VK in the dead of night!

Last evening saw VK3QN, a 6x6 14MHz array fixed on long path to Europe, suddenly appear at 01:30UT.  Only 2E0PYB and G4ZFQ also heard this beacon at about the same time.  Interestingly, no other station except for VK3MO was heard all night here.

VK3QN, 14MHz WSPR received at MW1CFN, 15-16/02/2021.  Long horizontal line is non-reception period.

VK3QN transmits every 10 minutes, continuously.  I checked that there was no downtime yesterday, and there was not. 

VK3QN, fixed beam long path (130 degrees).  Image (C) VK3MO, with permission.

So the onset of the signal at 01:30UT here is real.  By 04UT, the signal vanished again until about 08:30UT, which is longpath time again.

I plotted the spots before checking the magnetometry.  From past, long experience, we would expect this type of thing to happen in the time when the geomagnetic field is recovering from a fairly significant disturbance.  Looking at the magnetmotery, then, we can see that this is a correct prediction in this overnight case: