Scottish Charity number SC045038
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LRS Messages of the Day:
Sun 25 Oct 2026 – Galashiels Rally – photos by Colin GM4HWO – see Radio News Items. Wed 28 Oct 2026 – LRS at BHH – Blood Bikes Scotland – Phil Dodsworth & John Taylor Wed 11 Nov 2026 – 7:30PM – 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.
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28 Oct 2026 – Blood Bikes Scotland by Phil Dodsworth & John Taylor GM3JRT
Blood Bikes Scotland (BBS) is a fully volunteer-run and donation-funded charity that provides a completely no cost courier service to 5 NHS Scotland Health Boards in Lothians, Borders, Fife, Central, and Tayside. BBS use both motorcycles and cars to move a variety of essential items 7 days a week, including: medicines and controlled drugs, tissue and blood samples, prescriptions, clerical and medical documents, medical equipments, and, occasionally, blood.
The alternative courier services cost the NHS precious funds and BBS has saved NHS Scotland over £450,000 in courier costs in the last 12 months.
Phil Dodsworth, a Trustee with BBS, will be giving a presentation all about BBS and how it functions. Our own Treasurer John GM4JRT also volunteers with BBS and will be on hand to answer any specific questions LRS members might have.
More information can be found on the Blood Bikes Scotland website: <https://bloodbikesscotland.
org/>28 Oct 2026 –
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
There are no posts in category “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
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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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22 Jan 2014 – Life at Sea as a Radio Officer in the 1960s & 70s – Eric Lamb
At the LRS meeting on 22nd January 2014 Eric Lamb described his experiences as a ship’s Radio Officer in the 1960s and 70s and brought a number of interesting demonstrations. The photo is of Eric in his last position, on the MV Providence Bay. Full report.
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Wed 8th Jan 2014 – Video Night
There was an excellent turnout of 25 including several visitors for the first meeting in 2014 on Wed 8th January – the annual Video Night in the excellent screening room of the Edinburgh Cine & Video Society, organised by Peter GM4DTH. The programme was: 1. “The Tower of Babble” (1964) – Post Office Tower. 2. “The…
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11 Dec 2013 LRS Christmas Curry
Twenty LRS members and visitors enjoyed our annual Christmas Curry at the Himalaya Tandoori Restaurant at Bruntsfield on Wed 11th December 2013. Full Report with many photos.
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21 Nov 2013 FUNcube-1 AO73 Satellite Launched
The AMSAT FUNcube-1 / AO-73 educational satellite was launched on Thursday 21st November 2013. (Photo courtesy AMSAT-UK) It has already been heard, and data decoded, by LRS member John GM8OTI. John reports it’s very loud on his 5-element yagi. Alan GM3PSP has also heard it using a vertical antenna. The nominal beacon / data frequency is…
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27 Nov 2013 – Home Spun Antennas by Malcolm Hamilton GM3TAL
At the meeting of the LRS on Wednesday 27th November 2013 LRS member Malcolm Hamilton GM3TAL talked on “Home Spun Antennas” including a 5/8λ vertical and a Bobtail Curtain for 10m. Full report.
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18-20 Nov 2013 Special Event Station GM100RSGB
The antenna dismantling crew on Sunday. L-R: Alan GM3PSP, Danny GM6CMQ, Peter GM4DTH, Brian GM8BJF, Vic GM3OWU, Mike GM8KCS, Bill T6/K5WEJ & Norrie GM1CNH. The LRS operated special event station GM100RSGB as part of the RSGB’s Centenary celebrations on Mon 18th to Wed 20th Nov. from a nice quiet site near Armadale, West Lothian, with…
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2nd Nov 2013 – GMRT – Scottish Microwave Round Table
LRS member David GM4ZNX attracted a lot of interest with his Noise Factor measurements. The third Scottish Microwave Round Table (GMRT) was held on Saturday 2nd November 2013 at the Museum of Communication in Burntisland with a number of LRS members involved as organizers and active participants. Afterwards there was an informal dinner at…
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4th Aug 2013 3cm Portable Operations by Pete GM4BYF/P & Brian GM8BJF/P
Pete GM4BYF/P (in natty hat)! Brian GM8BJF/P (who should have been wearing a hat)! Two keen Lothians microwavers Pete GM4BYF and Brian GM8BJF (our two “BF’s”) were out portable on 3cm on 4th August 2013 and posed for the camera. More information shortly.
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Sayonara Vic and Haste Ye Back
L-R: Mike GM8KCS, Peter GM4DTH, Vic JA5VQ, Bill GM8SQM & Malcolm GM3TAL. October 30th was the last LRS meeting for this year for our good friend Vic Imamura JA5VQ / MM0JVQ before he and his XYL Keiko JG5JUS returned to Japan. We look forward to seeing them again next summer.
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Wed 13th Nov – Lighthouse Weekend 2013 – Geoff Crowley MM5AHO
At the LRS meeting on Wednesday 13th November we welcomed back Geoff Crowley MM5AHO for his talk – “International Lighthouse & Lightship Weekend 2013 – the crazy Crowleys sail again!”. He described the cruise this year with his son Matt MM1EUI to exotic islands such as Wee Cumbrae and Ailsa Craig in the Firth of…
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19-20 Oct 2013 – JOTA & Galashiels Rally
It was a busy weekend for LRS, in Jamboree on the Air on Saturday and the Galashiels Rally on Sunday. John GM8OTI with one of the many Scouts who were persuaded to speak into the microphone to send greetings to other JOTA stations from GB0BSS. Looking on is David GM3YMX, a former LRS member who…
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Wed 30th Oct 2013 – “A Tour Round the Solar System” – Ian Sheffield GM3VEI
At the meeting of the LRS on 30th October astronomer and former LRS member, Ian Sheffield GM3VEI gave us a very well described tour of the Solar System, describing the various planets, the sun, meteors, comets and the moon. After the talk there was a chance to get close to the moon (or at least…