so ive been licensed about 3 years now and just kind of dabbled in HF here and there but lately ive been really getting into DX chasing and i submitted my first batch of cards to ARRL last month. got confirmed for 67 entities which honestly feels pretty good for just starting to pay attention to it.

my question is about the mixed vs phone vs digital credits — like when i work a station on SSB and then later work the same entity on FT8, does that count toward my mixed total or does it only bump up my digital and phone totals separately? i thought i understood this but reading the rules again i confused myself. also does LoTW and paper QSL count the same toward the total or is one weighted differently? i feel like ive been uploading to LoTW but not everyone confirms there so im wondering if i should be sending more physical cards too.

also tangentially — is WAS worth chasing at the same time or should i focus on DXCC first. im working split focus right now and feel like neither is moving fast enough lol

the mixed total is basically your best of all modes combined for each entity, so if you work Namibia on SSB that goes in your mixed AND your phone totals. then if you later work them on FT8 it bumps your digital total but your mixed stays the same since you already had it. the totals are separate trophies/endorsements but mixed is just the umbrella. LoTW and paper QSL are equal weight for credit purposes, ARRL doesnt prefer one over the other as long as the QSL is valid. that said LoTW confirmations come back way faster and you dont have to wait for cards to arrive or deal with the buro.

on the WAS question — honestly do both at the same time. a lot of the states you need for WAS you'll work anyway just calling CQ or in contests, might as well log them properly and upload everything. i finished WAS before i hit 100 entities on DXCC just because domestic stuff is easier to confirm.

yeah what he said about the modes is right. i was confused about that same thing for months. one thing i'll add is dont sleep on WAZ either if you're already chasing DX — zones kind of take care of themselves as you work different parts of the world and its a nice milestone when you realize youve got half the zones confirmed without even trying. 67 entities is solid btw, once you get past like 100 it slows down a lot and you start actually having to plan for the rarer stuff