Watson's Radio Club
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)..
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
~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.
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.