Topband: FT5XO in central OR this a.m.

[Lee K7TJR]

I heard several stations calling up 2 from where I thought they would be at 1320 zulu.. Just like in Seattle they popped out of the noise 15 minutes past their sunset at 1325 zulu on my vertical only.. I listened for a minute or 2 on various antennas and they became perfect Q5 at 1340 on the 8 element rx array in the SW short path direction. I worked them at 1347 with Q5 plus signals.. At 1359 the path began to shift here and the vertical took over on readability. They were Q5 here well past SR at 1430Z surprisingly enough shifting to my east 810 ft beverage while not audible on the 90 ft tx vertical or 8 element vertical array. I am guessing there must be a high angle lobe off the back of the east beverage that is not there for the vertical antennas. Sunrise here according to W6ELprop is 1356 zulu. It seems more than coincidence to me that the last time I worked a station over 5000 miles the northern polar cap index was down to a 1 just like this morning??? 
 Lee  K7TJR  Oregon