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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 Maxim, of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). He was also the original editor and owner of the amateur radio publication QST, which he subsequently sold to the ARRL in 1919, as part of his reorientation toward professional activities within the radio industry.
Tuska had an early interest in radio communication (then known as "wireless telegraphy") and experimentation. In 1908, while living in Nyack, a New York City cousin helped him construct a small radio transmitter, and after moving to Hartford the next year he constructed progressively more powerful stations. Radio transmitters in the United States were not licensed at this time, so he initially operated using the self-assigned call letters SNT, which stood for "Southern New England-Tuska".
Around 1910, while in the ninth grade, Tuska began earning "pocket money" by selling rubber band-powered model aeroplanes on consignment through the Harris Parker Toy Store. After these sales started to decline, he next constructed a simple crystal radio receiver, also offered through consignment at the toy store. Inventor Hiram Percy Maxim took this set home to test, but soon returned it, and the store owner incorrectly informed Tuska that Maxim had said it "didn't work". This upset Tuska, so with a friend, William Ball, he traveled, unannounced, to Maxim's house to investigate. After clarifying that Maxim actually just needed better quality equipment, Tuska and Ball arranged for ordering the appropriate components, which were used to construct a set that "gave satisfactory service for a number of years". Both Maxim and Tuska became prominent local amateur radio enthusiasts, with the two forming an informal "father-foster-son relationship", as Tuska's father was deceased.
After the United States enacted the Radio Act of 1912, all radio transmitters now were required to be licensed, and in early 1913 Tuska was issued a standard Amateur license with the call sign 1WD. On January 14, 1914, local amateurs founded the Hartford Radio Club, and Tuska became the club's secretary. In the fall of 1915, he began teaching a radio principles class at the local Y.M.C.A. Tuska also began experimenting with radiotelephony, using an arc transmitter of his own design, which employed tungsten electrodes to make audio transmissions. In March 1916 it was reported that he was broadcasting semi-regular phonograph concerts, at a time when virtually all radio transmissions were still employing the dots-and-dashes of Morse code.
Founding of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and QST magazine
Announcement about the establishment of QST magazine that appeared in the debut December 1915 issue. Under the provisions of the Radio Act of 1912, most amateur stations were restricted to operating on a wavelength of 200 meters (1500 kHz), which effectively limited their transmitting range to about 25 miles (40 kilometers). In the spring of 1914, Hiram Percy Maxim began promoting the idea of a national organization of amateurs that would transmit messages over greater distances by organizing relays. This resulted in Maxim's incorporation of the American Radio Relay League, with Maxim as president, and Tuska the organization's secretary. At this time Tuska also resigned from the Hartford Radio Club.
Communications throughout the new league proved difficult, so Tuska suggested the establishment of a magazine to promote and coordinate the organization's activities, and, following advice from an uncle, founded QST magazine. Although QST acted as the official publication of the ARRL, initially the magazine was personally owned by Tuska, who became its first editor. The publication was prepared at his mother's house, with the first issue dated December 1915.
One of the provisions of the Radio Act of 1912 was that, in a limited number of cases where it was shown to be of value, amateurs could be issued "Special Amateur" licenses, that permitted operation in the band of wavelengths from 600 to 200 meters (500 to 1500 kHz). Maxim successfully convinced government regulators that relay work fell into this category, and in the spring of 1915 Tuska was upgraded to a Special Amateur license, with the call sign 1ZT, which permitted operation on the standard relay wavelength of 425 meters (706 kHz).