Engaging with Communications

Next Exhibition

To be announced

We do not currently have any firm dates for our next exhibition but as soon as we do, we’ll post details here.

Telecommunications

It would be hard to imagine life today without the mobile phone or the Internet. However, communication wasn't always this easy, so come and see how telecommunications has evolved from semaphore to smartphone. Start by trying to send messages by waving flags at each other.

Or by transmitting your messages along our working telegraph line using the dots and dashes of Morse Code.

Enjoy using our collection of retro telephones where numbers are dialled using rotary dials instead of push buttons. All of the phones are fully working and wired together allowing you to talk to your friends without the fear of running up a large bill! You can even see how a telephone call is connected by watching our working Strowger exchange.

So many aspects of how we communicate today rely on radio. Whether it is your WiFi Internet connection at home or your mobile phone, they all use radio waves. So come and meet people from the Warrington Amateur Radio Club who can explain how it all works as they communicate from Salford to the rest of the world!

Meet engineers from Openreach who can explain and demonstrate how the telephone network is wired up and how broadband is delivered to your home.

Have a look at how the mobile phone has evolved from the brick of the 1980s to today's pocket sized smart phones. Maybe you will spot your first mobile within our collection of handsets or choose to listen to a talk about how mobile phones work.

If you are really lucky you might even get the chance to meet Openreach Ollie who sometimes visits our exhibitions.

Don't forget to say hello if you see him!

Television

Watching television is as popular as ever but today you are increasingly likely to watch your favourite programmes on a tablet or computer rather than a traditional television set. From the first black and white sets, today’s television now offers high definition pictures streamed via the Internet. So come and experience the marvels of television to see how technology has improved and to find out about the latest developments. The University’s state of the art digital and green screen special effects studios will be open for you to find out how computers control what we see. You can even make yourself disappear by using our very own invisibility cloak!

Compare this to the much older colour cameras that were used in the TV studios.

Find out how the BBC's outside broadcast truck is able to transmit TV pictures back to the studio from virtually any location

Meet the engineers who are responsible for operating these trucks and who can demonstrate how they work!

If you are lucky you might also get to see the iconic and unique CMCR9 North 3 vintage outside broadcast truck that has been lovingly restored and is demonstrated by an enthusiastic group of knowledgeable volunteers.

Meet software engineers working for the BBC who are responsible for the latest developments in BBC iplayer and the Red Button services and see what may soon become available on our Smart TVs, tablets and phones.

Experience the latest in ultra high definition (4K) television that offers four times the resolution of today's high definition (HD) televisions. You'll be amazed at the picture quality.

Whatever your interest in television there will be plenty to see and discuss with the engineers who make it all possible.

Personal Computing

Today our homes contain several computers including PCs, laptops, tablets and smart phones. However, it was in the 1980s when the home computer revolution truly began and we got our hands on machines built by companies such as Sinclair, Commodore, Amstrad, Acorn and Dragon.

Do you remember those days? If so, you'll love our digital retro exhibition and if you are too young to have experienced these machines the first time around, you'll really enjoy playing all of the retro games. Or better still why not write your very own computer program using the Commodore PET.

The Sinclair Spectrum and its many variants was one of the most popular home computers of the 1980s. Have a go at playing classic games such as Hungry Horace.

Or maybe you had one of thse, the Dragon 32 home computer made in Wales.

Maybe your first encounter with a computer was at school and if that was the case, this BBC Micro could have been the machine you used. It was built by Acorn and was accompanied by a very popular series of BBC television programmes that took you through the first basic steps of learning how to write a program and use software applications.

If you are a whizz at playing coomputer games then you really ought to try your hand at our high score challenge! Who can gain the highest score in a fixed amount of time. We vary the game used and never reveal it in advance so that you can't cheat by practising at home.

Contrast these early machines with what you now have in your home and compare them to the latest developments such as the Raspberry Pi. Modern devices like the Raspberry Pi will also be on show so that you can find out more about their features and what they can be used for.

If you tire of using the computers do have a look at our displays of computer disks that illustrate how storage capacity has improved. Also take a look at the collection of modems that show how computers were first connected to the telephone line and how we accessed the web before the advent of broadband.