Greetings, and thank you for looking up Station W2OR. Radio call 'W2OR' was originally issued by the government in Year 1923 to a family friend, Mr. Ernest Hufnagel, of Pompton Plains, New Jersey. Ernie regrettably passed away a few years ago (1909-1997). He was a strong leader, and an expert in the field of electronics. Ernie was also a long-time president of the Pompton Valley Radio Club (PVRC), an active club in Northern New Jersey in the 1950's and 1960's. The call ‘W2OR’ was also the PVRC club call for Field Day in the 1950s and 1960s. Ernie, W2OR,was my first radio Elmer and mentor. He was a friend to many in the community, and he was a friend of my mother’s family in New Jersey. It is with honor that as of September 2006 I was granted holder and caretaker of the W2OR call, a callI first used four decades earlier at Field Day with the PVRC club. Should any reader have known Ernie, I would be delighted to hear from you. I can be contacted at: W2OR (at) ARRL (dot) net.

Many thanks go out to Al Simpson (N2NN, formerly K2DNW) of Northern New Jersey, who in the 1960's patiently guided my novice station activities, with guidance on home brew transmitters, antennas,and interest in distant DX operations. Al is a gentleman, a great mentor, and about the best CW operator I know, and he could be relied upon to answer any question and provide guidance. Thank you, Al.

Station:  First licensed as WV2ZFX in 1962, in Butler, New Jersey.  Later calls: WA2ZFX, OD5GZ, LU/WA2ZFX, AB4WB, AB4WB/VOA,  WX3H, and KK7U. Since 2008 the station included a K3 transceiver with simple wire antennas, operating from various locations in the USA, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, New England, and elsewhere. 8 Band DXCC. I can be contacted at: W2OR (at) ARRL (dot) net.

Best Wishes to you, // Mark

A few photos, below, including some of the earlier stations.