W2EA

W2EA is now the club call of the South Jersey Mountain Toppers Amateur Radio Club. This club was formed to honor the late Walter W. Schmidt, W2EA who became a silent key in 1994. 

Walt was an active ham, licensed for over 60 years. But beyond that, he was also an avid hiker, backpacker, and camper even to an age when others would have chosen less rigorous activities. One of Walt’s favorite places was High Knob, a 2,000-foot mountain about 30 miles north of Marshall’s Creek, Pennsylvania. As a younger man he hiked in the area on many occasions. Years later, he added ham radio; first, just a 2-meter hand-held and portable antenna. Later came car-access to the top, complete with 10-watt CW/SSB/FM rig and Armstrong-rotated an 8-element beam on a fiberglass vaulting-pole mast. Still later, Walt recruited others to accompany him to High Knob to participate in the June and September ARRL VHF QSO parties. Group involvement spanned two decades and expanded to multi-transmitter activity.  

When Walt became a silent key, those who had participated in these activities with him agreed that they should not end. Hence, the South Jersey Mountain Toppers Amateur Radio Club was born, the club applied for and was granted the call, was again active on the airways.