[Mldxcc] Deleted Entities Reinstated

[Ken Anderson]

Concept of Deleted Entities Reinstated
Feb 27, 2009 11:28 ET
Bill Moore, NC1L
In 2000, DXCC program rules were modified substantially in an effort to
create simplified and stronger rules that would help make DXCC work well
in the 21st century while tightening the DXCC List Criteria. At the same
time the DXCC Challenge Award/competition was created as part of the
modernization effort. The Challenge is intended to allow for an energetic
new pursuit in DXing that focuses on statistics based upon only current
entities on the List. The Challenge has been highly successful.
Another change resulting from this rules modernization was a subtle
change from "deleting entities" to "removing entities." The intent of
this change was to no longer allow the addition of deleted entities to
the Deleted Entity List. In the subsequent years since DXCC 2000 there
have been few issues with this concept and resultant little attention
given to the realities of the ideological change. Recently, however,
since the rollout of Logbook of the World (LoTW) and various political
changes internationally, it has become evident that the program should
return the concept of deleting entities for mostly administrative
reasons. "Removing" an entity from the DXCC system is non-trivial if not
impossible. Also, the success of the DXCC Challenge and the DXCC Honor
Roll have made a great game better by providing a playing field that
isn't heavily biased by age.
It seems that the concept of a "deleted" entity -- one that is marked as
deleted and not applicable to Honor Roll or Challenge but that still
exists in the records -- is an elegant solution to the problem of changes
in entity status. Distinguishing entities that are no longer extant makes
sense as a means of leveling the playing field for younger participants
in DXCC, but to wipe out someone's past accomplishments altogether just
seems too drastic.
At its last meeting the ARRL Programs and Services Committee decided that
administratively the concept of deleted entities should be returned to
the DXCC program. Necessary changes to Section II, DXCC List Criteria
have been made to the rules and part 5 is renamed Deletion Criteria. The
concepts for deleting an entity do not change. If an entity is deleted it
will be added to the Deleted Entities List and the statistical records
for DXCC participants will be adjusted accordingly, just as they had been
in the years prior to 2000. The numbers shown in the individual DXCC
records lists have always included the Deleted Entities. No DXCC
participant needs to take any action at all.