As I mentioned in a previous post, a lot of my Franklin Institute… obsession?…is related to what used to be called the “Futures Center”; a massive addition to the Franklin Institute in the early 1990s that not only added on a large portion of the building, but filled it with all things modern, like computers, virtual reality, automation, space, and so on.
Continue reading “Franklin Institute W3TKQ Station – 1990s to 2002”Franklin Institute W3TKQ Amateur Radio Station Updated in 1962 (With Sound!!)
You may recall a previous post HERE where I show an original QST card from the original W3TKQ ham radio station, located in the Franklin Institute in 1958.
Well as all things go with technology, the station needed an update after a few years, and in May 1962, Dr. Wynn Laurence LePage, W3QCV, then president of the Franklin Institute, introduced a new, updated W3TKQ station…
Continue reading “Franklin Institute W3TKQ Amateur Radio Station Updated in 1962 (With Sound!!)”Franklin Institute – 1960s and 1970s
Yet more Franklin Institute postcards! This cool collection came in a few days ago and must have all been purchased at once, as they show what looks to be all from a particular period and all have a similar format. I’m guessing these are from around the 60s to 70s, likely leaning towards the mid to late 60s. Enjoy!
Continue reading “Franklin Institute – 1960s and 1970s”Franklin Institute W3TKQ QSL Card from 1958
Being a Philly native, I have fond memories of the Franklin Institute from class trips and family outings. Growing up in the 80s and 90s I remember there being a new-ish ham radio station on the 4th floor where the telescope still is. Sadly like many things there it’s long gone, but I happened to find and acquire this old QSL card from the original station in 1958!
I do collect some FI ephemera, especially looking for ANYTHING from when they had the Futures center in the 1990s. Hit me up if you have any!
The ham radio station at the Franklin Institute was a partnership with a local ham radio club called the Philmont Mobile Radio Club. You can read more about the history of the station on the site here: http://www.phil-mont.org/tfi-hist.html . On a side note, I’ve hung out with the guys at Philmont and even got my ham radio license via their monthly testing sessions. If you’re looking for a local club, they’re a good one to check out!
I purposely left the rear of the card off as I have to censor some of the data, but the operator at the time was Nelson Schurr, W3DYP who filled and sent the card.
Stay tuned for more cool Franklin Institute stuff!