Company memo that Belfort Instruments needs to write but never will
Posted on 09/08/2006 by deckerpecker
Viewed: 2061 times
Company memo that Belfort Instruments needs to write but never will
To: Bruce R. Robinson, Nicholas C. Kaufman, Mark W. Decker, Debra Alascio, Ralph Petragnani, and any other Belfort employees with their heads up managament's asses
In a move to restore credibility and reputation to the company, Belfort Instruments is hereby informing all employees (and that includes all management) that it must halt the further dissemination of lies like:
1) The Wright Brothers did not use Belfort
or Friez wind sensors at any time for anything.
The Wright Brothers Relied exclusively on a
Richard's Anemometer to record wind speed and
direction. Here is a history documenting the
definitive proof including a picture of Wilbur
Wright actually using Richard's anemometer.
DON'T LET ANYONE TELL YOU DIFFERENTLY!
THE HISTORY: Octave Chanute responded to
Wilbur's letter on May 12th, 1901. He suggested
that Wilbur specify whether he wanted to use the
English [Robinson, a cup type] or French
anemometer [Richard of Paris, a rotating vane
type] at the appropriate time. [An anemometer is
an instrument used to determine the wind's
speed. The English anemometer is a Robinson
anemometer, a cup type. The French anemometer is
by Richard of Paris and is a rotating vane type.]
WILBUR WRIGHT TO OCTAVE CHANUTE
Dayton, Ohio, May 17, 1901
As to anemometer we are inclined to think that
we would prefer the nonrecording Richard's
instrument as our chief use for it will be
measuring velocities for very brief periods.
RICHARD ANEMOMETER
The Wrights borrowed this French-made, hand-held
anemometer from Octave Chanute and used it to
measure wind speeds during their flight tests at
Kitty Hawk.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1903
An anemometer, or wind gauge, is an instrument
for measuring the force and speed of wind. The
earliest anemometer was invented by Thomas
Romney Robinson (1793 - 1882). This gauge uses
an arrangement of cups on a spindle to detect
the wind and a series of clockwork connections
to translate the speed of the rotating cups to a
wind speed value. Octave Chanute, the Wright's
French colleague, brought them a later
anemometer made by Richard of Paris.
WRITINGS OF THE WRIGHT BROTHERS (Final Prep)
We had a "Richard" hand anemometer with which we
measured the velocity of the wind. Measurements
made just before starting the first flight
(December 17, 1903) showed velocities of 11 to
12 meters per second, or 24 to 27 miles per
hour. Measurements made just before the last
flight (December 17, 1903) gave between 9 and 10
meters per second. One made just after showed a
little over 8 meters.
WILBUR WRIGHT WITH RICHARD'S ANEMOMETER (picture)
http://www.exn.ca/FlightDeck/Aviators/wright3.cfm
2) Belfort is not 125 year old weather company.
Belfort claims to have been founded in 1876. Yet,
Julien Friez never made it to Baltimore until at
least 1890 according to:
"Julien Pierre Friez (1852-1916) was born in France
and came to the United States at the age of 15. He
worked with Robert Henning in Ottawa, Illinois on
telegraphy equipment, circa 1868; later he was a
foreman for Ottomar Mergentheler, circa 1880-1890.
After leaving Mergentheler, Friez moved to Baltimore
where he set up Belfort Laboratories and began a
manufacture of scientific instruments. He later
acquired an interest in meteorology and did important
work on the design and manufacture of meteorological
recording instruments."
3) Belfort is not the oldest weather company in the
world. Belfort claims to be "The Oldest Weather Company"
yet the earliest anemometer was invented by Thomas
Romney Robinson (1793 - 1882). Mr. Robinson invented
his anemometer in 1846 before Julian Friez even was
born six years later in 1852. That makes Mr. Robinson
the creator of "The Oldest Weather Company in the World."
