Phil Kurimski
EF1
Not sure if this is legal or not but someone has posted a Radiosonde on Ebay.
Radiosonde on Ebay
- Thread starter Phil Kurimski
- Start date
Joey Ketcham
Interesting. I would think that it would be illegal to sell that knowing that they should return it to the NWS. Not sure though.
rdale
EF5
Odds are it is illegal, they usually are attached to some sort of mailer that you can drop in any mailbox. He even took a picture of that part of the equipment! I'd suggest a few more people report it...
Jason Bolt
I don't know if its illegal but I contacted MTR to let them know about it. Stuff like that just pisses me off.
Rob Wadsworth
EF5
They are clearly marked to be returned to the gov't on the package when found.
Some people will sell anything on eBay.
Goes to prove it once more.
Some people will sell anything on eBay.
Goes to prove it once more.
Jason Foster
I actually went ahead and sent a report to eBay. I'll let them decide whether it should be listed or not.
A call to the NWS is a good idea to get clarification. I may do that next.
If eBay decides to leave it, I may purchase it, in order to return it...as long as it doesn't fetch much money.
A call to the NWS is a good idea to get clarification. I may do that next.
If eBay decides to leave it, I may purchase it, in order to return it...as long as it doesn't fetch much money.
Scott Weberpal
EF5
Illegal...
http://www.justice.gov/usao/eousa/foia_reading_room/usam/title9/crm01641.htm
The link was sent to me by a friend and Rutgers law student.
There is an addition clause which states "Person who converts to his own use property which was in fact abandoned, or which he truly believed to be abandoned by United States is not guilty of violating 18 USCS"
However, given it explicitly asks to be returned free of charge, the abandonment clause is likely not in play in this case.
My friend also stated this "but honestly, its not worth the government's time to pursue anything like this they have to expect to have a minimal recovery rate on radiosondes in the first place"
I honestly don't think the gov. would make a big deal about it either, I mean, how many of these do you actually see popping up for sale??
http://www.justice.gov/usao/eousa/foia_reading_room/usam/title9/crm01641.htm
The link was sent to me by a friend and Rutgers law student.
There is an addition clause which states "Person who converts to his own use property which was in fact abandoned, or which he truly believed to be abandoned by United States is not guilty of violating 18 USCS"
However, given it explicitly asks to be returned free of charge, the abandonment clause is likely not in play in this case.
My friend also stated this "but honestly, its not worth the government's time to pursue anything like this they have to expect to have a minimal recovery rate on radiosondes in the first place"
I honestly don't think the gov. would make a big deal about it either, I mean, how many of these do you actually see popping up for sale??
Last edited by a moderator:
rdale
EF5
It's not up to NWS to make a big deal -- send that link to eBay and I'm sure they will pull it. I sent the guy a message but no reply.
Gerard Jebaily
EF2
I have a used one of these sitting in my garage in a box right now. It was launched from NWS Charleston and i had planned to return it. I found it floating off shore 20 miles out in the Atlantic while i was deep sea fishing. After i cleaned it up a bit I saw nothing on it asking for it to be returned and i called them asking if they wanted it back, they said no 
. So i kept it, nice little display toy to show people. 
. So i kept it, nice little display toy to show people. Evan Bookbinder
EF2
It is absolutely, 100% legal for this person to keep the sonde, throw it away, or sell the sonde. This by far is not the first time I've seen balloons, sondes, etc...on Ebay and it surely won't be the last.
As soon as the equipment is let go by the HMT/meteorologist into the atmosphere, it is no longer government property. The return address/baggy on the box is simply a courtesy to allow the NWS reconditioning center in Kansas City to recycle the instrumentation for second use. Since the battery cell and elements often corrode the instruments, rarely are they retrieved in sufficient condition for this to occur. It also serves as a "gee whiz" factor to see where the balloon ended up. (From a meteorological perspective, it's interesting to note that we plot upper air observations in a vertical sense, when in reality, the sonde can be tens if not a hundred miles downstream by the time it reaches those 500 to 250mb charts). I once launched a balloon early in my career at Springfield, MO that was retrieved outside Pittsburgh, PA after it got caught in zonal 170kt + jet streak in the dead of winter.
More often then not, when these are called into the WFOs and their condition simply doesn't warrant the effort, we give the finder the option to mail it in, or keep it as a momento. Sometimes the mail bag doesn't even survive the 100,000 ft fall, and we certainly wouldn't charge someone to mail it back to KC.
Please consider the fact that on average, less than a half dozen of the estimated 730 launches a year from a given location are ever located. Most end up in the oceans or in unpopulated areas, which is why the contents are biodegradeable.
In short, there's no need to be a vigilante here. Let the guy make his $10 and move on.
Evan
As soon as the equipment is let go by the HMT/meteorologist into the atmosphere, it is no longer government property. The return address/baggy on the box is simply a courtesy to allow the NWS reconditioning center in Kansas City to recycle the instrumentation for second use. Since the battery cell and elements often corrode the instruments, rarely are they retrieved in sufficient condition for this to occur. It also serves as a "gee whiz" factor to see where the balloon ended up. (From a meteorological perspective, it's interesting to note that we plot upper air observations in a vertical sense, when in reality, the sonde can be tens if not a hundred miles downstream by the time it reaches those 500 to 250mb charts). I once launched a balloon early in my career at Springfield, MO that was retrieved outside Pittsburgh, PA after it got caught in zonal 170kt + jet streak in the dead of winter.
More often then not, when these are called into the WFOs and their condition simply doesn't warrant the effort, we give the finder the option to mail it in, or keep it as a momento. Sometimes the mail bag doesn't even survive the 100,000 ft fall, and we certainly wouldn't charge someone to mail it back to KC.
Please consider the fact that on average, less than a half dozen of the estimated 730 launches a year from a given location are ever located. Most end up in the oceans or in unpopulated areas, which is why the contents are biodegradeable.
In short, there's no need to be a vigilante here. Let the guy make his $10 and move on.
Evan
Scott Weberpal
EF5
Thanks for the clarification, knowing it's no longer government property makes a big difference!
Bryce Stone
EF4
I love how it says "Harmless Weather Instrument" on one side. I suppose this is intended to distinguish the instrument from all the harmful weather instruments released by the NWS?
Beware of killer weather instruments coming to a sky near you soon!
Beware of killer weather instruments coming to a sky near you soon!
Peter Hulbert
Enthusiast
in the UK the met office sondes just have a sticker on them saying "may be disposed of in normal waste contents slightly acidic" and a telephone number you may call for further info
Evan Bookbinder
EF2
I love how it says "Harmless Weather Instrument" on one side. I suppose this is intended to distinguish the instrument from all the harmful weather instruments released by the NWS?
Beware of killer weather instruments coming to a sky near you soon!
Actually this marking is pretty important, to distinguish it from the dangerous or the unknown. If you saw a large orange parachute with a hot-to-the-touch, partially corroded green box dangling in a tree in your backyard, I bet most people would be quite concerned. You wouldn't believe how many of these have resulted in calls to police, bomb squads, and UFO afficianados. A google search turns up several past funny incidents, and we've taken some real gems of phone calls over the years.
I guess this is sort of like "tornado on the ground" as opposed to those tornadoes not in contact with the ground.
All the best,
Evan
Jason Foster
It actually is kinda important to mark it. It's been a rather in depth discussion on the geocaching forum. Apparently there is a growing number of caches that have been called in as bombs and cost various jurisdictions lots of money.
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