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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27th Feb 2019 – Amateur Radio Operating in Colombia – Norrie Stewart GM1CNH / HK3/MM0BMG
On 27th Feb 2019 Norrie Stewart GM1CNH gave an illustrated talk on Amateur Radio Operating in Colombia as HK3/MM0BMG. Having travelled to Colombia many times since 2010, in 2018 he decided to take radio gear with him. This is how he got on… Self-taught in Amateur Radio while at school and first licenced in 1983 with…
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More on AMSAT Es’hail-2 geostationary satellite – now called Quatar OSCAR-100 or QO-100
LATEST: Brian Flynn GM8BJF reports that he has worked PY2GN near Sao Paolo in Brazil at GG56tv. Feb 2019 – Brian Flynn GM8BJF reports that he is now QRV on the satellite and has worked / ragchewed with G8BKE and has heard GM3SBC and GM0ONN, noting that “on the whole, the satellite is not too…
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13th Feb 2019 – Munros on the Air – James Gentles GM4WZP
At the meeting on 13th February 2019 LRS member James Gentles GM4WZP talked about “Munros on the Air”. “Long before SOTA (Summits on the Air), Amateurs were out on the Scottish hills activating them. Whilst James Gentles GM4WZP wasn’t first, his story is of the first Amateur to systematically activate every Munro in the 1980s,…
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23rd Jan 2019 – (1) Modern Roll-Your-Own PCBs – (2) The AMSAT Es’hail2 Geostationary Satellite – Brian Flynn GM8BJF
LRS President Brian Flynn GM8BJF was the speaker at the meeting on 23 Jan 2019 when he gave two talks: 1. Modern Roll-Your-Own PCBs. Brian stressed that the messy days of etching your own PCBs with ferric chloride were now history! He described how high quality PCBs can be bought from numerous suppliers in China,…
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9th Jan 2019 – Video Evening – “The Dish on the Dish” – by Peter Dick GM4DTH – at the Edinburgh Cine & Video Soc.
Peter Dick GM4DTH again hosted the LRS Video Evening. It was held on 9th January 2019 as usual at the Edinburgh Cine & Video Society in Fettes Row. The title of the show was “The Dish on the Dish” a comprehensive record of the first moon-landing, from President Kennedy’s decision for Americans to be the first…
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12th Dec 2018 – LRS Christmas Curry
Photo – courtesy Mike MM0MLB. After meeting first at the Booking Office on Waverley Bridge, the LRS 2018 Christmas Curry was held on 12th December at the new venue of the Gurkha Café & Restaurant in Cockburn St where we had a very enjoyable Nepalese meal. In the Booking Office bar beforehand, we…
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28th Nov 2018 – RSGB Convention Lecture Videos – presented by Brian GM8BJF
At the meeting on 28th November 2018, LRS President Brian Flynn GM8BJF presented the videos of two talks given at recent RSGB National Conventions. ……………………………………..………………………… (1) 3000 + km QSOs on 2m by Tropo & MS by John Regnault G4SWX ~ 45 mins ………………………………..………………………….. (2) Home Design and Construction by Bob Burns G3OUU ~ …
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14th Nov 2018 – R.V. Jones’ Most Secret War – Prof. Joe McGeough
At the meeting of the LRS on Wed 14th Nov 2018 Prof Joe McGeough of Edinburgh University talked about ‘Why Churchill Waged R.V. Jones’ “Most Secret War”. During his darkest hours Prime Minister Winston Churchill turned to a young scientist, R V Jones, still in his twenties, to explain how enemy bombers were able…
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3rd Nov 2018 – GMRT – Scottish Microwave Round Table at MoC Burntisland
LRS Members James Gentles GM4WZP and Andy Sinclair MM0FMF did an audience brainstorming session on the design of a portable antenna for 13cm. Members of the LRS again organized the Scottish Microwave Round Table on 3rd November 2018 at the Museum of Communication in Burntisland. This enjoyable event, chaired by Martin Hall GM8IEM, was attended…
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24th Oct 2018 – Q&A: Let’s Talk Technical – David Stockton GM4ZNX
SWR bridge circuit discussion At the meeting on 24th October David Stockton GM4ZNX (our resident radio genius) attempted to answer any (radio) questions that members were brave enough to ask. Click for Report. Log-Periodic Antenna characteristics. ========================================== In addition, the two trophies won by the LRS GM3HAM Contest Group in RSGB VHF NFD 2018 in…
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17th Oct 2018 – Surplus Eqpt Sale – St Fillan’s Church
The LRS Autumn 2018 Surplus Equipment Sale was held on 17th October at St Fillan’s Church, Buckstone. There was a good turnout and lots of ju.. surplus equipment was sold. The sale included many items from Silent Key John Royston Buchanan GM8BYF. Click for photos.
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26 Sept 2018 – ‘The X-Factor’ – Karl Weibye – joint meeting at Museum of Communication, Burntisland
At the joint meeting of the LRS and the Museum of communication on 26th September 2018 in Burntisland Karl Weibye talked about: The X Factor – a presentation of the all-singing, all-dancing Linux computer operating system and its relationship to OSX, Unix and Microsoft X’ Karl managed his own IT company for over 20 years…