Scottish Charity number SC045038
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LRS Messages of the Day:
Wed 27 May 2026 – LRS 160m D/F Hunt – GM3HAM/P, operated by Peter GM4DTH.
Meet at the Tardis Police Box on Braid Hills Rd for registration by 7.20pm; the event starts sharp at 7.30pm.
Please note that the D/F Tx frequency is changed slightly to 1.873MHz.
For full instructions from Peter GM4DTH, see Upcoming Meetings below.
Sat 23 May 2026 – Historic Pre-War HMV-901 Mirror-Lid Television Set for sale.
Preliminary notice – more info soon.
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 27 May – 19:30h – Top Band D/F Hunt – Peter Dick GM4DTH.
The start point avoids the high noise level experienced in earlier years near the Braid Hills Hotel. Members (or visitors) wishing to take part are advised to be on Braid Hills Road at the sign for Braids Golf Course (junction with Braid Hills Ave / Braid Hills Approach / Braid Mount (NT-246698) no later than 7.20pm, although this is not essential – some entrants choose to start from elsewhere. There is usually room for those not equipped with receivers to join up with members who are equipped. The “Fox” will be located somewhere within the City boundary and participants should be equipped with a map and the necessary equipment to draw out bearings. The Fox will transmit using the callsign GM3HAM/P for 5 minutes-on / 5 minutes-off periods starting promptly at 7.30 pm. The frequency will be 1.873 MHz with an amplitude modulated tone being broadcast plus voice identification at the start and end of each period of transmitting. Operation will cease at about 9.30pm and an informal gathering will occur at a pub not too far from the Fox’s location, which will be announced at that time.
Participants are advised to be equipped with a mobile phone. A coordinator will be available at the start to provide the mobile number of the fox station (Peter GM4DTH) and to register who is participating. If a hunter is encountering difficulty in locating the Fox, they can request clues regarding the location of the Fox station (or the pub)! Each clue provided will incur a penalty of 20 minutes. Test signals similar to those of the Fox on 1.873 MHz can be provided if requested – contact Peter GM4DTH to arrange.Wed 10 June – 19:30h – LRS Pub Night at Wee Bennet’s Bar, Morningside Stn.
Wed 17 June – 20:00h – LRS AGM, Braid Hills Hotel.
Wed 24 June – 20:00h – LRS Summer Barbecue at Bates Motel – QTH-GM4BYF.
RALLIES AND OTHER EVENTS
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Sunday 25 Oct 2026 – Galashiels Rally
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Friday 14th August 2026 18:00 to 21:00 Cockenzie & Port Seton Junk Night, Port Seton Community Centre, South Seton Park Port Seton EH32 0BG
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Sat 31 Oct 2026 – GMRT-2026 at MOC Burntisland & Dinner at Kingswood Hotel
The 2026 Scottish Microwave Round Table (GMRT-2026) will be held as usual at the Museum of Communication in Burntisland, followed by dinner at the nearby Kingswood Hotel.
https://gmroundtable.org.uk/
Speakers to present microwave related talks are urgently needed – contact Colin gm4hwo@gmail.comDetails will be available nearer the date.
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9 May – 30 Sept – Weds & Sats – MOC Exhibition 2026
CONTEST CALENDAR
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Pete GM4BYF has confirmed that the Lothians Contest Group will participate in VHF NFD on 3 – 5 July 2026 and is looking for more members to come along for the weekend and help set up the station and operate. The group is also looking for help with transporting equipment to the site at Gatehouse of Fleet in Dumfries & Galloway. Rough camping is available on site; public toilets, shops and an excellent pub / restaurant are nearby- There will be a team meal as usual on the Friday night in the Masonic Arms in Gatehouse.If you are interested, please contact Pete GM4BYF = gm4byf@blueyonder.co.uk
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The LRS operates GM3HAM/P from a great site near Gatehouse of Fleet in Dumfries & Galloway.
5-6 July 2025 – VHF NFD – see report in About LRS – Contest / Portable.
(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
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13 May 2026 John Cooke GM8OTI – EME on a Shoestring – Receiving & Decoding 70cm.
