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James "Jim" 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.
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in Orkney and is run on an entirely voluntary basis. It is registered as a
Charitable Company. The Friends of the museum, from all over the world, help raise funds for the museum. The local branch of the society organises volunteers to man the Museum every day of the season, from April to September.
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The museum has an extensive collection of early domestic radio and wartime communications equipment. Most of the equipment was built in the UK and US. The museum also houses early advertising and posters. An archive of photographs depicts wartime forces and includes coverage of the building of the
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After the war, Jim collected as many examples of relevant equipment as he could; many operations were still classified as Top Secret. Another problem to collection was that equipment was deliberately destroyed in order to prevent flooding the market with surplus goods (as had happened after the
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Jim MacDonald had a love of wireless sets and gathered an extensive and varied collection of domestic and military wireless equipment. The Museum was founded in 1983 when he was persuaded to display his collection in what he called "An Orkney
Wireless Museum" in the family home in
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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,
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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
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In June 1990 a registered family Trust was set up to run the museum. In 1994, the Museum was admitted as a member of the
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installations. (This was actually the prototype, modified, which was shipped from
England, as the one being built for
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The displays and photographic archive bear testament to the strategic and military importance of Orkney during
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which allowed a greater number of exhibits to be displayed. The Museum has received many financial donations.
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Orkney
Wireless Museum" (publicity leaflet) printed at The Orcadian Ltd., Hatston, Kirkwall, Orkney – 14804.
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Netherbutton Radar Masts – photograph from Orkney
Wireless Museum plus some historical comment
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detector clearly visible. Visitors may put the headphones on and listen to BBC Radio
Scotland.
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420:"Orkney Wireless Museum :: Museum Finder, Guide, Radio, techn | Radiomuseum.org"
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The
Amateur Radio call sign GB2OWM is frequently activated at the museum. During the
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which were built primarily as naval defences to protect the anchorage at
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early recording equipment e.g. The
Recordon dictating machine made by
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and marks the importance of wireless communications in Orkney during
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Archive 1939–1945. Archived from the original on 25 September 2009
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was not nearly ready. When Orkney's was finished, it was sent to
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of Great Britain. The Museum was awarded a Certificate from the
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domestic wireless receivers made in the US by companies such as
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of England – features a flat, magnetically coated paper disk.
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348:). The collected equipment had played a vital part in the
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a working crystal set (made about 1912) with the crystal/
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are subsequently exchanged with the stations contacted.
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wireless receivers made in the UK by companies such as
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The Orkney Wireless Museum is located at Kiln Corner,
324:, with one of the world's first active operational
125:. In the collection there is much reference to the
227:photographic archive of life in "Fortress Orkney"
144:every September, worldwide contacts are made and
1698:Telecommunications museums in the United Kingdom
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499:"Naval Museums and Preserved Warships 2000–2001"
352:and North Sea, and has all seen active service.
336:where it was to play such a vital role in the
288:In 1997, the collection moved to Kiln Corner,
1743:Military communications of the United Kingdom
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395:"Orkney Wireless Museum, Kirkwall – Museums"
1584:Global telecommunications regulation bodies
1688:World War II museums in the United Kingdom
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137:to the civilian and military populations.
69:Learn how and when to remove this message
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32:This article includes a list of general
539:Orkney Wireless Museum Official Website
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208:original Scapa Flow boom defence chart
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475:in Living Orkney magazine, Sep-2006
198:example of 1930s Ardent hearing aid
13:
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249:Orkney Wireless Museum collections
38:it lacks sufficient corresponding
14:
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283:Royal Naval Amateur Radio Society
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1219:Free-space optical communication
316:. He was also employed at other
279:Museums and Galleries Commission
168:Orkney Wireless Museum interior
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1723:1983 establishments in Scotland
549:Video of a visit to the museum
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1:
370:"Orkney Wireless Museum 2024"
355:
305:, MacMichael, K.B., Lowe and
1605:Telecommunication portal
1386:Telecommunications equipment
482:Brewster, R. (August 2005).
