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General Category => General Radio Discussion => Topic started by: Token on November 27, 2016, 0315 UTC

Title: Reproduction of Amelia Earharts transmissions, Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.
Post by: Token on November 27, 2016, 0315 UTC
Someone posted a plan to transmit on Amelia Earhart's frequencies from one of the islands she may have crashed on.

Details, few though they are, here :  http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=311243

It looks like this is not very well thought out.  The times of transmission will be at 1900 UTC (1400 EST and 1100 PST) on Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.  The frequencies used will be the 3105 and 6210 kHz that Amelia Earhart used.

Whoever planned this does not have a deep grasp of propagation.  Those frequencies, by that time of day, will have essentially shut down, as there will be a daylight path from the island to the US and those freqs are regional, at best, during the day.

T!
Title: Re: Reproduction of Amelia Earharts transmissions, Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.
Post by: Davep on November 29, 2016, 2348 UTC
It takes awhile to go through the TIGHAR database and other materials and it's interesting although I believe any post crash comm claims are bogus.
On that website there are reports of several people hearing transmissions many days later in the US on 1930s consumer units.  The conclusions were they heard harmonics from the Western Electric
model 13 c aircraft transmitter. The antenna had been modified and both Earhart and her companion had limited understanding of radio. There are many intertwined variables so....
The bottom line I assume he is checking out if these claims are legit.
The Lady "Betty" claimed to have heard them at 18 mhz to 30 mhz. She had a Zenith Strat 1000z , which would have been tops and capable of hearing weak signals, only rich people would own.. There weren't many made.
The Lady" Nina "claimed she used a Philco console which generally ran up to 18 mhz but no more on their all-waves. Some of her claims in later years were termed "embellished" The Philcos were good radios but I don't think there are claims of sensitivity in terms of modern radios.
 No one claimed to hear at 6210 or 3 mhz .
. The crash was in July.
I think they went into deep water and the radio quit then. I understand he is exhausting leads but isn't much scientific control there .
I'm not sure if he's with this org, didn't say https://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/Archives/Research/Bulletins/30_BettyHarmonic/30_Bettyharmonic.html
 I think the SWLs of 1937 made it up based on news reports,+ I mean on a Z 1000 n all (get real) that alone makes the story suspect right there but I guess he wants to disprove or leave it open.
I guess.

But Yo , I'm gonna check it.


Title: Re: Reproduction of Amelia Earharts transmissions, Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.
Post by: Pigmeat on November 30, 2016, 0620 UTC
One of the fellas behind this Earhart stuff is kind of weird, period. Anything he touches is hinky. His last theory revolved around Micronesian penguins fatally attacking Amelia and Fred.
Title: Re: Reproduction of Amelia Earharts transmissions, Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.
Post by: SW Observer on November 30, 2016, 1810 UTC
This doesn't seem very well thought out at all, I doubt I'll be able to hear anything even if I tried.
Title: Re: Reproduction of Amelia Earharts transmissions, Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.
Post by: ChrisSmolinski on November 30, 2016, 1855 UTC
Trying to be completely authentic is not always a good idea.
Title: Re: Reproduction of Amelia Earharts transmissions, Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.
Post by: Pigmeat on November 30, 2016, 1941 UTC
Trying to be completely authentic is not always a good idea.


Just ask the myriad of Civil War re-enactors with quiet Honda generators in the wagons about their encampments or the Winnebago with a crapper and a shower in the parking lot. I don't think Bobby Lee campaigned with an RV.
Title: Re: Reproduction of Amelia Earharts transmissions, Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.
Post by: Josh on December 02, 2016, 1820 UTC
It takes awhile to go through the TIGHAR database and other materials and it's interesting although I believe any post crash comm claims are bogus.
On that website there are reports of several people hearing transmissions many days later in the US on 1930s consumer units.  The conclusions were they heard harmonics from the Western Electric
model 13 c aircraft transmitter. The antenna had been modified and both Earhart and her companion had limited understanding of radio. There are many intertwined variables so....
The bottom line I assume he is checking out if these claims are legit.
The Lady "Betty" claimed to have heard them at 18 mhz to 30 mhz. She had a Zenith Strat 1000z , which would have been tops and capable of hearing weak signals, only rich people would own.. There weren't many made.
The Lady" Nina "claimed she used a Philco console which generally ran up to 18 mhz but no more on their all-waves. Some of her claims in later years were termed "embellished" The Philcos were good radios but I don't think there are claims of sensitivity in terms of modern radios.
 No one claimed to hear at 6210 or 3 mhz .
. The crash was in July.
I think they went into deep water and the radio quit then. I understand he is exhausting leads but isn't much scientific control there .
I'm not sure if he's with this org, didn't say https://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/Archives/Research/Bulletins/30_BettyHarmonic/30_Bettyharmonic.html
 I think the SWLs of 1937 made it up based on news reports,+ I mean on a Z 1000 n all (get real) that alone makes the story suspect right there but I guess he wants to disprove or leave it open.
I guess.

But Yo , I'm gonna check it.




Hi Dave, I wonder if the reputed 18MHz reception was perhaps a harmonic of the supposed transmitter or an image from the single conversion radio (Zenith or otherwise), wich gets worse the higher you go in frequency in single conversion receivers especially of the 455Kz IF type. A amplifier, if it had one, would benefit  the image response but not rule harmonics out.
Title: Re: Reproduction of Amelia Earharts transmissions, Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.
Post by: Davep on December 03, 2016, 0339 UTC
Hi Josh,
That radio had a lot of front end , never seen one and not likely.

