A big THANK YOU to Jay (K4JND) in Webster County, Kentucky for confirming my 2000th United States unique County contact on QRZ.com.
2000 is a major milestone toward completing contacts with all 3007 US Counties (66%). I have noticed that hunting counties has become more difficult as I approach the goal line. My Q-rate with new counties has dropped off noticeably since I reached 1900 Counties on May 27, 2023. Fortunately, the fun is in the hunt and not in the destination. The more challenging each new US County contact becomes, the more I enjoy it.
I have noticed an increase in county contacts that do not use LoTW. I use LoTW as my primary logbook and contact confirmations. It is a bit of a disappointment to make contact with a rare-DX US County and then discover that the radio amateur does not use LoTW. It does help knowing that many hams eventually find their way to LoTW after having operating without it for awhile. If you are not using LoTW, I highly recommend it. LoTW adds a new dimension to the hobby and makes it much easier to go after challenging awards.
Interestingly, I have managed to confirm contacts with all the counties of a given state, with four states (8%). It seems to me this can be explained by the unequal distribution of radio amateurs. There will be more people (and hams operating) in counties with metropolitan areas and less in more rural areas. For example, Greenlee Arizona is my final missing AZ County (named after Mason Greenlee, early prospector). Greenlee County, AZ shows 39 licensed amateur radio operators on the QRZ.com county search. Do you live in or operate in Greenlee County, AZ? If yes, please contact me so we can set up a sked.
Are you a US County hunter? If yes, how do you find and confirm those rare-DX US Counties? Please leave a comment below.
Are you a US County hunter in need of Santa Cruz County, California? If yes, be sure to let me know if you would like to set up a sked.
Onward to 2100!
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