Another All-ASIAN ConTesT is ALL-Over the Place

The 2o25 All Asian (A.A.) Cw contest presented us with a mixed challenge, considering the rapidly declining solar cycle.  Unlike last year's 81 QSOs, this year, 10-meters was AWOL-DOA.  While the frequency runs SEEMED Bigger and Longer, according to comparison stats from last year, we made nearly 300 QSOs LESS - mostly on 80, 15 & 10 meters.

I had a fortuitous last-minute change of plans allowing me to run Anza STN-2 remotely from my office in Alameda, enabling the opportunity to run the first 3-hours of the event on 15-meters, while K6RC scoured 20-meters for multiplier stations (MULTS) on STN-1.

While the SFI has been declining-noisily geomagnetically, the MUF has been high enough to keep
15-meters alive, well into sunset, not only on the Left coast, but in JA as well.  20-meters maintained
its reputation of being a DX band; of course, on the Left Coast, we have the advantage of Asia (Japan
in particular), being a "short skip across the pond".

Setting up the K3/0-Mini in Concord @10:30pm (PDT) insured readiness for relieving the midnight operator in addition to my 2am to 6am shift.  Running 20-meters until 09:00z, the shift was made to 40-meters, just in time for an opening to JA.  At 11:30z, with nearly everyone worked, it was time to move down to 80-meters and start it all over again - putting 38 JA's into the log.

A Toastmasters training session from 9am to NooN Saturday morning kept me out of the
operator chair until the afternoon, when WQ6X finally up on 15-meters remotely, from the
Ramona site.  Running the 4pm to 7pm shift for NX6T found me running 15-meters while
occasionally futilely making CQ AA calls on 10-meters.  Despite running 1400+ watts, the
only RBN spots were from the Northeast, even tho the Yagi-stacks were pointed Northwest. 
 (On Sunday afternoon, a single JA6 was heard (S-7) and then disappeared just as quickly.

By Saturday's end, WQ6X had managed 123 QSOs, enough to have made a presence as
a Low Power (LP) station.  All Asian has no QRP category; otherwise, I might have considered
it.  Listening for the Russian Asian-based military beacons, only the "K" beacon was heard.
The "F" and "M" beacons have been AWOL for many months (if not, longer).

Due to the nature of the way the All Asian contests are structured, I have no expectations of any significant placement in the standings; instead, I simply use these events as DX training opportunities.

While the NX6T score was considerably less than last year, we DiD manage to clearly take a 1st-place for Multi-OP Single Xmtr. outside of Asia, leaving K3EST (@N6RO) to dominate the Multi-Multi category.

DiD YOU work the All Asian contest?

How many Asian countries are in YOUR LoG?