STAX
A custom azimuth-elevation rotator used to aim a directional antenna at a balloon payload.
hey! I'm max kendall
I’m a youth developer based in the Greater Boston area. I love sending projects into near-space on high-altitude balloons, and building things that combine PCBs, embedded firmware, web development, CAD, and 3D printing.
I have my Amateur Extra radio license (W0MXX), and I love teaching and presenting technical topics.
projects
Tiny4FSK
An ultra-tiny, fully open-source high-altitude research platform for students, educators, and researchers.
Click to open ↗
habtronics
A business selling high-altitude electronics, services, and curriculum to educators and hobbyists.
Click to open ↗
N.E.W.B.S.
The New England Weather Balloon Society, an online and in-person club dedicated to launching, tracking, and recovering balloons.
Click to open ↗
Apex
A months-long near-space hackathon where teens worldwide create projects for high-altitude balloon missions.
Click to open ↗
HABGab 2023
A major high-altitude balloon flight with live video, a ham radio repeater, and student experiments.
Click to open ↗
Ham Club
A Hack Club project that gave youth ham radios if they got their license. I helped with curriculum and organization.
Click to open ↗
OpenCV Resistor Finder
An OpenCV resistor value finder built for Beantown Bash 2023, which my teammate and I won.
Click to open ↗
Cubes in Space 2022
An electronics payload using Faraday’s Law to test generating energy from sounding-rocket vibrations.
Click to open ↗
WB1-3
A series of early high-altitude balloon flights before the New England Weather Balloon Society.
Click to open ↗public speaking
a few presentations I've authored and delivered.
August 2026
How to HAB
How to launch your very own high-altitude balloon.
August 2026
StratoScience 2026 - Ham Radio and Education to New Heights
A discussion of the StratoScience program and student projects.
August 2026
Arduino Workshop
A 3-hour walkthrough of creating a morse code Arduino keyer.
August 2025
StratoScience 2025 - Ham Radio and Education to New Heights
A discussion of the StratoScience program and student projects.
April 2025, August 2025
RF PCB Design
Key tips and tricks for RF PCB design, including layout considerations and material selection.
April 2024, September 2024
Tiny4FSK - The Future of High-Altitude Tracking Systems
Surface-level general information about Tiny4FSK.
August 2024, November 2024
Tiny4FSK - The Cutting-Edge High-Altitude Tracking System
A deep dive into Tiny4FSK and how it works.
August 2024
Zero to Hero KiCAD
A three-hour workshop teaching students how KiCAD works while they create a blinking circuit.
August 2024, October 2024, May 2025
StratoScience 2024 - Ham Radio and Education to New Heights
A discussion of the StratoScience program and student projects.
May 2024
NEWSDR Conference
A lightning talk and Tiny4FSK research poster.
March 2024
Practical High-Altitude Ballooning
Common practices, tips, and instruction for flying high-altitude balloons.
August 2023
Radiosonde Hunting and Reprogramming
Methods of radiosonde retrieval and how to reprogram them.
August 2023
Youth Engineering and Ham Radio on High-Altitude Balloons
StratoScience, student projects, and HABGab 2023.
April 2023
Weather Education Day
A speaking role at Weather Education Day at Gillette Stadium.
August 2022
DIY Electronics and APRS for HAB Payloads
How hobbyists can fly research projects at low cost.
August 2022
Cubes in Space
An overview of the Cubes in Space 2022 project.
Spring 2022
Shake, Shake, Power
Cubes in Space 2022 and how Faraday’s Law works.
classes
I also like teaching classes and workshops. here are some I've taught or helped with.
2023–2026
StratoScience Lab
An intensive nine-month hands-on engineering design class where students fly experiments on high-altitude balloons.
Click to open ↗2023–2026
Arduino Class
A six-week beginner and intermediate Arduino crash course building laser-tag bots and obstacle-avoidance robots.
Click to open ↗2019–2024
Arduino Coding and Robotics
A season-long Arduino class at the Medway Public Library.
2023–2024
WiTek Engineering Workshop
An open recurring workshop which I have led several times.
2023–2024
StratoScience @ BFCCPS
A condensed five-week version of StratoScience Lab for school members.
2023–2024
STEAM
Mentoring and teaching several STEAM classes at the Medway Public Library.
leadership
2023–2026
N.E.W.B.S.
Founder of the New England Weather Balloon Society; I manage its Discord, teach classes, and work local events.
2022–2026
New England Sci-Tech
A member of the leadership team, official instructor, and informal advisor at a local STEM makerspace.
2023–2024
STARS
Vice-president, previously president, youth ambassador, and collegiate outreach of the Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society.
2024
NE HamXposition Youth Subcommittee
Helping tailor activities at the North East HamXposition for youth attendees.
2022–2024
Sci-Tech Hack Club
Co-leading a club that organizes classes and workshops around coding.
2023–2024
Science Explorers 4H Club
President of a club running 4H activities, including STEAM at the Medway Public Library.
awards and achievements
2026
MHS - High Honors
Academic excellence award at MHS.
2023–2026
National Latin Exam Gold Medal
A gold medal and perfect score on the National Latin Exam thrice.
2020–2021
Amateur Extra Amateur Radio License
Passed Technician, General, and Amateur Extra license levels at age 10.
2024
BFCCPS Medal of Virtue
Recognized for all four virtues: Justice, Temperance, Prudence, and Fortitude.
publicity
here are some publications in which I have been mentioned.
2024
Hackaday - Tiny4FSK
An article about the Tiny4FSK project.
Click to open ↗2024
Microchip Makes - Tiny4FSK
Informational posts about Tiny4FSK.
Click to open ↗2024
CBS News - Weather Education Day
A segment about the New England Weather Balloon Society and radiosonde hunting.
Click to open ↗2023
The Boston Globe - N.E.W.B.S.
Coverage of the New England Weather Balloon Society and high-profile balloon events.
Click to open ↗2021
Medway-Millis Local Paper
Coverage of early New England Weather Balloon Society projects.
Click to open ↗2021
Wicked Local - Country Gazette
Coverage of independent weather balloon projects.
Click to open ↗