U1-7 -- Asiatic States,U8-9-0 Spain, EA Spitsbergen, see Svalbard, St. Helena, ZD7 Straits Settlements, VS1 Sumatra, PK4 Surinam, see Guiana Neth., Svalbard (Spitzbergen), Sweden, SM Switzerland, HB Syria, Taiwan (Formosa),J9 Tanganyika Territory, VQ3 Tangier Zone, Tannu Tuva, Tasmania, VK7 Tibet, Timor, Portuguese, CR10 Togoland, British see Gold Coast, Togoland, French, FD8 Tokelau (Union) Islands, Tonga (Friendly) Islands, VR5 Transjordan, ZC1 Trinidad and Tobago, VP4 Tristan da Cunha, ZU9 Tunisia, FT4 Turkey, TA Uganda, VQ5 Union Islands, see Tokelau Islands, Union of South Africa, ZS-ZT- ZU United States, W [N] Uruguay, CX Venezuela, YV Virgin Islands and Puero Rico,K4 Wake Island,K6 Windward Islands (Grenada), VP2 Wrangel Island, Yemen, Yugoslavia, YT-YU Zanzibar,VK1
DXCC-Countries G-N Galapagos Islands, Gambia, ZD3 Germany, D Gibraltar, ZB2 Gilbert and Ellis Islands and Ocean Island, VR1 Goa (Portuguese India), CR8 Gold Coast (and British Togoland), ZD4 Gough Island, Great Brittain, G Greece, SV Greenland, OX Guadeloupe, FG8 Guam, K6 Guatemala, TG Guiana, British, VP3 Guiana, French, and Inini, FY8 Guiana, Netherlands (Surinam), PZ Guinea, Portuguese, CR5 Guinea, Spanish, Haiti, HH Hawaiian Islands, K6 Hejaz, HZ Honduras, HR Hong Kong, VS6 Hungary, HA Iceland, TF Ifni, India, VU Inini, see Guana, French), Iran (Persia), EP Iraq (Mesopotamia), YI Ireland, Northern, GI Irish Free State, EI Italy, I Jamaica and Cayman Islands, VP5 Japan, J Java, PK Kenya, VQ4 Kerguelen Islands, Korea, see Chosen, Laccadive Islands, Latvia, YL Leeward Islands, VP2 Liberia, EL Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, LY Luxembourg, LX Macau, CR9 Madagascar, FB8 Madeira Islands, CT3 Maldive Islands, VS9 Malta, ZB1 Manchukuo, (MX) Marianas Islands, Marshall Islands, Martinique, FM8 Mauritius, VQ8 Mesopotamia, see Iraq, Mexico, XE Midway Islands, K6 Miquelon and St. Pierre Islands, FP8 Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, French, CN Morocco, Spanish, EA9 Mozambique, CR7 Nepal, Netherlands, PA Netherlands West Indies , see Curacao, PJ New Caledonia, FK8 New Foundland and Labrador,VO New Guinea, Netherlands, PK6 New Guinea, Territory of, VK9 New Hebrides, British,YJ New Hebrides, French,FU8 New Zealand, ZL Nicaragua, YN Nicobar Islands, Nigeria (British Cameroons), ZD2 Niue, ZK2 Non-Federated Malay States, VS3 North Borneo, see British North Borneo, Norway, LA Nyasaland, ZD6
Bismarck Archipelago The first European to visit these islands was Dutch explorer Willem Schouten in 1616.The islands remained unsettled by western Europeans until they were annexed as part of the German protectorate of German New Guinea in 1884. The area was named in honour of the Chancellor Otto von Bismarck.
The Bismarck Archipelago (Papua New Guinea, Oceania) Radio Call Letters by 1913 WAS award of PA0ABM Bill OA4J got his WAS award before 1938. Another OA prefix, but not from Peru. Later the call became XE2C Part of the WAC arwards-list isued until 1936 Fanning Island (or Christmas Atol) is now East Kiribati (T32). Old prefixes are VQ1, OO1 and VR3. K6CGK was the old call of well know Katashi Nose, KH6IJ