ARRL Advertising
- Contact ARRL Advertising
- Ham Ads (QST Classifieds)--Current monthly ads in QST
- QST Display Advertising Rate Information, Sizes and Planning Calendar
- 2023 Editorial Calendar
- QST Advertising Specifications
- QST Ham Ads (Classifieds) Rate Information
- Advertising rates in other ARRL publications--QEX/Communications Quarterly and NCJ
- Ad banners on ARRLWeb
- Consumers guide to purchasing Amateur Radio Equipment
- ARRL Advertising Acceptance Policy
- Outside Classified Resources
QST, first published in 1915, is the oldest Amateur Radio magazine in the world. QST's U.S. circulation is greater than all other similar publications combined. QST is the monthly journal of American Radio Relay League, the national association for Amateur Radio. The ARRL is the only U.S. organization that finds, trains, promotes, and protects Amateur Radio enthusiasts.
The ARRL has also been an information resource for its advertisers. Current license and demographic information on the Amateur Radio community is always available to our advertisers.
An important benefit of advertising in League publications is that your revenue is used to promote Amateur Radio, recruit new individuals into the service, and to protect our frequency allocations. When you place an ad, you are supporting the service and helping us assure a future market for your products or services.
The ARRL publishes two other bimonthly periodicals, QEX (including Communications Quarterly)--The Forum for Communications Experimenters', and NCJ, The National Contest Journal.
Since 1933, QST has administered an Advertising Acceptance Policy. Originally created to assist our members in locating reputable suppliers of Amateur Radio equipment and services, the Advertising Acceptance process has developed into one of the most unique and respected services provided to both members and advertisers. Thousands of ARRL members can be confident that any product appearing in QST meets the advertiser's claims and applicable FCC specifications.
Rates
Contact us for QST advertising display and specialty rates, demographic information and up to the minute distribution numbers. Call us toll-free today at 800-243-7768 to discuss your advertising needs, questions and concerns. We have advertising plans for every budget and we also offer special rates for convention and hamfest advertising
We can send you a complete media kit via mail or e-mail. Sample copies of QST are also available upon request. You can call us at 800-243-7768, or send your request to ads@arrl.org.
Our goal is to provide top-notch service and quality advertising products that produce results. Part of that process includes intense education about our clients’ products and services and then tailoring a custom plan to suit your needs. Our ultimate goal is not simply to sell you an advertisement, it’s also to provide advertising products and programs that work.
QST advertising prices listed in our ARRL Advertising Matters e-book refer to run-of-book (ROB) advertising. Placement of ROB advertisements are at the discretion of the publisher. Preferred position placements, requested by the client, are subject to a 10% additional fee based on the rate qualified for on the rate card. This fee is for interior placements only. Please contact us for details.
QST Covers - Call for pricing, details and availability.
QST carries paid advertising on Cover 2, Cover 3 and Cover 4. Covers must be contracted for 12 consecutive issues. Any advertiser contracting a QST cover must also maintain a full-page paid placement in the magazine's interior for the same 12 months.
Please feel free to contact any member of the ARRL Advertising Team:
Janet Rocco, W1JLR
Advertising Sales Manager
Phone: 860-594-0203
Email: jrocco@arrl.org
Lisa Tardette, KB1MOI
Account Executive
Phone: 860-594-0255
Email: ltardette@arrl.org
Production Services
If local facilities for advertisement layout are not available or convenient to your organization, ARRL can assist you in the production process. Production services are available in-house for ad creation. Ads can be uploaded, submitted on CD or emailed to ads@arrl.org.
All materials are handled at advertiser's risk. Materials and files left in our possession will be destroyed after 12 months unless prior arrangements are made. Ads less than one page and not a multiple of a 1/24th page (1-1/4 inch) will be centered in and charged as space of the next regular ad size.
Send all printing material to:
Advertising Department, ARRL
QST Magazine
225 Main Street
Newington, CT 06111-1494
USA
voice 860-594-0207
fax 860-594-4285
e-mail: ads@arrl.org
QST Display Sizes
Magazine trim size 8" W × 10.5" H
Full page with bleed 8.25" W × 10.75" H
Trim size is 8" W × 10.5" H
"Live Area" should be .5" away from the trim size to avoid trimming off any essential matter. Click the image below for a larger view.
