PAN AMERICAN AIRWAYS
SYSTEM
MEMORANDUM
|
| |
DATE |
JULY 10 1937 |
| TO |
DIVISION SUPERINTENDENT |
FROM |
SECTION SUPERVISOR |
| DEPT |
COMMUNICATIONS |
DEPT |
COMMUNICATIONS |
| LOCATION |
ALAMEDA |
LOCATION |
HONOLULU |
|
| SUBJECT |
REPORTS - EARHART DISTRESS GUARD |
|
A-96-A |
| AT 0200 JULY 3RD WE RECEIVED CONFIRMED REPORT THAT EARHART PLANE WAS DOWN. |
| OPENED GUARD ON 3105 AND 6210. |
| 0517 - |
HEARD SOME TESTING ON 3105. STEADY CARRIER, NO MODULATION DISCERNABLE. |
| 0555 - |
STEADY CARRIER ON 3105 - NO MODULATION, VERY WEAK. |
| 0620 - |
RECEIVED ADVICE FROM AIRPORT MANAGER THAT HE HAS CABLED MIDWAY
TO OPEN STATION. |
| 0900 - |
MIDWAY ON AIR - GUARDING 3105 AND 6210. |
| 1210 - |
NOTHING HEARD SINCE 0555 EXCEPT COAST GUARD AND NAVY. |
| 1513 - |
NRUI CALLING NMC ON 3105 |
| 1548 - |
NRUI SENDING EARHART DATA TO NMC OR NPM |
| 1704 - |
3105 STILL SILENT. |
JULY 4 |
| 0700 - |
RESUMED GUARD ON 3105 KC |
| 0713 TO 0718 - |
INTERMITTENT, UNIDENTIFIED CODE TRANSMISSION, QSA 1-2, ROUGH
NOTE - VERY HEAVY QRN. |
| 0833 - |
KGU MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT REQUESTION EARHART TRANSMIT
500, 3105, OR 6210KC IF SHE HEARS BROADCAST. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING BROADCAST
A FAINT CARRIER IS HEAR APPROXIMATELY ON 3105. TOO WEAK TO DISTINGUISH
ANY WORDS. |
| 1000 - |
KGMB REQUESTS EARHART USE 3105 BUT QRN CRASHES HEAVY AND NO
SIGNALS HEARD. |
| 1012 TO 1020 - |
INTERMITTENT CARRIER ON AND OFF - NO VOICE DISTINGUISHABLE. |
| 1022 - |
TWO LONG DASHES POSSIBLY VOICE TRANSMISSIONS - ON 3105. |
| 1031 - |
CARRIER ON SHORT TIME. WALIUPE REPORTS THEY UNDERSTOOD
MALE VOICE TO SAY
"31" - REST OF TRANSMISSION NOT READABLE. WE UNABLE HEAR ANY VOICE. |
| 1031 TO 1100 - |
CARRIER COMES AND GOES, INCREASING SOMEWHAT IN STRENGTH BUT
QRN GETTING MUCH WORSE AND RECEPTION STILL TOO POOR TO TRY A BEARING. |
| 1110 - |
SOUNDS AS THOUGH SOMEONE TRYING SEND CODE ON 3105 - NOTHING
READABLE. |
| 1112 TO 1123 - |
NOTHING HEARD 3105. |
| 1208 - |
WAKE ISLAND REPORTS BEEN LISTENING 3105 AND 6210 ALL DAY AND
EVENING BUT HAS NOT HEAR A THING. |
| 1218 - |
MIDWAY ISLAND REPORTS A MODULATED CARRIER ON 3105 BUT UNABLE
UNDERSTAND VOICE TRANSMISSIONS. |
| 1523 TO 1530 - |
CARRIER AGAIN HEARD ON 3105 - ROUGH BEARING ONLY POSSIBLE DUE
TO WEAKNESS AND SWINGING OF SIGNALS. GET BEARING FROM MOKAPU OF APPROXIMATELY
213 DEGREES. ADVISED COAST GUARD. |
| SUBJECT |
REPORTS - EARHART DISTRESS GUARD - PAGE TWO |
JULY 4TH CONTINUED - |
| 1540 - |
SUN COMING UP. CLOSED DF. |
JULY 5TH |
| 0600 - |
OPENED GUARD ON 3105 KC. |
| 0630 - |
KGMB REQUESTS EARHART MAKE FOUR DASHES IN
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THEIR
BROADCAST. WE COVERING KGMB AND 3105 SIMULTANEOUSLY AND HEAR FOUR
DISTINCT DASHES ON 3105 IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING BROADCAST. INFORMED
KGMB WE HEARD FOUR DASHES AND REQUEST THAT THE TRY SAME PROCEDURE
AGAIN IN ORDER THAT WE MAY VERIFY. THEY BREAK PROGRAM AND REPEAT
PROCEDURE. IN ANSWER TO THIS BROADCAST WE HEAR ONLY TWO DASHES.
