Welcome to the Lothians Radio Society

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Microwavers Brian GM8BJF (LRS) & Alan GM0USI (Glasgow)

There was a good turnout for the Central Scotland Mini Radio Convention in Livingston on Sunday 7th June 2015. Several LRS members attended and picked up bargains. Prof Tom Stevenson was among the lecturers, talking about the history of microelectronics.   

Full report with photos.

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Pete GM4BYF, Brian GM8BJF, Robin GM4YPL & Chris GM4YLN

The annual summer barbecue of the Lothians Radio Society was held on Wednesday 24th June at the QTH of Pete GM4BYF & Kay GM6KAY at Fairmilehead, with 17 members and friends attending. Pete and Kay put on a great spread including steaks kindly brought by David GM4ZNX. 

Peter "the Fox" GM4DTH presented Melvyn GM4HYR with the Lothians D/F trophy for 2015.

Full report

(Photos by GM8OTI, GM4HYR & GM3PSP)

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After the AGM, members adjourned to the new hotel deck to enjoy refreshments in the nice sunny evening.

The Annual General Meeting of the Lothians Radio Society was held on 10th June 2015 at the Braid Hills Hotel. LRS President Andy Sinclair MM0FMF reported (via Skype from Germany) on another very successful year. Treasurer Peter Dick GM4DTH reported that the finances were in good order. The following committee was elected:

President - Andy Sinclair MM0FMF

Secretary - Mike Burgess MM0MLB

Treasurer - Peter Dick GM4DTH

Committee - Alan Masson GM3PSP

                - Malcolm Hamilton GM3TAL

                - Brian Flynn GM8BJF

                - John Cooke GM8OTI 

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Photo courtesy of Edinburgh University

The University of Edinburgh has commemorated the 50th anniversary this year of the death of Sir Edward Appleton, discoverer of the ionosphere, by laying a wreath at his gravestone in Morningside cemetery, Edinburgh, just a short walk from the meeting place of the Lothians Radio Society. It is easily found near the west end of the cemetery, facing east. Appleton was Principal & Vice-Chancellor of the University during your scribe's time as a student, who remembers hearing him speak several times.

Click for University News Item.

This item has been submitted to RSGB RadCom for publication, and acknowledged. 

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Chris Grierson GM4YLN & John Gould G3WKL.

At the GMDX Convention at Bannockburn on 11th April 2015, RSGB President Dr. John Gould G3WKL presented trophies to two LRS members and one close friend of the LRS. Congratulations to them all.

Chris Grierson GM4YLN received the RSGB Jack Wylie Trophy as the outstanding Scottish station in 2014, working over 300 countries with only 3 watts of QRP Tx power.

LRS Programme Organizer Malcolm Hamilton GM3TAL received the Scottish VHF NFD Trophy on behalf of the Loch Fyne Kippers group with whom he has operated for many years.

Terry Robinson GM3WUX won the Scottish Homecoming 2014 Quaich for making the largest number of contacts as a single operator (GA3WUX). Terry operates 4m & 6m with the LRS in VHF NFD every year now. 

Click for more photos. 

All photos by GM4ZNC, courtesy of GMDX. 

 

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L-R: GM8KCS, GM4HYR, GM3TAL, GM4DTH, GM8OTI, GM3PSP, GM4WZG.

The annual LRS Direction-Finding Contest (D/F Hunt) was held on 27th May 2015 with a new start point on Braid Hills Road, next to the entrance to the Braids Golf Course to avoid the high level of noise experienced last year outside the Braid Hills Hotel. Peter GM4DTH was the fox station on 1.875MHz using the callsign GM3HAM/P.

There were seven stations taking part: Malcolm GM3TAL, Bernie GM4WZG, John GM8OTI (with Alan GM3PSP), Melvyn GM4HYR, Mike GM8KCS, Mike Jr MM0MLB, Jack GM1CQC and Brian GM4DIJ. 

Peter was hiding, well concealed,  in woods near the Stable Bar at Mortonhall (pure coincidence, of course) and was found by three participants: 

Time         Callsign

1h 27m    GM4HYR

1h 42m    GM8KCS

2h 01m    GM4DIJ 

After the event we adjourned to ... the Stable Bar ... for light refreshments.

Full report with photos.

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Congratulations to LRS member Brian Flynn whose article "A Versatile PLL PC Board Design - for Applications from HF to Microwaves" is published in the opening issue of the new RSGB  publication RadCom.plus. This is available online only, and only to RSGB members. (There's a moral there somewhere)!

Brian's circuit provides accurate, stable frequency sources in the frequency range from a few MHz to 4GHz, depending on programming and components used, with a power output of around +10dBm.

Illustrations courtesy of RSGB.

The other articles in issue #1 are:

The DG8 2m Masthead Preamp, by Ian White GM3SEK

Building a Dual Z-Match, by Bob Burns G3OOU

Examining Sporadic-E, by Dr. Chris Barnes GW4BZD 

High-Performance Common-Mode Chokes, by Steve Hunt G3TXQ

Screening, by Peter Chadwick G3RZP

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The GM8FFX/B hardware.

LRS member Brian Flynn GM8BJF has built and installed a second personal beacon on 10GHz in less than a year. The first was GM3WOJ/B on 10368.400MHz at the QTH of Chris Tran GM3WOJ at Lamington near Invergordon at IO77ws, installed in June 2014 and described in an earlier article. This beacon is almost continuously audible in Edinburgh by scattering propagation over the top of the Cairngorm Mountains.  

The new beacon is GM8FFX/B on 10368.450MHz at the QTH of Graham Knight GM8FFX at Portlethan, south of Aberdeen at IO87wb with a very clear sea path to the south. It can be heard in Edinburgh from locations with a clear take-off to the north. The best DX spot so far has been from G4KUX at Bishop Auckland in County Durham, at 271km. Full report.  

  1. 2/3 May 2015 - GM3HAM/P in Microwave Trophy at Gatehouse of Fleet
  2. 13 May 2015 - Film Soundtrack Technologies - Alan Masson GM3PSP
  3. 22 April 2015 - DXpeditions to Tonga & Micronesia - Chris Tran GM3WOJ
  4. 8 April 2015 - Spring 2015 Surplus Equipment Sale