While serving in the Air Force, Julius performed maintenance on the ART-13, including the mechanisms in the demonstration unit. As an Amateur Radio Operator, he has been collecting ART-13 spare parts and notes that, “Someday he wishes to put one of these little babes back on the air.”
Julius was also responsible for rebuilding, among other components, the fully functional radio operator’s station for “FIFI” - the last flying B-29 bomber.
Archives:
Museum:
Collins Aerospace
Timeline:
Early History:
by: Arlo Goodyear
–The Collins Story
–The Collins Story
by: Ben Stearns
–Echo Hill Story
–Echo Hill Story
by: Nancy Zook
–The Iowan Magazine
–The Iowan Magazine
by: Ed Marriner
–CQ Magazine
–CQ Magazine
Our Founder:
Museum Club:
| Museum CLOSED this Wednesday! |
| This Month in History - September |
| September 1st, 1935 The 45A Transmitter was introduced - which became a popular table-top unit with police departments, commercial users, and amateurs alike. |
| September 6th, 1944 The Main Plant Cafeteria was first opened. |
| September 9th, 1909 Arthur Andrews Collins was born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma. |
| September 19th, 1942 The Collins Radio Co. was awarded the coveted Army-Navy "E" emblem. Our flag is flown to this day. |
| September 22nd, 1933 Collins Radio Company became a corporation under the laws of the State of Delaware. |
| Public Inquiry | |
| by: Mike Hynek | posted: January 28, 2018 |
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The Collins Aerospace Museum is always looking for interesting artifacts to add to its collection. Is your basement presently harboring a mysterious piece of electronics, perhaps an engineering model of an early product? Did a family member ask you to store a black box saying, "Keep this - someday it may be of interest to a Museum?" If so, contact our Museum Curator, Mike Hynek with a description of your treasure. Send an email here. |
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| Collecting Stories | |
| Behind the Scene at Rockwell Collins | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: July 5, 2012 |
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We have begun an effort to capture all of those interesting company-related stories that you’ve been telling each other - but haven’t written down yet.
Terry Lamb has stepped up and entered the first one. Thanks Terry! Click the link at the bottom of this story to find the stories page. If you wish, you can get started on your story by selecting "0n-line" or "Down-load a Form". If you choose on-line, you will be able to review and re-edit your input. Remember, your story will be reviewed by our editor before it will appear in the collection. Read Stories |
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| Collins Radio Company Records | |
| by: Ghis Devlaminck | posted: November 10, 2011 |
| Many of the early Collins Radio Company records are stored at the University of Iowa Special Collections & University Archives. | |
| Visit the U of I Archives | |
| Search All Magazines... | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: June 28, 2020 |
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We have added a new tool for searching our Magazine collection.
Now you can search all issues, of all magazines, from one page! Go there and give it a try. |
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| We’ve uploaded all sixty-three issues... | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: June 9, 2020 |
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One of the most interesting and colorful company-produced magazine was Rockwell Collins Horizons.
From 2001, to the last issue in 2015, we have all enjoyed perusing this informative publication. Every issue was loaded with engaging articles for Rockwell Collins employees and their families. Dive in and read a few. Gordon Fabian, our indexer, has processed the first twelve issues - listing Events & Places, Equipment, and Names. For this publication, he has entered all of the names on the "Anniversaries" pages. Click here to do research. |
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| Signed Brick Found | |
| Arthur Collins - 1942 | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: August 9, 2018 |
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Arthur’s autographed brick found during renovation of the Main Plant near location of his old office.
click to read the article at KCRG-TV9’s web site. This artifact is now in the Museum! |
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| Collins Personnel Services | |
| News from the mid 1970’s | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: July 20, 2018 |
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Just uploaded - 17 issues of the company’s publication, Collins Personnel Services.
This one followed Collins Pulse and featured local news about clubs, sports leagues, and employee activities. Take a look. HERE. |
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| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: July 19, 2018 |
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We just added seven of the ’EXTRA’ versions of Pulse. take a look
Retiree, Gordy Fabian has been Indexing the collection. Make a test search yourself on the Research page. |
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| issues have been indexed... | |
| by: Larry | posted: February 11, 2018 |
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| Retiree, Gordy Fabian, found a little spare time and Indexed the three issues we have of Rockwell Vision. Make a test search yourself on the Research page. | |
| History of the Dallas Division | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: March 5, 2016 |
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Compiled by retiree, John Estill, this document presents a brief history of our Dallas Division’s beginning in 1951 - under the Collins Radio Co. and continuing to today’s operations as Collins Aerospace.
