Scottish Charity number SC045038
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LRS Messages of the Day:
Wed 11 Nov 2026 – 7:30PM – LRS Open Meeting – Need to book your place – The end of the BBC 198kHz Radio 4 long wave service – Mark Hughes GM4ISM. Note that this meeting will be held in the Buckstone Bar, next to the Braid Hills Hotel, if the current maintenance work on the Gathering Bar is not completed.
LRS MEETINGS
LRS meetings are normally held on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month (except July and August) at 8:00pm at the Braid Hills Hotel, 134 Braid Road, EH10 6JD.
In July and August Pub Nights are held at 7:30pm at Wee Bennet’s Bar at Morningside Station, on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays. There are also occasional Wee Bennet’s evenings arranged during the main club season.
Most items are archived in Meeting Reports or Society Activities.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
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Wed 11 Nov 2026 – 7:30pm – Open Meeting – The End of the 198kHz Radio-4 Long Wave Service by Mark Hughes GM4ISM.
There is an intention that every year we have an open evening with a keynote speaker, to which guests of the society are very welcome to attend. Because these are likely to be attended by more people than usual, they will be held in a larger room, and at an earlier time. Members and guests will need to register their interest in attending so that all attendees can be accommodated.
This year the event is: The story of the Radio 4 Long Wave service on 200 and 198kHz by Mark Hughes GM4ISM
Mark Hughes GM4ISM will tell the story of the last 35 years of evolution of the BBC Long Wave service and a glimpse at the engineering challenges that kept him (in the technical specialist team) busy as they pushed elderly transmitters way beyond their design life. The inevitable was warded off for a long time to a point that with changes in technology and the ‘political’ and contractual environment, we ended up with the services ceasing this year.
Mark Hughes GM4ISM was a keen young radio ham (licensed at 14), and a career in Electrical Engineering seemed to fit. After graduating in Electrical Engineering at Warwick University he was recruited by BBC transmission. He worked extensively with antennas and transmitters, ending as team manager of the Forfar and Shetland teams before moving to a technical specialist team which started with four members and ended up with over thirty by the time he retired.
LOCATION: if the current maintenance work in the Gathering Bar at the rear of the Braid Hills Hotel is not complete, this meeting will be held in the Buckstone Bar next to the Braid Hills Hotel.
Note that the open event starts 30 minutes earlier than our usual talks: 19:00 for 19:30 start.
Please reserve your place through this link:
https://www.lothiansradiosocie
ty.com/open-event-registration/ Please remember to add your email address on the form so that you receive an acknowledgment which is effectively your ticket for the event.
RALLIES AND OTHER EVENTS
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31 Oct 2026 – Scottish Microwave Round Table GMRT 2026
The 2026 Scottish Microwave Round Table was held, appropriately, on Halloween this year. The event was sold out and the lecture room at the MOC/Burntisland was full. There were interesting talks – several from LRS members, including Andy (GM4LLD) on portable microwave operating (lugging dishes up some cold Scottish mountains), Peter (GM4BYF) and Brian (GM8BJF) on tricks and techniques on SM component soldering (with lively participation and experiences from the audience). Also Martin (GM8IEM) talked about his sequencer design for the IC9700, and Mark (GM4ISM) gave some ideas about modding commercial microwave gear for amateurs (aka ‘bodging’). There were some cool bits of identifiable (and unidentifiable) microwave goodies for sale, some fancy test gear for GHz visitors, and tasty food for lunch. A good day out and meet up with other microwavers from Scotland and south of the border.
The room was full! 
Andy introduced Brian GM8BJF talking about SM soldering tricks 
Mark/GM4ISM talked about bodging commercial microwave equipment for amateur use. 
Some interesting microwave bits for sale 
Fancy testgear available (not for sale) 
Speakers: Mark/GM8IEM, Peter/GM4BYF, Brian/GM8BJF, Martin/GM8IEM, and Andy/GM4LLD 
More pictures at https://gmroundtable.org.uk/gmrt-2026-photos/
CONTEST CALENDAR
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The LRS operates GM3HAM/P from a great site near Gatehouse of Fleet in Dumfries & Galloway.
(This photo by Andy MMØFMF / now GM4LLD, is in RSGB RadCom Sept 2025, p.80).
RSGB GB2RS NEWS
Every Sunday morning in the Edinburgh area at 09:30h from LRS member Peter Dick GM4DTH. 70.425MHz FM, 145.525MHz FM & 433.525MHz FM. Then call-in to Peter at 10:00h on 145.575MHz for local net. Several LRS members often there.
RADIO NEWS, RECENT MEETINGS, SILENT KEYS and FOR SALE / WANTED
Click on image or “read more” to open full article.
