How do you beat Distress Signal on Poptropica?

Answer 1

Distress Signal is episode 3 of the Poptropica "Survival" quest (aka "Survival island").

Having completed episodes 1 and 2, you have to locate and use a radio to request your rescue.

*see the related questions for the full solutions to all of the Survival episodes.

---

Episode 3 : Distress Signal

(as seen in the first two episodes, someone is observing your survival efforts)

You find an abandoned tower, but you need a radio to send an emergency call for your rescue.

1) Climb the tree to jump into the hollow inside, and you can get the hard hat.

2) Climb the tower, where you will find a diagram for creating a makeshift battery. Farther right you will find some loose wires that can be used for that purpose.

3) Go right, where you will find a deep ravine. Climb up to find a crashed Mews Airlines plane. Go inside and pick up the manifest. When you try to get the radio, the plane tips and drops you out

4) Continue right to find more parts of the plane. Knock a long piece down from a tree to form a ramp over the rapids. Stand on the left to tilt it, *run* up the angle, then jump hard from the high right side. Continue right to the next scene.

5) Go to the far right and climb the tree. At the top, enter the tail of the plane and get a nail from the crate inside

6) Jump left to the first tree where there is a pocket knife tool stuck in a branch. Remove it, then climb back up the second tree.

7) Cut loose the branch holding the rope that the lemon crate is hanging from, then jump on the branch so that you lower it to the ground. Use the knife to cut the rope and the crate will fall and smash open, and you can take a lemon with you.

8) Go left and use the knife to finish cutting the half-cut tree, and it will fall over to bridge the rapids.

9) On the branches is a bag of coins. Look through them and select a copper penny.

10) Go left again to the plane. Climb up and use the knife to saw the branch, and the plane will fall level again. Cross to the right side, enter, and get the radio. You will have to get out quickly, because the plane will plummet into the ravine.

11) Select the radio and click "assemble" to build your battery for the radio. Shove the zinc nail into the lemon and pull the black wire over to attach to it. Shove the copper penny into the lemon and hook the red wire to it. This chemical battery will give you a small amount of electric power. Toggle the ON button, and set the second switch to Transmit.

12) Go left and climb the tower. Push the switch that lowers the stairway at the upper right, and you can reach the first girder. Push off the end cap from the right side, and go to the left and use the pocket knife: there is a Phillips-head screwdriver as the third blade. The girder will pivot around the center bolt to use as a ramp. Tilt it, run up and jump to the hanging platform at upper right.

13) Jump left to the other connected platform, and climb the ladder to the next level. If you try to use the next ladder, it breaks off.

14) So, on the second girder, again use the screwdriver to undo both sides of the girder. (Oddly, you have to *select the screwdriver blade* every time you use it.) Tilt the girder, run up, and jump to the broken ladder.

15) Jump up using the radio dish. The next ladder is also weak, so climb the hanging chain to get past the weak part.

16) At the top of the tower, you have a strong-enough signal. Use the radio to send a Mayday call. Strangely, you get a response almost immediately, and a helicopter appears to lift you from the tower. Unfortunately, the radio message is from someone named Myron Van Buren -- the warning written on the plane's manifest says not to trust MVB!

17) Climb the rope ladder into the copter, and receive the Survival Episode 3 Medallion.