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Antique Wireless Association
Bloomfield, NY · EIN 161501004 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE A540 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Small ($100K-$1M) · antiquewireless.org
revenue
$139K
expenses
$186K
net assets
$1.8M
employees
0
volunteers
61
program ratio
96%
mission · from form 990

Operate a public communications history museum.

profile · synthesized from sources

The Antique Wireless Association operates a public museum dedicated to the history of communication technology, with a focus on antique radios, wireless equipment, and related artifacts. Based in Bloomfield, New York, the organization preserves and displays historical electronics, hosts educational events and conferences, and supports a community of collectors, historians, and amateur radio enthusiasts. It sustains its mission through donations, sales of duplicate items, and member support.

named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

AWA Annual Conference
Gathering for members and enthusiasts featuring exhibits, flea market activities, and commemorative events such as the recreation of historic radio transmissions
Curator’s Choice
Highlights significant artifacts in the AWA Museum collection, focusing on rarity, historical significance, and condition; includes featured items from major donations such as the Ralph and Elinor Williams collection
Museum Operations and Restoration
Ongoing evaluation, culling, and restoration of museum inventory including receivers, tube radios, and historical electronics; supports educational repair courses
activities · 8 groups

What they do

  • Archival Digitization and Preservation 1 activity
    • Acquire, preserve, and manage historical collections
      Collects, receives donations of, and prepares rare historical radio artifacts—including complete equipment sets, breadboards, receivers, and early automotive radio systems—for display and educational use. Manages collection storage and curation through organized facilities and active acquisition efforts.
  • Hands-On STEM Education Programs 1 activity
    • Deliver educational programming on communication technologies
      Provides hands-on STEM classes for students and adults, including soldering, circuit building, vacuum tube equipment repair (LIBIFI classes), and construction of historical electronics such as AM transmitters and guitar amplifiers. Classes are structured and participatory, offered on Thursdays and Saturdays, and supported by instructional materials including videos and Google Docs.
  • Museum Volunteer Engagement & Operations Support 1 activity
    • Engage volunteers in museum operations
      Recruits and utilizes volunteers as Museum Historians who conduct guided tours, support visitor experiences, and contribute to event planning and organizational governance, enhancing operational capacity through volunteer leadership.
  • Community Festival & Event Production 1 activity
    • Host public events and conferences
      Organizes an annual multi-day conference in Rochester, NY featuring fellowship, presentations, a flea market, book sale, and hobby-related information sharing. Also hosts an annual Spring Meet on the first Saturday in May with a flea market, auction, and networking, along with an open house during the Annual Conference to showcase museum updates.
  • Membership Program Administration 1 activity
    • Manage membership operations
      Offers online and mail-in options for joining and renewing membership in the Antique Wireless Association, facilitating member engagement and organizational sustainability.
  • Local History Museum Operations 1 activity
    • Operate public museum on communication technologies
      Operates the AWA Communication Technologies Museum with regular public hours on Tuesdays and Saturdays, offering guided tours led by Museum Historians, physical visitation to exhibits, and access to a world-class collection of artifacts and ephemera related to the history of communication technology. The museum building includes exhibit spaces, the Dr. Max Bodmer Library, a Technical Center for artifact repair and exhibit development, and a Conference Center with storage and office space.
  • Nonprofit Retail and Merchandise Sales 1 activity
    • Sell duplicate collection items for revenue and space management
      Sells surplus or duplicate items from its collection via eBay to generate operating revenue and optimize storage capacity.
  • Uncategorized 4 activities
    • Conduct amateur radio practice and community activities
      Facilitates weekly amateur radio “net” sessions and annual weekend events to promote and practice radio communication skills among members and the public, fostering technical engagement and community participation in wireless heritage.
    • Host educational presentations and lectures
      Hosts scheduled public presentations on historical radio equipment and communication technologies, such as a presentation on the RCA AR-1496 receiver on March 18, 2026, and lectures by individuals like Brian Harrison, providing expert-led educational content.
    • Provide virtual and online museum access
      Offers a 360-degree virtual tour of the museum, a 2019 video tour, and detailed online exhibit pages with photos and slide shows, enabling remote public access to collections and educational content. Makes museum resources accessible beyond physical visitation.
    • Publish scholarly monographs on radio history
      Researches, writes, and publishes monographs on radio and telecommunications history, with four original publications and four previously published works made available online to support public education and preservation of technical knowledge.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$139K
Contributions & grants$57K41%
Program service revenue$54K39%
Investment income$900%
Other revenue$28K
expenses
Total expenses$186K
Program expenses96%
Admin / overhead4%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineFacilities
balance sheet
Total assets$1.81M
Cash$906K
Investments$0
Liabilities$0
Net assets$1.81M
Liquid reserves58.3 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue -11.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

