Our day at the radio museum by Fred Lloyd

QRZ visits the American Museum of Radio and Electricity

Earlier this week we were treated to a tour of the American Museum of Radio and Electricity, a must-see landmark in the city of Bellingham, Washington. The AMRE is located in the central downtown district of the city and despite it's rather plain looking exterior, inside is one of the most interesting and engaging museums of its kind anywhere.

We were met by the museum's founder, John Jenkins, who graciously took time out of his busy day to give us a detailed private tour of the entire collection, including a fascinating behind-the-scenes look of the facility. John realized the dream of his life when, after retiring from his career in high-tech in 2001, began to build a museum consisting of items from a couple of private collections including his own that he started at age 13. John purchased a couple of run-down storefront buildings in his hometown of Bellingham and began a quest that has helped to revitalize a part of the downtown while become a key attraction for the city.



The museum includes more than 11 distinct period exhibits that commence with the very discovery of electricity itself, recreating the initial experiments of Ben Franklin, Ohm, Volta, Hertz, Tesla, and others. Here, you'll find Leyden Jars, static electricity experiments, some of the first batteries ever made, the first electromagnet, the earliest electric motors, and other devices that were truly genius for their time. Sometimes, you just have to stop and wonder how these great pioneers, some more than 400 years ago, had the insight and inspiration to make the discoveries they did.

As I looked at some of the experiments, such as Hertz's wave measurement device, I was humbled by the discoveries that were made using little more than a spark gap and a few pieces of wire and glass insulators. Here before me was a device that could be built from Home Depot plumbing parts that was responsible for the discovery of waves, wavelengths, and SWR, back before the concept of radio as we know it was even thought possible. Looking at his work, which took place in the middle of the 1800's, it is hard to imagine how far electromagnetic technology has since advanced. In less than 100 years after his death, we have satellites, microprocessors, cell phones, the Internet, and a whole world of technology that can be directly traced back to this early work.



The AMRE's exhibits take the visitor step by step into each successive generation of technology and soon we find ourselves in the crystal radio era, followed by the first light bulbs and vacuum tubes. Samuel Morse is also featured here and the real story behind the Morse Code is somewhat different that what one might expect. For example, did you know that Morse's first machine didn't use a telegraph key? Or that its operators, tired of having to work with a tempermental paper inscribing machine found it easier just to 'copy' the machines clicks and decode the messages in their heads and write them down? This story and many others are presented in wonderful detail for visitors to explore and the examples shown are presented either with vintage hardware or painstakingly accurate modern reproductions.

The overall collection is quite large with a catalog of many thousands of items to look at. Some pieces are truly one-of-a-kind and can't be seen anywhere else on the planet. Some of the radio gear is rivaled only by the Smithsonian and is truly priceless. The vacuum tube collection, for example, contains some of the rarest examples anywhere, and in some cases, the first prototypes that were ever produced.



The age of radio is presented with a collection of home receivers that is more comprehensive than any I've ever seen. Right along side are amateur radio sets, which as we all know share a common history with the earliest days of wireless communications. The collection includes numerous spark gap transmitters, early single tube designs, and a collection of more contemporary amateur radio gear from the 40's through the present. Their crown jewel is an Icom IC-7800 which is hooked up and available for visiting amateurs to operate on request. They also have a complete Collins S-Line station, and a Hallicrafters station, all setup and ready to go. The only thing missing are operators and I, for one, regret not having the time to sit down and spend some quality on-air time while I was there.



The above bears repeating: If you are a licensed amateur and would enjoy operating a brand new ICOM IC-7800 station then you definitely should go down to the AMRE and take the microphone (or key). The facility is staffed with a great many knowledgeable volunteers who are eager to spend time with you and your family.

Another thing that bears pointing out is that most of the items in the collection aren't behind glass or set back behind rope lines. A large number of the exhibits are hands-on and many of the rare collectables can be gently touched without setting off any alarms. You will feel completely at home here, as a member of the fraternity of radio and electronics world, as will your whole family. The admission is just $5 for adults, which is in incredible value considering its a place where you can literally spend hours wandering through the expansive collection.

In addition to the photos posted here, we've prepared a collection of more pictures here...

On your next visit to the pacific northwest, be sure and make Bellingham one of your destinations. It's a must-do, bucket list destination for any radio enthusiast.

The American Museum of Radio and Electricty is located at:

1312 Bay Street
Bellingham, WA 98225
Phone: 360.738.3886

Last edited by AA7BQ; Today at 10:03 PM.

Anacortes, our gateway to the San Juan Islands

Day 17, Tuesday June 14 (a full month ago now) was another moving day for us. Promptly at the crack of noon, we hit the road headed for Anacortes our home base for ferry trips to the San Juan Islands. After an easy 90 minute drive we called it a day and pulled into our new home. The RV park was in a wooded area with nice wide lots and clean gravel at our site. There were lots of trees around the perimeter and good placement for satellite reception. We snagged us a dandy spot for the week.

Fred and I drove a couple miles into the town of Anacortes and found a quaint marine town, more beautiful scenery, with temperatures in the low 60's. The views across the water to the other islands were just breathtaking and everywhere we looked it was green, lush, and beautiful. The front yards were bright green and ringed with flowers in full bloom. We took a picture of a deer munching on someone's carefully landscaped lawn.

By the end of the day we stumbled into a restaurant called Adrift and were rewarded with dinner and a show. You never know what you are going to get when you choose blindly in an unexplored town. We sat at the bar, overlooking the kitchen and the three male cooks. One guy was from Tempe and they chatted with us while they cooked with flames a blazing and sauces sizzling. The food was unique and tasty. If a visit to the San Juan Islands is a dream for you like it was for me, eat at “Adrift” for a guaranteed taste of local charm.

