Support Your Parks is an official event of the Parks on the Air program. Spring - 3rd Full Weekend of April. April 18-19, 2026.
Look for us along with a bunch of other great, positive, uplifting hams at South Mountain State Park. NC
Embedded Files
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April 18, 2026 is World Amateur Radio Day. 👏
ARRL Rookie Round-Up SSB runs 6 hours April 19, 2026 1800- 2359UTC
UPCOMING PICO-BALLOON LAUNCH
When: Wednesday April 29, 2026
Where: Saluda Trail Middle School, Rock Hill, SC
Time: Between: 10am to 12noon
The GEMS (girls in engineering, math and science) will be prepping the balloon early that morning. If weather allows, we launch.
Callsign for tracking: "N4TVV-4"
Online tracking sites: aprs.fi – live APRS map and SondeHub Amateur
(You'll need to set up a login with password for each site in order to see any meaningful information)
W2A was a special event station that ran April 1-7, 2026.
World Autism Awareness Week.
For details: W2A - Callsign Lookup by QRZ Ham Radio
Thank you all who responded to our operators!
UPDATE Thursday March 26, 2026:
The pico-balloon launch has been deferred to late April. This will give the school's student NEWS group to show their skills as they promote the event.
Thursday March 12, 2026
Saluda Trail Middle School in Rock Hill is a GEMS Class
Girls in Engineering, Math and Science
First, we'll be updating the programming in their HTs for 2-way radio communication. Then they'll be making contacts on
Fleet Talk's linked repeaters and/ or the GMRS repeater 462.625MHz.
Secondly, we will be making plans to launch their pico-balloon on Thursday March 26, 2026.
And lastly, having further discussions for the possibility of establishing a STEM/ Radio club at the school.
More to come.
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REMINDER: Our monthly workshop at the Mint Hill Historical Society next month is on Saturday April 4th 9am until 2 or 3pm.
I know we'll be working on digital hot spots and DMR radios. George will have a presentation on emergency 'stop the bleed'.
Lotsa hands-on STEM experiments, too
Youth on the Air Camp 2026
Youth on the Air Camp 2026
June 14-19, 2026
June 14-19, 2026
Huntsville, Alabama, United States
Application window opened December 1, 2025. This camp is open for all licensed amateur radio operators ages 15-25 years. Cost is a $100 application fee, plus your transportation to and from Huntsville. ANY young folks interested who qualify and want to attend this camp: If financial assistance is needed, please have your parents or guardian reach out to me. We will do everything we can to assist. Vicki / AD3i
Go to their website for more information: Home - Youth on the Air
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****** ****** NOTICE OF SCHEDULE CHANGE ***** ******
Project Helene has an UPCOMING EMERGENCY RADIO COMMUNICATION WORKSHOP
The workshop has been rescheduled for Tuesday Feb 17th.
Given the heavy amount of snow that has fallen, coupled with very low temperatures, school closings and/ or delays, the Cherokee County SC folks have requested we reschedule the workshop. The next available date is Tuesday Feb 17th. Please join us then. :)
Where Above the World is Our PicoBalloon
Incentive
Balloon Identifier: AD3i-1
Frequency of Transmission: 144.390 MHz
INFORMATION Required for each Entry
Name (first name, last initial) ______________________________
Age _______
School/ Homeschool (incl state) ________________________, _____
Teacher/ Class ______________________________________
Balloon Information
Students should enter information they’ve gathered regarding the balloon’s path. It can be anything about the country below balloon’s location: ie the country’s primary language, if that country exports goods, etc. Students may also provide details provided by the SkyTracker, the balloon’s actual payload: it’s altitude, temperature, latitude and longitude, etc.
What are they? Picoballoons, made of lightweight, non-stretching Mylar or plastic film carry very light payloads with basic GPS and radio transmitters. We opt to fill them with helium, allowing them to rise to the stratosphere, hopefully float for long periods of time, with the goal of circumnavigating the globe. We use them for atmospheric research, amateur radio projects, and tracking weather patterns.
Tools: Several websites are available to track picoballoons: www.aprs.fi or https://amateur.sondehub.org/. In addition, on Sondehub select the balloon, on the left side you'll see a couple of buttons. If you select 'Float' you'll see the projected float path.
ATTENTION: When it is determined the balloon is no longer afloat, entries will cease, the results summarized, and the school with the most entries will be awarded a picoballoon and the assistance to launch.
This picoballoon was launched at 2:00pm Eastern on Saturday Aug 30, 2025 from Shelby, NC.
When it crossed W 81° longitude, it completed its 1st circumnavigation of the world.
We are currently well into our 2nd lap!!!
How do I make an entry???
Just select the Pico-Ballooning menu on our home page and fill out the form.
Please, limit your entries to 1 entry each day, for each student.
Yes, each student may make an entry EVERY day the balloon is aloft.
Share this with others at your school.
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UPDATE June 2025: Yes, we launched the balloon!. Unfortunately, it was brought down by a pop-up storm near Lake Norman, NC. Several of us are scheduling a search and recovery effort over the next few days. Wish us luck.
There still are a couple of other pico-balloons also launched by youth groups. They are W0Y-1, W0Y-11, and N7HPR-1.
UPDATE: Fantastic Saturday. We had approximately 30 kids come through and experience the hands-on the STEM experiments at the Metting Room. We experimented with Inertia and gravity, Morse Code, Visualizing Sound Waves with lasers, measured Surface tension and more. The club has a new record: 5 metal nuts balanced on a 12" hoop successfully dropped in a long-neck bottle. Alice, 10 years young created the Alice Wonder Wave with a Toro-Flux. More to come.
NOTICE: We will NOT launch the 2nd pico-balloon today, Sunday. A new date will be posted here. But N4TVV-2 is afloat. :)
Field Day, June 28 and 29, and we'll be set up at Andrew Jackson State Park in Lancaster, SC. There'll be hands-on STEM experiments, Morse Code (CW), GMRS, VHF/UHF and HF radios. Also, we'll have an antenna set up to make contacts with satellites! Bonus: around 2pm on Saturday we'll be launching another pico-balloon. Everyone is welcome. Yal come and join the fun!! The balloon launch will be on the campus of Van Wyck Elementary School at 4945 Charlotte Hwy, Lancaster, SC. Follow the balloons. :)
STEM Amateur Radio Club, N4TVV
Our Mission
Our Mission
To generate interest, inspire and motivate young people to discover all the wonders of amateur radio. We do this via a wide array of hands-on STEM experiments as we demonstrate what ham radio encompasses. Middle school and high school students are also shown opportunities that may await them as licensed amateur operators, all which would otherwise remain unavailable to them.
Mysteries and benefits of this great hobby are revealed. Through these efforts, we’ve seen an increase in both focus and concentration on the part of each and every student.
Donate with Cash App: https://cash.app/$STEMAmateurRadioClub
Donate with Venmo: http://venmo.com/vicarnes
Stemarc is the parent company of projecthelene.org
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