An operational journey from early high-power AM and wartime communications equipment to compact, computer-assisted amateur radio stations.
A Working History of the Amateur Service
The Amateur Radio Shack at the AWA Communication Technologies Museum is more than a display of vintage equipment. Its operating positions show how radio amateurs communicated, experimented, and adapted through changing generations of technology—from plug-in coils and glowing transmitting tubes to software logging and digital modes.
EARLY AMATEUR RADIO
James Millen and Ross Hull Station
One of the hamshack’s most historically important installations is the original station equipment from James Millen’s home. It includes a 1936 National HRO Senior receiver and a powerful companion transmitter using 851 tubes in the modulator.
The station was built so Ross Hull could communicate with his family in New Zealand from Malden, Massachusetts. Its most unusual feature is the starter button and generator control used to start a gasoline-powered generator because the Millen hamshack did not have commercial electric power.
Highlights: 1936 National HRO Senior receiver • approximately 1 kW transmitter • push-pull 204A final tubes • pair of 851 modulator tubes • remote generator-start control
EARLY AMATEUR RADIO
Hallicrafters DD-1
One of the hamshack’s most historically important receivers is the Hallicrafters DD-1, recognized as the first commercially available diversity receiver.
Diversity reception uses more than one antenna and receiving channel to reduce fading. The DD-1 demonstrated a sophisticated receiving technique at a time when most amateur stations used a single receiver and antenna.
Highlights: 1936 National HRO Senior receiver • approximately 1 kW transmitter • push-pull 204A final tubes • pair of 851 modulator tubes • remote generator-start control
WORLD WAR II
Hallicrafters BC-610 and Collins 51J
The Hallicrafters BC-610 is a 400-watt transmitter closely associated with World War II military communications. In the museum hamshack it is paired with a Collins 51J receiver.
Together they form an impressive operating position that demonstrates the scale, construction, and sound of wartime vacuum-tube communications equipment.
Station: Hallicrafters BC-610 • 400 watts • Collins 51J receiver
POSTWAR–1960S
T-368 and R-390A Military Station
The T-368 was developed as the military replacement for the BC-610. This 400-watt transmitter is paired with the celebrated R-390A receiver.
The combination creates a station representative of military and amateur communications from the postwar period through the 1960s.
Station: T-368 transmitter • 400 watts • R-390A
BROADCAST HERITAGE
The WSM 150-Watt Transmitter
This member-donated transmitter was once used by WSM and was connected directly to the same antenna system as the station’s 50-kilowatt broadcast transmitter.
It was later modified for amateur-band operation and is now paired with a Collins 75A-3 receiver.
Station: T-368 transmitter • 400 watts • R-390A
CLASSIC HIGH-POWER AM
Collins KW-1 and 75A-4
The Collins KW-1 is a one-kilowatt CW and AM transmitter and one of the rarest production amateur transmitters. Very few were built, and even fewer remain operational.
Paired with a Collins 75A-4 receiver, it forms the museum’s premier classic AM station.
Station: T-368 transmitter • 400 watts • R-390A
THE NOVICE YEARS
Heathkit Novice Station
Along the east wall is a Heathkit Novice station donated by Brad, N8YG. Its transmitter and matching receiver recall the period when many beginning amateurs assembled their own equipment.
These operators learned basic electronics and made their first contacts with modest stations built by hand.
Station: T-368 transmitter • 400 watts • R-390A
Y2K ERA
Icom and Kenwood Station
The Y2K station marks the transition to digitally controlled transceivers. It combines an Icom IC-756Pro with a Kenwood TL-922 amplifier.
The station represents equipment commonly found in a well-equipped amateur station near the beginning of the twenty-first century.
Station: T-368 transmitter • 400 watts • R-390A
COMPACT INGENUITY
The Station in a Desk
A member-built desk demonstrates how a complete amateur station can fit into a small domestic space. Two transceivers provide coverage from 160 meters through 2 meters.
When the desk is closed, few visitors would suspect that a capable amateur radio station is concealed inside.
A complete amateur station concealed inside an ordinary desk.
MODERN AMATEUR RADIO
Elecraft K3S and Alpha 77
The modern station uses an Elecraft K3S transceiver with an Alpha 77 amplifier.
A companion computer supports station logging and serves as a terminal for digital operating modes, illustrating how radio and computer technology now work together at the operating desk.
Station: T-368 transmitter • 400 watts • R-390A
COLLINS S-LINE
75S-3, 32S-3, KWM-2 and 30S-1
Sharing the operating table is a classic Collins station with a 75S-3 receiver, 32S-3 transmitter, station control equipment, and a Collins KWM-2 transceiver.
The installation also includes the powerful Collins 30S-1 amplifier, presenting one of amateur radio’s most admired equipment families.
A complete amateur station concealed inside an ordinary desk.
HANDS-ON EXHIBIT
Choose a Receiver
The receiver rack contains about ten amateur receivers connected to the same antenna. Visitors may select a receiver and compare its tuning, sound, controls, and performance with the others.
The collection extends from the early National SW-3 to a modern JRC communications receiver, offering a direct, audible demonstration of nearly a century of receiver development.
Exhibit: Approximately ten receivers • common antenna • visitor selectable • National SW-3 through modern JRC equipment
This display is not part of the AWA HAM Shack.
Image credits: All museum photographs by KD2OM.