About Belfort Instrument Company:
Belfort used to be a leading provider of weather instruments to the government, professional meteorology and aviation markets. Key words: "use to be." They never provided any wind sensors to the Wright Brothers despite their fantastic assertion that they did! History tells
a very different story and specifically mentions a "Richards" anemometer. The Belfort aerovane wind system on US Naval aircraft carriers are being replaced with ultrasonic wind sensors from QPI which just won a $94 million dollar contract for the Moriah Wind System. Belfort wind speed and direction anemometers found on ASOS are now being replaced with ultrasonic sensors from Vaisala. Belfort is no longer setting any standards of measurement in the weather instrument world. Regretably, they did not celebrate a 125th anniversary in 2001 as the company was only founded in 1896. Belfort doesn't even know it's own company history! For more information about
Belfort Instrument and DigiWx, visit crap dot com
POST A COMMENTcnubelevit(08/10/2007)
I've never been so impressed by a blog. It's definitely worthy of a comment by the Rev.. This blog is factual (I've researched the facts), concise, and well written. Kudos.
crapola(02/04/2008)
Here's an interesting internet find (full of facts) posted January 31,
2008:
Belfort's NEW Motto:
" Quality you don't want at a price that will alarm you"
And with that, Belfort Instruments reintroduces three OLD tired,
outdated and antiquated weather instruments that are sure to
disappoint just like that Digiwx AWOS weather station.
For this, they received the 2008 YAWN Award from the American
Meteorological Society.
The Belfort Digiwx Aerovane Indicator: Series 140 (weighing in at a
hefty 15 lbs) is just a repainted Series 120 aerovane that is as big
as it is bulky. The body is made of the same ole dry rotted plastic
that Belfort has been using for decades. (The Belfort Aerovane makes
for great target shooting practice). The plastic propeller on the
front easily cracks after being exposed to direct sunlight. For a
sleeker more aerodynamic anemometer at less than half the price of a
costly Belfort Digiwx Aerovane, see R. M Young's anemometer at
http://www.youngusa.com/
The RM Young Model 05103 Wind Monitor can be found along every
interstate highway in the USA. Try finding a single Belfort Aerovane
anywhere. Even the U.S. Navy is replacing Belfort's outdated dinosaurs
with state-of-the-art ultrasonic anemometers black-labelled by Gill
Instruments of the United Kingdom.
The Belfort Digiwx Weighing Precipitation Gauge: AWPG 300/600/1000
(weighing in at a very hefty 30 lbs) is just a re-worked 50 plus year
old rain gage dinosaur. Read what Mary L. Tumbusch from the U.S.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY (Water-Resources Investigations Report 03-4167)
wrote in 2003:
"The Belfort gage 5-780 uses mechanical linkages and analog chart
recorders, technology that is more than 50 years old. Many of the
Belfort gages have been collecting data in the field for more than 15
years. However, in 1997, the Belfort gages had more than 180 equipment
failures (Claybrooke and others, 2000). Concerns regarding the
reliability and labor intensive operation of the Belfort gages, and
the improvements made in precipitation gage technology, prompted the
NADP to evaluate the performance of more advanced weighing, all-
weather precipitation gages as possible replacements for the Belfort
gages.
DOES ANYTHING ELSE NEED TO BE SAID ABOUT BELFORT RAIN GAUGES?
The Belfort Digiwx AWOS Model 6500 Visibility Sensor (weighing in at a
very hefty 20 lbs) is just another UN-Approved, UN-Certified, UN-
Official heap of crap ready for the scrap heap. How many years
(plural) will it take Belfort Instruments to get this visibility
sensor FAA Approved for use on their defective AWOS weather station?
ANSWER: You don't have enough fingers and toes to count that high!
There is NOTHING NEW at Belfort Instruments Digiwx AWOS. With less
than 20 employees on the payroll, they just interview each other and
pass off the talking points in the form of an official press release.
WHAT A BUNCH OF FREAKIN HOGWASH! Digiwx AWOS weather stations are
being dismantled at several airports almost as fast as Belfort claims
to install new ones at different airports. IT A FREAKIN SHELL GAME!
How many Belfort Series 140 Aerovanes have you sold Ralph?
Where's an actual user's list composed of paying customers?
How many Belfort AWPG 300/600/1000 rain gages have you sold Ralph?
Where's an actual user's list composed of paying customers?
How many Belfort Model 6500 visibility sensors have you sold Ralph?
Where's an actual user's list composed of paying customers?
Gotten any more speeding tickets lately Ralph???
Belfort Instrument Company does business under several pseudonyms
including Advanced Retro Technology, Gamma Scientific, UDT Instruments
and RoadVista which are based in San Diego, CA, USA.
houston (09/30/2006)
State OSHA inspectors visited Belfort Instrument Company
Posted in response to:
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.aviation.products/browse_thread/thread/760d98f228723919/28951afac353f622#28951afac353f622
> September 27, 2006
>To whom it may concern:
> State OSHA inspectors from the state of Maryland visited Belfort
> Instrument Company on September 7, 2006 to conduct an inspection of
> our workplace. They took environmental samples which are going to be
> analyzed for toxic and hazardous materials. I firmly believe that
> Belfort management and owner Bruce Robinson have been trying to cover
> -up lead, mercury and asbestos exposures in this workplace for years.
