30Nov/090
Project update
A big thanks to Michael Kubler of Grey Phoenix Productions for his very generous contribution of components, IC's, PIC's and much more which will no doubt come in handy in the build of the project! 
I have also been in touch with several radio amateurs offering both sound advice, and assistance with tracking of the balloon. Thankyou to all who have contacted me and offered input. 
I am currently planning to build a small (50-100g) payload comprising of GPS and a radio transmitter to use for radio testing before the real launch - to get an idea of range & performance.