The local chapter of the Quarter Century Wireless Association, Smoky Mountain Chapter 145, sponsored the museum now in its third year.

After the museum was born, things keep arriving as more and more folks find out about the museumb but you ought to see the smiles when an oldies come in. Whether it's a spark gap transmitter, a Bunnell crystal set, or a Harvey-Wells transmitter, there is a place for it somewhere. Who knows, your collection may find a place where it can be seen by others, too.

At the museum, you will also see radios such as Atwater Kent, Philco, Silvertone, Hammarlund, test instruments, transmitters, keys, and very old QSL cards acknowledging early contacts plus an operational amateur radio station, W4AFM. The call belonged to one of our old-timers, Bill Hayes, a fine operator who helped many young hopefuls along the way into ham radio. Bill was a crack cw operator and participated in the 1939 World Championship Telegrapher contest held in Asheville. It was won by Ted McElroy at 75.2 words per minute(wpm); a record that still stands today.

Of course, visitors come to the area for many other reasons, such as trout fishing in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountain streams, or to tour the Biltmore Estate, The Cradle of Forestry, North Carolina Arboretum, Chimney Rock, or the Cherokee Indian Reservation, and a ton more things than you can do in a week or so.

You might take a few moments and visit the Web Site. If interested in visiting the area, be sure and check out the "Area Attractions" link on our web page which has a few more ideas. You'll also see some of the museum's equipment on the site but hopefully you can drop by the Museum and "see the real thing"! The staff can usually fit in a tour for you on most weekdays. Just call if the Wednesday afternoon hours from 1 to 5 PM don't suit.

Our museum also invites you to join others who have some part of radio history for the collection, ie. that would be interesting to visitors and help keep the history alive! The museum recently picked up a 1925 Freed-Eisemann radio, a J-7A key with the light bulb intact and other vintage sets such as Radiola 25 and a special Armstrong set called the production 2nd harmonic Radiola Super-Heterodyne - the model that RCA's Sarnoff approved for the first such production. These guys are serious - they must be, having worked hard to raise funds for costly things like displays, tools, printing and advertising. Some of you have probably helped.

The challenge now? A permanent home for the museum is really needed not just for just equipment, but especially for sufficient space to safely bring both visitors and school children through the museum. Hams have led the way since the beginning of electronics and we are hopeful that their donations will help us to save the history of radio in a larger, much needed facility. The children being introduced to radio today will be the leaders tomorrow. Help us make it possible!

Tour requests are always accepted with big smiles. Give us a call or email us. Our President and Curator is Clint Gorman, K4KRB at 828-299-1276, (you can also email him: cgone@bellsouth.net, or write him at 240 Governors View Rd, Asheville NC 28805) or call Carl Smith, N4AA, 828-683-4251.

Contributors:
John Travis and
Tommy Queen