so ive been licensed about 3 years now and mostly just did local stuff and some casual HF but lately ive been getting really into DX and i think i want to actually go for DXCC properly. i have like 87 confirmed entities in LoTW already from just messing around so i figured why not actually try.

my question is sort of about how the whole credit system works. i know you need 100 confirmed entities to apply for basic DXCC but i dont totally understand the difference between mixed, phone, CW, digital etc. like if i work a station on SSB and they confirm on LoTW does that count for mixed AND phone? or do you have to specifically apply for each one separately? and does the same QSO count toward multiple awards or do you have to work them again on each mode.

also curious how people track this stuff. right now im just using the LoTW web interface which is kind of clunky. someone at the club mentioned DXKeeper but i havent looked into it yet. just want to make sure i understand the rules before i start grinding for it because i also want to eventually do WAS and maybe WAZ too and it would be nice to know if the same contacts carry over to those or if theyre completely separate things.

yeah so mixed is basically the catch-all — any mode counts toward it. so if you work an entity on SSB that QSO counts for mixed and for phone. if you later work them on CW that one counts for mixed, phone AND CW. you dont have to re-work anyone for mixed specifically, it just sort of accumulates from everything you do. the separate mode awards are what require you to actually chase on that specific mode.

for tracking i really do recommend DXKeeper or if youre already using Logger32 or something it has decent DXCC tracking built in. the LoTW interface works but its painful compared to having it integrated in your logging software where it just updates automatically when you sync. once you get past 100 and start pushing toward the higher honor roll numbers youll really want something better than the web interface trust me.

WAS and WAZ are totally separate from DXCC, different award programs with their own applications. but yes the same QSOs in LoTW can be credited to multiple awards simultaneously, you just apply for each one when youre ready. ARRL handles DXCC and WAS, WAZ is through DARC. so youll need to make sure your contacts are confirmed in LoTW for the ARRL ones or have paper QSLs for WAZ depending on how you want to do it.

oh man i went through this exact same confusion last year. the mode thing tripped me up too. what helped me was just thinking of mixed as its own separate counter that gets fed by everything, and then phone/CW/digital are their own separate counters fed only by their respective modes. so yeah one SSB qso bumps both mixed and phone at the same time.

87 entities already without really trying is actually a pretty solid start, youll hit 100 for the basic certificate faster than you think once you get deliberate about it. the last 20 or so before 100 might take a little patience depending on what youre missing but nothing crazy. its when you get to like 280+ that things slow way down haha