I'm sitting here reflecting on the 'above water shutoff' heading here and thinking over the '281 north' message vs. what Betty heard, and it has me thinking of the difference in character of those messages. I have and always believe Betty was and is sincere - and maybe did hear Earhart, but the latter part of that is a comparative long-shot IMHO.
I also remain intrigued by the '281 north' message in crude code, perhaps sent by someone keying a mic. The difference in the two intrigues me - not just that one is in 'code', such as it was - but what was 'said' or heard, and what wasn't.
What strikes me is that while both have some elements of drama in them, the 'code' message seems a more business-like attempt. The Betty version (voice) seems more theatrical - and of course, that could be how it was (Earhart was a tad theatrical anyway I guess...). The '281 north' message just seems the more plausible, if I had to choose.
The version Betty heard just seems a bit out there - in terms of length of broadcast and character, even though I'm aware that no one has come up with a known dramatic program that would have produced what was heard.