17 - 23th JAN 2026

 Well apart fromthose days we have been totally wiped out with major solar event and associated CME passage, when Kp index shot to 8.5 and eventually 8.8, I managed to just about work Greg NR6Q today (22nd JAN 2026) at 15:13UTC on 80m SSB via Long Path. 

That was very very unexpected. I then listened for a peak which never came and heard a voice going slowly down, up, down to noise...and learned it wasn't actually Greg getting weaker, but Mike N7RY who still had good 30 inutes to his sunrise. I had to re-play the recordings multiple times to be sure it was him, so the real-time report would have been 24 - 25, as my noisefloor is around S3-4 on the south-eastern pair of beverages.

Today morning I could not sleep and power on the radio, and to my suprprise KP5/NP3VI were on human mode so i worked them on 40m CW. Their signal was up and down and I have to admit, I was not sure until my callsign popped on the screen of the Live Stream. Their signals were from 569 to nothing at all, and QSB was very pronounced and long. Well, it's the result that count. I was surprised with how many EU stations were calling and none were managing to work the expedition...well....but also I heard a lot of W's from midwest on the split TX frequency... which ws nice. I listened on the 270deg 200m beverage, and TXed just into single vertical, but with 1.5km of ground system.

Also nice surprise was email from a friend, who reported that I was heard pretty well in state of WA on West Coast US, right after my SS for brief period of time. So fingers crossed, the LP season might be in for last stretch!

73 Jiri

PS - Few more weeks and the Fireplace (that's the project name.. or quartet) will become reality...and working reality...