[NJARC] Radio Museums - We need new blood!

[John Dilks - K2TQN]

...in response to a lot of email regarding museums and collections....

The truth is, gang, we're a dying breed.

My brother belongs to a Steam Museum group and told me that he's the 
youngest person there (50).  The young people just aren't joining old 
technology groups any more.

Take a look around the "Radio Swap" meets. Most of us are 50+.  It's almost 
the same at hamfests.

We all love radios and hang out together, slap each other on the back, and 
act amazed when one of us finds a real "goodie." But how often do you 
notice others are only mildly interested when you mention you're a radio 
collector?

We need new blood!

How can we accomplish this?  One way might be to do what the New Jersey 
Antique Radio club is doing.

We have a couple of guys who help local libraries put on theme'd radio 
displays. It's a win-win situation.  The library has an interesting 
display, and every once in a while we attract a new member.  It's a lot of 
work for those putting it together, but they make a fun day of it, take 
photos and probably have a nice lunch.

Now museums.

It seems most radio museums are tucked away off the beaten track.  They 
have to advertise to find visitors.  Most are run by a few dedicated 
members who put in a lot of time to make it work. Few attract new, fresh 
blood, into the running of the museums.  And when the "Spark" grows dim, 
and the few worker bees drop out, the museum goes away.

Then somewhere else a new "Spark" starts glowing and a new museum forms and 
starts the process all over again.

How can the museums attract new worker bees?

I think that well-stocked radio museums should start up "travelling" 
displays, to be loaned to other, non-radio, museums for a period of time. 
These same displays could also be placed in high traffic areas like malls 
and at fairgrounds. Along with these displays, some paper should be 
provided for the visitor, so when they get home it will reinforce the 
memories and tell them where they can get more information. (the Antique 
Radio Classified would be a good hand-out.)  Also, provide a list of other 
radio museums around the country where they can be visited.

Most of you know that I have a Mobile Museum, built in an old 27' RV type 
vehicle.  This came about, not because I'm so smart I knew the best way to 
display radios, but because my wife didn't want me to have a museum in my 
home. And she was right.  Here in south Jersey, after the 30 or so 
interested people came by, I'd be busy advertising to attract from a wider 
area.

It turns out that my mobile display is real popular at hamfests and at 
large gatherings of radio people.  In the few years I've had it on the 
road, I've had over 10,000 visitors go through it.  That's probably more 
visitors than all the radio museums in the U.S. put together, for the same 
time period.  My success is a happy accident, but it doesn't have to stop 
here, and it doesn't have to be unique.

I'm encouraging all of you to think about sharing your collections in some 
way. Hopefully my idea will be replicated a few times and we can get our 
hobby out in front of some new people.  It would please me to no end, to 
show up at a hamfest and find another museum there.  And wouldn't that be 
great for all of us?

73' John Dilks, K2TQN