WQ6X: Why I like 48-Hour Contests

After the 2023 CQ WW Dx contest GiG, I got to musing through my past
involvement in popular 48-hour contests.  In the process, it occurred to me that
the "Blast from the Past" write-ups on the ARRL Dx contest are 5-years out of date,
which prompted me to write a Blast-2.0 Blog about this event all by itself. 
([CLICK HERE] to read that post.)

In scrolling through the WQ6X Contest Blog entries,
I found the most important 48-hour GiGs:

• [X] - ARRL DX Contests
• [X] - ARRL 10-Meter Contest
• [X] - CQ WPX Contests
• [X] - CQ W.W. Dx Contests
• [X] - All Asian Dx Contests
• [X] - Worked All Europe (WAE) Contests

For W6, starting at 00:00z means that 10 & 15 meter bands are still open to somewhere - most
specifically Asia and Oceania.  As the bands fade, the path becomes moving down to 20-meters
for a continuation of the Asia/S-A run, setting-in on 40-meters for a desperate shot at Europe and
even Africa (before their sun comes up and they fade into oblivion for another 20-hours.

A major secret that is no longer a secret is taking advantage of Greyline DX propagation. 
During worldwide-style contests (DX and WPX contests in particular) some AMAZING short-term QSO opportunities quickly come and go.  Running as an "assisted" entry allows me to internet-see quick in/out opportunities.

A BiG Advantage to
48-hour contests is the hope for an atmospheric-reprieve after receiving
a glancing-blow of CME energy.

While leftover "shotgun" noise may seem to be an annoyance, the hoped-for reality is that we will get another shot at top-notch propagation conditions.  Having an extra 24-hours allows opportunities not afforded in the first 24-hours.

Another advantage of 48-hour GiGs is that it gives me plenty of clock time to dual-OP or even triple-OP a contest event.  For example, CQP-2023 enabled me to run one operation remote from Ramona (W6R), put in some op-hours remotely for NX6T and then even find time to put the WQ6X callsign on the air from the SF East Bay.

 

Just because a contest event runs for 48-hours does not mean I have to operate all of those hours.
For example, running a single-band operation finds me on the air only during the time periods that band is actually open with real propagation to somewhere useful in the world.

Do you enjoy operating 48-hour contests?

What things do YOU like about it?