Thanks to all who took part in the 2016 Digital Most Needed DXCC Entity survey. This year there were 716 entries from all six continents (North America 463, Europe 160, Asia 54, South America 16, Oceania 15 and Africa 10). This is double the number of entries from 2011.
The survey team consisted of three members – Don Hill (AA5AU), Ed Muns (W0YK), and Larry Gauthier (K8UT). Larry already had the survey built and saved in LimeSurvey from 2011, so after minor changes he was able to have it ready in just a matter of minutes.
This is the 4th time this survey has published the results on aa5au.com. This year, the survey name was changed from “RTTY” to “Digital”. This was done to bring the survey more in line with the ARRL Digital DXCC award.
It wasn’t until after we had announced the survey that we found out that ClubLog has the ability to generate “Most Needed” lists by mode (CW, Phone, Data). We decided to compare our results to those of the ClubLog “Data” list. One major difference between our survey and ClubLog is that ClubLog only includes contacts that are “confirmed”. Our survey is based on contacts “worked”. This explains why after recent operations from Heard Island, South Sandwich Island, South Georgia Island and Juan de Nova Island, those entities are ranked higher in ClubLog.
Because of human error, it is believed that our survey has a margin of error as high as 10%. This is based on errors we found in the results. Since this is across the board, we feel it does not take away from the accuracy of entity rankings. Ideally, the most accurate “Most Needed” lists would be ones generated by the ARRL’s Logbook of the World (LoTW). We reached out to the ARRL and were told a “Most Needed” list is at least a year away.
It’s no surprising that the top 3 needed entities in 2011 are the same in 2016 – Scarborough Reef BS7, Bouvet 3Y/B, and Crozet FT5W. Scarborough Reef was activated only briefly on RTTY in 2007 (BS7H). Bouvet was last active on RTTY in 2001 (3Y0C). It’s not clear when the last time Crozet was active on the digital modes. Glenn, VA3DX, reported working FT5WH on RTTY in April 1999. I was able to work two operators on Crozet on RTTY within 3 minutes of each other. I remember it well. Early one morning right at sunrise in April of 1996, I found FT5WF calling CQ longpath on 20 meters. It was a little strange because he was the only signal on the band and no one else called him but me. After making the contact, the operator told me to stand by for FT5WE. I then worked FT5WE (probably from the same station). It was grayline propagation at its best and it lasted long enough for us to have a ragchew. Both operators were stationed there and they were moderately active on RTTY. Now it’s the 3rd most needed entity on the digital modes.
Several entities in the top 20 in 2011 are no longer there in 2016 due to activations. These include Malpelo HK0/M (2012), Navassa KP1 (2015), South Sandwich VP8S (2016), Yemen 7O (2012), Heard Island VK0/H (2016), Auckland & Campbell Island ZL9 (2012), Eritrea E3 (2016), and Palmayra KH5 (2016). Kingman Reef, KH5K, which was ranked 14th is 2011, was deleted and is now part of Palmyra KH5. Even though there was activity from Macquarie in 2012 by Trevor, VK0TH, mainly on JT65, it only dropped VK0/M from 5th to 12th.
Of the entities that replaced those that moved out of the top 20, North Korea P5 moved from 28th in 2011 to 7th. Turkmenistan moved from 31st to 8th. Pratas Island BV9P moved from 29th to 9th. Kure Island KH7 moved from 35th to 10th. Johnston Island KH3 moved from 13th in 2011 to 5th. Rumors of a KH3 activation in 2016 by members of the K5P team have been floating around. The last KH3 RTTY operation may have been AH3D in 2003 and it did little to move KH3 out of the top 20 (it was 15th in 2002).
Other upward movers were Baker & Howland Islands KH1 from 36 to 13, Glorioso FR/G from 51 to 14, Syria YK from 72 to 15, Peter I 3Y/P from 74 to 17, Myanmar from 39 to 18, Macao from 50 to 19 and Aves Island YV0 from 84 to 20.
With rumors of a BS7 operation in the next year or two, will this be the last time we see Scarborough Reef at the top of the list? We can only hope as Scarborough Reef is the last one needed for many. As of May 2016, no one has yet to make #1 Honor Roll on Digital according to the ARRL Honor Roll listing.
Below is a table showing top 10 entities in our survey and in ClubLog for May 16, 2016.
| 2016 AA5AU Team Survey | ||||
| Rank | Top 10 All Entries | Asia | Europe | North America |
| 1 | BS7 – Scarborough Reef | 3Y/B – Bouvet Island | BS7 – Scarborough Reef | BS7 – Scarborough Reef |
| 2 | 3Y/B – Bouvet Island | FT5W – Crozet | KH3 – Johnston Island | 3Y/B – Bouvet Island |
| 3 | FT5W – Crozet | SVA – Mount Athos | 3Y/B – Bouvet Island | FT5W – Crozet |
| 4 | ZS8 – Pr. Edward & Marion Is. | 4U/UN – United Nations HQ | FT5W – Crozet | ZS8 – Pr. Edward & Marion Is. |
| 5 | KH3 – Johnston Island | CY0 – Sable Island | ZS8 – Pr. Edward & Marion Is. | FT5X – Kerguelen |
| 6 | FT5X – Kerguelen | YV0 – Aves Island | KH7K – Kure Island | EZ – Turkmenistan |
| 7 | P5 – North Korea | ZS8 – Pr. Edward & Marion Is. | T31 – Central Kiribati | P5 – North Korea |
| 8 | EZ – Turkmenistan | BS7 – Scarborough Reef | CE0X – San Felix Island | BV9P – Pratas Island |
| 9 | BV9P – Pratas Island | VP8S – South Sandwich | P5 – North Korea | FR/G – Glorioso |
| 10 | KH7K – Kure Island | KP5 – Desecheo Island | KH1 – Baker & Howland Is. | YK – Syria |
| 2016 ClubLog (taken on May 16, 2016) | ||||
| Rank | Top 10 All Entries | Asia | Europe | North America |
| 1 | BS7 – Scarborough Reef | 3Y/B – Bouvet Island | BS7 – Scarborough Reef | BS7 – Scarborough Reef |
| 2 | 3Y/B – Bouvet Island | CY0 – Sable Island | FT5W – Crozet | FT5W – Crozet |
| 3 | FT5W – Crozet | VP8S – South Sandwich | 3Y/B – Bouvet Island | 3Y/B – Bouvet Island |
| 4 | ZS8 – Pr. Edward & Marion Is. | FT5W – Crozet | KH3 – Johnston Island | ZS8 – Pr. Edward & Marion Is. |
| 5 | KH3 – Johnston Island | 4U/UN – United Nations HQ | ZS8 – Pr. Edward & Marion Is. | EZ – Turkmenistan |
| 6 | EZ – Turkmenistan | YV0 – Aves Island | KH7K – Kure Island | FT5X – Kerguelen |
| 7 | KH7K – Kure Island | ZS8 – Pr. Edward & Marion Is. | T31 – Central Kiribati | YK – Syria |
| 8 | FT5X – Kerguelen | 8R – Guyana | KH5 – Palmyra & Jarvis Is. | FR/G – Glorioso |
| 9 | BV9P – Pratas Island | 3C – Equatorial Guinea | EZ – Turkmenistan | P5 – North Korea |
| 10 | T31 – Central Kiribati | SV/A – Mount Athos | CE0X – San Felix Island | XX9 – Macau |
GL with Digital DX,
Don AA5AU