DX-pedition
Expeditions to rare locations for amateur radio contacts and awards.
A DX-pedition is an expedition to a location considered exotic by amateur radio operators and DX listeners, typically due to its remoteness, access restrictions, or a scarcity of active radio amateurs there. Such locations may be islands, countries, or specific spots on a geographical grid. The term 'DX' is telegraphic shorthand for 'distance' or 'distant'.
- Most contacts record
- 213,169 contacts by T32C (Kiritimati, October 2011)
Lore & Background
Early DX-peditions were exploratory geographical expeditions in the late 1920s and 1930s, where radio amateurs provided long-distance communications while contacting fellow amateurs wanting a new country. Notable examples include Admiral Byrd's Antarctic expeditions and the 1924 voyage of the schooner Kaimiloa in the South Pacific. After World War II, amateurs resumed participation, such as Bill Snyder and Bob Leo in the 1948 Gatti-Hallicrafters expedition in Africa, and the Kon-Tiki expedition of 1947 using call sign LI2B. The first dedicated DX-pedition was Robert W. Denniston's 1948 trip to the Bahamas as VP7NG, called 'Gon-Waki'.
Reader's Guide
DX-peditions are planned to help operators obtain amateur radio awards, most notably the DX Century Club (DXCC) award, which requires contacting and confirming 100 distinct entities (currently 340 recognized). Entities include politically separate or physically remote locations, such as Alaska, Hawaii, Vatican, Monaco, and even the International Telecommunication Union. Other awards, like the Islands on the Air (IOTA) from the Radio Society of Great Britain, focus on islands with little local activity. DX-peditions often target locations with adequate access to power and supplies, such as Caribbean and Pacific island nations, while others face extreme difficulty due to stringent licensing (e.g., North Korea, Yemen) or inaccessibility (e.g., Peter I Island, Clipperton Island). Equipment is chosen for high power and gain antennas to manage pile-ups, and operations are often round-the-clock on multiple HF bands. The use of the Internet for log uploads and QSLs has eased the process. Many DX-peditions are organized around radio contests to maximize contacts.
Did You Know?
- The 1947 Kon-Tiki expedition used call sign LI2B for amateur radio communications.
- A permit for a 2024 DXpedition to Jarvis Island cost the team $27,000.
- The January 2012 Malpelo Island DXpedition achieved 195,625 contacts while living in tents and using portable generators.
More in Amateur Radio 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced