AWA Communication Technologies Museum

09/10/2026

⁣
𝐀𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐐𝐒𝐎 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲⁣
⁣
𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟔 & 𝟐𝟕 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔⁣
⁣
𝐉𝐨𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐥𝐥 - 𝐖𝟑𝐆𝐌𝐒⁣
⁣
The Amplitude Modulation QSO Party brings awareness to the AM mode by hearing lots of AM stations on the bands. For many, this is the first time they have operated AM. Even though we encourage sending in a log of your stations worked, this is not a contest.⁣
⁣
Your will notice a nice relaxed format where people often chat between QSO’s. AM is enjoying a robust recovery using a variety of methods, including both traditional and modern technologies. Let’s show the amateur community that AM is alive and well! ⁣
⁣
Bands: 160, 75, 40, 20, and 10 meters⁣
⁣
Frequencies: Any frequency that is legal for voice communication may be used. Here are some recommended frequencies commonly used for AM: 160 meters – 1880, 1885, 1915, 1945;⁣
⁣
75 meters – 3835, 3870 thru 3890; 40 meters – 7280 thru 7295; 20 meters – 14286, 14330 thru 14340; 10 meters – 29000 thru 29100.⁣
⁣
Exchange: Name, callsign, and QTH are required. Additional information is encouraged (such as equipment used, antenna, power level, weather report, etc). Long winded ragchew sessions are perfectly acceptable. Help and advice to AM newcomers is always encouraged and welcome. All contacts must be AM to AM.⁣
⁣
Any type of transmitter may be used provided it is legal on the amateur bands, and is capable of transmitting in the AM mode.⁣

This event is sponsored each year by the Antique Wireless Association. Everyone is welcome to operate and you do not need to be an AWA member. The only requirement is to have equipment that will operate AM!⁣
⁣
Log sheets and other details about the event can be found at:⁣
⁣
https://www.antiquewireless.org/homepage/am-qso-party-details/⁣

We prefer that Logs be sent in via email but if you prefer send them via USPS mail.⁣
⁣
⁣Lastly, I want to thank Ron-W8ACR for being the Event Coordinator for this very fun event!⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
Val - W0LPG operated this fine station several years back on the AWA AM QSO Party.⁣

04/15/2026

NEW 20 METER AWA NET.

Tuesdays from 10 to 11 AM EST/DST. The frequency is 14.265 +-5kHz.

03/07/2026

The 2026 John Rollins CW & AM Memorial DX Event Announcement
March 14-16 & 21-23 2026
Joe-W3GMS - AWA On Air Events Chairman

Full event details can be found on the AWA website:
https://www.antiquewireless.org/homepage/event-details-for-rollins-dx-event/

When calling use “AWA AWA de N2BE” for CW or “CQ AWA John Rollins from W3GMS” for AM

Contact the greatest number of participating stations using pre - 1970 receivers and transmitters. When calling use CQ AWA AWA de N2BE for CW or CQ AWA John Rollins from W3GMS for AM.

Any transmitter or receiver manufactured before 1970 qualifies for scoring. Any homebrew gear using tubes that were available before 1970 also qualifies. Examples - DX-60, DX-100, Viking Rangers, Valiants, etc etc.
Output power levels are limited to 100 Watts for CW and 100 watts carrier level for AM

The contest period will be on two consecutive weekends. March 14 @ 2300Z to Monday March 16 @ 0300Z, and Saturday March 21 @ 2300Z to Monday March 23 @ 0300Z

Bands - 80, 40 and 20 meters

Simply exchange call sign, RST, name, state/province, RX, and TX manufacture date

Objective: Contact the greatest number of participating stations using pre-1970 receive

Please send in your log regardless of how many stations you work!!!!! Details can be found on the AWA website link above

Most important have FUN! 73 Joe - W3GMS

01/09/2026

The AWA Communications Technologies Museum is hosting the Rochester Amateur Radio Association to activate W1AW/2 NY from the Museum ham shack as an ARRL “Year Of The Club” activity. Operation will be Saturday Jan 10 from 10am until 5 pm and again on Tuesday Jan 13 from 11 am until 3pm.

There should be 3 stations on the air with various modes.

Give a listen and try to work them.

01/04/2026

The Antique Wireless Association (AWA) is chartered as a non-profit educational organization in New York State and is an IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation based in Bloomfield, New York. It was originally established in 1952 by Bruce Kelley, George Batterson, and Linc Cundall for operators and collectors of radio equipment. The association currently has more than 1300 international members. It is a member of the American Association of Museums.

This message is going out to approximately 630 amateur radio licensed AWA members. The Bruce Kelley Memorial Net has been held on 75 meters (3837) on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:30AM. The Friday net was moved to 40 meters (7237) during the summer of 2025 and now starting on Friday, January 9, 2026 will be held at 7 PM EST on 7237+-. As of this writing, the Monday and Wednesday nets will continue on 3837 at 9:30AM.

