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 BBC 198kHz Radio 4 long wave service – Mark Hughes GM4ISM. Note that this meeting will be held in the Buckstone Bar, next to the Braid Hills Hotel, if the current maintenance work on the Gathering Bar is not completed.
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.
LOCATION: if the current maintenance work in the Gathering Bar at the rear of the Braid Hills Hotel is not complete, this meeting will be held in the Buckstone Bar next to 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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31 Oct 2026 – Scottish Microwave Round Table GMRT 2026
The 2026 Scottish Microwave Round Table was held, appropriately, on Halloween this year. The event was sold out and the lecture room at the MOC/Burntisland was full. There were interesting talks – several from LRS members, including Andy (GM4LLD) on portable microwave operating (lugging dishes up some cold Scottish mountains), Peter (GM4BYF) and Brian (GM8BJF) on tricks and techniques on SM component soldering (with lively participation and experiences from the audience). Also Martin (GM8IEM) talked about his sequencer design for the IC9700, and Mark (GM4ISM) gave some ideas about modding commercial microwave gear for amateurs (aka ‘bodging’). There were some cool bits of identifiable (and unidentifiable) microwave goodies for sale, some fancy test gear for GHz visitors, and tasty food for lunch. A good day out and meet up with other microwavers from Scotland and south of the border.
The room was full! 
Andy introduced Brian GM8BJF talking about SM soldering tricks 
Mark/GM4ISM talked about bodging commercial microwave equipment for amateur use. 
Some interesting microwave bits for sale 
Fancy testgear available (not for sale) 
Speakers: Mark/GM8IEM, Peter/GM4BYF, Brian/GM8BJF, Martin/GM8IEM, and Andy/GM4LLD 
More pictures at https://gmroundtable.org.uk/gmrt-2026-photos/
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
There are no RADIO NEWS ITEMS. Click on the heading to see the radio news archive.
2. RECENT MEETINGS
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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6 Sep 2016 – Bill Hunter GM3HUN – Silent Key
Bill Hunter GM3HUN, a former member of the Lothians Radio Society, died peacefully at the age of 90 in a care home on 6th September 2016. Bill had been a Sub-Lieutenant in the RNVR and an Officer in the Sea Cadets. He was a lifelong avid CW DXer and member of the FOC – First Class Operators Club. Click…
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28 Sept 2016 – Admiralty Anti-Submarine Research Station, Hawkcraig Pt. – Diana Maxwell
At the annual LRS visit to the Museum of Communication, Burntisland on 28th September local historian and author Diana Maxwell gave a talk based on her book Listen Up! about HMS Tarlair, the Admiralty Research Station at Hawkcraig Point near Aberdour, which researched methods of detecting submarines during WW1. Click for Full Report with many of…
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3-4 Sept 2016 – GM3HAM/P – RSGB 2m Trophy – Gatehouse of Fleet
Photos by Peter Dick GM4DTH The GM3HAM/P contest group of the Lothians Radio Society operated in the RSGB 2m Trophy Contest on 3-4 September 2016 from our usual site on a hilltop near Gatehouse of Fleet in Dumfries and Galloway. Click for Peter’s beautiful aerial video of the site taken using his UAV – unmanned…
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Website changes
Regular readers will have noticed some changes to the appearance of our website. The changes are due to us moving to a current (and supported!) version of the software used to present the website. This is necessary so that we get security updates to the software. The new version should work well with different devices…
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14 Sept 2016 – What’s in the Box? – Andy Sinclair MM0FMF
14th Sept: the first meeting of the new LRS club year was the Presidential Address by Andy Sinclair MM0FMF: “What’s in the Box?” Home router / gateway).
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17 July 2016 – LRS GM3HAM/P Wins RSGB VHF NFD & Scotland Restricted Sections
The Martlesham Trophy for Overall Winner of the Restricted Section of RSGB VHF NFD Congratulations to the LRS Contest Group GM3HAM/P who have won the Overall Restricted Section and First in Scotland in the RSGB VHF NFD Contest which was held on 2-3 July 2016. Click for RSGB Report. The last time we won both trophies was…
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12 July 2016 – Film – The Battle of the Somme – The Museum of Communication, Burntisland
The Museum of Communication in Burntisland is holding a special Film Night on Tuesday 12th July 2016 at 7:30pm with the screening of the film The Battle of the Somme. Shot and screened in 1916, it was the first feature length documentary about war and changed the way both cinema and film was perceived by…
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13 July – 24 Aug – LRS Summer Pub Nights
Pub Night 4 (24th Aug): There was a good turnout of ten for the last for this summer, and no sweaty joggers to drive us to another pub! Pub Night 3 (10th Aug): Wee Bennet’s was swamped with sweaty joggers so Mike GM8KCS & Peter GM4DTH decamped to the more civilised atmosphere of Hunter’s Tryst. Pub Night…
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2-3 July 2016 – RSGB VHF NFD – LRS Contest Group GM3HAM/P
GM3HAM/P VHF NFD 2016. The Lothians Radio Society Contest Group GM3HAM/P operated in RSGB VHF NFD on 2-3 July 2016 from our usual location in the hills near Gatehouse of Fleet in Dumfries & Galloway at LOCator IO74wv. The bands operated were 50MHz (Saturday only); 70MHz (Sunday only); 144MHz; 1296MHz. Your scribe was unable to participate this year and awaits the…
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11 June 2016 – Archie Dalziel GM4FGD – Silent Key
Archie Dalziel GM4FGD, a former member of the Lothians Radio Society, became a Silent Key at the age of 85 on 11 June 2016, just a few weeks after his XYL Trudy, with whom he had just celebrated their Diamond Wedding. His career was as a Water Officer with the Scottish Water Board. As well…
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5 June 2016 – George P. Millar GM3UM – Silent Key
George P. Millar GM3UM died peacefully at the age of 96 at the Glencairn Care Home on 5th June 2016. He was possibly the last surviving founder member of the Lothians Radio Society, having been its first Secretary in 1946-7 and its second President in 1947-48. A keen CW contester, he operated GM3HAM/P for…
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29 June 2016 – LRS Barbecue
The LRS Annual Barbecue was held on Wed 29th June at the QTH of Pete GM4BYF and Kay Bates GM6KAY. There was a good turn-out and the Wx was kind to us. Melvyn GM4HYR, Roger Hill, John GM4XZN. Pete GM4BYF was presented with a 70th birthday cake (from Kay) and a bottle of rare Islay…