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The Museum came about because of the love of wireless sets of its founder, the late Jim MacDonald. During his lifetime he gathered together an extensive and varied collection of domestic and defence wireless electronic equipment. This was originally housed in a building in St Margarets Hope on South Ronaldsay and was called "An Orkney Wireless Museum". In 1997, the collection moved to its present premises in Kirkwall, close to the Harbour, and is privately run by a registered charitable Trust and staffed by unpaid volunteers and enthusiasts. The Founder James MacDonald (1927 - 1988) was born and brought up on South Ronaldsay. He was locally educated and served his apprenticeship as an electrician and radio repairman. During his boyhood, wireless was rapidly developing and he started to gather old, interesting sets which were becoming redundant. This became the nucleus for his collection which includes such rare and interesting examples as "Kit Sets" and the very, very expensive models by such famous names as Marconi, Cossor, MacMichael, K.B., Lowe and Amplion. With the outbreak of war in 1939, he was listed as in a reserved occupation, and worked for the War Office as a civilian in the great Naval Base at Lyness. He was also employed at other RAF sites such as Netherbutton, with one of the world's first active operational Radar installations. (This was actually the prototype, modified, which was shipped from England, as the one being built for Orkney was not nearly ready. When Orkney's was finished, it was sent to Dover where it was to play such a vital role in the Battle of Britain) When the War ended, Jim set to work acquiring and squirrelling away as many examples of this technology as he could, remembering that much was still classified as Top Secret. Another hurdle was the deliberate destruction of equipment to prevent flooding the market with surplus goods as had happened after the First World War. The result of his endeavours is here. Certainly there are some gaps, but these are the real thing. This equipment played a vital part in the Battle of the North Atlantic and North Sea. It has all seen active service. The Museum story so far. In 1984, Jim was persuaded to display his collection in what he called "An Orkney Wireless Museum" in the family home in South Ronaldsay. He eagerly looked forward to his retirement, hoping to have time to develop his collection but cancer was to rob him of his dream. During his remaining days he talked over his plans with his family and indicated his wishes for his Museum. He died in 1988. Conforming to his wishes, a registered family Trust was set up, in June 1990, to run the Museum. In 1994, the Museum was admitted as a member of the Museums and Galleries Commission of Great Britain and also was awarded a Certificate from the Royal Naval Amateur RAdio Society "For work in collecting, preserving and displaying the radio and electronic heritage of Scapa Flow and the Orkney Isles" In 1997, the collection moved to it's present premises which allowed a greater amount of examples to be displayed. During it's lifetime, the Museum has recieved generous donations from the many friends which it has gained. It has been granted a unique Amateur Radio call sign - GB2 OWM which is activated at every suitable opportunity, for example during the Orkney Science Festival every September, when worldwide contacts are made and QSL cards are exchanged with the stations contacted. There is a Society of "The Friends of the Orkney Wireless Museum" who come from all over the world. Their prime aim is to help raise funds to keep the Museum viable. The local branch organises a team of volunteers to man the Museum every day of the sreason, from April to September. In fact Orkney Wireless Museum is run on an entirely voluntary basis with noone in any way connected with it's running being paid. It is a charity in every sense of the word and welcomes help in any form.
