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 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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Wed 14th March 2018 – Microwave Antenna Testing – John McCormick, Leonardo
(Photo of a similar installation) John McCormick from Leonardo Airborne & Space Systems gave a talk about the Compact Antenna Test Range (CATR) at Crewe Toll, Edinburgh, at the meeting on 14th March. CATR is a dual-reflector test facility enclosed in a 24m x 14m x 8m anechoic chamber. It makes measurements of antenna performance…
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Wed 28th February 2018 – Digital Voice Modes – Allister Watson GM7RYR
Allister Watson GM7RYR, who is beacon-keeper for GB7EE, talked about Digital Voice Modes at the meeting on 28th Feb 2018 at the Braid Hills Hotel. This talk looked at the different digital modes used on the VHF / UHF bands: D-Star, Fusion (C4FM) and DMR, the developments of the Local, National and International Networks and compared…
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Wed 14 February 2018 – Battery Types & Behaviours – Stan Frey GM8ZQY
Stan Frey GM8ZQY gave a comprehensive talk on “Battery Types and Behaviours” at the meeting on 14th February – a review of the currently available battery types with an emphasis on lithium ion rechargeables. And he was thinking about the behaviours of the users as well as the batteries themselves! Full Report. Stan brought many examples…
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Wed 24 Jan 2018 – 3D Printing – Neil Gillies (ex-GM6BZF)
At the meeting on 24th January 2018, Neil Gillies, ex-GM6BZF, talked about and demonstrated 3D Printing, the state-of-the-art way of producing plastic parts. He gave an in-depth talk on how to get started – types of machine available, the software required for various parts of the process, materials, what can and can’t be done with…
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Wed 10 Jan 2018 – Video NIght – The Role of Radio in Aviation – Peter Dick GM4DTH
The annual Video Night, presented as always by Peter Dick GM4DTH who is the current President of the Edinburgh Cine & Video Society, was held on Wednesday 10th January 2018 in the ECVS screening room. The theme was ‘The Role of Radio in Aviation’. 1. Air Ministry Official Film – The Imperial Airway – The…
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6 Dec 2017 – Christmas Curry at the Himalaya Tandoori
The annual LRS Christmas Curry was held on Wednesday 6th December at the Himalaya Tandoori Restaurant at Bruntsfield, with 14 diners, including a very welcome DX visitor – Eric Worley W0RLY, a United Airlines pilot between flights, who had spotted our dinner notice on this website. (On left above with Alan GM3PSP and Pete GM4BYF). Click…
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22 Nov 2017 – Optimization of Antenna Height over Terrain – Brian Howie GM4DIJ
LRS member Brian Howie GM4DIJ gave an introduction to antenna modelling at the LRS meeting on 11 March 2015. This time he talked more specifically about “Optimization of Antenna Height Over Real Terrain in the Low VHF Bands” at the meeting on 22nd November 2017. Brian writes: “It is common intuition that the higher…
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8 Nov 2017 – ‘Pirates – Offshore Radio 1964-1974 – ding-ding’ – James Gentles GM4WZP
James Gentles GM4WZP gave a great talk on ‘Pirates – Offshore Radio from 1964 to 1974, ding-ding!’ at the meeting on 8th November 2017. He covered the history of the pirate radio stations located in ships around the British Isles, including the best-known, Radio Caroline which used its famous “ding-ding” jingle. They all disappeared after the BBC introduced…
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25 Oct 2017 – Having fun on a shoestring – Tom Wylie GM4FDM
Well-known Scottish DXer Tom Wylie GM4FDM from Paisley returned to the Lothians on 25th October 2017 to talk on Having fun on a shoestring. He described how careful advance planning is essential for any DXpedition and how quite simple antennas can be very effective while saving on weight and complexity. Report Tom GM4FDM with Ronald PA3EWP in…
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Wed 18 Oct 2017 – LRS Autumn Surplus Equipment Sale – St Fillans Church
The LRS Autumn Surplus Equipment Sale was held on 18 Oct at St Fillan’s Church with a good turnout and almost everything sold. Full Report. Norrie GM1CNH was a happy raffle winner!
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Sat 4 Nov 2017 – GMRT – Microwave Round Table at Museum of Communication
The GMRT speakers: Mark Hughes GM4ISM, Geoff Pike GI0GDP, Martin Hall GM8IEM (Session Chair), Andy Sinclair MM0FMF, David Anderson GM6BIG. The 2017 Scottish Microwave Round Table was held on 4th November at the Museum of Communication in Burntisland followed by a dinner and musical entertainment at the Kingswood Hotel. Programme: A 10GHz Home Station (Mark GM4ISM)…
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27 Sept 2017 – From Holyrood to Hollywood, a Technical Career in Motion Pictures with Kodak – Alan Masson GM3PSP
Alan Masson GM3PSP gave an autobiographical talk about his career in the Motion Picture Division at Kodak in the UK and the USA at the meeting of the LRS on 27th September 2017 at the Museum of Communication in Burntisland. As well as his chemistry training, which was vital in film processing issues, his…