Transmissions heard from NR16020

GMT	kcs	Logged by	Content
0418	6210	Chater	“Height 7000 feet, speed 140 knots” then some remark concerning “Lae” then “everything OK.”
0519	6210	Chater and Collopy	At 0519 GMT, Earhart again broadcast a message on 6210 kHz. Chater reports: “Height 10000 feet position 150.7 E 7.3 S cumulus clouds everything OK.” Collopy states: “At about 3 PM local time a message came through to the effect that they were at 10,000 feet but were going to reduce altitude because of thick banks of cumulus clouds.”
0718	6210	Chater and Collopy	Chater reports: “Position 4.33 S 159.7E height 8000 feet over cumulus clouds wind 23 knots.” Collopy states: “The next and last message was to the effect that they were at 7,000 feet and making 150 knots, this message was received at approx. 5 PM local time.”
0726	3105	Itasca	Itasca reports hearing a faint signal on 3105 kHz from Earhart, strength 1, voice signal, but unreadable. (This was probably not Earhart, as it is not at her scheduled broadcast time.)
1030	3105	Nauru	“Ship in sight ahead.”
1410	3105	Itasca bridge	Earhart voice heard, but cannot make out information.
1415	3105	Itasca	Itasca1 records "Able hear Earhart at (on 3105)", but Bellarts records "Heard Earhart plane / but unreadable thru static". Black claims that Bellarts heard "cloudy and overcast" in a monotone voice through the loudspeaker. Further, Black claims that James Carey, Associated Press, and H. Hanzlik, United Press, were present and verified that the voice was Earhart's.
1515	3105	Itasca	Bellarts states "Earhart heard fone/will lissen on hour and half on 3105-sez she". Black claims she said overcast, and Lt. Cooper is in the radio room at this time. Itasca bridge log states: "Earhart heard said she will listen on hour and half hour signals weak and fragmentary."
1623	3105	Itasca	Earhart on the air, Black states volume strength 1; Bellarts states "Heard Earhart (Part Cldy)"; Itasca1 was working Radio Wailupe, but "Earhart broke in on fone 3105 / nw ???? unreadable."
1742	3105	Itasca	Bellarts states: "Wants bearing on 3105 KCS on hour. Will whistle in mic. About two hundred miles out appx. Whistling now." Itasca1 states: "Earhart on 3105 nw / want bearing 3105 etc. 200 miles out." Itasca bridge log states: "Miss Earhart reported position 200 miles from Howland and requested bearings. Poor reception. Vessel began laying down heavy smoke to assist Miss Earhart."
1745	-- Dawn at Howland Island --
1747	3105	Howland	Howland Island states: "Picked up Earhart (using long antenna, S3, hardly any carrier. Seemed overmodulated. Switched over to loop for Bearing, S1 - 0. She stopped Transmission). Bearing Nil. 3105."
1812	3105	Itasca	Itasca1 states: "Earhart on nw reception fairly clr nw Wants bearing es [and] wnts rept in 1/2/ hr"; Bellarts states: "Pse [please] take bearing on us and report in half hour--I will make moise [sic] in mic - abt 100 miles out"; Howland Island reports: "(am using the D/F and receiving set sparingly due to heavy drainage on batteries) (the batteries are of low AM-Hour capacity) Earhart on the air, S4 [signal strength 4], "give me a bearing" Earhart did not test for bearing. Her transmission too short for bearing, static x5, her carrier is completely modulated. Could not get a bearing due to above reasons. 3105." Itasca bridge log states: "Miss Earhart reported position 100 miles from island reception fair."
1910	3105	Itasca	Earhart on the air. Itasca1 states: "Earhart nw says she is running out of gas, only a half hour left, cannot hear us at all; we hear her and are transmitting to her on 3105 and 500 kHz same time constantly."
1912	3105	Itasca	Bellarts record states: "KHAQQ clng Itasca we must on you but cannot see u but gas is running low been unable to reach you by radio we are flying at a 1000 feet." Note that Radio Station 2 (Bellarts) is now out of sync with Radio Station 1 regarding the time of reception of this message. The Itasca bridge log states: "Plane position reported as near the island and gas running low".
1928	3105	Itasca	Bellarts states: "KHAQQ clng Itasca we are circling but cannot hr u GA on 7500 wid a lng count either nw or on the skd time on 1/2 hour (KHAQQ S5, A3)." S5, A3 means signal strength 5, maximum, and voice transmission. Itasca1 does not record this message. Itasca bridge log states: "Plane reported as circling and requested vessel to transmit on 7500 KC for bearing, reception very good." Black and Thompson reports state that the signal strength was 5, and "in view of signal strength it is believed Earhart was closest to Howland at this time. It was about this time Itasca expected her to arrive."
1930	3105	Itasca	Bellarts states: "KHAQQ clng Itasca we recd ur sigs but unable to get a minimum pse take bearing on us and ans 3105 wid voice / NRUI de KHAQQ lng dashes on 3105." Black and Thompson state essentially the same information. The Itasca bridge log states: "Plane reported receiving our signals but unable to get a minimum for a bearing; good reception." Earhart says she received the 7500 kHz signals, but could not obtain a bearing on them. She asks Itasca to please take a bearing on her, and answer with 3105 kHz with voice. She then sends a series of long dashes on 3105 kHz.
2013	3105	Itasca	"KHAQQ to Itasca we are on the line 157 337 wl rept msg we will rept this on 6210 KCS wait, [(3105/A3 S5 (?/KHAQQ xmission we are running on N ES S line)]"

Sources

• Part 1: Lae to Midpoint.
• Part 2: Midpoint to the Vicinity of Howland.
• Part 3: At Howland Island.
• Part 4: The Airplane Returns to Earth.
• Reconstructing the Flight.