Watson's Radio Club
EDINBURGH RADIO CLUBS
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In addition to the Lothians Radio Society there have been a number of other amateur radio clubs in Edinburgh, mostly at schools such as Watson's and Universities, and active in the 1960s and 70s. We don't have a lot of material about many of them. They are listed here along with whatever material we do have, below. If you have more, please send it in!
Edinburgh Napier University Radio Club
Edinburgh University Amateur Radio Club - EUNARC
George Heriot's School Radio Club - GM4FFI
George Watson's College Radio Club - GM3BCD
Heriot-Watt University Amateur Radio Society - GM3WEE
Leith Nautical College Radio Club- GM4AXG
Lothians Radio Society - GM3HAM
Mary Erskine School for Girls Radio Club (TBC)
Pioneer Radio Club - GM4AVH
Daniel Stewart's College Radio Club- GM3OLQ
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EDINBURGH NAPIER UNIVERSITY RADIO CLUB
On the main building of the Edinburgh Napier University in Colinton Road, near Holy Corner, at the time of writing (Dec 2016) there stands the partial remains of a 4-element 50MHz yagi antenna. Can anyone provide more about the club which once existed there?
That location has also hosted the 70cm repeater GB3ED for a number of years under the control of Ellis Simon GM4GZW. Click for link.
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EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
Founded in about 1991 by Chris X and Alastair Y of Electrical Engineering, with treasurer Joan Senior (now Rosselle) GM3AEI / daughter of Watsonian Mike GM3PAK, this club met weekly in a room in the Pleasance. Activities included a Fox Hunt on Blackford Hill beside the Observatory, experiments with slow-scan TV and TCPIP and converting old equipment for amateur use. Joan remembers everyone being equipped with a Slim Jim antenna made from ribbon cable which could be hung up in a window. Morse code was taught, enabling Joan to pass her test and get her 'A' licence. It is not known how long the club continued after Joan graduated in 1994. Can anyone help?
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GEORGE HERIOT'S SCHOOL RADIO CLUB - GM4FFI
At one time there was an amateur radio club at Heriot's with callsign GM4FFI (QSL card below), indicating that it was issued in the 1970s. With help from the current (2019) Heriot's archivist and others we have obtained more information on its history, see below. See separate menu item. Currently there is a Radio Interest Club for broadcast listening and technology, but not Amateur Radio.
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GEORGE WATSON'S COLLEGE RADIO CLUB - GM3BCD - see this website.
Brief summary: the Watson's Radio Club ran from the late-1940s until about 1980 thanks to the very enthusiastic support of two teachers, John Hughes GM3LCP and Tom Simpson GM3BCD and may have had a brief return in the 1980s (being researched).
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HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY - GM3WEE
A radio club was established at the Heriot-Watt University in the late-1960s in the top floor of the Mountbatten Building in the Grassmarket. A nicely-equipped HF station was provided thanks to the generosity of Prof. Arthur Bolton GM3BMI (on left in first photo below). This station was operated jointly with the Lothians Radio Society as GB3EIF during the Edinburgh International; Festival for several festivals.
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LEITH NAUTICAL COLLEGE RADIO CLUB (~1971 - ~1990)
No information at present. Dates are very approximate.
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This QSL was for a special event station marking the move of LNC from Leith to a now location at Brunstane.
LOTHIANS RADIO SOCIETY - GM3HAM 1947 - DATE
The LRS has been the principal amateur radio club in the Edinburgh area since 1947, initially with a catchment area of all three Lothian counties until separate clubs were established in Livingston in West Lothian and Cockenzie & Port Seton in East Lothian. The LRS has its own website (click) with a lot of archival material. Many members of the Watson's Radio Club were also members of the 'Lothians'.
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MARY ERSKINE SCHOOL FOR GIRLS RADIO CLUB
It is believed that the Mary Erskine school had an amateur radio club, run by Physics teacher Bill Marshall GM8BPL / later GM4IMX (SK-2013). He is sitting at the rear-right in the second GB3EIF photo above.
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PIONEER RADIO CLUB - GM4AVH (~ 1972 - 1978)
This club met on Tuesdays at a church hall in Gilmerton, in south Edinburgh. The secretary was R. Henderson GM4DTJ.
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DANIEL STEWART'S COLLEGE RADIO CLUB - GM3OLQ (1960 - ~1972); GM8EWQ (1971-?)
There was an active Radio Club at Stewart's during the 1960s run by former pupil Jim 'Nick' Nicholson GM3FJP / VU2JP after he returned to Edinburgh from many years in India. At least one National Field Day was operated from the Stewart's Inverleith playing fields in the 1960s in collaboration with the Lothians Radio Society. As at Watson's, there was some overlap of membership with the Signals Section of the Stewart's CCF and there were good relations with the Watson's Radio Club. Not listed from 1974, presumably after Nick became a Silent Key (actual date not known).
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A second callsign, GM8EWQ is listed in the 1970s, possibly obtained by club members after Nick's SK prevented further use of GM3OLQ.
The following note was published in the Short Wave Magazine in August 1971:
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"News from GM: The VHF "get-together," held this year in Cupar, Fife, seems to have been a great success. Some 30 souls attended, including a few HF men who had come along to see what it was all about, and whom we are assured by GM8BZX, went away suitably impressed. Raffle tickets for the prizes were drawn by GM6RI and GM8EWQ, as holders of the oldest and the newest licence among those present"
Photo below L-R: Vic GM3OWU, Nick GM3FJP (SK)
Jim GM3PFY (SK 2016).
