Scottish Charity number SC045038
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LRS Messages of the Day:
Sat 31 Oct 2026 – GMRT-2026 at MOC Burntisland & Dinner at Kingswood Hotel
Wed 11 Nov 2026 – 7:30PM – LRS Open Meeting – Need to book your place – The end of the 198kHz Radio 4 long wave service – Mark Hughes GM4ISM
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.
11 November 2026 in the Gathering Bar at 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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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. The panel of speakers is now complete. GMRT-2026 is now FULLY-BOOKED – all 50 places sold. WAITING LIST – Contact Colin GM4HWO. https://gmroundtable.org.uk/
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
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25 Oct 2026 – Galashiels Rally
LRS members visited the Gala Rally, enjoying the Storm Boelo winds on the way down. LRS attendees included Jack GM1CQC, Iain GM1MSS, Pete GM4BYF, Colin GM4EAU, Colin GM4HWO and Brian GM8BJF. Among the people present was our good friend Chris Tran GM3WOJ from Tain. Photos by Colin GM4HWO: Entrance to the rally in the Volunteer Hall, Galashiels. The rally hall. The rally hall. Captain Birdseye. Bring & Buy Stall. Pete GM4BYF’s table. Chris GM3WOJ (all the way from Tain). Jack GM1CQC. LRS Secretary Iain GM1MSS & Colin GM4EAU. Brian…
2. RECENT MEETINGS
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28 Oct 2026 – Blood Bikes Scotland by Phil Dodsworth
Blood Bikes Scotland (BBS) is a fully volunteer-run and donation-funded charity that… Read more
3. SILENT KEYS
There are no current silent key notifications. Click on the heading to see the silent key archive.
4. ITEMS FOR SALE
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13 June 2026 Dell Monitor for sale by Andy GM4LLD.
Dell U2412M hi-res 1920 x 1200 LCD monitor Adjustable stand DisplayPort, DVI & VGA inputs 1920 x 1200 WUXGA resolution 4 port USB2 hub. Mains lead Very good condition, no screen blemishes. £35 Andy GM4LLD.
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28 June 2026 – Corsair CV450 modern PC PSU – for sale by Andy GM4LLD
Corsair CV450 modern PC PSU. Comes from my son’s PC as he has just updated with some new GPU that needs a bigger PSU. No box but clean and working. £20 Andy GM4LLD (ex-MM0FMF)
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…