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Don Jewell


Don Jewell

Don Jewell has spent more than thirty years in the Unites States Air Force, where he was involved with GPS systems from their inception, either as a test system evaluator or user. He served as a Commander at Schriever AFB, the home of GPS, and retired as the deputy chief scientist at Air Force Space Command. He then spent seven years as a senior marketer for two large government contractors dealing in GPS software and hardware. Jewell currently serves on two independent GPS review teams that he helped found, and on four independent assessment teams that frequently deal with GPS issues for the U.S. government. He has served on numerous Air Force and Defense Scientific Advisory Boards, and he writes extensively on technical issues. Jewell has earned his Bachelors degree and MBA, and the PhD is in progress.


Article
CAST Navigation: Signal Diversity and the PHGPST   May 9, 2012
By: Don Jewell

I have long been an advocate of signal diversity as a solution to many of the ills that plague the GPS user, especially outdated user equipment. The best equipment, if it were available today, would be the PHGPST or Perfect Handheld GPS Transceiver. I cannot count the thousands of letters and...more >>

News
The System: GPS III Endures Bad Press, IIAs an OCX Concern   May 8, 2012
By: Alan Cameron,Don Jewell

Reports in daily news media such as the Washington Post and Denver Post that “Lockheed Martin will lose its entire fee of about $70 million to defray an 18 percent cost overrun” on GPS III satellites misconstrue the facts. Don Jewell, contributing editor for GPS World, said after informal talks...more >>

News
GPS IIA Satellites a Concern for OCX    May 3, 2012
By: Don Jewell

One of the long-standing issues for support of IIA vehicles after the future GPS Operational Ground Control Segment’s (OCX’s) ready-to-operate (RTO) date, which should fall in December 2016 at the latest, is what ground command-and-control (C2) system will steer GPS IIA satellites, do...more >>

Article
Grüss Gott – Munich Satellite Summit   April 11, 2012
By: Don Jewell

There is a reason the Munich Satellite Summit is billed as a summit and not a symposium or conference. It’s a different atmosphere that invites group chats, informal get-togethers, and networking. One item of note that I came away with is that the Chinese are looking for help and partners for...more >>

Article
Grand Setting for a Grand Summit   April 10, 2012
By: Don Jewell

Most of Munich is an ultra-modern German city, albeit one of the most expensive cities in Europe, where you can travel anywhere by tram, automobile, S-Bahn, rail or taxi. But why bother when you have the opportunity and thrill of walking through the old city center and have Bavarians greet you with...more >>

Article
Out in Front: Independence: A National Value   April 1, 2012
By: Don Jewell

Advanced low-frequency (LF) signals are back on the air in North America, with live testing of a wide-area precise-timing solution. Initial tests include a comprehensive pallet of signals, including eLoran, that are being evaluated for their ability to provide a robust, wide-area, wireless...more >>

Article
eLORAN and UrsaNav: Timing Is Everything   March 14, 2012
By: Don Jewell

The first part of the recent UrsaNav press release says it best: This week for the first time since August 2010 advanced low frequency (LF) signals, including a new eLORAN, are on the air in North America! As a result of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between the United...more >>

Article
Rugged GPS-Enabled Windows Laptops   February 8, 2012
By: Don Jewell

I brushed the snow from my keyboard and in my mind I could hear the neighbors whispering, "Call the men in white coats, there he goes again." They may have cause for concern, as I am sitting on my deck during a lull in a major blizzard, typing on a laptop computer half buried in snow. My warfighter...more >>

Article
Where Am I?   January 12, 2012
By: Don Jewell

I have long advocated that our warfighters and first responders deserve the best equipment available so they can answer the basic question, "Where Am I?" quickly and with complete certainty. Or, "Where am I now and how do I get to someplace of relative safety quickly?" Unfortunately,...more >>

Article
Interview: 2nd Space Operations Squadron Commander, Lt. Col. Jennifer Grant   December 14, 2011
By: Don Jewell

December is typically the month when writers of regularly featured columns wax nostalgic and engage in a certain amount of prognostication. This year I enlisted the help of Lt. Col. Jennifer Grant, the 2SOPS/CC at Schriever AFB, the home of GPS, to help us with our year-end review and crystal-ball...more >>