so ive been licensed for about 3 years now and mostly did local stuff, some nets, a little contesting here and there. but lately ive been getting really into DXing and i think i want to actually go for DXCC. i've got maybe 60-something confirmed entities on LoTW right now which i know isnt much but it feels like a real goal to work toward.

my question is kind of about strategy i guess. like should i be focused on getting to 100 confirmed on LoTW first before i even think about applying, or is there a reason to apply earlier? also does it make sense to chase WAS at the same time or is that going to split my attention too much. someone at the club mentioned WAZ too and now im wondering if i should be thinking about all three kind of together or just focus on one thing.

im running an IC-7300 into a dipole at about 30 feet so nothing fancy. bands have been pretty decent lately which helps. just want to make sure im not going about this the wrong way before i get too deep into it

honestly the best advice i got when i started chasing DXCC was to just work everything you hear and sort it out later. dont worry too much about strategy early on, the first 100 confirmed come faster than you think once you're actually paying attention to the pileups. LoTW confirmations have gotten a lot better over the years too, a lot of DX stations upload pretty regularly now so you might already have more confirmed than you realize if you havent checked in a while.

as for WAS and WAZ at the same time — yeah why not, a lot of contacts count toward all of them. working a station in say Wyoming for WAS might also tick off zone 3 for WAZ, its the same QSO. the ARRL mixed it all together for a reason i think. just log everything, use TQSL, and let the software tell you where you stand. i wouldnt apply for the actual award cert until youre comfortably over the minimum just in case a few confirmations fall through or something gets questioned, give yourself a little cushion.

im kind of in the same boat as you actually, sitting around 80 confirmed on LoTW and trying to figure out when to pull the trigger on applying. from what i read on the ARRL site you need 100 confirmed entities and you can apply as soon as you hit that, theres no reason to wait beyond that point other than just wanting a bigger number i guess. the fee is pretty reasonable too so its not like youre risking much.

the dipole at 30 feet is totally fine for a lot of DX especially on 20 and 17 meters, dont let anyone tell you that you need a beam to get started. i worked like 40 entities on a wire antenna before i got anything better. good luck, keep at it