I had originally messaged that the Friday net would be on Thursday evenings at 7PM, but a scheduling conflict came up. Hopefully Friday at 7PM will work for you.

All amateur radio operators whether you are an AWA member or not are welcome to join the net. Having the net in the evening makes it possible for those that work or have other morning commitments to join in.

Here is some useful AWA info -

Bruce Kelley obituary - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/107815990/bruce_lewis-kelley

AWA main website - https://www.antiquewireless.org/homepage/

Meet Bruce Kelley - https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RTolNm1yDzs/maxresdefault.jpg

History of AWA - https://www.antiquewireless.org/homepage/museum-history/

AWA nets - https://www.antiquewireless.org/homepage/weekly-awa-nets/
Please note that the Friday AM net is no longer being held. It is now at 7PM Fridays on 7237+- This has been changed on the awa-nets website.

I hope to hear you on the January 9th 2026, 7 PM net on 7237+- The band can be quite busy so if you do not hear us on 7237 please tune up or down.

If you have any questions, drop me an email.

73 Doug
WA3DSP
https://wa3dsp.org

Audio in browsers varies greatly. One of the methods below (wav, wma, or mp3) should work in late edition Firefox and Explorer browsers. Some of these files are quite large so please wait for them to download! It some cases it could take several minutes.

12/31/2025

One of the museums latest acquisitions is a very rare Hallicrafters receiver, a Skyrider DD-1.

05/24/2024

AWA Curator Emeritus Ed Gable writes: New hams face a problem at the very moment of the FCC issuing their new license and operator callsign. That question is: “Do I follow a long tradition of designing my personal QSL cards and go to the expense of having them printed?” The answer is rather complex and depends entirely on your projected on-air operating goals.

Let’s define “QSL” as a Q-sign carried over from telegraphy days meaning do you confirm my message. Later history added “QSL card” which today is often referred to as a paper confirmation of a contact (QSO) you had with another ham. Again, historically early hams exchanged paper QSL cards, via US mail, as more of a courtesy than meeting any formal requirement and it was expected that you would reciprocate by sending your card in return.

Later, operating habits changed as various operating awards such as the most popular Worked All States (WAS) and Worked All continents (WAC) awards were offered by the ARRL, CQ Magazine and others. Earning such awards requires proof or confirmation of needed QSO’s during the early days of award application processing and such proof was in the form of a paper QSL card. That was a difficult process which required sending your precious earned QSL cards, sometimes in the hundreds of copies, all over the country. Thank heavens the need for paper cards has been replaced by electronic versions stored in electronic files by the award sponsor(s) or by electronic computer-generated e-qsl cards exchanged often by .jpeg files and delivered by email.

The most sophisticated award processing system is operated by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and is known as the “Logbook of the World” or LoTW. Briefly, I QSO with you in a new State I need for a WAS award. At the end of the QSO I easily send the contact data to the LoTW computer at ARRL HQ and you do the same. The two contacts are instantly confirmed or “QSL’ed.” No paper and no trees were harmed. OK. I’m too long here, but do search for “LoTW” at ARRL.org.

So, in answer to the question of needing to buy personal paper QSL cards, the answer remains “it depends.” I have not needed a paper QSL card to send out in over three years, but I still have K2MP QSL cards and proudly exchange them in the traditional manner, just not very often any longer.
_____

Please consider becoming a member of the AWA to help preserve and share the history of electrical and electronic communications.

05/21/2024

On display at the AWA’s museum is a RCA prototype superheterodyne broadcast receiver restored by AWA member Robert Lozier over a four month period. The series of pictures shows the before and after condition.

The form factor of the radio makes it unlike that of any known production of RCA Radiola models (made by GE) of its day in 1926/27. Developmental models by major radio manufacturers rarely survived.

In this era, electrical power for receivers was transitioning from battery to AC mains.

Please consider becoming a member of the AWA to help preserve and share the history of electrical and electronic communications.

05/19/2024

How is it that a technology that can design closed loop servos, write business plans, pass the bar exam, impersonate your voice and create realistic images be unable to add two numbers?

In this AWA Shares presentation Clark Hochgraf, PhD, a professor of engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology explains this amazingly disruptive technology and how will it affect society.

How is it that a technology that can design closed loop servos, write business plans, pass the bar exam, impersonate your voice and create realistic images b...

05/16/2024

For a daily post about broadcasting, please click on the link below to visit the Radio History page. Once there, please click on the Like or Follow icon on the main page to see these posts in your future timeline.

https://tinyurl.com/mtpz22ns