At the LRS meeting on 29th October Bernie McIntosh GM4WZG talked about how the microcontroller, being a single chip with all the power of a computer, has become an indispensable component of virtually all commercial powered amateur radio equipment. He demonstrated a number of items of his own homebrew equipment and showed how anyone can use these ubiquitous devices in their own projects. 

Full report.

Ian White GM3SEK, Graham Murchie G4FSG (RSGB President) & John Cooke GM8OTI

The 4th Scottish Microwave Round Table was held on Saturday 1st November 2014 at the Museum of Communication, Burntisland with over 40 attendees from all over the UK. The lecture sessions were chaired by John Cooke GM8OTI and Andy Sinclair MM0FMF of the LRS.  

After dinner in the Kingswood Hotel, musical entertainment was provided by the world-famous Microwave Quartet - Chris Bartram GW4DGU, Ian White GM3SEK, Nadine White MM0WNW & John Cooke GM8OTI. 

Full report (on GMRT website).

 

OFCOM consultation document:

Updating the Amateur Radio Licence - Maintaining licence terms & conditions

The sections are:

1. Full use of 470kHz and 5MHz by Full Licence holders without NoV, and including communications with non-Amateur stations, e.g. army cadets.

2. Transfers of Club Licences.

3. Licence Revalidation procedures. 

4. Transmission of callsigns.

5. Regional Secondary Locators.

6. Intermediate callsigns.

7. Operation from multiple locations.

8. RAYNET operations.

OFCOM invites feedback to these proposals by 20th October 2014. 

  

The LRS Autumn 2014 Surplus Equipment Sale was held on 15th October at St Fillan's Church in Buckstone Drive. There was an excellent turnout of 30 including many members of other clubs. 

After the sale, Treasurer Peter GM4DTH ran the bottle raffle. Vic MM0JVQ / JA5VQ was one of the many winners. 

Click for full photo report.

Peter Dick GM4DTH has kindly supplied this photograph of a new statue of RADAR pioneer Sir Robert Watson-Watt, which he took at the studio of sculptor Alan Heriot. The statue was unveiled in Watson-Watt's home town of Brechin on 2nd September 2014. Watson-Watt is depicted holding an aircraft in one hand and a Chain Home radar tower in the other.

A dramatised documentary "Castles in the Sky" on the life of Watson-Watt starring Eddie Izzard was screened on BBC-2 on 4th September 2014.