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
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Nov 2026 – Ian Lindsay GM8LYQ – 50 Years in RSGB
Congratulations to Ian Lindsay GM8LYQ who is celebrating his 50 years continuous membership of the RSGB – RadCom Nov 2026, p.10.
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4 Nov 2026 – GB3EDN spotted on 1296MHz – Beaconspot.uk (DXC spot
GB3EDN in Edinburgh on 1296MHz has been spotted on 2026-11-04. It was spotted on 1296.99MHz at 23:28 UTC by SM6EAN locator JO58SA distance 923km. Comment:- io85 <tr> jo58 519.
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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
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 December 2011 – LRS Christmas Curry
Paul GM4UPN & Brian GM8BJF, winners of the annual “Largest Naan” competition in 2011. (Photo by GM3PSP) The annual Lothians Radio Society Christmas Curry was held on Wednesday, 14th December at the Himalaya Tandoori Restaurant, Bruntsfield Place after pre-dinner drinks at nearby Montpelier’s bar. 14 members and their partners attended and a merry time was had by all. Photo report. http://www.himalaya-restaurant.co.uk/content/
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Wed 23rd Nov 2011 – Communication Receiver Design by David Stockton GM4ZNX
(Photo courtesy GM4ZNX) David Stockton GM4ZNX talked about Communication Receiver Design at the LRS meeting on 23rd November 2011. He described the evolution of our current receiver designs from the beginning, showing what considerations pushed each change along the way. In addition to showing pictures of many classic receivers, David brought examples of the very desirable Eddystone EA-12 receiver and the ICOM…
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5th Nov 2011 – GMRT – Scottish Microwave Round Table
LRS Member Chris GM4YLN with Brian GM8BJF who brought a ton of test equipment to Burntisland to provide rig-testing for GMRT participants. The first Scottish Microwave Round Table – GMRT – organized by a team chaired by Ray James GM4CXM, was held on 5th November 2011 at the Museum of Communication, Burntisland with about 45 participants from GM,…
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9th Nov 2011 – GPS – Global Positioning System – by Andy Sinclair MM0FMF
Graphic courtesy www.gps.gov LRS Secretary Andy Sinclair MM0FMF gave a comprehensive talk about GPS – Global Positioning System – and its applications in Amateur Radio including SOTA – Summits On The Air at the LRS meeting on Wednesday 9th November 2011. Read report with photographs in Meeting Reports.
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Sun 23rd Oct 2011 – Galashiels Rally
Jack GM1CQC & Alan GM3PSP at the LRS table at the Gala Rally 2011. (Photo by Peter GM4DTH) The Galashiels & District Amateur Radio Society held their annual Radio & Computer Rally on Sunday 23rd October 2011 at The Volunteer Hall, Galashiels. The Lothians Radio Society had an information table at the rally, staffed by LRS committee members, with…
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VHF NFD 2011 – Lothians 2nd in Restricted Section
VHF NFD site with some of our operators relaxing. The results of VHF NFD 2011 are just out and show that the Lothians Radio Society operating GM3HAM/P from near Gatehouse of Fleet again did very well in the Restricted Section, coming 2nd overall in the UK and 1st in Scotland, retaining the Cockenzie Quaich. GM3HAM/P UK …
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2nd June 2012 – Central Scotland Mini-Convention
(Photo courtesy L&DARC) Lecture Programme & Poster available below. The Livingston and District Amateur Radio Club held a very successful Central Scotland Mini Convention on Saturday 2nd June 2012 at the Crofthead Farm Community Education Centre in Livingston. There were talks, vendor’s tables for rent, a bring and buy and an outside flea-market. Mini-Convention Website: http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/cshrc/ Lecture Programme (in TAC…
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5th Oct 2011 – Radio Expeditioning, by Tom Wylie GM4FDM
Tom GM4FDM & Ronald PA3EWP in their comfortable shack in Senegal (Photo by Tom GM4FDM) Well-known Scottish DXpeditioner Tom Wylie GM4FDM talked about “Radio Expeditioning to Senegal and Jersey” on 5th October, 2011. Senegal 2010 was an expedition to West Africa by Tom GM4FDM & Ronald PA3EWP. Their objective was to make as many QSOs as possible especially on the…
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19th Oct 2011 – Surplus Equipment Sale
The LRS autumn Surplus Equipment Sale was held on Wednesday 19th October at St Fillans Church Hall. There was a raffle with an assortment of “bottles” that contained rather more than a vacuum! Visitors from several other local clubs were welcomed at this well-attended meeting. A report with photos is posted in Meeting Reports.
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Special Meeting – “WWW” – 28th Sept 2011 – at MOC
(Photo by Peter GM4DTH) At a special meeting of the Lothians Radio Society at the Museum of Communication in Burntisland on Wednesday 28th September 2011, Prof. Tom Stevenson, Chairman of the MOC, assisted by Dorothy Brankin, Marion McLean and Raymond Parks, presented “WWW – Words, Wires, Waves and the World Wide Web”. They described how science has transformed…
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Bell Rock Lighthouse & the Stevensons – MOC – Tonight – Tues 23rd
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia This month’s Goudie lecture at the Museum of Communication will be “The Bell Rock Lighthouse and the Stevensons – a Dynasty of Engineers” by Prof. Roland Paxton at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, 23rd August 2011. The MOC is located at 131 High St, Burntisland, KY3 9AA. Admission is £3 for MOC members and…
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Presidential Address – Surface Mount Construction -14th Sept 2011
LRS President Pete Bates GM4BYF giving a demonstration of surface mount construction. The first meeting of the new 2011-2012 LRS club year was the President’s Address “Surface Mount Construction Techniques” by the new LRS President, Pete Bates GM4BYF on Wed 14th September 2011 at the Braid Hills Hotel. A report with photographs is posted in…