Historical Electronics Museum
Encyclopedia
The National Electronics Museum located in Linthicum, Maryland
, displays the history of the United States defense electronics.
Dwight decided to increase radar and other electronics for viewing. His first mission was to recruit the help of Jack Sun, a former U.S. Air Force officer and Westinghouse employee. Both men tried to acquire the BOMARC missile radar from the Department of Defense. This missile housed the first air borne pulse-doppler radar, AN/DPN-53. However, in order to gain access to the radar they had to be classified as a non-profit museum.
After gaining advice and paperwork from Westinghouse lawyer, Butch Gregory, they created the National Electronics Museum in 1980.
Finances and storage space was handled by Westinghouse and in 1983 a (2,000sq-ft) portion of space was devoted to the museum at the Airport Square III. Then in 1986 it extended to (4,000sq-ft). Formerly run by volunteers, the first museum employee was hired in 1992 when the it was relocated to Friendship square.
In 1996, Northrop Grumman bought Westinghouse and continued support for museum efforts. The museum closed its doors temporarily in 1999 and reopened with over (22,000sq-ft) of space. This space included a conference room, event hall, gallery, and a climate-controlled warehouse.
The museum offers education programs such as YESS (Young Engineers and Scientists) and the annual Robot Fest all well as the Robert L. Dwight scholarship. Donations and grants are accepted from foundations and engineering societies. Robotfest occurs on the last weekend of April annually.
Board members include former Westinghouse employees and Northrop Grumman associates. Other public foundations such as Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Camegie Institute, American Association of Museums, the University of Maryland - Baltimore County, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, Allied Signal, and Hertzbach & Company support the museum. Over 30 volunteers donate over 5,000 hours of their time each year.
Linthicum, Maryland
Linthicum is a census-designated place and an unincorporated community in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 7,539 at the 2000 census. It is the approximate location of Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport...
, displays the history of the United States defense electronics.
About
The National Electronics Museum houses assortments of telegraphs, radios, radars and satellites exhibits. Admission is $3 for adults, $1 for seniors and students, and children under 5 years of age are free. Located near the Baltimore Washington International Airport and rail station, the museum displays hands-on electronics. The library serves as a research center open to the public. Hours are Monday through Friday . and Saturday . In addition, an amateur radio station is broadcasted live from the museum each week. K3NEM/W3GR includes both antique and updated communication equipment.Galleries
The National Electronics Museum is organized into twelve related exhibit galleries-
- Fundamentals Gallery
- Communications Gallery
- Early Radar Gallery
- Cold WarCold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
Radar Gallery - Modern Radar Gallery
- Countermeasures Gallery
- Under Seas Gallery
- Electro-optical Gallery
- Space Sensor Gallery
- Past Gallery
- Web Gallery
- WWII Radar Kiosk
Events
- RobotFestRobotFestRobotFest is an event where Creativity and Technology Come Together. It features robots and robotic-themed demonstrations, held annually at the National Electronics Museum in Linthicum, Maryland since 2000....
- held at the museum annually - Pioneer Camp - held at the museum each summer
- Lecture Series -held in Pioneer Hall at the NEM throughout the year on a variety of topics
History of the Museum
The National Electronics museum emerged from Westinghouse employees. Robert L. Dwight jump-started the current collection in 1973. Dwight worked for the Westinghouse Defense and Electronics Systems Center located in Baltimore, MD. Family Day was his way of displaying his colleagues work while involving their families. Three exhibits: “Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow”, showed examples of Westinghouse work while presenting the progress through the eras.Dwight decided to increase radar and other electronics for viewing. His first mission was to recruit the help of Jack Sun, a former U.S. Air Force officer and Westinghouse employee. Both men tried to acquire the BOMARC missile radar from the Department of Defense. This missile housed the first air borne pulse-doppler radar, AN/DPN-53. However, in order to gain access to the radar they had to be classified as a non-profit museum.
After gaining advice and paperwork from Westinghouse lawyer, Butch Gregory, they created the National Electronics Museum in 1980.
Finances and storage space was handled by Westinghouse and in 1983 a (2,000sq-ft) portion of space was devoted to the museum at the Airport Square III. Then in 1986 it extended to (4,000sq-ft). Formerly run by volunteers, the first museum employee was hired in 1992 when the it was relocated to Friendship square.
In 1996, Northrop Grumman bought Westinghouse and continued support for museum efforts. The museum closed its doors temporarily in 1999 and reopened with over (22,000sq-ft) of space. This space included a conference room, event hall, gallery, and a climate-controlled warehouse.
The museum offers education programs such as YESS (Young Engineers and Scientists) and the annual Robot Fest all well as the Robert L. Dwight scholarship. Donations and grants are accepted from foundations and engineering societies. Robotfest occurs on the last weekend of April annually.
Board members include former Westinghouse employees and Northrop Grumman associates. Other public foundations such as Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Camegie Institute, American Association of Museums, the University of Maryland - Baltimore County, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, Allied Signal, and Hertzbach & Company support the museum. Over 30 volunteers donate over 5,000 hours of their time each year.
External links
- The National Electronics Museum
- Amateur Radio Club of the National Electronics Museum
- http://www.homeandabroad.com/c/66/Site/97458_Historical_Electronics_Museum_visit.html
- http://www.aam-us.org/
- http://www.smallmuseum.org/museums.htm
- http://www.baltimorefunguide.com/index.cfm?method=calendar.venue&attraction_id=4054
- http://www.hellowashingtondc.com/commons/pages/articles/attraction/national_electronics_museum_radars_sensors_defense_products/203812/