Discover the technological development of wireless telegraphy through objects relating to the history of radio, and television transmission and reception.
Radio Communication
1962-1967
Telstar maser assembly with magnet, made by Mullard Research Laboratories, Redhill, Surrey, England, 1962-1967
1955-1960
'Channel' Band III television converter, type C2, s/n2337, made by Channel Electronic Industries, Burnham on Sea, Somerset, England, 1955-1960
1955-1985
Antiference Band I (Channel 4) television aerial, "H" type, on mounting pole, manufactured by Antiference Limited, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, 1957-1985
1894
Coherer, coarse brass turnings in long glass tube bent at end, designed or used by Sir Oliver Lodge, England, 1894-1904. Paper label stuck round tube marked in handwriting ‘June 23 1894’.
1899
Filings coherer, glass tube formed into T-shape at one end and bent round into U-shape at other end with bulb, designed or used by Sir Oliver Lodge, England, 1899. Paper label stuck round tube marked in handwriting ’17 / Jan 3 / 1899’.
1936-1955
Six-stage super heterodyne receiver processed on the ECME system, probably made by Sargrove Electronics Ltd, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, 1936-1955
1922-1923
Radio equipment comprising:- one-valve, home-constructed self-excited transmitter, made by Alan T Lee, founding member of the Derby Wireless Club, Derby, Derbyshire, England, 1922-1923
1953
Pye 'Cambridge International' 11-band broadcast receiver, type PE80, made by Pye Limited, Cambridge, England, 1953
1934
Home made 30-line televisor, made by Robert Albert Lampitt, Wolverhampton, England, 1934.
1980-1983
Microphone from `Oscar One' 27 MHz f.m. CB mobile/base radio transceiver, manufactured by South Midlands Communications Limited, Eastleigh, Hampshire, England, 1980-1983
1905
Experimental form 1 (Licence to use Wireless Telegraph for Experimental purposes) dated 14 November 1905 and made out to Ernest Dundas Gledall Esq BSc, issued by the General Post Office on behalf of the Postmaster General, British, 1905
1889
Spark gap or knob coherer, unknown maker, England, 1889. Used by Sir Oliver Lodge to first show the coherer effect and detect electric surgings by closing the circuit of a galvanometer during experiments on lightning guards.
1875-1880
Clockwork interruptor made and used by David Edward Hughes (1831-1900), England, c. 1879
1929-1935
Home-made equipment for 30-line television reception, unknown maker, British, 1929-35. Comprises Nipkow disc, neon lamp, viewing lens, phonic-wheel unit, home recorded discs of signals, square punch for Nipkow disc).
1949
Model (scale 1:4) of wire screen in octagonal frame used by Heinrich Hertz, made by the Science Museum Workshops, South Kensington, London, England, 1949
1902
Original wheel or steel-disc coherer (thin-film detector), made by E E Robinson, England, 1902. Made for Oliver Lodge and Alexander Muirhead
1944-1959
B.B.C. Marconi AXBT ribbon microphone, inst. no. 498044, made by Marconi's Wireless Telegraphy Company Limited, Chelmsford, 1944-1959
1927-1956
Part of Rugby transatlantic telephone transmitter, made by Standard Telephones and Cables, New Southgate, England, 1927
1920-1940
Voigt condenser microphone, probably made by Voigt Patents Limited, Sydenham, London, England, 1920-1940.
1933
'Wireless World' diary for 1933, published by Iliffe and Sons Limited, City of London, England, 1933
1954
Murphy 14-inch Band I/Band III television receiver, Model V240, made by Murphy Radio Limited, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, 1954
Moulded unprocessed bakelite panel ready for ECME machine after roughening in the machine, probably made by Sargrove Electronics Ltd, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, 1936-1955
1927
Two-valve, short wave radio - telephonic receiver, made for the Science Museum by Frederick H Walker, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, 1927
1920-1930
Low power transportable radio transmitter in teak case, complete with hand-driven generator, made by G E Mortley-Sprague and Company, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, 1920-1930
1963-1965
One Pye Bantam radio telephone set, labelled as 'Museum A', made by Pye Telecommunication Limited, Cambridge, England, 1963-1965
1951-1953
Reporter mobile radiophone type PTC 116, serial No. 6744, made by Pye Limited, Cambridge, England, 1951-1953
1900-1910
Branly tripod coherer, probably made by Edouard Branly, France, 1900-1910
1903
Bas-relief head and shoulders of Guglielmo Marconi on brass lamina, engraved "1903, R. Bravi, Milano", made by R Bravi, Milano, Italy, 1903
1899-1901
Carbon-mercury-iron semiconductor diode detector, of the type invented by J C Bose in 1899, modified version, unknown maker, 1899-1901. Known as the ‘Italian Navy coherer’, used by G Marconi in Newfoundland to receive the first wireless communication across the Atlantic, December 1901.