It is a large file so give it a moment to load… click to read |
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| Issues of PRIDE Magazine | |
| by: Rod Blocksome | posted: December 10, 2015 |
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In an effort to complete the collection of published Rockwell Collins magazines, we are seeking donations of any issues of the Rockwell PRIDE Magazine published in the 1960’s-1980’s. We currently have only a single issue and thus do not know the extent of it’s publication dates. If you have any issues of PRIDE that you would like to donate, please send them to Lawrence Robinson (museum curator) or contact Rod Blocksome or Larry Tjaden.
Send Email to rod@rockwellcollinsmuseum.org take a look! |
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| Bond Travels in Style | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: May 13, 2015 |
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This image submitted by retiree, Gene Dooley - a frame captured from the United Artists’ movie Goldfinger.
Lawrence is thinking the VHF Comm antenna is a 37R-2. The aircraft is a Lockheed JetStar L-329. In the Fall 1959 issue of Collins Signal a $1 million contract was noted with Lockheed to outfit their new JetStar - the "first business jet aircraft". More ’cameos’ at the ArthurCollins.Org site. |
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| Collins History | |
| 1971 Film, Narrated by Rod Sterling | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: April 7, 2015 |
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Recently posted by the Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI), this 20-minute film contributed by Don Stokes, is an interesting reminder of the breadth of diversification the Collins Radio Co. and Collins under Rockwell International had achieved by 1971.
Rockwell Collins employees of today will be interested in the number of products our fore-bearers built this company upon.  Don Stokes is a Dallas area film producer and member of the Dallas Film Society. |
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| Watch the film... | |
| Collins Column Issues | |
| by: Rod Blocksome | posted: December 16, 2014 |
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We have completed the upload of all 138 issues of Collins Column to our web site.
The Collins Column was first published in May 1943 primarily as a communications vehicle for employees serving in the armed forces. The magazine was published monthly through April 1947. It resumed publication again in August 1950 and continued through July 1957. take a look Collins Column Magazines. |
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| Collins Signal Issues | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: December 15, 2014 |
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We have completed the upload of all seventy issues of Collins Signal to our web site.
These publications represent a wealth of information about the history of our company’s growth and the products we were producing - starting from the 1930’s. take a look |
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| A Bit of Collins History in Anamosa | |
| by: Rod Blocksome | posted: December 18, 2013 |
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You might find this 1957 "Eurovision" film about "Small Town, U.S.A. - Anamosa, Iowa" interesting.
There is a short segment about the Collins facility in Anamosa - about ten minutes into the film. The film was produced by the United States Information Service. |
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| watch the video... | |
| History CoP Presentation for November | |
| The Collins Years | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: November 25, 2013 |
| Presented by Jim Shanklin who separated his presentation into three eras: Arthur’s family and background, pre WWII Amateur Radio equipment and business development, and the post WWII products. | |
| view the presentation | |
| History CoP Presentation for February | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: February 11, 2013 |
| Echo Hill and Feather Ridge, presented by: Dave Hodgin, Jim Shanklin, and Rod Blocksome. | |
| view the presentation | |
| History CoP Presentation for September | |
| Collins’ Role in Space Communications | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: September 10, 2012 |
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Presented by Jim Shanklin - who was there to witness the day-to-day management of this huge Collins Radio Co. project.
Jim’s presentation is loaded with detail about almost every box, test rack, and antenna we produced for the programs. Even today, we are proud to say, "Every voice from space was transmitted through a Collins Radio." |
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| view the presentation | |
| The First Ten Years | |
| A YouTube Video by: Gary Halverson | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: July 10, 2012 |
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A 22-minute overview of the first ten years of Collins Radio. Introduces Art Collins, the radio landscape of the late 1920’s and early 1930’s, then reviews five pre-war Collins transmitters.
Produced by WA9MZU (now K6GLH) in 1998 for the Collins Collectors Association Convention in Dallas as part of J.B. Jenkins’, W5EU, presentation on the early history of Collins Radio. |
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| watch the video... | |
| History CoP Presentation for March | |
| The Fab 50s - Innovations Galore | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: March 19, 2012 |
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| Rockwell Collins Museum Curator, Lawrence Robinson presented part one of his slide show on the "Fabulous Fifties". In this installment, he introduced to the CoP’s 135+ attendees, a dozen or so of the company’s most innovative employees and several of their ground-breaking creations. He brought with him a number of artifacts from the Museum. | |
| view the presentation | |
| History CoP Presentation for January | |
| "America’s Leading Antenna Engineer" | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: January 17, 2012 |
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| Retired employee, James Shanklin, made an excellent presentation on his father’s carrier here at Rockwell Collins as the Lead Antenna Engineer. John Pack Shanklin joined the Collins Radio Co. in 1947 and worked here until his untimely death in 1956. | |
| view the presentation | |
| by: Larry | posted: October 7, 2020 |
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The Museum Volunteers and Docents are saddened by the passing of James Shanklin. Jim was a long-time Employee of the Collins Radio Company, author of several history books about Collins Radio, served on the AACLA Board of Directors and as a Docent for the Collins Aerospace Museum. He was a active proponent of preserving the company’s Museum and its artifacts. We will certainly miss his tour presentations. |
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| ...for the time being. | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: March 17, 2020 |
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In the best interest of everyone’s well-being, the Collins Aerospace Museum Staff and Docents have chosen to curtail guided tours for the near future.
