Radio Museums


There are many interesting museums to visit that are devoted to antique radios and the history of broadcasting. Among the finest is the Museum of Radio and Technology based at Huntington in West Virginia. Just one of the many highlights at the museum is a full replica of a 1930s radio store – with a wide range of breathtaking radios on display. Visitors can get to hear a working crystal set and also inspect battery radios, horn speakers and an early wind powered generator for recharging batteries. Another interesting exhibit is a 30s Western Electric 5000 watt broadcast transmitter complete with power supply components and studio equipment. Add to this a replica 1950s radio and television sales showroom and a vintage hi-fi room and gift shop and you’ve got all the ingredients for a great day out. The Museum of Radio and Technology can be found at 1640 Florence Avenue in Huntington and is open most Saturdays and Sundays as well as most Fridays in the summer months. Check with the museum first before making a special trip.

Those with a passion for antique radios will also enjoy a visit to the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. This museum claims to house ‘one of the world’s finest collections of antique radio, television and broadcast equipment’ – and they are probably right! The centrepiece of the museum is the Joseph R. Pavek collection of over a thousand radio receivers, transmitters and television sets from the pre-1950s. Among the highlights are a working 1912 rotary spark-gap transmitter – similar to the set used aboard the Titanic – crystal radios from the 20s and a fine collection of vacuum tubes. A huge library of radio literature is also on permanent display. Lovers of the weird will certainly enjoy hearing a rare early RCA Theremin in action and visitors can also see the actual record lathe used to cut the first pressings of ‘The Jazz Singer’. Kids can also create their own radio broadcasts in an authentic 1950s radio studio. The Pavek Museum is situated at 3515 Raleigh Avenue in St Louis Park and is open to the public five days a week.