Scottish Charity number SC045038
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LRS Messages of the Day:
From Peter GM4DTH: television programme scheduled for 00:25 on Wednesday morning, 8th July, on BBC2:
‘The Farthest: Voyager’s Interstellar Journey. The story of Voyager, an epic of human achievement, personal drama and miraculous success. [S] [HD]’LRS July Nets: Weds 8 July (TODAY), 15 July – 20:00h – 144.350MHz SSB.
LRS Summer Pub Nights: Weds 8 July (TONIGHT), 22 July, 29 July – 7:30pm – Wee Bennet’s Bar, Maxwell St, Morningside Stn.
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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LRS Barbecue POSTPONED from Wed 24th June. New date TBA ~ Aug.
Wed 9 Sept 2026 – Presidential Address – Andy Sinclair GM4LLD.
Wed 23rd Sept 2026 – LRS Visit to MOC Burntisland 2026 Exhibition – When Screens were Small, but the Magic seemed Huge – 100 Years of Television. There will also be a lecture by Prof. Tom Stevenson – 100 Years of Television – some Technical Milestones, including the early days of TV in Orkney.
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/
One more speaker to present a microwave-related talk is still needed – contact Colin gm4hwo@gmail.com.Details will be available nearer the date.
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9 May – 30 Sept – Weds & Sats – MOC Exhibition 2026
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Friday 17 July 2026 – MOC Goudie lecture – The Pavek Museum of Electronic Communication, Minneapolis USA.
Our next Goudie Lecture will take place at 7.30 pm on Friday 17 July and is entitled The Pavek Museum of Electronic Communication, Minneapolis USA. It will be presented by the Museum’s Curartor, Dr Luis F. E. Souza, who is visiting Scotland for a conference in Edinburgh. The lecture is taking place on a Friday, as this is the only day available in Dr Souza’s busy schedule. Please see Events – Museum Of Communication for further information.The Pavek Museum has a similar background to the MoC, being started by Joseph Pavek [1908-1989] who was only slightly older than our own founder, Harry Matthews.To attend in person, please email enquiries@mocft.co.uk or REPLY ALL to this e-mail. Zoom access details will be sent to you about 10 days before the Lecture.
Attendance in person costs £5. Those viewing the lectures online are encouraged to make a voluntary donation of £5 in support of MoC activities via our web page at Shop – Museum Of Communication. We are a charitable organisation that relies entirely on donations for financial survival.Please be aware that our lectures are not recorded. There is therefore no catch-up facility.
CONTEST CALENDAR
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20-21 June 2026 – GM3HAM/P operated by Brian GM4DIJ in 50MHz Contest.
I’m out /P from IO74MU for the 50MHz Trophy. Today and tomorrow. 3pm till I get hungry, and 9am to 3pm tomorrow.
Fairly minimalist effort 300W to a 5 ele
Listen for GM3HAM/P . No postcode bonuses, only countries and squares -
3-5 July 2026 – VHF NFD 2026 participation by LRS is CANCELLED. Sadly, the key players in the LRS contest group have decided this event will need to be cancelled. The main reasons are lack of resources and transport at this time. Participation in the Sept 2026 VHF event is being discussed.
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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
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20-21 June 2026 – GM3HAM/P operated by Brian GM4DIJ in 50MHz Trophy contest from near Stranraer.
Brian operated from his usual location near Stoneykirk, SW of Stranraer. “The weather was good if a little warm. I did the 24Hour section, but split it into two sessions. Saturday 3pm till 7pm. This was set by the falling off of SpE and the need for dinner. Sunday was 8am to 3pm. The band was open via SpE to most of Europe , Italy, France, Spain etc, but I was failing to get replies to CQ and to work what were very loud stations. I think it was a combination of heavy QRM in Europe and my…
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11 June 2026 – US Army’s breakthrough sensor to pinpoint radio signals on battlefield
US Army develops ‘breakthrough’ Rubidium vapour cell quantum sensor to pinpoint radio signals on battlefields. See: https://interestingengineering.com/military/us-develops-breakthrough-sensor-for-battlefield
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RadCom June 2026 – LRS NARSA Rally Photo in RSGB RadCom
The LRS group photo taken at Pete GM4BYF’s table at the NARSA (Blackpool) Rally has been published in RSGB RadCom magazine, June 2026 issue, p.80.
