A HOT AIR BALLOON AND AN SMA HAD AN NMAC IN AN UNCTLED ARPT TFC PATTERN.

Narrative

I OBTAINED PREFLT WX BRIEFING. FORECAST WINDS WERE 360 DEGS AT 6 KTS. I LAUNCHED FROM AN OFTEN USED SITE 1/2 MI E OF 4GO AND FLEW S. AFTER 10 MINS; THE WIND CHANGED AND TOOK ME N. I WAS AWARE OF THE ARPT AND HAD TO ALSO WATCH A 500 FT TWR. THE WIND BECAME CALM. BY THIS TIME I WAS IN THE TFC PATTERN FOR 4GO. I CLBED TO 3000 FT AGL TO BE ABOVE THE PATTERN. ARPT TFC WAS VERY LIGHT AND MAKING L TFC. I HAD AN AVIATION HAND HELD RADIO. I LEAVE THE BATTERIES OUT TO KEEP THEM FRESH. I DID HAVE BATTERIES BUT DECIDED; DUE TO THE LIGHT TFC; I WOULDN'T BOTHER TO PUT THEM IN TO CHK UNICOM. I EVENTUALLY DRIFTED W ACROSS THE NE END OF THE RWY; ALL THE TIME WATCHING TFC. ONCE WELL CLR OF THE PATTERN; I BEGAN A 500 FPM DSCNT. AT ABOUT 500 FT ABOVE THE GND I SAW A LOW WING (PROBABLY A PIPER CHEROKEE 6) ON R TFC TURNING BASE FOR FINAL. I HAD NOT BEEN CHKING THE R TFC PATTERN. I DO NOT KNOW IF HE SAW ME AS I HAD BEEN HIGH; THEN DROPPED DOWN AND SEEMED TO BE IN HIS BLIND SPOT (ABOVE AND BEHIND). I SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST TRIED MY RADIO; BEEN AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF R TFC; AND USED A SLOWER DSCNT.