John GM8OTI described his efforts over the years to achieve reception of… Read more
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22 April 2026 – Microwave Energy Generation Advances Which Enabled the Development of WW2 Airborne Radar – Prof Peter Grant, University of Edinburgh.
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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23 Nov 2022 – Ed Bain GM4AIS – AI in Diagnostics
Artificial intelligence has been around for over 60 years. In reality it covers various techniques. One of them, Expert Systems (or Knowledge-based Systems) was introduced in the 1980s, and by the start of the next decade was in significant use in many domains. We look at some practical engineering applications, mainly in diagnosing faults. Click…
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9 Nov 2022: David Stockton GM4ZNX – Limiting Factors in Receiver Design over the Decades
David writes: It’s quite simple if unusual. All the marketing departments of all the component, system etc manufacturers trumpet what their products CAN do. So let’s turn that on its head and talk about what things CANNOT do. The limitations of available technologies and parts act to steer progress in ways that can make clearer than the…
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30 Oct 2022 – LRS Members at Galashiels Rally
Mike MM0MLB, Brian GM4DIJ, Colin GM4HWO / Brian GM8BJF, Norrie GM1CNH. The Canny Man. (Gateshead). Click for more photos taken by Colin GM4HWO ===========================================
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22 Oct 2022 – GMRT-2022 – Scottish Microwave Round Table
GMRT-2022 was held on 22nd October at the Museum of Communication in Burntisland. A preliminary report with photos by John GM8OTI, is now up on the LRS site (click). Also click for GMRT website official report. Mark GM4ISM won the Constructors Trophy. ============================================
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19 Oct 2022 – LRS Autumn Surplus Equipment Sale
Colin GM4HWO opened the sale. Lots of goodies – and cheap! Click for full report with many photos. ============================================
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12 Oct 2022 – Brian Flynn GM8BJF – “Remote Radio”
Brian described the equipment he designed and built to provide remote operation on 2m (and HF) from a poor location (Peebles!), with demo QSOs with GM8PKL & GM4COK/DU1. Hardware in rack case. Click for full report with slides. ============================================
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28 Sept 2022 – LRS Visit to MoC for 2022 Exhibition
LRS members enjoyed the MoC exhibition “100 Years of Broadcasting in the UK”. Early Baird mechanical TV receiver. Click for Full Report with photos. ============================================
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14 Sept 2022: Pres Address – Colin Wright GM4HWO – “Sparks at Sea”
Colin’s talk was about his journey into Amateur Radio, his time at Leith Nautical College, his time at sea, including the two trips that he made in the role of the traditional radio officer, and the move to Electro Technical Officer (ETO) / Global Maritime Distress & Safety System (GMDSS) ~1995. Click report with slides. =============================================
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4 Sept 2022 – Brian GM4DIJ in RSGB 2m Trophy from Sandhead, D&G.
In the absence of an LRS GM3HAM/P entry in the 2m Trophy due to very adverse Wx forecasts, Brian GM4DIJ braved the weather with thunder & lightning and put in a single-op entry with 93 QSOs in the 6-hour Open Section on the Sunday from Sandhead. Click full report. Result: Brian came 3rd out of…
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12 Aug 2022 – Cockenzie & Port Seton Mini-Rally
Good turnout of LRS members & friends. Also: Colin GM4HWO & Alan GM3PSP. Pete GM4BYF’s table. Colin GM4HWO won the raffle! Click for full report with many photos. ============================================
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16 July 2022 – Brian GM4DIJ in RSGB 4m Trophy from Ardwell, D&G.
Brian operated GM4DIJ/P from Ardwell near Stranraer. 34 QSOs, best DX G0VHF/P at 527km. Click for full report. ============================================
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1-3 July 2022 GM3HAM/P – RSGB VHF-NFD – Gatehouse
Ian GM3SEK & John 2M0JTU operating 2m. GM3HAM/P was operated in RSGB VHF NFD from our usual site in the hills behind Gatehouse of Fleet in Dumfries & Galloway. Operators included Pete GM4BYF, Brian GM4DIJ, Peter GM4DTH, Mike GM4IGS, Norrie GM1CNH (& son Andrew), Danny GM6CMQ & John 2M0JTU. We were joined by several welcome…