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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21st July 2020 – Website: https://WorldRadioHistory.com
WorldRadioHistory.com Many thanks to Brian GM8BJF who has just reported finding a potentially very useful website: https://WorldRadioHistory.com which provides detailed links to a very large number of publications serving the Amateur, Broadcasting and Music interests. You can search for specific pages in the publications, from the first edition onwards. =======================================
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19th July 2020 – GM4DIJ/P in RSGB 70MHz Trophy Contest from nr Stranraer in Galloway.
Brian GM4DIJ returned to his favourite portable location at IO74mu about 8km south of Stranraer, to operate in the 70MHz Trophy contest on 19th July. Brian’s station was an FT847 into a TE Systems linear amp with 100W output. The antenna was the 11-element VHF NFD yagi re-spaced as a 6 element, which was a…
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22 Sept 2021 – WWI Aircraft Electrical Systems including Radio – Bob Thomson, APSS
Bob Thomson of the Aviation Preservation Society Scotland described the work to reconstruct a Sopwith Strutter 1 1/2 aircraft, especially its electrical systems, at a base in East Lothian.. The Sopwith Strutter 1 1/2. Annual service of remembrance in 2019 for APSS members and Scouts from North Berwick. Click for Full Report. ====================================…
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5th April 2020 – Temporary Q-Codes
Brian GM4DIJ has just received this from his friends in the SOC – Second-Class Operators Club: From SOC mailing listTemporary Ham Radio Q-Codes for our times:QLD: I am locked down.QUA: I am quarantined.QPD: I am in the middle of a pandemic.QTP: I have toilet paper. Want to trade for a new car?QFC: I am flattening…
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01 April 2020 – HAM COVID-19 Guidelines
EFFECTIVE APRIL 01, 2020. Amateur Radio operators are ordered to strictly observe the Coronavirus mitigation guidelines as they apply to amateur radio operating. All ham radio operators are encouraged to stay at least 6 feet from the microphone in order to maintain proper separation from others. The distance may be reduced if a mask is put…
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8 March 2020 – GM4DIJ 23cm DXpedition to Stranraer
Brian Howie GM4DIJ took part in the UK Microwave 23cm contest on Sunday 8th March from a site near Stranraer. He has kindly provided these photographs. Click for full report with more photos. =======================================
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17 March 2020 – LRS MEETINGS POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
In view of the current Coronavirus pandemic with the risk of infection being passed from one person to another when attending meetings, the LRS Committee has decided to stop all meetings for the time being at the Braid Hills Hotel and the Surplus Equipment Sale at St Fillans’ Church, up to and including 24th June…
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11th March 2020 – How Not to Sail to the Faeroe Islands – Geoff Crowley MM5AHO
Geoff’s yacht Contender approaching Rockall during a charity sail there in 2018. At the meeting on March 11th our good friend Geoff Crowley MM5AHO returned to talk about “How Not to Sail to the Faeroe Islands”. Synopsis: Sleep deprivation is a problem in radio contesting and also in sailing single-handed. Geoff Crowley does both, and he…
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26 Feb 2020 – The Raspberry Pi Explained for Radio Amateurs – Video – Mike Richards G4WNC
Photo courtesy RadCom The RSGB Convention video “The Raspberry Pi Explained for Radio Amateurs” by Mike Richards G4WNC was shown by James GM4WZP at the meeting on 26th February 2020. Click for short report with link to the video (RSGB Members only). This lecture is based upon a new RSBG book by Mike – see…
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12th February 2020 – Robot Wars + Rampaging Chariots – Dr Roger Hill
At the LRS meeting on 12th February Dr Roger Hill talked about “Robot Wars + Rampaging Chariots and showed videos of robots in combat. He wrote: “Peter Bennett, (who was present at Roger’s talk) once a test pilot, gathered a team of engineers from Selex (now Leonardo) to assist in building a family of robots to…
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22nd Jan 2020 – Aircraft Scatter & Useful Test Equipment for it – Pete Bates GM4BYF
Pete Bates GM4BYF talked about Aircraft Scatter Communication and Useful Test Equipment for it at the meeting on 22nd January 2020. Aircraft scatter can be used on bands from 2m upwards and up to 500km range is achievable, depending on the band and geography. The talk started with some audio examples of aircraft scatter – available in the…
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8th Jan 2020 – LRS Video Night – “The Cold War” at Edinburgh Cine & Video Society
There was a turn-out of 15 for the LRS 2020 Video Night, presented by Peter Dick GM4DTH on 8th January 2020 at the Edinburgh Cine & Video Society in Fettes Row. Peter chose two films about the Cold War. Spy in Bonn receiving a “Numbers Station”. The first was a short (14 min) from ITN Roving Reports…