I thought I would pass this on to give you an idea of what a amateur balloon launch is like. Joe, WB9SBD sent me this link of their recent balloon flight on October 23rd. They were experimenting with a stabilizing counterpoise that really worked. Balloon was launched from Richland Center, WI. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inGbQ5qsY34 Mark Garrett, KA9SZZ