The World's Largest TITANIC Museum Attraction (www.titanicbranson.com) will host a special event amateur radio transmission from Branson, Missouri to Belfast, Ireland and other points across the globe April 14-15, 2007.
Ham operators stationed at the TITANIC Museum Attraction will transmit the news of the 95th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic using special event call sign W0S. Operators from Nixa, Missouri have permission from the FCC to transmit using this special call sign, which stands for "White Star," the name of the company that built the Titanic. Radio operators in Belfast will use the actual call sign of the Titanic, GB6MGY.
The brainchild of the museum attraction co-owner, Mary Kellogg Joslyn and Nixa Amateur Radio Operators Rich Vogt (KB9YZE), Dave Beckler (WA0SAP), Al Gallo (W0ERE) and Rod Kittleman (K0ADI), the worldwide transmission will take place to honor the radio broadcasters working aboard the Titanic on the night she sank.
"The wireless radio operators aboard Titanic sent a distress signal which was heard by operators in Cape Race, Newfoundland immediately after the ship hit the iceberg. The Carpathia's operators also heard the signal," said Rod Kittleman, spokesperson for the group. "Without these successful radio transmissions, many additional lives would have been lost that night."
Spectators are invited to witness these ham operators live at the TITANIC Museum Attraction's free Outdoor Entertainment Center from 8 a.m. Saturday, April 14 until 7 p.m. Sunday, April 15, 2007. For more information or to participate as a ham volunteer, visit www.nixahams.net or www.zeros.com.
The World's Largest TITANIC Museum Attraction opened in 2006 and is Branson's new landmark tourist destination. The 17,000 square foot, ship- shaped structure -- built half scale to Titanic's original size -- towers more than 100 feet above its anchored position on the Branson Strip. A 90-minute, self-guided tour covers 20 galleries on two decks where more than 400 priceless artifacts that once belonged to Titanic's passengers or crew are on display. None of the artifacts were retrieved from the ocean's floor.
The NEW 'London Waterloo Train Station' opens at TITANIC on April 12, 2007. Visit www.titanicbranson.com for the full story.
