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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15 June 2022 LRS BBQ 2022 at “Bates Motel”.
There was an excellent turnout of 18 and good weather for the LRS BBQ on 15 June at “Bates Motel” (QTH GM4BYF & GM6KAY). Click for photos. Brian GM8BJF,Colin GM4HWO,Mike GM8KCS ============================================
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8 June 2022 LRS AGM 2022
AGM: attendance about 10 incl. 3 on Zoom. President Colin Wright GM4HWO reported a good year of meetings post-Covid. James GM4WZP and Colin GM4EAU were thanked for providing Zoom facility. Viral Nets to continue on Weds while there is interest. GM3HAM/P will enter 3 contests this year. Meetings planning started – James GM4WZP. Treasurer Peter…
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25 May 2022 – LRS DF Hunt
The 2022 LRS D/F Hunt on Wed 25 May, started at the Tardis on Braid Hills Road with Fox, Peter Dick GM4DTH operating GM3HAM/P on 1875kHz AM. Entrants were: James GM4WZP + Alan GM3PSP, Mike GM8KCS + Mike Jr MM3MDB, Andy MM7MOX & Melvyn GM4HYR. The GM3HAM/P Fox station – Elecraft KX3, hidden in woods near Roseburn. The winner…
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20-22 May 2022 2m Trophy GM3HAM/P – Gatehouse
RSGB 2m TROPHY, Open Section GM3HAM/P at Gatehouse of Fleet. Organizer: Norrie GM1CNH. Chief cook: Colin GM4HWO. Submitted score: 167 QSOs, 54,733 pts x multiplier 77 => Total Score 4,214,441 pts. Best DX: F6DKW, LOC JN18CS, 808km/502 m. Dinner in the Masonic Arms on the Friday. Colin GM4HWO, John 2M0JTU, SWL Ranald, Norrie GM1CNH, Peter GM4DTH,…
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11 May 2022 – Members’ Timed Talks
11 May 2022 – Members’ Timed Talks. There were 7 speakers, all of whom kept within the generous 4 mins limit plus 1 minute of questions imposed by the chair – James Gentles GM4WZP. Pete GM4BYF showed the RSGB membership certificate of Jack McVicar GM8GEC-SK. The talks winner was Bond, Melvyn Bond, GM4HYR, who spoke…
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24 Apr 2022 – Norbreck (Blackpool) Rally
A number of LRS members attended the 2022 Norbreck Rally, as usual. LRS group in the bar, the night before. Danny Robson GM6CMQ, Norrie Stewart GM1CNH, Bob Irvine MM0XRI, John 2M0JTU, Peter Dick GM4DTH. Among the LRS visitors was Andy MM0FMF, staffing on the SOTA stand. Click for full report with lots of pics. ============================================
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20 Apr 2022 – LRS Spring Surplus Equipment Sale
The LRS 2022 Spring Surplus Sale was held on Wed 20th April 2022 at St Fillans Church, Buckstone, organized by Colin GM4HWO. Anyone recognise that red Landrover? “The Management”. Click for more photos. ============================================
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6 Apr 2022 – LRS Video Night – Peter Dick GM4DTH
Video Night 2022 by Peter GM4DTH at ECVS. ‘The Secret Wireless War – Black Propaganda’ (Grindlewald Productions) The RCA 600kW “Aspidistra” Transmitter. Development and content of the WW2 secret UK “black” radio broadcasts to Germany. Click for report. =============================================
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23 Mar 2022 – Bletchley Park, Section VIII – Malcolm Fergusson.
Malcolm Fergusson talked about the Ultra secret (the WWII German communications decoded at Bletchley Park) and the SCU-3 (Special Communications Unit) located in 1940 at Cockburn Farm near Balerno (where he lives). Attendance was a great 26, including Zoom. Click for slides. Malcolm is a retired Superintendent Technician, Physics & Electrical Engineering, at Edinburgh University &…
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9 Mar 2022 Astrodynamics without the Mathematics – How to Fly Spacecraft – John Cooke GM8OTI
At the LRS meeting on 9 Mar 2022 at the Braid Hills Hotel, and on Zoom, John Cooke GM8OTI talked about “Astrodynamics without the maths – how to fly spacecraft”. The Rocket Scientists! Click for slides. John Cooke GM8OTI =============================================
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23 Feb 2022 – OpenEMS, a Free Electromagnetic Simulator – Brian Howie GM4DIJ
LRS member Brian Howie GM4DIJ talked about OpenEMS, a Free Electro-Magnetic Simulator at the LRS meeting on 22 Feb 22 at the Braid Hills Hotel. Brian writes: “OpenEMS is a free open electromagnetic field solver using the Finite Difference Time Domain method. It was created by Thortsten Liebig at the General & Theoretical Engineering University in Germany. FTDT…
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9 Feb 2022 – The History of the Pocket Calculator – 5000 years and counting – James Gentles GM4WZP
On Wed 9th Feb 2022 at the Braid Hills Hotel James Gentles GM4WZP (HP-retired) gave a great talk on the History of the Pocket Calculator – 5000 years and counting. It included his own collection of HP pocket calculators from his 30-year career at HP. James Gentles GM4WZP Click for full report and video…