I didn't think that federal OSHA would be doing workplace inspections
so I did some checking and Maryland like many states has it's own
occupational safety and health branch of government. It's known as
MOSH.
MOSH doesn't routinely conduct workplace inspections; they act on
complaints. So some Belfort employee had to have filed a written
complaint; the complainant's name can be withheld from the employer
to prevent the employer from retaliating (which they often seem to do).
Belfort appears to be no different given their sordid history in this newsgroup. Shame on Belfort Instrument Company!
Belfort claims to be an old compnay (minus their Wright Brother
shenanigans and lies). It is quite plausible that their old building
has lead paint and asbestos roofing materials. If work has ever been
performed on these painted walls or the roof, then there is a high
probablity that lead and asbestos was released into the Belfort work-
place. If this occurred, Belfort management (and the owners) had an
obligations that couldn't be waived to inform all employees. If
Belfort didn't live up to this obligation, then they are in some deep
shit particularly if an employee develops Mesothelioma or some other
cancer or health condition. The current employees have an unabridged
right to ask Belfort management (and owners) if they have ever been
exposed to lead, mercury, asbestos or any other hazardous material.
And Belfort, under MOSH law, has to divulge this info if asked!
> I hope the OSHA inspectors conducted a thorough inspection and got
> statements on the record from Debra Alascio. She's been nervous ever
> since September 7, 2006. Maybe she has a lot to be nervous about!
If somebody doesn't think MOSH did an adequate inspection, just write
a letter and invite them back. And if a Belfort manager did hide
unlawful exposures to hazardous or toxic materials, then that manager
and all of Belfort is in some deep shit! Any unlawful action like
those described could bankrupt Belfort in the hands of the right lawyer.
> Don't employees have a right to know about toxic and hazardous
> materials in their workplace which contribute to an unsafe working
> environment?
Yes, under Maryland law, all Belfort employees have an absolute and
undeniable right to know about hazardous, chemical and toxic materials
in their workplace including Belfort. Search google.com for "MOSH Right To Know Law"
If Belfort managers (or owners) knowingly or unknowingly exposed any
employee (current or past) to any hazardous materials that later
results in disease, then Belfort can be sued in a court of law.
If Belfort merely provided unsafe and/or hazardous working conditions
or an environment conducive to exposure to toxic materials, then
Belfort could be sued in a court of law immediately.
All of this leaves me wondering if Belfort bribed federal officials,
"cooked the books" with a publicly traded bank in violation of the
Sarbanes-Oxley provisions and now exposed employees to hazardous
materials, I'd like to know if Belfort managers have any dead bodies
in the back store room that somebody just hasn't discovered yet!
Afterall, Belfort is headquartered in Baltimore (aka Balti-Morgue).
belfort lies (10/23/2006)
Belfort Instument Company (Baltimre, MD) is the parent organization for Gamma Scientific (San Diego, CA), Advanced Retro (San Diego, CA), Road Vista (San Diego, CA) and UDT Instruments (San Diego, CA). They all belong to the same band of cheats, thieves and liars! The owners include Bruce R. Robinson, Nicholas C. Kaufman and Mark W. Decker. Pertinent managers include Debra S. Alascio, William C. Gordon, Ralph F. Petragnani and Richard Austin. You can learn a lot more about this deceitful low quality organization by reading: http://groups.google.com/group/rec.aviation.products
Thanks for reading!
deckerpecker (10/23/2006)
NO Mark Decker, you didn't teach the Wright Brothers to fly (posted in Google Groups in the rec.aviation.products newsgroup)
If that Lt. Mark W. Decker is looking for more lies to propagate like
his fantastic assertion that the Wright Brothers Relied on Belfort
Instrument Compnay for weather sensors on December 17, 1903 (Belfort
Instrument Company LIES propagated by President Mark Decker, please see:
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.aviation.products/browse_thread/th...
lnk=st&q=wright+lies+mark+decker&rnum=1#1190b85f007a90f9 ), then here'a
another factual story which Lt. Decker can use to fabricate his next lie:
"Ken Hyde and the Wright Experience delivered
an authentic reproduction 1911 Wright Navy B-1
to the United States Naval Academy on Friday,
September 15, 2006. The B-1 proudly hangs today
in Dahlgren Hall as a permanent display and a
constant reminder to midshipmen and visitors of
the pioneering roles of the Wright brothers and
Annapolis, in Naval Aviation."
