I believe you make a good point regarding unattended HF beacons. If I may clarify a technical point regarding the nature of balloon flights, I understand your reference to high altitude balloons to mean the flock of balloons sent flying around the 10k meter (30k feet) altitude. In the world of free-flight balloons, high altitude balloons (HAB) are those that have a large balloon filled with enough gas to rise quickly to around 30k meters or 100k feet and then burst, allowing the payload to float back to earth, hopefully slowed by a parachute. Flights last a few hours usually, often much less. This type of flight makes good use of VHF/UHF frequencies and even low microwave i.e. Wifi frequencies. An argument could be made that flights of this nature could use HF transmitters as the working time is so short, the transmission will end within a known time, a crude form of operator control. The lower altitude long distance and long duration flights must of course use HF to be of any value and to be easily tracked. I am not sure if we have an acronym for these long distance balloons, but I think these are the ones that create the question about the propriety of using the unattended HF beacons.
It seems the 'newer' crop of ARS operators have less concern about sticking strictly to the regs than those of us who came into the hobby thru a lot of hard work and study. I was first licensed in 1972 and am of the old school, I'm afraid. I have a moderate amount of pride in what I have accomplished and feel strongly about the need to protect this hobby, one of the few that are internationally regulated. I have zero tolerance for violations, whether committed by others or myself. Inadvertent or unintentional violations are bad enough, deliberate is inexcusable.
Man! This soapbox is so high I am suffering hypoxia!
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Wes
AE6ZM
Hereford, AZ
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Wes WB7BR