On Tuesday, February 8 2000, we released our first scientific balloon from a field in Rifton, New York. The balloon carried just one device, a CW beacon of the "fireball" variety (using a 4-pin CMOS oscillator on 28.322 MHz). The aim was to test the reliability and range of such a transmitter for future experiments.

The payload weighed under 2 ounces, most of which was the 9v alkaline battery. The beacon was taped to the battery with no protection or insulation. A dipole antenna extended from the transmitter with the lower half hanging free and the top end fastened to the balloon, a large polyethylene garbage bag filled with about 4 cu. ft. of helium. We hoped this envelope would "float" for a while before it burst, giving us reasonable horizontal distance without extreme altitudes and cold temperatures. Considering the volume of the bag and the weight of the payload, it would not fly higher than about 20,000 feet.

The flight started at 2230Z (5:30 pm EST), around local sunset. It was already too dark to get good pictures, but this mission did not depend on sunlight. After liftoff we headed for the radio room and followed the beeps for over 90 minutes on a Yaesu FT707 transceiver.

We were never sure if the sudden fade-out of the signal was due to balloon burst (probably) or battery freezing (possibly), but it went pretty fast. An alkaline battery usually fails a bit below -10 C because the aqueous electrolyte freezes. Most high altitude balloons use lithium batteries which are usable down to -40 C.

All in all, we considered this flight a success, and plan to use a similar transmitter for future flights.