Short answer: Night on 80 and 160 metres is where many contests are won, and your hourly statistics show how well you used it. Look at three things: how the rate rose after sunset, how long the band gave you new stations before the pool ran dry, and whether your errors rose in the small hours. Then decide when to be on the low bands next time and when to rest.
What the night looks like in the numbers
On the low bands, long-distance propagation follows the dark. When the sun sets along the path, signals improve, and the band fills with stations. For a station in Europe working a contest, the first part of the night often has the highest rate on 80 metres, followed by 160 metres later, as the noise falls and the path opens. Towards dawn, a second burst may appear. In the hourly statistics, this looks like a hump or a double hump inside the night.
The details depend on the season, the contest and the activity, and we make no claim about exact times. What your own log shows is far more important than any general rule. Our earlier articles on low bands at night and grey-line openings describe the principles, and this one is about reading your own numbers.
Find the rate peak after dark
Begin with the first hours after local sunset. When did your rate on the lowest bands first exceed a modest level, and when did it reach its peak? The time between sunset and the peak is a personal figure for your station and your antennas. If you compare it between years, you will see whether it stays stable. A station that moves to 80 metres too early loses rate on the higher bands before the lower band is ready. One that moves too late misses the first part of the peak, when many stations are active.
Note also the height of the peak. A peak that is twice the average rate of the day is a reason to reserve this time and be fully ready: the operator rested, the antennas checked, the filters set. The article on the rate meter during a contest explains how to watch for the start of a peak while it happens.
Watch the pool of new stations
At night, the low bands are not endless. The number of stations you can work is limited, and in the middle of the night many of them are already in the log. A good way to see this in the statistics is to look at the share of new multipliers and new stations in each hour. When the rate stays high but the number of new multipliers falls, you are working repeats on other bands or the same operators. When both fall, the pool is exhausted, and the hours can be used better elsewhere.
Look at the way the pool dried up. If it happened early, it may point to a modest antenna or to a small area of propagation. If it happened late, you used the night well. The article on new multipliers per hour describes how to read the curve when it flattens.
The deep night and the rest
The hours between the early night peak and the morning are the natural place for rest. Your statistics show whether you took it. An hour with a very low number of QSOs, on a day when you had no other reason for a break, tells you that the pool was dry. If you stayed on the air with a low rate, ask whether it paid off. Sometimes it does, because a rare station appears at four in the morning. Often it does not, and a rest of two or three hours would have made the next morning better.
Plan the rest around the double hump. A rest taken just before the morning burst helps you be at your best for it, as long as the contest rules allow it. Check the current off-time rules for your category, as in the article on off-time rules for single operators. Listening fatigue is real, and the piece on headphones and listening fatigue gives practical advice.
Compare the night with the sunset and sunrise times
To judge your night, bring in the astronomical facts. Look up the local sunset and sunrise for the contest weekend, and, if your contacts are far away, the times at the other end of the path. Mark them on your hourly table. Do the peaks follow the sunset at your end, or at the other? Does the morning burst come before or after your local sunrise? These comparisons turn a curve into an explanation, and an explanation can be used to plan.
Seasons matter. In winter the night is long and the low bands are open for many hours. In late spring and summer it is short, and noise from storms is higher. A year-on-year comparison of the same contest in the same season is therefore much fairer than a comparison between seasons. The article on solar flux and K index adds another factor.
Errors in the small hours
The same hours that give the best rates on the low bands also carry the highest risk of mistakes. Weak signals, noise, fatigue and speed combine. If your statistics show more QSOs to check in the small hours, consider slowing a little, asking for repeats earlier and writing notes for later. The article on why logging errors cluster at night explains the pattern, and the one on partial callsign copies shows what to do when you hear only part of a call.
A report that shows the few QSOs worth a second look makes it easy to see which hours were affected. Contest Analyzer checks every callsign and every zone against official license databases and several independent reference sources, and gives you full statistics by hour and band. You can edit calls, zones, time and frequency in the report and download a corrected Cabrillo. Serial numbers are not checked. The contests page shows which events are supported.
Plan the next night
End your review with a short plan. When will you move to 80 metres? When to 160? How long will you stay when the pool is dry? When will you rest? Which antennas or filters need work before the next contest? Write each answer with the number from the table that supports it. In a few seasons you will have a personal night strategy that is based on data, not on habit. Add a note on the conditions of each night so that you can tell the difference between bad luck and a bad plan.
A note on antennas and filters
Night-time statistics also reveal limits of the station. If your rate on 160 metres is far lower than the number of stations that other operators in your area report, look at the receiving side. On the low bands, signals are often strong enough to be heard but cannot be copied because of local noise. A separate receiving antenna, a better ground system or a switch that removes a noisy device from the house can change the night more than a stronger transmitter. Test such changes before the contest with a short listening session at the same time of day, and note the noise level, so that you can compare it later.
The transmit side matters too. A narrow antenna on 160 metres, a poor match on one end of the band or an amplifier that is not fully used can all show up as a rate that falls when the competition rises. If your numbers show good rates on 80 metres but a weak 160, compare the two antennas in a simple way: ask a few stations for reports at different times and write down the answers. The article on judging an antenna change with your contest statistics shows how to use a log for such a test.
Finally, remember the human side of the night: warm clothes, a good chair, light and something to drink. The best statistics in the world will not help if the operator is cold and sleepy. A short walk in the fresh air before the peak can do more for the rate than another hour of hurried work.
One more habit is worth adopting: record, during the night, the time at which you notice a change on the band, such as the first strong signal from a distant continent or the moment the noise rises. These short notes, a few words each, turn the hourly table from a list of counts into a story, and they cost almost nothing to write. Next season, you will know when to be ready for the first opening and when to expect it to end.
Related reading
- CQ 160-Meter Contest Guide: Topband Logging Tips
- Hour-by-Hour Analysis of a Contest Log: Gaps and Peaks
- Operator Fatigue in 48-Hour Contests: Rest and Rate
The bottom line
Read the night in three steps: the peak after dark, the pool of new stations and the quiet hours. Compare them with sunset and sunrise, protect your accuracy and put the rest where the numbers say it costs least. Then repeat the review next season.
FAQ
When does the low-band peak usually occur?
It depends on location, season and activity. Use your own hourly numbers and sunset times to find yours.
Is it worth staying on the air in the deep night?
Sometimes, if new stations or multipliers still appear. If not, a rest may help the morning more.
Why are errors more common at night?
Weak signals, noise and fatigue combine, so more doubtful copies enter the log.
Can I compare nights between years?
Yes, but compare similar seasons and note the conditions, because they change the result.
