It has been found that the photopyroelectric (PPE) sensor made of thin‐film polyvinylidene fluoride, sputter coated with palladium, can detect trace hydrogen gas in the presence of pure oxygen without significant drift and stabilization problems. Presently, hydrogen concentration as low as 0.1% in flowing 99.9% oxygen has been detected under standard temperature and pressure conditions. The detector has been used without a reference sensor (single mode) which simplifies the sensor system compared to previous work, at the expense of sensitivity limits. This paper describes the detection of hydrogen gas in hydrogen/oxygen mixtures, and deals with some instrumental aspects of the PPE sensor device such as background noise and signal drift. Some techniques for stabilization are also discussed.