NC4ES is the amateur radio club dedicated to supporting the Eastern Healthcare Preparedness Coalition, combining unique technical skills with a commitment to healthcare preparedness. While it may seem that launching pico balloons has little to do with healthcare, the expertise developed through this activity plays a critical role in enhancing the capabilities of our team and its partners. This project fosters a range of important skill sets, including:
- Team Building: Collaborating on complex projects like balloon launches strengthens teamwork and coordination, essential qualities for disaster communication support.
- Design, Implementation, and Hardware Development: Our team designs and builds the necessary equipment for the launches, including custom radio transmitters and balloon payloads, providing invaluable hands-on engineering experience.
- Radio Signal Propagation Experimentation: Testing how radio signals behave at varying altitudes helps refine communication strategies, crucial for emergency preparedness and disaster response in remote or hard-to-reach areas.
- Public Engagement and Education: Launching a pico balloon is a long-term project that captivates public interest. The unusual nature of the activity and its connection to a significant cause create an opportunity to educate the community on how amateur radio supports disaster communications.
A number of NC4ES team members are also pilots, bringing an added layer of expertise to the project. We thrive on the challenge of pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, striving to design and launch amateur radio transmitters that go higher, farther, and lighter than ever before. Each launch is an opportunity to test new limits and build on previous successes. This project is volunteer in nature and any costs are covered by the participating members and supporting clubs.
We keep the public informed by posting updates on social media and on this page after each launch, so you can follow along with the exciting progress of our work. Each balloon launch brings us one step closer to improving our communication capabilities in times of need, ensuring we are always ready to support our community.
NC4ES-8 (Balloon for EHPC – NC4ES Team) – 8th launch
N4PRS-11 (Balloon for Pamlico Amateur Radio Society) – 1st launch
NC8TF-11 (Balloon for Task Force 8 Urban Search and Rescue Team) – 1st launch
How are we allowed to launch a balloon? Isn’t it dangerous to aircraft? Please read Code of Federal Regulations 14 CFR Part 101
This is the section of the Code of Federal Regulations that allows us to fly Amateur Radio Pico Balloons
14 CFR Part 101.
LINKS FOR TRACKING NC4ES:
PRIMARY- TRAQUITO SITE TRACKING (SHOWS TELEMETRY):
NC4ES BALLOON TRACKING ON TRAQUITO
ALTERNATE TRACKING SITE LU7AA:
TRACKING ON LU7AA
SONDEHUB TRACKING (ALL 3 BALLOONS):
CLICK FOR TRACKING ON NC4ES ON SONDEHUB
LINKS FOR TRACKING N4PRS:
PRIMARY- TRAQUITO SITE TRACKING (SHOWS TELEMETRY):
N4PRS BALLOON TRACKING ON TRAQUITO
ALTERNATE TRACKING SITE LU7AA:
N4PRS BALLOON TRACKING ON LU7AA
LINKS FOR TRACKING NC8TF:
PRIMARY- TRAQUITO SITE TRACKING (SHOWS TELEMETRY):
NC8TF BALLOON TRACKING ON TRAQUITO
ALTERNATE TRACKING SITE LU7AA: TBD
TENATIVE LAUNCH SCHEDULED FOR FEB 7 2025. PICTURES AND FLIGHT STATUS WILL BE ADDED ONCE CONFIRMATION IS COMPLETED. POSITION REPORTS WILL BE SHOWN ONCE POWER IS AVAILABLE POST LAUNCH.
2-5-25: Balloons have been exhausted of air. Payloads have been weighed. Fully loaded 15.2 and 17.4 grams. These are a bit heavy for our liking, but we are continuing with the launch scheduled for Friday 2-7-25 at 11:00am (or so). We are shooting for 6 to 7 grams of free lift at this point.
2-3-25: Balloons have been stretched and the crew continues to look at the weather window for FEB 7th