1880-1889
Two syntonic Leyden jars, unknown maker, Germany, 1880-1889. Possibly the actual ones used by Oliver Lodge in March 1889 at the Royal Institution to demonstrate resonance in adjacent circuits when at the same frequency.
1922-1924
BBC printing stamp issued to the Willesden Wireless Company, British, 1922-1924.
1906-1916
Silicon crystal for wireless telegraphy, mounted in a locket, unknown maker, England, 1906-1916
Model (scale 1:4) of two parabolic zinc reflectors used by Heinrich Hertz, one with oscillator and the other with resonator, made by the Science Museum Workshops, South Kensington, London, England, 1949
1901
Billi condenser, or adjustable receiving capacitor, used for tuning the aerial in Newfoundland for the first wireless communication across the Atlantic, probably made by Marconi's Wireless Telegraphy Company, Chelmsford, Essex, England, December 1901.
1898
Receiving ‘jigger’ or oscillation transformer, single layer primary and secondary coils (split), used by the Marconi Company, probably made by Marconi's Wireless Telegraphy Company, Chelmsford, Essex, England, 1898
Crystal set with Braille dial marking, supplied by the British Wireless for the Blind Fund and made by Burne-Jones and Company, London, England, 1929-1935.
Small Hertzian oscillator, made by E E Robinson, England, 1894. Used by Oliver Lodge in his lecture before the Royal Institution on 1 June 1894 on ‘The work of Hertz and his successors’
1917
C.W. (continuous wave) transmitter/receiver, Mk.I**, also known as Trench set C.W. Mk.I, made by W/T Factory, W.D. Soho W. (Wireless Telegraphy Factory, War Department), England, 1917
2001
Roberts 'Classic 2000' DAB digital radio, made by Roberts Radio Limited, 2001.
1924-1927
Brownie crystal receiver and pair of Lissen headphones, made by the J W B Wireless Company and Lissen Limited, London, England, 1924-1927
CB antenna tuner 100TU27 from `Oscar One' 27 MHz f.m. CB mobile/base radio transceiver, manufactured by South Midlands Communications Limited, Eastleigh, Hampshire, England, 1980-1983
1934-1940
Two albums of cigarette cards showing early British radio performers, "Radio Celebrities" and "Radio Celebrities Second Series", manufactured by Imperial Tobacco and distributed under the brand name W D and H O Wills and Company, probably Bristol, 1934-1940
1969-1970
Sony 'Trinitron' colour television set, model type KV-1320UB, manufactured by Sony, Japan, 1969-1970. Serial No. 505704
1935-1965
'Standlens' liquid-filled plastic lens for magnifying a television picture, mounted on adjustable wooden stand, probably made by Lumex, probably British, 1935-1965
1928
Volume 1 number 1 of "Television" monthly magazine, "The Official Organ of the Television Society", published by Television Press Limited, British, March 1928.
1890-1896
Ebonite coherer with adjustable contacts, unknown maker, British, 1890-1896. Used in August 1896, in experiments carried out by Captain Henry Jackson
1925-1935
Marconi-Reis transverse-current carbon microphone, invented by Georg Neumann, unknown maker, British, 1925-1935.
1922-1925
Three-valve receiver used in a Derbyshire colliery test, unknown maker, Derby, England, 1922-1925. Ref. Wireless World 2/12/22 p.314
1939-1945
Headphones DLR no. 5 from wireless set no. 38 Mk. II serial no. 6319, unknown maker, British, 1939-1945
