Working with NOAA & others

A perspective by Dave Cawley on his travels :

2017  Looking forward to the NOAA Conference in New York "A New Era for NOAA Environmental Satellites  NOAA Satellite Conference : July 17-20, New York.  Once again RIG will be represented by me for the PIU's (Private Individual Users).  Steve Padar will be there to help me. Click here for more

2015 Click here to see the summary of the 2015 NOAA Conference.  I represented RIG and PIU's (Private Individual Users).  Steve Padar was there to help me. We look forward to the 2017 conference !

2013 April NOAA Satellite Direct Readout Conference Washington. Here we intended to see once and for all if direct reception by the man in the street will be possible in the future, and it isn't. Probably for the last time RIG attended the NOAA Satellite Conference for Direct Readout : April 8-12, 2013. We had a 20 minute presentation entitled "Private Individual Users of Weather Satellites" on the Tuesday at 2:55 session 2.5d, click here to see the agenda and click here (this is very big file) to see the presentation given.  Henry Neale and Dave Cawley were presented with an award from NOAA, and Steve Padar drove us everywhere.  You can see the presentation on the news page by clicking here.

2011 4-8 April NOAA Satellite Direct Readout Conference Miami: Real-Time Access for Real-Time Applications. I gave a lecture entitled "Real Time Access for Private Individual Users of Weather Satellites" I pushed that we needed Direct Reception of a Geostationary satellite with the ability of Animation. I also covered the past 23+ years that I had been representing the amateur community. Click here to see it.

2008 8-12 December NOAA "2008 Satellite Direct Readout Conference Miami: Transitioning into the Future, Global Satellites for Global Needs" in Miami I presented a talk " Private Individual Users of Weather Satellites: The Future" I proposed that a narrow band WEFAX service should be introduced.　 Click here to see it.

2004 December 6-10 NOAA "2004 Satellite Direct Readout Conference: A Decade in Transition" in Miami. I presented a talk " The Rise and Fall of Amateur Direct Reception of Weather Satellites" where I predicted the end for 15,000 amateur and Third World users was near. I had some original Tiros literature, it went down well!　 In fact the brochure was just "Tiros" as it was the first and only one.　
I talked about the early days from 1957 and the help NOAA had given private users, several NOAA personnel came round after and congratulated me.　In fact it was my hope that NOAA would release designs or funding for a low cost LRIT receiver, they didn't.　Click here to see it.

2002 December 9-13 I attended the NOAA "Satellite Direct Users Conference" with Frank Bell and Sam Elsdon to promote private individual users and to ask NOAA to release circuitry of the then forthcoming LRIT, we were unfortunately unsuccessful but collectively we did a great job of bringing the "small user" community to the attention of NOAA.　 We all attended and participated in several "breakout sessions" and also had an exhibition stand !

2000 November 14NOAA  "WEFAX/EMWIN Users Workshop" I presented a talk "WEFAX Private Individual User Community" where I quoted several NOAA publications that promoted Direct readout for education and that would be lost if LRIT came to be.　 This was at the "WEFAX/LRIT　 Users" meeting in Washington DC.　 My thrust was to point out the dangers of going digital and how it would disenfranchise the Private Individual Users and Third World countries, something that has now come to pass. Click here to read it.

2000 May I organised and moderated the "Weather Satellite Forum" at the Dayton Hamvention.　 NOAA satellite director Wayne Winston attended and the main theme was Direct Reception for Amateurs and covered everything from APT/WEFAX and HRPT reception.　 Most speakers were using a Kodak Carousel slide presentation, Power point and projectors were in their infancy!

1998 Jill, Pete, Sarah and I ran the UK Remote Imaging Group Conference in Newport.　 Attendees from all over Europe gathered to share experiences of direct reception of Weather Satellites.

1996 June 10-11.　Annapolis  NOAA POES Users Symposium, Jill and I attended this lovely meeting the "NOAA POES Users Symposium", in fact Jill still uses the conference folder for her Church work!　 It was here that I first understood the implications and impact that the new digital technology would have on private individual users.　 John Beanland and I staged an exhibition promoting the "small user" community.

1993 I organised and ran the UK Remote Imaging Group Residential Conference in Daventry.　 Attendees came from Europe and the USA to hear how to make and use low cost weather satellite equipment.　 Over two days the lectures and talks were packed.

1991 my greatest hero, the inventor of the communications satellite and author of the seminal film 2001, Arthur C Clarke telephoned our office and invited me to Sri Lanka to visit him. The word on the street was a 6 foot dish was essential for GMS, we went to see him and got good images with signal to spare, on a 3 foot dish.

1988 Baltimore  NOAA Third International Satellite Direct Broadcast Services User's Conference, John  DuBois stunned the world with his first amateur reception of HRPT!　 Later with the help of John and Ed Murashi my own company produced the world's first low cost HRPT system.　 NOAA admitted that a few years later we had sold more HRPT system than the rest of the world put together.　 I participated in several "breakout meetings"

1986 to 2004 exhibited at the Dayton Hamfest encouraging Radio Hams to learn about the technology and weather satellites.

1986 to 2004 exhibited at every major Amateur Ham Radio show in the UK demonstrating Weather Satellite reception.

1986 to 1999 attended the NSTA (National Science Teachers Association) with Fisher Scientific and often with Bob Poham the NOAA PR director,  to promote Weather Satellites into American Schools.

1985 to 2000 attended every UK "Geographers Association" "The Education Show"  "British Education & Training Technology" and many other education exhibitions/conferences to promote Weather Satellites into Schools.

1984 Started in weather satellites after an article in Wireless World by Henry Neale