The Tx lacked suppression not like anything modern. No doubt there were multiples .  You can see how weak they are though.
https://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/Archives/Research/ResearchPapers/Brandenburg/WE-13.htm
Plus, the antenna modification didn't allow full power according to the other pages, so maybe not even that.

In this video , you can see the what is said to be the receive antenna snapping off leaving a puff of smoke shortly after the takeoff begins.
https://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=Ll_3lxO1vUQ

These stories are only anecdotal and to me theory on theory , there may be no technical explanation at all.
They need Robert Ballard, he'll find it.
Title: Re: Reproduction of Amelia Earharts transmissions, Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.
Post by: Josh on December 03, 2016, 1545 UTC
Ballard huh. I wonder how the deep ocean treats aluminum? They just might find a Lockheed Electra down there around 8000ft.
Title: Re: Reproduction of Amelia Earharts transmissions, Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.
Post by: Pigmeat on December 03, 2016, 1838 UTC
Ballard huh. I wonder how the deep ocean treats aluminum? They just might find a Lockheed Electra down there around 8000ft.

30's aircraft aluminum versus the pressure of the deep ocean? It would be crumpled like last weeks liner from Al Fansome's hat.
Title: Re: Reproduction of Amelia Earharts transmissions, Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.
Post by: Josh on December 04, 2016, 1557 UTC
I dunno. I was thinking mebbe they ditched the plane and it slowly settled into a spiral or series of loops untill it came to rest alongside the Titanic or maybe U571. On the hat theme, it shouldn't be too hard to get some aluminum sheet hammer forged precisely to Al's head, it would be more durable than a hat made from foily goodness.
Title: Re: Reproduction of Amelia Earharts transmissions, Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.
Post by: Pigmeat on December 04, 2016, 1650 UTC
Not a chance. You know how those foil diehards are Josh. You might as well try to get him to give up that vault of vernier dials and assorted knobs.
Title: Re: Reproduction of Amelia Earharts transmissions, Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.
Post by: Token on December 08, 2016, 2247 UTC
Update to this here:
http://forums.radioreference.com/amateur-radio-general-discussion/344111-amelia-earharts-transmission-pacific-update.html

It looks like they have slid it one day, now going to TX on Dec 15 and 16, at 1230 EST and 1300 EST (1730 and 1800 UTC).

Still not much of a chance of being heard in the US, but I will record the freqs anyway, just in case.

T!
Title: Re: Reproduction of Amelia Earharts transmissions, Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.
Post by: Josh on December 09, 2016, 1643 UTC
On Earhart herself, I've heard a lot of spiracy talk. One was they were on a sekrit mission to Japanese held islands to photograph the installations for the US military with all the innocence of a female aviation pioneer - and were shot down and taken captive. Another is they faked their disappearance as she was fed up with not being able to do anything without a crowd of people mobbing her wherever she went.
Title: Re: Reproduction of Amelia Earharts transmissions, Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.
Post by: BoomboxDX on December 15, 2016, 0655 UTC
According the to Wiki, the Coast Guard ship Itasca figured she was within a couple hundred miles of Howland Island. Seems plausible if she crashed on an island that has little fresh water, no inhabitants, etc. she could have sent out a few transmissions over the next few days.

Whether any of them could have been heard in the US (or harmonics of those transmissions)? Who knows?

If I'm up and about at that hour I'll tune in and see if I hear anything. Ya never know.
Title: Re: Reproduction of Amelia Earharts transmissions, Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.
Post by: BoomboxDX on December 22, 2016, 0335 UTC
Took a listen to the 6 mhz frequency, unfortunately I had some RFI on top of it. Thdddt.
Title: Re: Reproduction of Amelia Earharts transmissions, Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.
Post by: Pigmeat on December 22, 2016, 0437 UTC
Likely a certain Earhart obsessed ham trying to establish contact with his Aunt Amelia, Boombox. We humor him, he's harmless. That spark gap transmitter he made out of a diesel generator is something to behold.

It had to be expected after his old girlfriend Zsa Zsa died a few days back. We hired a guy with a bulldozer to rock the trailer, but we can't get him to roll out the door. He's probably still swollen from Thanksgiving.
Title: Re: Reproduction of Amelia Earharts transmissions, Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.
Post by: Josh on December 22, 2016, 2144 UTC
I tuned to the third harmonic of the 6MHz qrg at the appointed times and got nothing. I want my money back.
Title: Re: Reproduction of Amelia Earharts transmissions, Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.
Post by: ChrisSmolinski on December 22, 2016, 2200 UTC
Some people reported hearing the transmissions. So either they imagined it (like the person in Kentucky way back when) or someone was spoofing them.
Title: Re: Reproduction of Amelia Earharts transmissions, Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.
Post by: Pigmeat on December 22, 2016, 2202 UTC
I tuned to the third harmonic of the 6MHz qrg at the appointed times and got nothing. I want my money back.

If you can get that feller out of the trailer you can wrestle him for it.
Title: Re: Reproduction of Amelia Earharts transmissions, Dec 14 and Dec 15, 2016.
Post by: Josh on December 23, 2016, 1644 UTC
Personal hygiene phobia will keep me from doing any wrasslin with trailer park denizens. Otherwise, it'd be interesting to see the proplab or voacap stimulations for the time frame of the incident. Surely we have the solar digits for 1938 or whenever this thing took place?