The museum used a $500,000 state capital grant and stretched it with volunteer or low-cost labor.

Visitors will see fewer walls, better lighting at displays, carpeting throughout, and a new HVAC system providing air conditioning to the building for the first time in its history.

“We pulled out miles of electrical cable made out of cloth and steel. We put in all new wiring, LED lighting throughout the building. We have a ventilation system and no more humidity,” Dominic said.

To make it easier for wheelchair-bound patrons, ramps were added, steps were removed, a new paved parking lot was added, and bathrooms modified to meet requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

While those structural changes were being made, board member, curator, and docent Leland “Lee” Hite was focusing on the exhibits themselves.

The museum complex provided communications worldwide during the World War II era through 1994 when the station stopped broadcasting after it was decommissioned.

The Tylersville Road station had six, 200,000-watt transmitters and 24 high directional antennas at its peak, used to send broadcasts to Africa, Europe and South America.

The museum showcases that history and includes collections and exhibits from the VOA Bethany station, Media Heritage’s Greater Cincinnati Museum of Broadcast History, the Gray History of Wireless Museum; and the West Chester Amateur Radio Association’s control room.

“I have first-hand knowledge of how people react to exhibits, signage and videos,” Hite said. “We try to make exhibits easy, simple, but still informative.”

Noting that people “like to play with things” Hite made improvements to the listening stations for original, vintage WLW and VOA broadcasts.

“We needed to make them more inviting,” he said.

To do that, the larger, touch screens were added throughout the museum so people no longer had to use a mouse to navigate to the broadcast they were interested in. Several “really comfortable” chairs were added.

Lighting changes were added at other exhibits by putting in drop ceilings and focusing the lights just on the exhibit instead of the entire room.

“A museum has a message. It might not be obvious if we don’t do the exhibit right. I’m an engineer, but I’m not creating an exhibit for engineers,’’ Hite said.

“I want it to work for my wife, who is not an engineer. I want people to understand (the exhibit).”

Added to the museum is a sound effects – foley – room. Visitors can use 50 different sound effect devices to hear wind, rain, surf, gun shot.

Original news broadcasts made and transmitted by the VOA from the 1940s through 90s are also accessible. Among them are the Kennedy assignation, the first man to walk on the moon.

“These are all things meant for you to come in and play with,’’ Dominic said.

There is an area focusing on the broadcast history of Cincinnati and Dayton. For example, Cincinnati was one of the first cities to use radios for police cars. The display features call boxes placed on streets.

Visit the modern radio lab to learn how wi-fi, blue tooth and cellular work. Walk the coast guard courier hallway to learn about the world’s largest radio broadcasting ship. Examine the first sports car in history.

If you go

What: Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting History

Where: 8070 Tylersville Road, West Chester Twp.

Hours: Noon to 4 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays; docent led tours: 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m.; amateur radio presentations: 1:30 p.m., 2:45 p.m., 3:30 p.m.

Admission: $10, adults; $9, veterans/active military personnel and those 16-years-old or younger

Information: www.voamuseum.org or 513-777-0027