With technology moving in leaps and bounds the new ringtones available on many websites sound like the real artist is playing the track. There are called polyphonic ringtones and sound a great deal better than the old plink plonk type of ring tone which now belongs in a museum, perhaps our museum ! Technology has moved on substantially since the days of the wireless and many other communication methods are now available. Examples of these include 0800 numbers , DAB digital radio, mobile phones, internet, email, the list is endless with many more advancements undoubtedly held in the future. The steady advance in telecommunication technology has dramatically reduced the cost of making long distance phone calls. With recent advances such as VoIP and pc-to-phone, it is now possible to make cheap international calls from any location. Advances in communication technology such as the INTERNET and mobile phones have changed our lives forever. Now it is possible and affordable to make cheap calls from any country. However, the new real hot thing in mobile telecom is iphone apps and other mobile apps. This industry is growing extremely fast. This page has some links to d free applications and some pretty good reviews of some hot free applications.The site is definitely worth checking out if you are also on the apps wave.. From time to time the Orkney Wireless Radio Museum has evening audio and visual showings of sound bites and presentations about the technology behind the wireless radio. Of course with modern Essex IT Support and computer systems being in the here and now The Orkney Museum strives to provide a combination of old and new technology for all shows to be entertaining for a wide range of age groups. Since the invention of electricity, we have seen a plethora of electronic items. Another fantastic electronic product is the lava lamp, invented back in 1963. All lava lamps these days are manufactured in china, but without Englishman Edward Craven Walker inventing this beautiful electronic item, we'd be without this rectro masterpiece. from first transmiting radio waves took place a lot has changed in the world. Most things are now wifi. Take mobiles, some of the best wifi phones are available on contracts from only a tenner. These have the ability to connect to any wifi connection. If the old time radio users could see todays tech news they would be exhilarated! Of course wireless phones have come along way and have advanced rapidly in recent years. Some of the most popular wireless phones are the iPhone series from which 1000's of apps can be downloaded. tower defence 4 is one of the most popular games played on the wireless iPhones and have been downloaded millions of times by fans all over the world, demonstrating the power of wireless technology today. For these people, the latest BT Elements ordless DECT phones are a godsend. The series has just been updated to allow for greater range – now up to a staggering 1km. Technology advancements occur frequently and to keep up with these changes businesses often outsource their IT work and support to a company providing IT support in Leeds or business covering their area. Everyone needs to relax and switch on the TV to escape and once you your tv on then reach for an online tv guide that lets you search through all those channels and find some entertainment. If you are looking for a career in the technical side of radio or broadcasting then you should prepare for a mechanical aptitude test as these often form part of the selection process. If you have an expensive mobile phone which you want to keep protected you should considering buying some iphone insurance for your smartphone. If your iPhone stops working is stolen or damaged, it’s a relief to know that you’re insured. Previously, 0845 numbers were 0345 and 0645 before the Big Number Change due to the late 1990s growth of telecommunications. Today, they are popular with businesses of all sizes. With more 0845 telecom phone numbers being available online as companies realise the importance of an online presence, it makes it easier to purchase and shop around for the best deal. However, it’s important to do some research first. Freephone services first appeared in the 1960s and were owned by the Post Office. This has now changed, with various companies reselling such numbers at different rates to businesses of all sizes. 0800 costs & charges vary depending on whether you call from a landline or a mobile. Landlines are free but mobile phone charges do vary. It is important to check with your service provider first before making a call. Of course electronics doesn't have to be serious all year round, at Christmas we often have displays of led christmas lights to brighten up the displays. A real crowd pleaser and a way to help bring in the children to see all our other exhibits. Wireless and radio has come along way in such a short period of time. It was not long ago that Marconi sent his wireless transmission across the sea and now we have portable computers in our pockets that allow us to do practically anything. However, with all this data in one place the last thing we would want to do is lose or damage our phones in any way. Make sure that you have phone insurance so that you never have to worry about damaging your phone again. Just imagine if Marconi had broken his wireless transmitter we may never have progressed to the computers we have in our pockets today. If the water in your pipes has frozen, it's important to try and defrost this as quickly as possible. The expansion of the water could cause the pipe to burst, leading to thawed water leaking from the break. Electrician Melton Mowbray A burst pipe is classed as a water emergency – it can cause serious damage to your home's structure and electrical wiring. It's vital to take action as soon as you discover a burst pipe. The Orkney Wireless Museum has always been a hugely popular place for tourists to visit, with many people having a huge interest in the displays and in the history of wireless, radios and technology in general. It plays a vital part in our history over the last century or so, and the more publicity the museum can get, the better. We are therefore delighted to announce that this website has been added on to a list of brilliant sites in recognition of the outstanding layout of the site and its role in educating and promoting the museum. Wireless was effectively the predecessor of the internet, 75 years ago it was the internet of its day, allowing people to communicate with each over large distances. We are delighted therefore to embrace this new technology and form of communication, and consider it the next stage in the evolution of communication. If you're looking for more information about modern day communications, such as virtual local phone numbers - which are numbers pointed to existing landline and mobile phones to make businesses appear to be local, visit the Gold Local Numbers website. Site updated 2009 Contact Us |
