Marshall Island and Amelia Earhart's SOS transmissions-sending again

SO Chuck,

How exactly do you see this 'tremendous...exciting... project' now?

It would seem that it was prudent to question the enterprise and to gather facts--which never came.

 

Hi Neal:

As Neal stated, RMI is really loose with activity on the Marine Frequencies. They use it like CB, island to island.
Any expedition would need an issued V73 License and call, but could say anything after that..

M W9AAM

 

Chuck:WB6FQZ:Your comments make sense om.Why in hell is everyone trying to poo-poo this little experiment? True,it's a different time of
the year and the solar condx will also not be the same,however,this is one of the high profile MIA cases of all time as well! Even if her signals
may be heard by someone it wont tell us where she disappeared to other than it'll be known that she didn't go into the drink,unless of course
that for some unknown reason she or the navigator may have convinced her to take off again and make it to another island that was not as
remote.At this time they could have perhaps gone into the drink.We may never know,but the story of their disappearance is certainly one to
question and if it can be actually be determined where they are-we certainly owe that to her and Noonan and their families. Would it not be
wonderful to locate them. 73,Respectfully, Gregory L. Mitchell-W2MYA West Caldwell,N.J.

 

Epilog: Thanks to all who have participated in this forum thread to discuss the radio communications of Amelia Earhart.

The Myth:
As for the re-creation broadcast and their expedition to Mili Atoll, it seems that the Amelia Earhart Marshall Islands and Mili Atoll story may have been stoked by the writers of the fanciful 1943 film "Flight For Freedom", starring Rosalind Russell and Fred MacMurray with Herbert Marshall and Edward Ciannelli. "The life of air pioneer Amelia Earhart is here given a fictionalized treatment, with a speculative conclusion."
[Comment: Unfortunately, the film tried to twist Earhart's adventure into a patriotic military mission, then into a stupid love story, and then falsely inject a male pilot into the story. People will believe even the falsest of myths, when they are repeated often or promoted enough.]



Facts and Research:
The more likely location for Amelia Earhart's radio transmissions (that were officially logged on 3105 kHz) were probably not near the Marshall Islands or Mili Atoll.

On the fateful morning of 2 July 1937, Amelia Earhart was flying closer to Howland Island where the Coast Guard cutter Itasca was waiting, and the Itasca radio log shows:

​

2 July 1937 at time 2013 GMT (0843HST on Itasca)

KHAQQ DE NRUI ANS 3105 KCS WID A3 HW OUR SIG QSA? GA/ UNANSWD | 34-41
LSNIN 3104/ NIL CRM TUNIN UP T16 FER XMISION TO NMC |42
NMC V NRUI P AR.12600/ UNANSWD
KHAQQ TO ITASCA WE ARE ON THE LINE 157 337 WL REPT MSG WE WL REPT N ES S THIS ON 6210 KCS WAIT, 3105/ A3 AS (?/ KHAQQ XMISION WE ARE RUNNING ON LINE LSNIN 6210 KCS/ KHAQQ DE NRUI HRD U OK ON 3105 KCS 7500 | 44-6
KHAQQ DE NRUI PLS STAY ON 3105 KCS DO NOT HR U ON 6210 MAINTAIN QSO ON 3105, 7500/ UNANSWD | 47
​

That last officially logged transmission was copied around time 2015 GMT (0845 HST) on the Itasca at Howland Island.

HF DF stations operating on several islands in the Pacific that morning show a triangulation bearing intersecting near Nikumaroro Island. See Analysis of Radio Direction Finder Bearings in the Search for Amelia Earhart by Bob Brandenburg, M.S., TIGHAR #2286


[Comment: The fact that Itasca, during the final loggings in the morning hours of 2 July 1937, could copy Amelia's transmissions on 3105 kHz but not on 6210 kHz, leads an experienced HF radio operator to suspect that there was neither line-of-sight nor groundwave communication possible. So, it is likely that Amelia's location was further than 30 miles of Howland Island, but not far away enough for 6 MHz propagation. This points to a distance of around 100 to 200 miles. Nikumaroro is 400 miles from Howland Island and Mili Atoll is 880 miles from Howland Island. Unfortunately, the only other island within 200 miles of Howland Island is Baker Island, and Amelia did not land there.]

 

Greg,

There is no evidence of any experiment.

If you can find any, please share it with regards to: photos; recordings; logs; witnesses; licenses; and so on.

73
Chip W1YW

 

Signing off:
Amelia Earhart's flight was lost, in my opinion (and in the opinion of others) due to radio communications. More specifically, failure of HF DF (direction finding) both on the plane and on the ground at Howland Island. Without HF DF, it was nearly impossible for Amelia Earhart to find the Howland Island landing spot. All the pilots who flew that area of the Pacific in the 1930s relied extensively on DF to find the islands. Dead reckoning and celestial navigation was not sufficient. It appears from the record that the temporary ground based Howland HF DF was not functioning adequately. Amelia reported by radio that she was unable to get a fix with her airborne HF DF on the ship Itasca which was transmitting on 7500 kHz at Howland Island. Either one of those HF DFs, if they were working properly, could have provided a navigational bearing. But, both failed.

 

After chasing this wild goose so far the least that could be done now is a legit DX activation of Howland / Baker Island, ie KH1.

So I can finally get another shot at filling that ATNO! It's climbed all the way up to #4 most wanted DXCC on ClubLog.

http://dx-world.net/kh1-baker-island-dxpedition/

Perhaps with the recent regime change, the USFWS will budge.

Unless ... they are part of THE MASSIVE AE COVER UP !

OMG !!!

73 de John - WØPV

 

Cud use on 80 and 160m!

 

Unfortunately you'll have to wade through a layer of plastic bits and flotsam. Howland is one of those islands totally desecrated by shredded plastic :-(

 

As Bonnie knows, and is certainly not responsible for, the above diagram is misleading, because it fails to incorporate the uncertainty of positioning, which was at least 1/2 degree RMS.

In other words, when does 'X MARK THE SPOT' Answer: never.

The mutual triangulation region--including the rms uncertainties-- is large and incorporates many,many islands, and 1000s of square miles of water.

 

By golly, that's it Chip! Compared to the pristine conditions in 1937 the Great Pacific Garbage Patch of today has caused degradation of sea water RF reflective ability in the area, and explains how the hoax-experiment failed. "Harmonics" don't skip as well on plastic!

 

I asked, and W0PV replied, about verification of the alleged weather conditions that allegedly led to this abandonment--that is, was there a 'big storm'.

W0PV replied with

This powerful fact throws compelling and overwhelming doubt on this alleged operation.

At some point all the believers will have to accept that this entire exercise was a poorly constructed 'punk'.

73
Chip W1YW

 

True...black ABS is a killer of an RF absorber, and the spacing between plastic blobs coincidentally is just right to force evancescent metamaterial absorption! Furthermore, the arrangement within these plastic clusters is FRACTAL! WowW!;-) NATURAL FRACTAL METAMATERIAL ;-)!

What an amazing coincidence ! (NOT...)

Of course, if AE had crashed nowadays, all she would have to do is walk to the nearest island, following the stepping stones of plastic garbage pontoons....

 

Orange is a colour and a fruit as well !!!

 

I like cheese.