AbstractA kinetic description of the dc Hg‐Ar mixture plasma of fluorescent lamp discharges is given on the basis of the main microphysical processes and corresponding atomic data. The investigation comprises particle balances for the excited Hg atoms of the triplet 63P0,1,2and singulet 61P1state, the balance of the discharge current and an adequate form of the electron Boltzmann equation for such a mixture plasma, the latter including also the various binary collision processes with excited Hg atoms and the Coulomb interaction between the electrons. By simultaneously solving the balances together with the kinetic equation the densities of electrons and excited Hg atoms, the electron energy distribution, the resulting mean energy, mobility and various energy transfer rates of the electrons and the ultraviolet radiation output were determined and in part compared with measured data from the literature. This paper presents and analyses the macroscopic plasma properties mentioned for a wide range of the wall temperature or the corresponding Hg partial pressure variation, where a good agreement of calculated results with experimental data is obtained. In a second paper the change of the macroscopic plasma behaviour due to variation of buffer gas pressure and discharge current will be dealt wit