THIS PROCEDURE WAS REPEATED BY KGMB AT HALF HOUR INTERVALS DURING
THE EVENING BUT THOUGH WE HEARD 3105 CARRIER INTERMITTENTLY, NONE
OF THESE TRANSMISSIONS SEEM TO TIE IN WITH THE KGMB BROADCASTS.
OCCASIONALLY SIGNAL STRENGTH RISES SUFFICIENTLY TO HEAR VOICE BUT STILL
TOOK WEAK TO DISTINGUISH A SINGLE WORD. ONCE IT SEEMED AS THOUGH IT
WAS A WOMAN'S VOICE BUT MAY ONLY HAVE BEEN OUR IMAGINATION.
CARRIER HEARD FROM DIRECTION FINDER CLOSE TO 3105 BUT SIGNALS SO WEAK
THAT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO OBTAIN EVEN A FAIR CHECK. AVERAGE SEEMS TO
BE AROUND 215 DEGREES - VERY DOUBTFUL BEARING. |
| 1225 - |
SIGNAL STRENGTH RISES SUFFICIENTLY FOR WAKE
TO OBTAIN AN APPROXIMATE
BEARING OF 144 DEGREES. THIS SEEMS TO TIE IN FAIRLY WELL WITH OUR
TWO BEARINGS OF 213 AND 215.
AT SAME TIME MIDWAY REPORTS OBTAINING A VERY POOR BEARING - DUE TO
SWINGING - OF 201 DEGREES. |
| 1350 - |
CARRIER HEARD AGAIN ON 3105 BUT BY TIME
WE COULD OPEN DF SIGNAL WAS
OFF AGAIN.
NOTHING FURTHER HEARD TO DAWN. |
| JULY 6TH |
OUR SHIP ENROUTE TO ALAMEDA THEREFORE ALL OUR FACILITIES IN USE GUARDING
FLIGHT. NOTHING HEARD FROM COAST GUARD. AFTER TURNING OVER PLANE GUARD
TO ALAMEDA AT 1030 3105KC WAS GUARDED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE BUT NOTHING OF
INTEREST WAS HEARD. |
JULY 7TH
0045 - |
HARMONICS OF SEVERAL AMATEUR FONES HEARD CLOSE
TO 3105 BUT NOTHING OF
INTEREST. INTERMITTENT GUARD OF 3105 ALL NIGHT PRODUCES NO RESULTS. |
| SUBJECT |
REPORTS - EARHART DISTRESS GUARD - PAGE THREE |
| JULY 8TH - CONTINUED |
| |
PLANE
COMING IN FROM ALAMEDA SO UNABLE TO KEEP CONTINUOUS GUARD ON
3105 AS STATIC AS THIS FREQUENCY SPOILS RECEPTION ON OUR CHANNELS.
|
| JULY 9TH |
NOTHING FURTHER HEARD FROM COAST GUARD AND WE HAVE
NOT HEARD ANY
UNIDENTIFIED SIGNALS ON 3105 FOR SOME TIME SO GUARD DISCONTINUED.
6210 KCS WAS COVERED MANY TIMES DURING THIS PERIOD BUT NOTHING WHATEVER
OF NOTE WAS HEARD AT MOKAPU.
WE ARE GOING TO WATCH 3105 OCCASIONALLY FOR SEVERAL DAYS IN AN ENDEAVOR
TO HEAR THE ABOVE MENTIONED CARRIER. WE HAVE ALL HEARD IT ENOUGH SO THAT
BELIEVE WE COULD DISTINGUISH IT EASILY. IF WE HEAR IT AGAIN WE WILL ADVISE
YOUR OFFICE WITH THE IDEA IN MIND THAT THIS WOULD BE PROOF THAT THE SIGNALS
DID NOT ORIGINATE AT THE EARHART PLANE. |
| |
RESPECTFULLY
K.
C. AMBLER |
| |
| THIS COPY TURNED OVER TO THE COAST GUARD WITH THE
EXPRESSED CONDITION THAT
THIS IS TO BE USED IN COMPILING THEIR REPORT TO WASHINGTON AND IS TO BE
RETURNED TO THE WRITER UPON COMPLETION OF THEIR REPORT. |
