This episode follows the our company’s contribution to the space program - with emphasis upon the Apollo 8 mission - where NASA first sent astronauts to, and around, the moon.
In the next episode, in a tribute to the 50th anniversary moon landing, we will expand upon our role in Apollo 11 mission.
Museum:
Collins Aerospace:
Timeline
Early History
by: Arlo Goodyear
by: Arlo Goodyear
Archives:
Our Founder:
Collins Aerospace
Museum Club:
Other Sites:
| Museum Tours |
| Interested in a tour? click here |
| This Month in History - December |
| December 1st, 1943 A celebration was held commemorating the 1,500th ART-13 radio manufactured for the war-time effort. |
| December 22nd, 1941 The production requirements forced the company to cancel all leaves of absence during the holiday season. |
| Collecting Stories | |
| Behind the Scene at Rockwell Collins | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: July 5, 2012 |
|
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 |
|
| Public Inquiry | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: January 28, 2012 |
|
The Rockwell Collins 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. |
|
| 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 | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: December 14, 2018 |
 |
|
|
The Arthur A. Collins Legacy Association’s latest documentary…
Connecting the Moon to the Earth Premiere - Friday, December 21, 2018 - 11:30 a.m. at the Collins Road Theaters 1462 Twixt Town Road, Marion, IA Open to the Public and FREE - Doors open at 11:00 --- Encore Screening - Saturday, December 22, 2018 - 7:30 p.m. Sinclair Auditorium - Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA Open to the Public and FREE - Doors open at 6:45 --- Read more HERE - select "The Collins Story" ↓ "Moon Talk". |
|
| Signed Brick Found | |
| Arthur Collins - 1942 | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: August 9, 2018 |
|
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. |
|
| Collins Personnel Services | |
| News from the mid 1970’s | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: July 20, 2018 |
 |
|
|
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. |
|
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: July 19, 2018 |
 |
|
|
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. |
|
| issues have been indexed... | |
| by: Larry | posted: February 11, 2018 |
 |
|
| 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. | |
| Count-down to the 50th Anniversary... | |
| ⇒ Apollo on the Moon! ⇐ | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: November 24, 2017 |
|
Over at the Arthur A. Collins Legacy Association web site, ArthurCollins.Org, we are counting-down the months until the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11’s landing on the moon - July 20, 2019.
We are going to re-print issues of Signal and Pulse that contain articles about Collins Radio’s involvement in the U.S. Space Program. This is some pretty interesting stuff! take a look. |
|
| History of the Dallas Division | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: March 5, 2016 |
|
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 Rockwell Collins Inc.
It is a large file so give it a moment to load… click to read |
|
| Issues of PRIDE Magazine | |
| by: Rod Blocksome | posted: December 10, 2015 |
 |
|
|
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! |
|
| Bond Travels in Style | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: May 13, 2015 |
 |
|
|
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. |
|
| Collins History | |
| 1971 Film, Narrated by Rod Sterling | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: April 7, 2015 |
|
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. |
|
| Watch the film... | |
| Collins Column Issues | |
| by: Rod Blocksome | posted: December 16, 2014 |
 |
|
|
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. |
|
| Collins Signal Issues | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: December 15, 2014 |
 |
|
|
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 |
|
| Vintage Collins ART-13 on the B-29 | |
| FIFI gets Radios | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: March 7, 2014 |
 |
|
| Read all about the restored radio operator’s station on a flying B-29 bomber. Museum Club members and Amateur Radio Club members, both in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Richardson, Texas, contributed their expertise and time towards a fully-operational, historically-accurate, war time communications station. | |
| click | |
| A Bit of Collins History in Amanosa | |
| by: Rod Blocksome | posted: December 18, 2013 |
|
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. |
|
| 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 |
|
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." |
|
| view the presentation | |
| The First Ten Years | |
| A YouTube Video by: Gary Halverson | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: July 10, 2012 |
|
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. |
|
| watch the video... | |
| History CoP Presentation for March | |
| The Fab 50s - Innovations Galore | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: March 19, 2012 |
 |
|
| 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 |
 |
|
| 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 Tjaden | posted: June 20, 2018 |
 |
|
|
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? |
|
| Click Here | |
| Tail Fin Art | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: March 8, 2018 |
 |
|
|
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 |
|
| New Artifact | |
| "Mint Condition" 30FX | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: January 25, 2018 |
 |
|
|
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 Rockwell Collins Museum by his son-in-law Mark Reel. Mike and Rod welcome the new Artifact. read more about the 30FX. |
|
| History behind our Museum’s 30W | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: December 4, 2016 |
 |
|
|
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. |
|
| Passenger Entertainment | |
| back in the 40’s | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: February 11, 2016 |
 |
|
|
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. |
|
| FOUND | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: February 1, 2016 |
 |
|
|
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. |
|
| 1936 Employee Roster | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: January 12, 2016 |
|
Arthur’s company started pretty small. Is any of your loved-ones listed here?
view the list. |
|
| Young Arthur’s Ham Shack | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: August 29, 2015 |
 |
|
|
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. |
|
| Collins Farms Company Bulletin | |
| A Clue to Arthur’s Success | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: June 11, 2015 |
|
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! |
|
| Jim’s Crew at Work ...? | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: April 14, 2013 |
 |
|
|
Follow our BLOG as we transcend from: ’Unit-Received’ to ’Torn-Into-A-Million-Pieces’ to ’Put-All-Back-Together-Again’.
read the blog |
|
| Friends of the Beechcraft StarShip | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: October 27, 2012 |
 |
|
|
One of our Museum Club’s artifact restoration projects is the Beechcraft StarShip Avionics Hot Mock-up.
We have recovered, and have in our back room, the original StarShip Avionics - Laboratory Hot Mock-up. Anyone interested in helping get this worthy project rolling, please contact our Museum Curator, Lawrence Robinson. Contact him by email. |
|
| ART-13 Autototune® Demo | |
| by: Larry Tjaden | posted: July 1, 2012 |
 |
|
|
Rockwell Collins 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!
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. |
|