Two argon ion generators were operated during a sounding rocket flight from Sondre Stromfjord, Greenland, on February 10, 1985. The ion generators were flown to investigate ion beam dynamics and beam effects on the ionosphere. The other major purpose of the flight has investigation of auroral electrodynamics as the rocket passed over auroral arcs. One generator emitted an ion beam perpendicular to the magnetic field and the other a beam parallel to the field. The ion generators were on a subpayload that was separated from the main payload early in the flight. Ion detectors, an electric field meter and wave receivers were carried on the main payload to provide diagnostic measurements during the ion beam operations. Seventeen operations of the generators were observed over a 480-s interval before the rocket reentered the atmosphere. There was evidence of heating of the ionosphere around the subpayload during each ion beam emission. Ions of energy 100 to 200 eV, the ion beam energy range, were observed at the main payload during the first seven operations of each generator, with payload separation distances up to 800 m, reaching the main payload from directions appropriate for beam ions. In addition, there were also ions reaching the detectors during beam operations, with higher and lower energies and different directions than those expected from the beam ions. Waves were observed during most of the first seven operations of each beam. Hydrogen, helium and oxygen cyclotron harmonics were observed in some of the perpendicular-beam operations. Waves here weak or absent during the first and third parallel-beam operations at separation distances near 80 and 320 m. In general the waves generated by the parallel beam were weaker than those generated by the perpendicular beam. The parallel beam waves were line emissions, some at approximate multiples of the hydrogen cyclotron frequency, between 5 and 7 kHz, near the lower hybrid frequency. During the fourth perpendicular gun operation, with separation distance 380 m and near peak altitude, absorption lines, separated by the hydrogen cyclotron frequency, were observed in the auroral hiss band. ¿American Geophysical Union 1987