The Radio Lady of Colonial Heights

05/29/2026

Speaker Restoration Project

This decorative radio loudspeaker arrived with its original paper cone missing beyond practical repair. To improve interpretation and presentation, a replacement cone was fabricated by hand and fitted to the original frame.

The new cone is not original to the artifact, but it restores the speaker’s overall appearance and allows visitors to better understand how these devices would have looked when in use during the early years of radio broadcasting.

Conservation and restoration often involve balancing historical authenticity with practical interpretation. In this case, a carefully made replacement was preferable to displaying an incomplete object.

Once finished, the restored speaker will be incorporated into the radio exhibit at the Keystone Truck & Tractor Museum as part of our ongoing efforts to preserve and interpret the history of communication technology.

— Kathleen DeMajo Adams
The Radio Lady
Exhibit Curator

04/22/2026

04/11/2026

Happy Spring Break, y’all!

03/29/2026

Musician Danny Willis delighted us today at Keystone with an impromptu ukulele performance!

What a treat!!

03/26/2026

See you Saturday afternoon Keystone Antique Truck & Tractor Museum

03/23/2026

This weekend I joined the gang at RATS (Richmond Amateur Telecommunications Society) for the Virginia QSO Party.

What’s that?!

It’s when we take gear to the park and see how well we can operate in the field. This particular contest was focused on collecting all of the counties in Virginia.

The folks at RATS did a phenomenal job setting up their stations. They used a slingshot to achieve height and brought all their gear in nice neat organized containers. They also brought enough food to feed a small army, which aside from the good company, is my favorite part of any POTA.

Due to recent solar flairs, the bands were basically dead all morning. Things picked up a bit in the afternoon and we made several contacts to distant places including Ireland!

Message me if you are interested in getting on the air. There are LOTS of resources and it is genuinely a great way to spend a Saturday.

03/19/2026

Saturday March 21st is the Virginia QSO Party, so we will be out chasing signals in the field.

See you at the museum the following Saturday March 28th, 12-4.

73s

07/20/2025

Hey!
In case you haven’t heard, the Keystone Museum is having their annual model train show this (and next) weekend.

Escape the elements, and jump into your childhood with the breathtaking scenes and their creators.

There is TRULY something for everybody… I spotted a model RADIO station!

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo!!

04/23/2025

Have you heard about the first Radio Lady?

Florence Violet McKenzie was Australia’s first female electrical engineer. Her great enthusiasm was the new medium of radio, and in 1922 she was the first Australian woman to take out an amateur radio operator’s license.

Post of:
https://x.com/2communications?s=21&t=xPYbtEey8jIVhEUO8xUcSQ

❤️

04/13/2025

If you love something, let it go. If it comes back, it’s ment to be yours.

Charlie came home!!

The most difficult part of having been raised in a museum with an extraordinary father was letting everything go when it was time.

There were many treasures in my home which I had to let go in order to make the exhibit happen. The iconic tubes which captivated visitors upon entering our home; my dad’s beloved steam whistle which he blew at my parent’s first home warming party after they got married; and sweet ole “Uncle Charlie” (McCarthy), the creepy ventriloquist puppet that was a presence in our home for as long as I can remember- always smiling at us from his curio cabinet.

About six months ago, when putting the finishing touches on the exhibit, I met the nicest couple who had been traveling on 95 and who happened to stop by the museum that day. I was regailing them with stories of my dad and told them how sad I was to have had to let Charlie go. The visitor said “Oh! I have an extra! Do you want it?! I’ll bring it by the next time we pass through!”

Last Friday, true to their word, Donna and Dan delivered! What an extraordinary thing that I crossed paths with these generous and thoughtful travelers at just the right time.

Charlie is home, God is good, and PopPop is still looking out for us.

01/28/2025

TONIGHT!!!!!!

Please join us on Tuesday at 7pm on the 145.43 repeater for the start of the newcomers net!