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Sat 27 June 2026 – BBC closed Radio-4 198kHz LW Service at 01:00h BST.
The BBC closed its Radio-4 198kHz Long-Wave service from Droitwich, Burghead and Westerglen at 01:00h BST on Saturday 27th June 2026. It had operated since Sept 1934. The RSGB and the BBC Amateur Radio Group are planning to mark this event on the air. Click for info. Iain GM8LYQ reports: The transmitters are actually still running. They no longer carry BBC R4 programming, but are broadcasting a repeating message concerning the cessation of the R4 longwave service. The very last R4 item broadcast was the time signal (with the final pip truncated!). Peter GM4DTH reports that the 198kHz transmitters…
2. RECENT MEETINGS
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17 June 2026 – LRS AGM 2026
John Taylor GM4JRT (Treasurer), Andy Sinclair GM4LLD (President), Dr. Iain Coates GM1MSS… Read more
3. SILENT KEYS
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28 June 2026 – Obituary – Liz Brunsdon, XYL of Mike GM8KCS and mother of Michael MM3MDB.
4. ITEMS FOR SALE
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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)
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13 June 2026 – Dell Monitor for Sale by Andy GM4LLD
Dell U2412M hires 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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26 Apr 2026 – Bencher BY-1 Dual Paddle for Sale by Andy GM4LLD.
Bencher BY-1 dual paddle key. Chrome mechanics on black base. Used and slightly worn but in very good condition otherwise. Pictures available on request. Price £125 or offer. Andy Sinclair GM4LLD (formerly MM0FMF
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10 Mar 2026 – For Sale: Sigma 2010 Skip Master 25-30MHz am/fm/ssb, fibreglass home base antenna
John GM4JRT has for sale this aerial a Sigma 2010 skip master 25-30MHz am/fm/ssb , fibreglass home base antenna , works well without an ATU on 10 m and 11m band I have the aerial at my QTH , photo attached – collection from QTH GM4HWO @ Liberton Sigma 2010 skip master 25-30MHhz am/fm/ssb , fibreglass home base antenna, power handling 1000 watts, length 5.48 m/ 18 feet, Gain 9.9 dB, impedance 50 ohms, frequency 25-30MHz (with tuning), construction fibreglass, swr 1:1.3, Mounting bracket pole, the sigma euro-comm ½ wave skip master 2010 is a high performance base station antenna.…
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29 Jan 2026 – Items for Sale by Norman MM0BMG (Reduced Prices).
Norman has reduced the prices of many of the items on his list: GM1CNH Equipment Sale Updated: 29 January 2026 Item Description Price Alinco HF Mobile Whip Antenna 2.7 m mobile whip; antenna mounting bracket and spring; adjustable vehicle mounting bracket; heavy duty; boxed. NEW – £150 Anritsu MT8820A Radio Communication Analyser 30 MHz to 2.7 GHz, spectrum analyser, 2G/3G mobile phone tester, output power, modulation, RF signal generation, £300 Badger Boards HF Antenna wideband folded dipole antenna with balun N(f) connector; heavy duty centre spacer; termination resistor; 1.5 MHz to 30 MHz; supplied with 2 x 50 ft antenna…
Lothians Radio Society activities – latest reports
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28 June 2017 – LRS Summer Barbecue at QTH-GM4BYF
The annual LRS Summer barbecue was held on Wednesday 28th June 2017 at the QTH of Pete GM4BYF and Kay Bates GM6KAY at Fairmilehead. Wonderful food was provided (as always) and participants brought their own liquid refreshments. In view of the rather cold wx outside, the BBQ was held in the sunroom and kitchen. …
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14 June 2017 – LRS Annual General Meeting
Congratulations to Dr Brian Flynn GM8BJF who was elected President of the Lothians Radio Society for 2017-18 at the Annual General Meeting on 14th June. President: Brian Flynn GM8BJFTreasurer: Peter Dick GM4DTHSecretary: Mike Burgess MM0MLBCommittee: Andy Sinclair MM0FMF Malcolm…
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24 May 2017 – D/F Hunt – Peter Dick GM4DTH
