CQ DX: My Lifelong Addiction to Ham Radio by Ron Brandon

(Sep 2025: Amazon #1 Radio History & Criticism, #1 General Broadcasting, #1 Radio Reference, #1 Radio Operations, #1 Radio Communications, #1 Amateur Radio) Featuring 130 photographs in full color! Decades of crackling signals, sleepless nights, and wall-to-wall pileups --- this is the true story of one operator's lifelong chase for the rarest calls on Earth. From a youngster straining to pull faint CW out of the noise to a seasoned DXer with a shack full of the rarest QSLs and most coveted awards. CQ DX My Lifelong Addiction to Ham Radio follows a passionate ham through band openings, sunspot cycles, and the constant evolution from tubes to today's technology. Along the way are Elmers and rivals, antenna triumphs and disasters, dream DXpeditions worked on the bare edge of propogation, and the quiet, unforgettable moments when a distant signal answers your call and a new country goes into the log! Whether you're an old-timer, a technician studying for your first license, or a lapsed ham wondering if it's time to get back on the air, this memoir will remind you why a single call of "CQ DX" can still set your heart racing and keep you reaching for the mic or key one more time! Read more