August 1st, 1971 A contract to build a new TACAN for the U.S. Air Force was awarded. By 1979 the 10,000th AN/ARN-118(V) was shipped.
August 25th, 1937 Arthur Collins applies for a patent for the automatic tuning system apparatus (Autotune®).
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
Museum Open to Public
by: Lawrence Robinson
posted: March 12, 2012
In an experiment, the company is opening the museum to limited public tours.
The tours will be offered from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays, and will leave promptly from the south entrance of building 120. Arrangements can be made by calling Lawrence Robinson at 295-1698.
Because of security requirements a passport or driver’s license is needed to provide identification.
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, Lawrence Robinson 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.
I’ve been working on a method to present a few photos from the Museum’s archives to the public - with a little extra dialog.
This gallery has a feature for interested readers to make their own comments to the photos. Commenters fill in a registration form to gain access. Comments can be re-edited by their makers as many times as it takes.
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
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.
★ WANTED ★
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!
★ also WANTED ★
Issues of COLLINS PULSE
by: Larry Tjaden
posted: November 24, 2015
We have uploaded all of the Collins Column and Collins Signal Issues and now we are working on the next publication... Collins Pulse.
If our math is correct, there should be approximately 180 issues (1961-1975 @ 12 per year).
So far, we have found 39 in our Museum collection and have received an additional 44 issues from Robert Blin (thanks Bob) - all of which have been uploaded to the Museum’s web site.
take a look If any of you have a PULSE issue that is not on our current list (link below), drop us a line - we would be happy to scan and return it to you.
Send Email to rod@rockwellcollinsmuseum.org
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".
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.
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 the only 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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
233D Transmitter Restoration
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
VOLUNTEER PROJECT
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!
more/less
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.
