Museum of Radio and Technology channels memories of a bygone era

[Fansome]

http://www.charlestondailymail.com/article/20141016/DM01/141019339/1280

Odd that the author is a "Religion Reporter"

Museum of Radio and Technology channels memories of a bygone era
By Charlotte Ferrell Smith, Religion reporter

HUNTINGTON ­— Touring the Museum of Radio and Technology is like stepping back in time to the beginning of radio, television, and computers.

It opened in 1991 in the old Harveytown Elementary School, 1640 Florence Ave., on Huntington’s West End and is touted as the largest radio museum in the nation and attracts visitors from throughout the world.

However, many locals are unaware of the rooms filled with history and treasures.

“We are trying to create a time capsule,” said curator Geoff Bourne, who is aware of the historical significance of the collection as well as how much of it works.

The museum was once located on Charleston’s West Side but outgrew its space. The old school offered a lot more space but the rooms are still filled with an impressive collection that spills out into the hallways. The building was purchased for $22,500 and grants were acquired over the years for fixing it up with things like a new roof as well as a new heating system.

Bourne said various groups as well as information technology students enjoy touring the facility, and yet many locals are not aware of its existence.

Organizers are hoping an event scheduled for Saturday will draw a large crowd.

The Museum of Radio and Technology will present the 24th annual Fall Radio Show beginning 9 a.m. Saturday and continuing throughout the afternoon. Whoever brings in the oldest radio to display will win $100 with the prize to be awarded at 1 p.m. Museum members are not eligible to win since the idea of the contest is to encourage visitors to enjoy the event and tour the facility.

Other events on Saturday include an antique electronics auction and an electronics flea market. Also, visitors will be able to see the museum’s exhibits, including more than 400 antique radios, a wide variety of television sets, a radio broadcasting station, short wave radio receivers and transmitters, military communications displays, a room devoted to the history of the computer, a ham radio station, a CB radio exhibit and much more.

Bourne travels throughout the country, logging 4,000 to 5,000 miles a year, in search of more exhibits that tell the history of technology. Sometimes, the trips are made to pick up specific items that have been offered to the museum such as RCA Radiola in a large cabinet that cost $895 in 1927. The piece once belonged to the Wrigley family; yes, Bourne points out, the one with the chewing gum empire.

Among numerous interesting pieces — a 1931 Crosley grandfather clock radio, a radio built into a refrigerator in 1953 by Bernard F. Clark, a 1939 television camera used at the New York World’s Fair, a 1923 bread board radio, an RCA record cutter, walkie talkies from World War II, a World War I telegraph system, a World War II Japanese field radio, and the first color camera from WSAZ.

There are also phonographs and vinyl records as well as shelves lined with tubes, components, batteries and various paraphernalia.

“We are in the process of beginning to teach classes here on basic radio repair and safety,” Bourne said. “Some have grandma’s old radio and it has lethal voltage.”

There is a separate area where meetings are held for the Tri-State Amateur Radio Association. The room is filled with new and vintage stations.

After touring the facility, guest may want to stop by the museum’s gift shop where items to be sold range from T-shirts and hats to books and vinyl records.

Also, stop by the West Virginia Broadcasting Hall of Fame with 175 people now included.

In addition to the special hours for the big event on Saturday, the museum is open every Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission is always free as a service to the community. For more information or group reservations, call 304-525-8890.

Contact writer Charlotte Ferrell Smith at charlotte@dailymailwv.com or 304-348-1246.