L-R: Alasdair GM6ZQQ, Melvyn GM4HYR (winner), Mike Jr MM3MDB, Mike Sr GM8KCS The annual LRS Direction-Finding Contest (D/F Hunt) took place on Wednesday 24th May 2017 with Peter Dick GM4DTH operating the Fox station GM3HAM/P.. The results were: Melvyn Bond GM4HYR / Alasdair GM6ZQQ: 1h 19mMike Brunsden GM8KCS / Mike Jr MM3MDB: 1h 51mPete Bates…
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7 May 2017 LRS Members at Ham Radio Convention 2017
L-R: Brian GM8BJF, Chris GM3WOJ, Briain GM8PKL, Robin GM4YPL A number of LRS members attended the ASRA Ham Radio Convention 2017 at the Braehead Arena in Glasgow on Sunday 7th May 2017. As well as buying ‘stuff’, it was an opportunity to meet up with old friends. Brian GM8BJF catches a quick QSO on 10GHz…
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10 May 2017 – Radio in WW-I – Malcolm Fergusson
Malcolm Fergusson, formerly of Edinburgh University Physics Department, talked about Radio in WW-I at the meeting on 10th May 2017. His talk was about the start of radio, who was involved, who did what, development of military radio, French Radio, RFC developments and expansion. Marconi’s basic spark transmitter Malcolm revealed that this mystery photo, shown in the meeting…
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24 April 2017 – Malcolm GM3TAL – Our Man in Havana
L-R: Hector; Amed CO2AME; Malcolm GM3TAL; Moises CM2YV On the last day of his recent trip to Cuba, Malcolm was delighted to meet Amed, CO2AME and to exchange QSL cards for a contact made in the Nov 2016 CQWW CW contest. ======================================== VHF NFD Trophies at 26 April LRS Meeting VHF NFD 2016 operators holding the trophies won…
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26 April 2017 – Enigma – the Unsung Heroes – Pete Bates GM4BYF
At the LRS meeting on 26th April 2017 Pete Bates GM4BYF gave a very well researched talk on ‘Enigma – the Unsung Heroes’. He outlined how the Enigma machine was used, the inputs and work required and the lesser known actions of some brave, dedicated people’. A German Enigma machine used for the encryption and decryption of messages during WWII.…
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9 April 2017 – LRS Receives RSGB VHF-NFD Trophies at Norbreck Rally in Blackpool
Len Paget GM0ONX, RSGB Director; Colin GM4HWO, Andy MM0FMF, Mike GM4IGS, Pete GM4BYF, Danny GM6CMQ, Brian GM8BJF, Norrie GM1CNH, Peter GM4DTH. (Photo by Dave GM6KGZ – tnx). At the Norbreck Rally in Blackpool on 9th April 2017, representatives of the Lothians Radio Society were presented with the two RSGB trophies won by the LRS in…
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5 April 2017 – Spring Surplus Equipment Sale at St Fillans
The LRS Spring Surplus Equipment Sale was held on Wednesday 5th April at St Fillan’s Church, Buckstone Drive. There was a good turn-out including members of other clubs from as far away as Glasgow. The sale included a large number of small items from GM0FAL-SK which were sold by Andre GM3VLB and XYL Veronica. Many thanks to them both…
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21 March 2017 – Aurora over Islay – Mike Senior GM3PAK
Many thanks to former LRS member Mike Senior GM3PAK, who lives with his XYL Marion GM1DCB on the isle of Islay, for this nice photo of the Aurora on 21 March 2017. Did anyone work anything via AU? Another aurora is forecast for the following evening but it will probably not be visual in Edinburgh…
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15 March 2017 – FUNcube Satellite Received using Raspberry-Pi – John Cooke GM8OTI
(Photo courtesy AMSAT-UK) Following John Cooke’s talk on amateur radio applications for the Raspberry Pi microcomputer at the March 8th meeting (see report below), John now reports that he has successfully received the FUNcube-1 satellite using a Raspberry Pi 3. He writes: ‘Just managed the next stage of my satellite project successfully. It uses the…
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8 March 2017 – Raspberry Pi – John Cooke GM8OTI
At the meeting of the LRS on 8th March 2017, John Cooke GM8OTI talked about the Raspberry Pi computer’s history and variants, and gave a couple of simple examples with demonstrations of its use in radio applications. Full report. After his talk, John was presented with Raspberry … …tarts by LRS Prez. Andy Sinclair