E.F. Johnson Museum Photos, Waseca MN

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Bob Nickels W9RAN posted a link to some photos on the AMRadio reflector of the E.F. Johnson museum taken recently by Ron Eisenbrey, AB5WG on a trip to MN. Thought I'd repost here for those who may not be aware or aren't subscribed to the list:

http://picasaweb.google.com/RANickels/JohnsonMuseum

Very nice display of Johnson history, not to mention having a beautiful yellow brick building to house it all in. It's great to see enough pride in this history to preserve in in such a way. Hopefully this won't go the way of Leo Meyerson's WRL/Globe and antique radio museum display in Nebraska.

[N1IDU]

They used to have a museum in the old EFJ factory. I wonder if this is the same collection. I remember more early NAMPS phones and a gold plated cb. So glad I missed out on that award..Caw-mawn

[w4bfs]

hmmmmm ... I wonder what the sign above the BC375 said ..73 ..John

[John K5PRO]

Where's the Thunderbolt?

[Pete, WA2CWA]

All the 6N2 and II Thunderbolts, the Adventurer, the Navigator, and the Pacemaker weren't captured in any picture that was posted.

[w3jn]

I don't recall this museum being there in the mid-80s when I visited the factory fairly regularly as part of my college senior design project (my advisor was an EF Johnson engineer).

I had, but threw out, one of EF Johnsons prototype AMPS cellphones (circa 1980 or so?) - was the size of a motrac and had a passel of ROMs on it, marked "Dallas" and "Chicago" where apparently the test networks were set up.  I got this at the Waseca hamfest years ago; EF Johnson would donate junk like that (engineering test boards, prototypes, breadboards, etc) to the ham club and they'd sell it by the pound.  By that time Johnson was making decidedly inferior 2-way radio equipment only.

Johnson gear was obviously very popular in Minnesota; many hamfest sellers in the 80s, unable to sell these unwanted transmitters would dumpsterize 'em.  I remember lots of Rangers, Viking 1s, etc being tossed in the dumpster or just left behind on the parking lot.  I vivdly remember some guy straining to toss a Viking 500 into the dumpster... back then there was NO AM activity in MN and I had no idea about that stuff....