so ive been licensed for about three years now and mostly just done local stuff and the occasional contest but lately ive been getting really into DX and i think i want to start actually going for DXCC. problem is every time i look into it i get confused about the whole LoTW thing vs paper QSLs, and whether i should also be tracking WAS at the same time or just focus on one thing.

like is there a strategy people use or do you just work everything you can and sort it out later? i have about 47 confirmed entities in LoTW already just from random contacts i never thought about, so i guess im not starting from zero. running 100w into a pretty decent dipole up about 35 feet if that matters.

any advice from people whove been through this would be great honestly. also not sure if i should be paying for the ARRL account upgrade thing right away or wait until i have more confirmations

honestly the best thing you can do right now is just upload everything to LoTW if you havent already and let the credits pile up while you keep operating. dont stress too much about WAS and DXCC at the same time in the beginning — you'll go crazy trying to chase two things at once. once you hit like 75-80 entities confirmed you'll naturally start filling in states too just from all the operating you're doing.

the ARRL subscription thing for LoTW is worth it when you're actively submitting for an award, not before. save your money until you're ready to actually apply. and keep a paper log backup of anything rare just in case, ive had a couple of LoTW confirmations disappear after station updates on their end and its a pain to sort out.

47 confirmed already on 100w and a dipole is actually pretty solid. you'll get there faster than you think once you start being intentional about it.

WAZ is actually kinda fun to chase alongside DXCC because a lot of the rare zones are also rare entities so you're knocking out credits for both at the same time. zone 26 was the one that held me up forever, finally got it through a special event station operating from central africa. just something to keep in mind as you go.

also dont sleep on 17m for DX if you havent tried it much, that band has been really good lately and its a lot less pile-up chaos than 15 or 10 when those are open