7:
1738:Charities based in Scotland
1733:Science museums in Scotland
1708:Museums established in 1983
1122:Alexander Stepanovich Popov
184:Some examples of exhibits:
151:
10:
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1713:Communications in Scotland
826:Telecommunications history
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16:Museum in Orkney, Scotland
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1434:Public Switched Telephone
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1246:telecommunication circuit
1207:Fiber-optic communication
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952:Francis Blake (telephone)
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747:Optical telecommunication
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523:: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
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1728:Scotland in World War II
1345:Orbital angular-momentum
782:Satellite communications
621:Communications satellite
484:"Orkney Wireless Museum"
454:. Orkney Wireless Museum
452:"Orkney Wireless Museum"
1224:Molecular communication
1047:Gardiner Greene Hubbard
876:Undersea telegraph line
611:Cable protection system
374:www.steamheritage.co.uk
193:Thermionic Products Ltd
142:Orkney Science Festival
53:more precise citations.
1366:Communication protocol
1152:Charles Sumner Tainter
967:Walter Houser Brattain
912:Edwin Howard Armstrong
720:Information revolution
350:Battle of the Atlantic
250:
224:by Y-service operators
169:
161:
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104:Orkney Wireless Museum
83:Orkney Wireless Museum
1340:Polarization-division
1072:Narinder Singh Kapany
1037:Erna Schneider Hoover
957:Jagadish Chandra Bose
937:Alexander Graham Bell
668:online video platform
399:www.visitscotland.com
248:
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1718:Military electronics
1664:58.98444°N 2.96028°W
1182:Vladimir K. Zworykin
1142:Almon Brown Strowger
1112:Charles Grafton Page
767:Prepaid mobile phone
695:Electrical telegraph
1660: /
1132:Johann Philipp Reis
891:Wireless revolution
853:The Telephone Cases
710:Hydraulic telegraph
424:www.radiomuseum.org
1669:58.98444; -2.96028
1330:Frequency-division
1307:Telephone exchange
1177:Charles Wheatstone
1107:Jun-ichi Nishizawa
1082:Innocenzo Manzetti
1017:Reginald Fessenden
752:Optical telegraphy
585:Telecommunications
471:Hodge, A., (2006)
268:St Margaret's Hope
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217:spy Suitcase Radio
175:Churchill Barriers
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160:Ardent hearing aid
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91:St Margaret's Hope
1693:Museums in Orkney
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1381:Store and forward
1376:Data transmission
1290:Network switching
1241:Transmission line
1087:Guglielmo Marconi
1052:Internet pioneers
917:Mohamed M. Atalla
886:Whistled language
338:Battle of Britain
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1474:Notable networks
1464:Wireless network
1404:Cellular network
1396:Types of network
1371:Computer network
1258:Network topology
1172:Thomas A. Watson
1027:Oliver Heaviside
1012:Philo Farnsworth
987:Daniel Davis Jr.
962:Charles Bourseul
922:John Logie Baird
631:Data compression
626:Computer network
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735:Mobile phone
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1077:Hedy Lamarr
1062:Dawon Kahng
1022:Elisha Gray
982:Yogen Dalal
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841:Teleprinter
705:Heliographs
51:introducing
1682:Categories
1563:Antarctica
1522:Toasternet
1444:Television
927:Paul Baran
859:Television
843:(teletype)
836:Telegraphy
814:transistor
792:Phryctoria
762:Photophone
740:Smartphone
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356:References
222:Y-stations
179:Scapa Flow
131:Scapa Flow
127:Home Fleet
34:references
1655:2°57′37″W
1652:58°59′4″N
1547:Americas
1536:Locations
1507:Internet2
1268:Bandwidth
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509:22 August
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1615:Category
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1409:Ethernet
1359:Concepts
1283:terminal
1234:wireless
1057:Bob Kahn
900:Pioneers
725:Internet
616:Cable TV
519:cite web
290:Kirkwall
152:Exhibits
115:Kirkwall
87:Kirkwall
1635:Commons
1625:Outline
1578:Oceania
1497:FidoNet
1482:ARPANET
1295:circuit
864:digital
593:History
307:Amplion
296:Founder
47:improve
1573:Europe
1543:Africa
1527:Usenet
1487:BITNET
1424:Mobile
1300:packet
809:MOSFET
804:device
601:Beacon
429:5 June
404:5 June
379:5 June
330:Orkney
314:Lyness
303:Cossor
240:Philco
236:Weston
212:U-boat
109:Museum
36:, but
1556:South
1551:North
1512:JANET
1449:Telex
1439:Radio
1278:Nodes
1273:Links
1194:media
772:Radio
757:Pager
685:Drums
651:video
646:image
636:audio
334:Dover
326:Radar
214:radio
135:Radar
1568:Asia
1454:UUCP
1414:ISDN
525:link
511:2009
491:2009
460:2009
431:2024
406:2024
381:2024
254:EKCO
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1419:LAN
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