As soon as the COVID-19 concerns have eased, we’ll open again to entertain all our Company History Buffs. |
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| The Beechcraft StarShip | |
| by: Larry | posted: October 10, 2019 |
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Larry Pinkston, and myself, have begun the restoration of the Museum’s StarShip Avionics System.
We have gotten past the initial power application tests - with just enough smoke to remind passers-by that Engineers are at work. At this writing, about half of the instruments are working - but are only displaying static screens. In a few months we hope to have a new artifact to show during Museum tours - maybe like the photo above. |
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| Back in the Museum | |
| by: Larry | posted: April 10, 2019 |
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Retiree and Friend of the Museum, Larry Pinkston, has completed a special project to restore a Collins 150B Transmitter.
We have reason to believe that this unit was Arthur Collins’ prototype for the 150A/B product line. We have created a BLOG-like page to follow his progress. Read it here.  Larry Pinkston, conservator. |
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| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: June 20, 2018 |
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It’s time to fire up the Way Back Machine and take another trip down memory lane… Back when the Inventory Disposal Store had cool stuff for sale.
How many store locations do you remember? |
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| Click Here | |
| Tail Fin Art | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: March 8, 2018 |
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The folks at Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA are using select dignitaries to decorate their fleet. This Boeing 787 DreamLiner notes our founder as an “American Radio Communications Pioneer”.
I placed a short article over at the AACLA site …under “News”. Also, read a more detailed account on the RockwellCollins site. Here |
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| New Artifact | |
| "Mint Condition" 30FX | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: January 25, 2018 |
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This 1934 30FX Transmitter was owned and operated by J.B. Jenkins (W5EU), retired Collins Radio Engineer from the Richardson, TX facility.
J.B. passed away on September 20, 2017 and specified that this part of his collection be gifted to the Collins Aerospace Museum by his son-in-law Mark Reel. Mike and Rod welcome the new Artifact. read more about the 30FX. |
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| History behind our Museum’s 30W | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: December 4, 2016 |
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In 1965, CQ Magazine published an article, set in Summer 1932, about a ham radio operator visiting Arthur Collins’ Radio Factory to, potentially, purchase a new 30W transmitter.
You probably guessed, the story is describing the provenance of our Museum’s oldest artifact - possibly one of Arthur’s first 30W sales. read the article. |
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| Passenger Entertainment | |
| back in the 40’s | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: February 11, 2016 |
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Friend of the Museum, Steve Black, found an early Collins Radio Co. advertisement that reminded him of how we were ’always a little ahead of our time’.
see what he wrote. |
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| FOUND | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: February 1, 2016 |
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While rummaging through one of our back rooms, I discovered this copy of The Iowan Magazine …the one with the "Collins and the Electronic Beanstalk" article that was mentioned in the 50th anniversary book.
read the article. |
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| 1936 Employee Roster | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: January 12, 2016 |
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Arthur’s company started pretty small. Is any of your loved-ones listed here?
view the list. |
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| Young Arthur’s Ham Shack | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: August 29, 2015 |
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Ever wonder who Arthur was QSOing with back in 1925 as a young amateur radio operator?
How about them QSLs on his ham shack wall? Take a look at this page where we make our best attempt to identify the owners of the Call Signs. |
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| Collins Farms Company Bulletin | |
| A Clue to Arthur’s Success | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: June 11, 2015 |
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We have just uploaded a copy of the 1930 Collins Farms Company Bulletin. Excerpts from this document have appeared in Ben Stearns’ book: Arthur Collins Radio Wizard and in our anniversary publication: The First 50 Years.
Here is your chance to read the entire document. Merle Collins, and his farming company, were waaaay ahead of their time! |
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| Jim’s Crew at Work ...? | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: April 14, 2013 |
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Follow our BLOG as we transcend from: ’Unit-Received’ to ’Torn-Into-A-Million-Pieces’ to ’Put-All-Back-Together-Again’.
read the blog |
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| ART-13 Autototune® Demo | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: July 1, 2012 |
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Collins Aerospace Museum Club member, Julius Yoder, has recently donated an ART-13 Autotune® demonstration unit to the Museum. This unit is a fully operational lower section of the famous ART-13 transmitter. The WWII-era product, built by the Collins Radio Co., featured a state-of-the-art (at the time) 10-channel five-station automatic re-tuning system.
This wonderful addition to the Museum will make it very easy for us Tour Guides to describe the operation of the ART-13. Thanks Julius! |
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