diff --git a/LCS/Messaging/python/messaging/messages.py b/LCS/Messaging/python/messaging/messages.py
index ddf74c792d0e4a873e70570dcd279f0d30ff86ee..16d3561009b057043c4aaf80e19d21f04d531cdb 100644
--- a/LCS/Messaging/python/messaging/messages.py
+++ b/LCS/Messaging/python/messaging/messages.py
@@ -159,6 +159,9 @@ class LofarMessage(object):
         else:
             try:
                 self.__dict__['_qpid_msg'] = qpid.messaging.Message(content)
+                if self.__dict__['_qpid_msg'].content_type is None:
+                    self.__dict__['_qpid_msg'].content_type='text/plain'
+
             except KeyError:
                 raise InvalidMessage(
                     "Unsupported content type: %r" % type(content))
diff --git a/LCS/Messaging/python/messaging/test/t_RPC.py b/LCS/Messaging/python/messaging/test/t_RPC.py
index 95f9331714162c7908b192330d5b931e18ffb2cd..54f7d6f41c38ee8c3314bb0f28faad0fe7df2aae 100644
--- a/LCS/Messaging/python/messaging/test/t_RPC.py
+++ b/LCS/Messaging/python/messaging/test/t_RPC.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python
+#!/usr/bin/python
 """
 Program to test the RPC and Service class of the Messaging package.
 It defines 5 functions and first calls those functions directly to check
diff --git a/LCS/Messaging/python/messaging/test/t_messagebus.py b/LCS/Messaging/python/messaging/test/t_messagebus.py
index 4bd9fb998ed7b7f842330ce6c673d030f3a73b25..7f1cdfcca2c69ff86034f1374d70f57120c7ec35 100644
--- a/LCS/Messaging/python/messaging/test/t_messagebus.py
+++ b/LCS/Messaging/python/messaging/test/t_messagebus.py
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ from lofar.messaging.messages import *
 from lofar.messaging.messagebus import *
 from lofar.messaging.exceptions import MessageBusError, InvalidMessage
 
-TIMEOUT = 0.1
+TIMEOUT = 1.0
 
 
 # ========  FromBus unit tests  ======== #
@@ -245,9 +245,8 @@ class SendReceiveMessage(unittest.TestCase):
         Helper class that implements the send/receive logic and message checks.
         :param send_msg: Message to send
         """
-        with self.tobus:
+        with self.tobus, self.frombus:
             self.tobus.send(send_msg)
-        with self.frombus:
             recv_msg = self.frombus.receive(timeout=TIMEOUT)
             self.frombus.ack(recv_msg)
         self.assertEqual(