W5A - Amelia Earhart Last Flight Commemoration

Led by KB5YLG and sponsored by Tri-County Amateur Radio Club of North Texas WC5C, the W5A operation will be QRV Weekends all day, and evenings during the work week. Operators will include KE5NCS, KE5SCG, KG5OA and others, in a truly back yard operation, June 24 - Jul 7, 2012.

Amelia Earhart's last flight departed Lae, New Guinea, on July 2, 1937. 2012 is the 75th anniversary. There are four prevailing theories of her demise, (1) that she was lost at sea after running out of fuel. (2) that she landed in the Marshall Islands and survived, taking on a new identity and surviving to old age in New Jersey, (3) that she landed in Saipan or neighboring island and was executed by the Japanese in Saipan, and (4) that she and navigator Fred J. Noonan made an emergency landing on Gardner Island (now Nikumaroro), and survived days or weeks before succumbing to the elements.

One of the amazing things to consider is how no in situ test has ever been made of the pre and post loss radio messages. Much data was collected at the time of the disappearance, and that data has been evaluated and analyzed repeatedly, but no one has ever tested. Was her loss one that could have bdeen prevented as simply as paying close attention to the communications?

Well, here's to the memory of beautiful American personality, and the 75th anniversary of her disappearance. May she rest in peace, and may the truth be know.

QSL Cards and original art certificates offered, $2 to cover cost.

This special even operation will be conducted with an antenna modeled after the antenna atop her Lockheed Electra L-10E, and will be SSB and CW, and 50 watts, as was her power level operating AM and CW in 1937.

The logged data will help establish a baseline data set for comparison purposes in future studies.

Regards and 73!

David KB5YLG