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                        George Heriot's School Radio Club

                                                                                    HISTORY

1923 – Receiving apparatus constructed and working; aerial erected at the school, Castle in background.      

                                 Reported in The Wireless World and Radio Review, Sep 26, 1923 p. 876)..

1923 Receiving Apparatus.jpg
1923 Aerial Erected at School.jpg

1953-54 - Heriot’s Radio Club re-founded. A founder member was Norman D H Murphy (SK 2015).

                        First project was a valve audio amplifier with pair of tetrode valves in push-pull.

" For myself, moving back in time just a little, my first interest in wireless and electromagnetic waves and all such things came in 1952 or thereabout when I found a book in the Heriot's school library – probably printed thirty years earlier – describing the wonders of very early wireless techniques.   This book explained the functions of crystal sets, and of such long-forgotten devices as the Self-Restoring Coherer, which was, as far as I could gather, a very early form of radio signal detector, probably invented before I was born and abandoned not long afterwards.   Nonetheless I was fascinated.   The whole concept of radio - or wireless, as we called it in Britain in those days - appealed to me.

I think it was in 1953 or early 1954 that Heriot's school started its very first Radio Club for after-school enthusiasts.    I was a founder member.   I think our first project, and the only one we undertook that year, was to build an amplifier.   Needless to say, it was a valve-based device of which I can remember little, except that the output stage was probably a pair of tetrode valves working in Class B push-pull.   (I ask you to forgive these minor technicalities; they are important to the historical progression of this note.)   I left school before the amplifier was actually finished."

1954-55 - Sorry to lose Mr Jim Jardine (who moved to George Watson’s College); replaced by Mr Barr.

Exhibition including oscilloscope (I. Reid); cycle radio (J. Telfer); extensive survey of valves, past & present; many items of ex-government radio equipment.  Film on valve manufacture.

1961-65 - Club met on Thursdays at 3:10pm in the radio workshop of the Physics Department.

                  Talks by club members on R/C models, “amateur broadcasting”, transistor radios & television.

                  Construction projects: oscilloscopes, guitar amplifiers, electronic locks (clocks?), transistor tester.

                  Mr Alistair Johnston (Physics) left (1965) and was replaced by Mr. Borthwick.

                  Secretary – Thomas J. Harrison, 5D.

1970 – club seems to have stopped for some years around 1970.

~1975 – club was re-formed by Chris Armistead, Gordon Mathew, Iain Gillespie, David Cockerill supported

               by Mr Bob Neil, Head of Physics

QSL.GM4FFI.jpg

~1977 - GM4FFI club callsign issued.

1977 – headmaster, Mr Alan McDonald, agreed to the purchase of a Yaesu FT101E transceiver.

             Also using Pye Cambridge or Vanguard for 2m VHF.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Gordon Mathew GM8MOQ and Leonard Rollo GM4HFM (SK) operating the new Yaesu FT-101E        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 L-R: Andrew Johnson, Lawrence Rollo?, Leonard Rollo GM4HFM (SK), Gordon Mathew GM8MOQ.

1979 – Mr Balfour made several contacts with UK and Europe using the club’s transceiver.

1977_HeriotsRC01.jpg
1977_HeriotsRC02.jpg
1979.Radio Forth.PW.jpg

1979 - Visit to Radio Forth - see photo above.

1985 - holder and club supervisor was GM4GMC - J. Balfour, 69 Silverknowes Gdns, EH4 5ND.

1994 - neither GM4FFI nor GM4GMC still listed in Callbook. Assume club had folded.

LIST OF MEMBERS - many callsigns no longer listed.

GM3ZWO – Peter A Slawek

GM4DMI – Dr Chris Armistead (1975-77) – now Sawbridgeworth, Herts.

GM4DXV – Dr Iain Gillespie (1975-77)

GM4EAU - Colin Murray, Balerno (1973-75). Photo courtesy LRS:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GM4FFI – Club Callsign, held by Mr J. Balfour GM4GMC

(GM4GMC) – J. Balfour, Silverknowes, EH4 (Staff).

(GM4HFM) – Leonard D Rollo (1975-77) - SK fairly young.

GM4HJQ – David Mackenzie (1975-77) – East Linton

GM4SVM - Gordon Hudson – Edinburgh : photo courtesy QRZ.com:

(GM6CRQ) – Grant Stewart – Falkirk - SK

G8IUM - Mike Richardson (1973-75) - Windsor (was GM8IUM).

GM8JMN / now GM4LBN - Brian T Armistead, father of Chris GM4DMI - Edinburgh

(GM8MOQ) – Dr Gordon Mathew (1975-77) - now in Novato, CA, USA.

(GM8NXF) – Lawrence Rollo (1977-79) younger brother of GM4HFM.

  • Andrew Basden (Treas 1965-66)

  • Alistair Campbell (1977-79)

  • John Cruickshank (1977-79)

  • Thomas J. Harrison (Secy 1964-65)

  • David Johnston (1977-79)

  • Alastair Nicol (Secy 1978-79)

  • Fraser Simm (Watsonian; Heriots Archivist). 

  • STAFF

  • (GM4GMC) - Mr J Balfour (Staff)

  • Mr Borthwick (Staff)

  • Mr Jim Jardine (Staff)

  • Mr Alastair Johnston (Staff)

  • Mr Bob Neil (Staff)

  • Mr Sowrey (Staff)

  • WB8xxx Mark Headlee (Staff).

Article compiled by Alan J Masson GM3PSP from input kindly provided by some of the above names.

I would be delighted to receive any additional material for this item.

Ver.5  9 Dec  2020.

GM4EAU_edited.jpg
GM4SVM.jpg
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