Just snagged JT1BV, Mongolia....never heard a peep from this area of the world, but at grey line, I snagged a bunch of long path Austrailia and this one! Just when you figure you will never get a certain part of the world, BANG!
That's 4 ATNO's in the last 3 days.
Getting there, 179 countries now in 15 months.
Congrats on JT but that probably wasn't true long path. Greyline, perhaps (although that's more a phenomenon on 40 and down) but not LP. Besides, how would you know without a directional antenna? VK east-coast
is workable LP at this time of year starting around 4pm, and that's almost assuredly what you worked.
If you want to hear long path Australian take a look for VK3MO, Ian. He qualifies as a beacon. He has been on almost everyday the past week at his QTH in Victoria working LP to the states during our late afternoon (4 to 6 PM). He runs a stack of 5 over 5 over 5 over 5 on 20 meters and when I worked him the other day he was 20 dB over S9 on the LP with the K3's preamp off. I worked another Australian LP about 10 minutes later and he had a very respectable station but he was down 15 dB from Ian. On one of the days when the K-index was at 5 or 6, Ian was still audible LP but he was down over 30 dB from his normal signal strength.
As for Mongolia, I think JT5DX has one of the better stations in that country. I worked him about 9 AM last Thursday on 15 CW. He was 599 plus about 10. JT5DX makes up one third of all my Mongolian QSOs of 15. When I worked JT5DX it was 2 1/2 hours past his sunset.
I agree with Peter, it was very likely not LP. BTW, JT1BV is part of JT5DX's contest team. I have worked him several times from his own station.
73,
Chris/NU1O