1. Full page, 7 W × 10 H
2. Three-fourths vertical, 7 W × 7-1/2 H (7" × 7.5")
3. Two-thirds vertical, 4-5/8 W × 10 H (4.625" × 10")
4. Two-thirds horizontal, 7 W × 6-3/4 H (7" × 6.75")
5. One-half horizontal, 7 W × 5 H
6. One-half vertical, 4-5/8 W × 7-1/2 H (4.625" × 7.5")
7. One-third horizontal, 4-5/8 W × 5 H (4.625" × 5")
8. One-third vertical, 2-1/4 W × 10 H (2.25" ×10")
9. One-fourth vertical, 2-1/4 W × 7-1/2 H (2.25" × 7.5")
10. One-fourth horizontal, 4-5/8 W × 3-3/4 H or 7 W × 2-1/2 H (4.625" × 3.75" or 7" × 2.5")
11. One-sixth horizontal, 4-5/8 W × 2-1/2 H (4.625" × 2.5")
12. One-sixth vertical, 2-1/4 W × 5 H (2.25" × 5")
13. One-eighth horizontal, 7 W × 1-1/4 H (7" × 1.25")
14. One-eighth vertical, 2-1/4 W × 3-3/4 H (2.25" × 3.75")
15. One-twelfth vertical, 2-1/4 W × 2-1/2 H (2.25" × 2.5")
16. One-twelfth horizontal, 4-5/8 W × 1-1/4 H (4.625" × 1.25")
17. One-twenty-fourth horizontal, 2-1/4 W × 1-1/4 H (2.25" × 1.25")
Issuance and Closing Dates
QST is in circulation on approximately the 10th of every month preceding the dated month. For example, a QST published in May goes into circulation on approximately April 10th.
Closing dates: See the schedule below.
Cancellations or changes cannot be accepted after the closing dates. We will attempt to publish ads received after closing dates.
Production services are available. Please contact us for rates and to schedule the production of advertisements that need to be created or changed.
QST 2023 Calendar
Download complete 2023 Calendar for all four ARRL magazines here (PDF).
| Issue | Artwork Due |
Print Edition Mails |
| March | Wednesday, January 18, 2023 | February 3, 2023 |
| April | Tuesday, February 14, 2023 | March 7, 2023 |
| May | Tuesday, March 14, 2023 | April 4, 2023 |
| June | Friday, April 14, 2023 | May 2, 2023 |
| July | Tuesday, May 16, 2023 | June 6, 2023 |
| August | Tuesday, June 13, 2023 | July 3, 2023 |
| September | Friday, July 14, 2023 | July 31, 2023 |
| October | Tuesday, August 15, 2023 | September 5, 2023 |
| November | Friday, September 15, 2023 | October 3, 2023 |
| December | Friday, October 13, 2023 | October 31, 2023 |
| January 2024 | Wednesday, November 15, 2023 | December 5, 2023 |
|
February 2024 |
Friday, December 15, 2023 |
January 9, 2024 |
Contact us for the latest circulation figures.
The Advertising and Technical Departments at the League examine all advertising copy that is submitted for publication. When the Technical Department reviews an ad from a new company, or a new product type from an existing advertiser, they sometimes request a spec sheet or product sample. Most products are evaluated for acceptable construction quality, safety, and advertised claims. Those products covered by FCC regulations are subject to laboratory testing to determine compliance with manufacturer's specifications and FCC regulations. Having your product evaluated by the Technical Department also creates product awareness throughout the staff, as well as an open door for useful interjection on design and operation. Advertising Acceptance examination results are confidential and never published. Most items shipped for evaluation can be returned within five days. Since it is logistically impossible for the League's laboratory to evaluate every new product advertised, please call the Advertising Department (800-243-7768 ) to determine if your product applies. Although this policy may cause a small delay in the insertion of your advertisement, in no way does the ARRL want this policy to be a hindrance to the advertising process.
In lieu of RS-329-certified results, the advertiser may advertise performance figures derived from specific antenna modeling programs. To do so, the advertiser should first model the antenna, using either YO (Yagi Optimizer, for Yagis only) or the latest version of the NEC (Numerical Electromagnetics Code) program. Contact us ads@arrl.org for the ARRL Guideline for Modeling Antennas for Advertising Acceptance for answers to frequently asked questions and for sample graphs. The data files used must be submitted to ARRL at the time the advertisement is submitted.
All advertising performance claims derived from antenna modeling must indicate that they are calculated. As a minimum, we expect to see the peak free-space gain (in dBi referenced to isotropic) at a manufacturer-specified frequency. ARRL encourages advertisers to provide even more information to end-users, showing performance measurements or computations over a specified frequency range, rather that at a single frequency.
In addition to free-space performance figures, advertisers may wish to show computed performance over ground. If so, they must use a "typical" ground, with a conductivity of 5 mS/m and a dielectric constant of 13. They must invoke the Sommerfeld/Norton ground model if NEC is used, and the terrain shall be flat ground at antenna heights specified by advertiser.
Advertisers may elect to show a computed front-to-back ratio at a frequency they specify. However, ARRL encourages advertisers to show the worst-case front-to-rear ratio, over a frequency range of their choice, preferably a complete amateur band.
ARRL also encourages advertisers to grant permission to place modeling files on the ARRL BBS for knowledgeable users to try for themselves, to foster greater public confidence in performance claims. As always, the ARRL Laboratory reserves the right to inspect and test an actual antenna to verify modeling claims.
