Today, I became a member of The DX Century Club (DX is shorthand for distance). I have confirmed contacts with amateur radio stations in 100 distinct geographic and political entities in the official DXCC List. It took me a little over a year to make all of the needed contacts, gleaned from over 1660 total confirmed contacts.
All of the following contacts were made using the FT8 digital mode, with no more than 100 Watts. My antenna is a G5RV, a simple dipole antenna with 30 feet of ladder line, and a 6-inch diameter “ugly” balun with 10 turns of the feed line. The antenna and transceiver are pictured below:


This demonstrates that big towers, antennas, and high power are not needed to work the world.
My First 100 Confirmed Countries for DXCC
Alaska | China | Ghana | Luxembourg | St. Lucia |
Albania | Columbia | Greece | Madeira Islands | St. Vincent |
Andorra | Costa Rica | Guadeloupe | Malta | San Andres Island |
Anguilla | Cuba | Guatemala | Mauritania | Sardinia |
Argentina | Croatia | Guernsey | Mexico | Scotland |
Asiatic Russia | Curacao | Hawaii | Monaco | Serbia |
Australia | Cyprus | Hungary | Morocco | Slovak Republic |
Austria | Czech Republic | Iceland | Nambia | Slovenia |
Azores | Denmark | Indonesia | Netherlands | Spain |
Balearic Islands | Dominica | Ireland | New Caledonia | Sweden |
Barbados | Dominican Republic | Israel | New Zealand | Switzerland |
Belarus | Ecuador | Italy | Northern Ireland | Trinidad and Tobago |
Belgium | El Salvador | Japan | Norway | Turkey |
Belize | England | Jersey | Panama | Ukraine |
Bosnia-Herzegovina | Estonia | Kazakhstan | Poland | United Arab Emirates |
Brazil | European Russia | Kenya | Portugal | United States |
Bulgaria | Federal Republic of Germany | Kuwait | Puerto Rico | Uruguay |
Canada | Fiji Islands | Latvia | Republic of South Africa | Virgin Islands |
Canary Islands | Finland | Lebanon | Rodriguez Island | Venezuela |
Chile | France | Lithuania | Romania | Wales |
I will continue to make more contacts to achieve the many endorsements (e.g. 100 entities on a single band). I already have 75 contacts just on the 40-meter band.

Congratulations, Bill!! Very impressive list. I’m so glad that you reached the 100 mark!
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