WQ6X Reflects on a reduced-FAT IARU Contest

The 2022 IARU GiG was a reduced-expectation event.  Every 4 years, amidst the IARU contest GiG, is the WRTC championship - the [so-called] "Olympics" of radiosport contesting.  Unfortunately, for whatever the reasoning, the 2022 WRTC event WILL be held in Bologna Italy, but in 2023 instead, leaving only 3 years to the 2026 WRTC championship GiG.

While the SFI was far beneath Monday's after-contest SFI of 153, there were no intrusive solar events (that I am aware of), altho a low-level (but not insignificant) atmospheric noise was present Friday thru Sunday evenings on 870 & 40 meters.

Running the usual 2am to 5am shift found NX6T on 80 & 40 running JA-pileups, as well as stateside.  On 40-meters, a listen for the Asian Russian military beacons logged a LOUD "K" (x4) beacon, while the "M" beacon was deduced behind it.  The "F" beacon (Vladivostok) has been AWOL for some time (similar to the "K" beacon's disappearance some months back).

This year's IARU goeswith the backdrop of the Ukraine conflict and the assassination of Japan's Kenjo Abe.

As I was not assigned to the 5am shift @NX6T on Saturday morning, I chose to sleep in until 6:30; which as it turns out cost me access to n AWEsome 40-meter opening to open the contest event. 
My only REAL goal for WQ6X was to submit a 100+ QSO log; with 158 QSOS, that goal was easily accomplished.

The morning OP's @NX6T got right into it.  While most of the operation was run Cw, our Ssb OPs added over 15% voice contacts to the log.  With multi-mode contests, downtime can be minimized

(or remedied) by switching modes, often offering new multipliers all over again.  My 1st of 2 shifts @NX6T was only a short 2 hours from 18:00z - 20:00z (11am to 1pm).  During that time, sweeping and running 20, 15 & 10 meters put 80 QSOs (and 40+ multipliers) in the NX6T log.  I also later confirmed when running as WQ6X, that 10-meters on the left coast was largely a non-Event.

While we were denied a flood of 50+ special-event callsigns (from the now postponed 2022 WRTC championship), in its place were almost as many Headquarters-style (HQ) stations, bringing in bonus-multipliers, instead of callsign prefixes.  Running dual-OP made callsign recognition easier on the "other station", resulting in fewer callsign surprises.

While much of the IARU championship left me non-plussed, overall, there were no real disasters
at either station (that I am aware of).  NX6T experienced an antenna switch problem on 80, but by
the time I made the 80-meter scene (10:30z), the problem had been resolved.

The Concord operation surprised me by NoT being the signal-vortex, I am used to.  While there were not dozens of EU stations like I heard @NX6T, WQ6X DiD manage to work virtually all stations heard in every direction - including illusive Europe.  At NX6T, WQ6X ran the last 3 hours of the IARU GiG (09:00z to 12:00z), switching between 40-m, 80-m and then back to 40-meters again.  Several furtive attempts @ 160-m yielded ZILCHO!

When it was all over, it would seem that NX6T took 10-place for USA and 1st-place
for the SW Division.  Running single-OP assisted on CW, WQ6X made it to 69th-place.

What about YOU?

Did YOU work the 2022 IARU Contest?

Is WQ6X or NX6T in YOUR log?