Announcement advertisements by current advertisers are permitted in ARRL publications, but don't necessarily imply production model approval or acceptance. Technical specifications or data sheets on products announced before production may be necessary for Policy compliance. In fairness to our members, advertised products must be shipped within three months of a pre-release or advertising will be discontinued.
Should a history of problems develop on an item on which the ARRL has waived evaluation, or on a previously accepted product, the ARRL reserves the right to recall that product for additional laboratory examination.
The ARRL has developed strong working relationships over the years with our advertisers and has found that by creating an atmosphere of ethical standards in business the Advertising Acceptance Policy has become mutually beneficial.
ARRL ADVERTISING AND THE FCC
Advertising appearing in ARRL publications is seen by a diverse audience. This not only includes licensed hams, but also industry and government. For this reason, ARRL's advertising policies are designed to help advertisers best take advantage of the reputation for quality and integrity that go along with an ARRL advertisement. One of the important policies that support the reputation of our advertisers is a requirement that all products advertised in QST be legal to sell and use.
Under FCC rules, there are two types of Amateur Radio products that require FCC Certification to be marketed in the US -- HF and 6-meter amplifiers and scanning receivers. Many of the receivers and transceivers advertised include a scanning receiver, so, in order to be marketed in the U.S., the devices must have been issued a grant of Certification by the FCC. They can be marketed and sold only with the labeling required by FCC rules.
Although ARRL must oversee adherence to the policies that govern its advertising, it also wants to provide advertisers with the maximum possible flexibility and freedom in designing their advertising. To help do that, the ARRL Lab staff will determine that an FCC Certification has been issued for any product that, in our opinion, requires Certification.
Other than checking that a grant of Certification has been issued for a product that requires it, the Lab staff will not review each Certification grant; this is what is done by the FCC and its Technical Certification bodies. The Lab staff can't answer questions about why a particular product was certified, so people that have questions about a particular Certification application or product should contact the FCC.
The complexity of the FCC equipment authorization procedures can, in some cases, create misunderstandings relative to statements made in advertising. Although advertisers are free to decide for themselves whether they want their ad to include information that states that the product is FCC Certified, ARRL asks that any statement in advertisements about Certification simply state that the product is FCC Certified, without reference to any particular FCC rule Part (i.e., Part 15, Part 97, etc.) or any characterization of the fact of equipment authorization. Additional information about the capabilities of the equipment can be included in the text of the advertisement, subject to the usual ARRL approval based on technical and factual accuracy.
NCJ, the National Contest Journal 
NCJ is a bimonthly ARRL publication edited by a volunteer staff of columnists and regular authors. NCJ is the only publication to serve contesters nationwide with news, tips, tricks, software and equipment reviews, and a variety of other information that's of interest to the contest/DX community. The vast majority of the NCJ subscribers use computers in their ham radio pursuits.
Contesters have looked to NCJ for its timely, interesting reading since it was first published by volunteers in the early 1970s. Since then, the magazine has retained its reputation for enthusiastic editorial content. The NCJ readership consists of the most active, performance-minded equipment and antenna buyers in the entire Amateur Radio market. Subscribers of the NCJ are hams who enjoy competitive Amateur Radio activities from 160 meters through UHF.
Advertising in NCJ is the best way to reach those who take Amateur Radio equipment, antennas, and software very seriously.
NCJ Rates (Effective with the January/February 2006 issue):
| Full | $412 |
| 3/4 | $270 |
| 2/3 | $248 |
| 1/2 | $185 |
| 1/3 | $130 |
| 1/4 | $103 |
| 1/6 | $78 |
Page discount does not apply. Contact us for information on cover advertising.
NCJ - The National Contest Journal & QEX, including Communications Quarterly Planning Calendar and Closing Dates.
NCJ - The National Contest Journal - is published bimonthly in January/February, March/ April, May/June, July/August, September/October and November/December.
| Issue | Reservations | Material |
| January/February 2020 | November 12, 2019 | November 15, 2019 |
| March/April 2020 | January 13, 2020 | January 16, 2020 |
| May/June 2020 | March 11, 2020 | March 16, 2020 |
| July/August 2020 | May 12, 2020 | May 15, 2020 |
| September/October 2020 | July 13, 2020 | July 16, 2020 |
| November/December 2020 | September 9, 2020 | September 14, 2020 |
Cancellations or changes cannot be accepted after the closing date. We will attempt to publish ads received after the closing date.
QEX, including Communications Quarterly, the ARRL Forum for Communications Experimenters
Created in 1981, QEX is a bi-monthly medium for the experimenter/builder to present state-of-the-art information on all aspects of Amateur Radio. QEX has become a technical bulletin board in print. In January 2000, QEX merged with Communications Quarterly, previously published by CQ Communications. At the forefront of technology, the QEX/Communications Quarterly reader is interested and involved in the future of Amateur Radio. The average subscriber is employed in an engineering or technical-support position related to the communications industry. QEX/Communications Quarterly covers all aspects of Amateur Radio from spread spectrum to satellites.