This week was mainly a working week for us but usually by 4:00 we venture out to see the local sights. Fred loves trains, planes, boats, buses, heavy equipment, dams and bridges. He photographs all these things and then leaves it to me to slog through hundreds of pictures to find the few that I think will interest you. We drove to an area called Deception Pass which we crossed via an impressive bridge.
 

We stood by the bridge and watched colorful kayaks down below as they darted in and out of the rapid, swirling currents. In person, the water and surroundings were stunning. Although a photograph can never convey what the eye sees, I am going to include some of the pictures Fred took and hope you can get some sense of the beauty we enjoyed. We proceeded to the beach and strolled along the water's edge to pick up several nice memento rocks. I liked the beach, Fred liked all the jets flying around from the local Naval Air Station.

By Day 19, Thursday June 16^th, Fred decided to buy parts for our leaking water pump. I suspected he wanted to wander through the boat yard and the boat parts store so I let him explore on his own while I remained at the bus. He had a fabulous few hours and ordered parts, excited that he could return to the parts store the next day. I am not going to share the pictures he took INSIDE the parts store. He loved that place so much he took me back the next day thinking that I too would be thrilled. I pretended to care and to not notice when he flirted with the very knowledgeable sales gal. He does love a smart girl who knows her parts.

So I was treated to a truly (not) exciting trip to the marine hardware store , then a second antique hardware store, and then to Ace Hardware; that's THREE hardware stores in one day in case you ladies are counting. Fred finally had his fill and we took a walk up the street and poked our head into the Majestic Inn, a large, 5 story hotel built in the late 1890's. The desk man waved us in and suggested we take the elevator up to the cupola for a view of the town. That's where Fred took a lot of the town pictures that you will see.

We saw a notice posted about a concert in the park which sounded better to me than nuts and bolts so we went to check it out. Turns out it was a youth music festival being held by some church group in a small but pretty park down near the water. It was interesting however we felt like the grandparents of dinosaurs. We left in search of an adult beverage suitable for two antiques.
click for more pics...

From the road:
-robin

I see Seattle

Days 10 – 16 June 7th - 13th

I have always wanted to see Seattle, Washington and on June 7th, I got close.

Our next campsite was just outside Seattle in the town of Bothel. It was a nice spot next to a lake full of geese. It was very wet, however, and goose poop was everywhere. Fred said it was a fair trade for the Sprint broadband (4G) and we got a good position for the satellite dish. Hey, you can't have everything. The place was called Lake Pleasant RV Park and it was just that, pleasant, with every site along the lake. We called it our office for the week and worked very hard. One day Fred drove me into Seattle to see the sites. We went to the Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square with trees wrapped up in sweaters We saw people having their wedding pictures taken next to the “gum wall” and made friends with a fish monger. We saw the location of the very first Starbucks and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation offices. We got a free primo parking spot beneath the Space Needle and went up there to take pictures from high above the city. Now I can cross Seattle off my bucket list. I know most of you have been there but for me it was a very big deal. I didn't know it then, but within a few short weeks I would see the Seattle skyline again, this time against the backdrop of beautiful Mount Rainier as we crossed Puget Sound by ferry on our way to Idaho. That ferry trip is skipping ahead of the story so I will just send you a few pictures of our week in Bothel and Seattle. I must hurry with this blog because I am anxious to show you the pictures of the most beautiful city park I have ever seen.

Click here for the pictures...

.... from the road:

-robin

The mother and child reunion is only a motion away....oh, little darling of mine...

It was Day 8 of our adventure, Sunday June 5, time to pack up and move to Vancouver, Washington where Josh was awaiting our arrival. He had moved and changed jobs since we saw him last and we were excited to see him and his new digs. We picked him up from work at FedEx Office and took him out to dinner and back to the bus to watch a movie. This was the first time we had seen Josh since we started this bus adventure thing so we wanted to give him a sample of our life on the road. New flash, my baby boy is sprouting some gray hairs. I feel so old!

Monday the three of us drove into Portland to play. Josh directed us to a FedEx Office and helped me get some Real Estate paperwork done and mailed. It was located downtown in a square city block that was lined with food carts. Portland has a lot of these, mostly re-purposed travel trailers, where you can choose from a variety of flavors and cultures. From forty carts, Fred chose, of all things, the Thai Spicy cashew tofu stir fry, yuck. It made him smile and Josh and I were all too happy to have real food to choose from.

With our tummys full, we explored the city by car and on foot. We spent a couple hours cruising the riverfront park where a carnival was set up. The riverfront was nice but a bit cool with temps in the low 60's and cloudy. Seeking shelter from the cold, we fell into an excellent Irish pub called Kells for a bit of joy.

Cockles warmed, we walked back to the car and drove across the bridge to the landing for a dinner cruise. The cruise went up the Willamette river which was about 16 feet higher than normal. Many docks were flooded and some trees were nearly submerged, however the 2 1/2 hour ride was spectacular. We saw some extremely beautiful waterfront properties, some that were in the multi-million dollar category with sea planes standing at the ready. There were also numerous "houseboats" which were really just moored floating homes, some in the 3000 – 5000 square foot range, with 3 or 4 stories! We were truly surprised by the beauty of the place. Contrary to the bad reviews we pulled up on Google, we found the food to be great and the scenery, stunning. We had a wonderful time and it was fun to take Josh on his first dinner cruise. I'm probably sharing too many photos of these houses but you all know how much I love real estate! Maybe you can imagine you were with us, eating fresh Copper River salmon and sipping on champagne. Simply delightful.

We left for Seattle feeling satisfied that Josh is thriving in Vancouver, living solo in a nice apartment and enjoying his job.   

Click here for the full picture gallery for much more...

Next stop: Seattle

from the road

-robin