W2/NJ-001 – High Point (New Jersey)

I recently moved to New Jersey for my postdoc and it was only a matter of time before I got out on another SOTA activation. Why not start with the state’s high point (NJ-001)? Jersey isn’t known for its mountains, although part of the Appalachian Trail does cut through the northern part of the state. The AT passes through part of High Point State Park, which is named for the state’s pinnacle at 1803 feet.

This summit was basically a drive-on peak. There is a granite obelisk (reminiscent of Cal’s Campanile) built as a veteran’s memorial. It’s about 200 feet tall and you can pay $1 to climb to the top to get just a bit of extra height and views through some foggy windows.

It was a sunny autumn day, and the ether was full of contesters covering the bands like so many fallen leaves. I had to move to 17m to find an open channel, and quickly got the four contacts I needed. I was shocked to have been heard in Germany (DJ5AV) and Hungary (HA5MA), but that’s part of the fun of QRP on the East Coast. Rounding out the activation was a summit-to-summit with AC1Z in the Catskill Mountains, which were visible from the High Point on this clear day, and KX0R in CO. All in all, a fun introduction to SOTA in NJ.

View of the hill from across Lake Marcia.

I sat on this rocky part with my end-fed wire antenna in a bush nearby.

View from the top of the obelisk.

The monument.

New Jersey only has 12 SOTA peaks, and all of them have been activated. To date, no single ham has conquered all 12, so there’s a chance to be first…

Thanks again to all the chasers!