Sample copies and demographic information are available upon request.
QEX/Communications Quarterly Rates
Advertising space rates are shown in the table below.
| Full | $773 |
| 3/4 | $567 |
| 2/3 | $515 |
| 1/2 | $412 |
| 1/3 | $309 |
| 1/4 | $206 |
| 1/6 | $155 |
Page discount does not apply. Contact us for information on cover advertising.
QEX/Communications Quarterly
QEX/Communications Quarterly is published bimonthly in January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October and November/December.
Mechanical Requirements for QEX/Communications Quarterly and NCJ
QEX/Communications Quarterly and NCJ trimmed size is 8-3/16" wide by 10-7/8" high. Please use QST's layout information for determining sizes. Film is negative, right reading, emulsion side down. Advertisement sizes below a one-sixth page are not offered. 120-line screen preferred.
QST Ham Ads (Classified) Rules and Rates
The Ham Ad rate for commercial firms offering products or services for sale is $2.25 per word. Individuals selling or buying personal equipment: ARRL members, $1.00 per word. Non-ARRL members, $1.50 per word. Bolding is available for $2.50 a word. You may pay by check payable to the ARRL and sent to:
ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio™
Or, you may pay by credit card sending the information by fax to 860-594-4285 or via hamads@arrl.org. The credit card information we need is: the type of credit card, the exact name that appears on the credit card, the credit card number, the expiration date, and the credit card billing address.
- Remittance in full must accompany copy since Ham ads are not carried on our books. Each word, abbreviation, model number, and group of numbers counts as one word. Entire telephone numbers count as one word. No charge for postal ZIP code. No cash or contract discounts or agency commission will be allowed. Tear sheets or proofs of Ham ads cannot be supplied. Submitted ads should be typed or clearly printed on an 8 1/2" × 11" sheet of paper.
- Closing date for Ham ads is the 15th of the second month preceding publication date. No cancellations or changes will be accepted after this closing date. Example: Ads received April 16th through May 15th will appear in July QST. If the 15th falls on a weekend or holiday, the Hamad deadline is the previous working day. Please contact the Ham Ads editor at 860-594-0255 or hamads@arrl.org for further information.
- No Ham ad may use more than 100 words; no advertiser may use more than three ads in one issue. A last name or call must appear in each ad. Mention of lotteries, prize drawings, games of chance, etc. is not permitted in QST advertising.
- New firms or individuals offering products or services for sale must check with us to determine if a production sample should be submitted for examination. All product samples will be returned. Dealers are exempted, unless the product is unknown to us. Check with us if you are in doubt.You must stand by and support all claims and specifications mentioned in your advertising. The publisher of QST will vouch for the integrity of advertisers who are obviously commercial in character and for the grade or character of their products and services. Individual advertisers are not subject to scrutiny. The American Radio Relay League does not discriminate in its advertising on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, or national origin.
Contact ARRL Advertising
ARRL: the national association for Amateur Radio™
Attn: Advertising
225 Main Street
Newington, CT06111-1494
USA
Toll Free 1-800-243-7768
phone 860-594-0207
e-mail ads@arrl.org
These spots are extremely popular and are generally locked for a full year, although contracts for less than a full year can be accepted. Placements are subject to availability. Please contact us for rates.
Contact us for various sizes, pricing, and positions. Call 860-594-0207 or e-mail: ads@arrl.org Again, space is limited. If hits on your Web page translate into sales, then the new banner links from our site are guaranteed to provide you with the customers you're looking for!
Be an Informed Consumer
Confirm the total price, including tax, shipping, and credit-card fees.
Will your purchase be shipped from stock? When will it be shipped?
What does your purchase include? What accessories are included?
Service: What is the warranty and who does the service?
Return policies: What are the restocking charges, if any?
Be specific on models and types when contacting the vendor. Please don't use a dealer's 1-800 number for general technical information if the number is specified "Orders Only."
Although ARRL no longer maintains an on-line classified section, please see below for links to other resources.
QTH.COM
QTH.com Ham Radio Classified Ads, is a free service, which does not require a login ID or password.
To view the ads, click here: http://swap.qth.com/
To place a free ad, click here: http://swap.qth.com/add-step1.php
If you are not familiar with the QTH.com Classifieds, it has been in service for over 10 years, with over 70,000 ads placed each year.
SecondHandRadio.com
SecondHandRadio.com is a free classified advertising service that is not limited to radios. Categories are provided for all subjects of interest to Radio Amateurs and electronics enthusiasts.
To visit their site, click here: www.SecondHandRadio.com