board members · 20
  • Alexander MacMillen — Trustee
  • C Joseph Stoltz III — Trustee
  • David Bart — Vice President
  • David Kaiser — Trustee
  • Duncan Brown — Trustee
  • Edward O'Connor — Trustee
  • Felicia Kreuzer — Trustee
  • Geoffrey Bourne — Trustee
  • James Kreuzer — Trustee
  • John Terrey — Trustee
  • Joseph Fell III — Trustee
  • Lynn Bisha — Curator
  • Michael Migliaccio — Vice President
  • Richard Neidich — Trustee
  • Robert Hobday — President and Chairman
  • Sreeram Dhurjaty — Trustee
  • Stanley Avery — Treasurer
  • Steve Sykes — Trustee
  • Timothy Martin — Trustee
  • William Hopkins — Secretary
relationships · 11

Who they work with

  • Antique Wireless Association Network — Operates the AWA Communication Technologies Museum as part of its organizational mission.
  • Antique Wireless Museum Network — Collaborates with the Antique Wireless Museum to host open houses and integrate museum visits into AWA events.
  • Board of Regents of the New York State Department of Education Government — Chartered the Antique Wireless Association as an educational institution.
  • Brad Mitchell, N8YG Partner — Volunteer involved in building a fan dipole for the AWA Museum HAM Shack.
  • Dr. Max Bodmer Partner — Names the library in honor of Dr. Max Bodmer, indicating a recognized contribution or partnership in establishing the library facility.
  • Greater Norwalk Amateur Radio Club Partner — Tim Walker, an AWA-affiliated individual, was a member and participated in joint activities such as flea markets at AWA events.
  • Pete Schuch, WB2UAQ Partner — Volunteer involved in building a fan dipole for the AWA Museum HAM Shack.
  • Ralph and Elinor Williams Partner — Family donated a major collection of Atwater Kent equipment and memorabilia to the AWA Museum.
  • Rich Place, WB2JLR Partner — Volunteer involved in building a fan dipole for the AWA Museum HAM Shack.
  • Steve Sykes, KD2OM Partner — Volunteer involved in building a fan dipole for the AWA Museum HAM Shack.
  • Western Union Partner — Displays a Western Union telegraph office and a complete telegraph office from the Western Union Corporate Museum.
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Community-Driven Knowledge Building
    methodology: community-engaged learning
    By involving members and volunteers in the construction, restoration, and curation of exhibits, the organization strengthens community engagement and collective knowledge, because shared participation in technical and historical work fosters ownership, continuity, and peer-to-peer learning among enthusiasts.
  • Hands-on Historical Engagement Drives STEM Learning
    methodology: project-based_learning
    By engaging learners in hands-on restoration and construction of historical radio and electronic equipment, the organization fosters deeper understanding of STEM concepts and vacuum tube technology, because experiential interaction with authentic technologies enhances retention and interest in technical subjects.
  • Stewardship as Public Education
    methodology: public_education_through_historical_stewardship
    By preserving and curating historical communications artifacts, innovator stories, and technical documentation, the organization educates the public about the evolution of communication technologies, because authentic historical materials serve as foundational tools for contextual and technical understanding.