''QST'' is a

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

for

amateur radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emergency commu ...

enthusiasts, published by the

American Radio Relay League The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the largest membership association of amateur radio enthusiasts in the United States. ARRL is a non-profit organization, and was co-founded on April 6, 1914, by Hiram Percy Maxim and Clarence D. Tuska o ...

(ARRL). It is a membership journal that is included with membership in the ARRL. The publisher claims that circulation of ''QST'' in the United States is higher than all other amateur radio-related publications in the United States combined. Although an exact number for circulation is not published by the American Radio Relay League, the organization claimed 158,238 members at the end of 2021, almost all of whom receive the magazine monthly, in addition to issues delivered to libraries and newsstands. Its first issue was dated December 1915. ''QST'' suspended publication after September 1917 due to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

, but has been in continuous publication since it resumed in May 1919.

Magazine name

The magazine’s name is the radio "

Q signal The Q-code is a standardised collection of three-letter codes that each start with the letter "Q". It is an operating signal initially developed for commercial radiotelegraph communication and later adopted by other radio services, especiall ...

" for "calling all stations" or "the following message is to be forwarded to all amateur stations".

Content

''QST'' includes projects for the amateur radio enthusiast, and pictures, articles, columns, and reports on ARRL affairs. Particular interest is given to amateur radio's role in emergency communications such as in the hours after the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

and in

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

. Supplemental content to the magazine is available on the ARRL website, including an abridged archive in

PDF Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...

format, available to ARRL members, that spans all content dated 1915–2011. As part of its centennial celebration in 2014, ARRL published two volumes of ''QST'' reprints from 1915 to 2013: One on Amateur Radio technology and the other on advertising.

History

The first issue of the magazine was published in December 1915, with its first three issues financed by

founder Hiram Percy Maxim and secretary

Clarence D. Tuska Clarence Denton "C. D." Tuska (August 15, 1896 – June 30, 1985) was an early radio experimenter and amateur operator, who also became one of the first radio receiver manufacturers. He is best known as the co-founder, along with Hiram Percy Maxi ...

, with an expectation that increased membership would finance its continued existence. In October 1916, the editors announced the formation of The QST Publishing Company, mostly to insulate Maxim and Tuska from possible

litigation - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil act ...

risks.

Publication of ''QST'' was temporarily suspended after the September 1917 issue. In April 1917, the United States government, following its entrance into

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, banned all amateur radio activities, and a large percentage of the magazine's subscribers had entered military service. The ban on amateur radio was lifted after the conclusion of the war. ''QST'' returned in May 1919 with no cover – billed as “ARRL special bulletin” – and only 8 pages long. At a meeting in New York on March 29, a group that included Maxim, Tuska, and nine others decided to finance its return in this form and make a plea for membership and subscription renewals. QST Announcement - QST magazine, December 1915, page 2

QST Announcement - QST magazine, December 1915, page 2

The June 1919 issue, still without a cover, announced that the wartime ban on receiving had been lifted. Finally, in July 1919, ''QST'' resumed its previous format, although amateurs were not be permitted back on the air until that fall, when a supplement to the October 1919 issue proclaimed “BAN OFF”. By September 1920, ''QST'' was back up to 100 pages, a size not seen since April 1917. Publication continued throughout

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, despite amateur radio's repeated wartime hiatus by order of the U.S. government. During both wars, amateurs were in high demand as military radio operators, and ''QSTs staff pitched in for the war effort.

Administration

The current managing editor is Becky Schoenfeld (W1BXY). Steve Ford (WB8IMY) retired as managing editor in September 2020.

Footnotes

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.arrl.org/qst Amateur radio magazines Monthly magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1915 Magazines published in Connecticut Mass media in Hartford, Connecticut