Send items to Alan GM3PSP:
webmaster@lothiansradiosociety.com
Items usually archived as News or Silent Keys in LRS Archive after 1 month.
1. RADIO NEWS ITEMS
There are no RADIO NEWS ITEMS. Click on the heading to see the radio news archive.
2. RECENT MEETINGS
3. SILENT KEYS
There are no current silent key notifications. Click on the heading to see the silent key archive.
4. ITEMS FOR SALE
There are no current items for sale. Click on the heading to see any archived items.
Lothians Radio Society activities – latest reports
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16 Oct 2024 – LRS Autumn Surplus Sale
The LRS Autumn Surplus Sale at St Fillan’s Church on 16th October was an epic event with 30 participants including guests from Cockenzie, Livingston & Glasgow, and lasted almost 2½ hours. This sale attracted a large number of items including some really heavy ones. Pete GM4BYF had…
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9 Oct 2024 – Welcome to Otter Kvindesland LA9IHA
We were delighted to welcome Norwegian amateur Otter Kvindesland LA9IHA (R) from Sandnes as a guest at the Moonbounce talk on October 9th.
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10 Oct 2024 – Aurora photo from Blackford Hill by Peter GM4DTH and Auroral recordings of Chris GM3WOJ (SSB) & Terry GM3WUX (CW) by Brian GM4DIJ/P
Peter GM4DTH reports: Before I was going to turn in for the night I looked out of the window to the south and saw a red glow in the sky. I went across the road and S2577 was the source. I walked to Blackford Hill and took some more photographs. It was a race against…
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28 Sept 2024 – LRS Members at Newark Show
Danny GM6CMQ has kindly provided this photo of Norrie GM1CNH and Peter GM4DTH enjoying a “vegetarian breakfast” while attending the Newark show recently.
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9 Oct 2024 “Getting started on 23cm EME” – Dr Paul Dobie GM0PJD
Paul Dobie GMØPJD from Biggar writes: “With a 480,000 mile round trip, every EME contact (Earth-Moon-Earth / Moonbounce) is DX! The presentation goes on a journey looking at the Moon as seen by the Apollo program, through to top tips to help radio amateurs successfully get their own 23cm signals safely to the moon &…
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25 Sept 2024 – Visit to the MoC Exhibition “Its about TIME”.
Poster for the 2024 exhibition “It’s about TIME”. After having coffee provided by his wife, Winnie, we were welcomed to the MoC by our good friend, Chairman, Prof Tom Stevenson, who also took a number of the photos in this article.. The exhibition is described on the MoC website, Museum Of Communication:…
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11 Sept 2024 – President’s Address – Andy Sinclair MM0FMF
After serving two years as LRS Hon Secretary, Andy Sinclair MM0FMF gave his first President’s Address on the subject of the Saturn-V Rocket and the Apollo mission in space. Summary of talk. The Free-Return Trajectory of the Saturn-V rocket. The Project Apollo Ground Computers took up a lot of space in…
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10th Sept 2024: Peter Dick GM4DTH: 70th Birthday Curry
Happy 70th birthday to Peter Dick GM4DTH. Peter has been LRS Hon. Treasurer & RSGB GB2RS Newsreader for many years, and a leading-light of the Edinburgh Cine & Video Society. Peter GM4DTH was joined by 13 guests to celebrate his 70th birthday on 10th September 2024. After beers at Jeremiah’s Tap Room on Elm Row,…
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28 Aug 2024 – Summer Pub Night 4 at Wee Bennet’s Bar
Good turnout of 11 of the usual suspects for the last pub night of the summer at Wee Bennet’s Bar at Morningside Station.
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14 Aug 2024 – Summer Pub Night 3 at Wee Bennet’s Bar
Great turnout of 13 for the 3rd Pub Night this summer. Early group shot in the evening. We were joined by two (student) guests, Clair MM7YUE (at rear) and Adrian MM7WCR (R) who are interested in joining the LRS. For some reason, Bond, Melvyn Bond GM4HYR (centre) was rather shy this evening!…
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9 Aug 2024 – LRS at Cockenzie Mini Junk-Sale
Pete GM4BYF & Colin GM4HWO at Pete’s “Bargain Basement” Main Hall in the Cockenzie & Port Seton Community Centre. The Canny Man’s Components. Norrie GM1CNH & John GM4JRT. Colin GM4EAU, Brian GM8BJF & Mike GM8KCS. RSGB Book Stand Pete GM4BYF assisted by James GM4WZP. Norrie GM1CNH & Peter…
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1 Aug 2024 – Curry! LRS Members at Kahani Restaurant
Peter GM4DTH, Colin GM4HWO, Briain GM8PKL & Mike GM8KCS met for Indian dinner at the Kahani restaurant opposite the Playhouse on 1st August.