Maybe Lt. Decker can fradulently tell us how the
US Navy constructed the Navy B-1 and then gave it
to the Wright Brothers in September 1911.
Or maybe Lt. Decker can tell us that the US Navy
was the "first to pilot an airplane in powered flight."
Or maybe Lt. Decker can tell us that he was the first
human ever to fly a powered aircraft on December 16, 1903.
Or maybe Lt. Decker can tell us that he personally taught
the Wright Brothers how to fly an airplane!
Whatever it is, if it's coming from the desk of Lt. Mark
W. Decker, it's sure to be a "whopper" of a tale!
ricky (10/23/2006)
i was just catching up on this topic because it's been a while and decided to visit the belfort website. they launced a new one on October 13, 2006 - Belfort Instrument gets a New Website. that was Friday the 13th. doesn't that sound or forbid a bad omen? if i were a customer, i'd beat a path to one of belfort competitors like vaisala, all weather in or superawos. i don't want any part of a belfort instrument's curse! how about you?
(10/27/2006)
Belfort Instruments (Baltimore, MD, USA) is now offering an Eliasson CBME 80A laser ceilometer because they couldn't successfully build their own ceilometer even though they had two years and a U.S. government grant to build one.
It would appear that Belfort Instruments (aka Gamma Scientific, Advanced Retro, UDT Instruments, DigiWx AWOS) does not possess the technical smarts or the engineering know-how to produce their own proprietary weather sensor, namely a laser ceilometer. What makes you think they possess the technical smarts or engineering know-how to produce and install an aviation grade Digiwx AWOS weather system which is anything but reliable and consistent?
You can view this new offering at: http://www.muir-matheson.com/PDF/Low%20Quality/web_LQ_Eliasson_CBME80A_Ceilometer_29112005.pdf
While you're at it, why not contact Muir Matheson directly at: Sales@muir-matheson.com
You will surely knock out the middleman and the hefty cost that Belfort Instruments will surely try to pass on the the end-user.
Belfort, a name that means SHIT in the aviation weather marketplace!
About Belfort Instruments:
Belfort used to be a leading provider of weather instruments to the government, professional meteorology and aviation markets. Key words: "use to be." They never provided any wind sensors to the Wright Brothers despite their fantastic assertion that they did! History tells a very different story and specifically mentions a "Richards" anemometer. The Belfort aerovane wind system on US Naval aircraft carriers are being replaced with ultrasonic wind sensors from QPI which just won a $94 million dollar contract for the Moriah Wind System. Belfort wind speed and direction anemometers found on ASOS are now being replaced with ultrasonic sensors from Vaisala. Belfort is no longer setting any standards of measurement in the weather instrument world. Regretably, they did not celebrate a 125th anniversary in 2001 as the company was only founded in 1896. Belfort doesn't even know it's own company history! For more information about Belfort Instrument and DigiWx, visit shit dot com
digiwx not worthy of faa approval/commissioning (10/31/2006)
Belfort Instruments commissions it's 1st Digiwx AWOS (late October 2006). Can Belfort Instruments please remind all of us that it took over 2 years to commission this Digiwx AWOS? Vaisala and All Weather Inc routinely accomplish this simple task in as little as 4 months. Do you have two years to wait for Belfort Instruments to work out the kinks? And trust me on this, you have no idea how many Belfort kinks will be involved. Why not talk to some of the airports whom Belfort lists on their homepage and hear why they wished they would have never contacted Belfort Digiwx. Three airports in New Mexico and one in California have been waiting over 5 years for Belfort to commission their Digiwx. Are you still interested in a Digiwx for your airport?
more belfort lies (11/06/2006)
Note to Belfort Instruments Digiwx AWOS: The Wright Brothers Relied on a Richard's Anemometer!
WILBUR WRIGHT WITH RICHARD'S ANEMOMETER (picture)
http://www.exn.ca/FlightDeck/Aviators/wright3.cfm
Hey Ralph F. Petragnani: Do pictures LIE?
Ralph Petragnani (whose all jowl, belly and a$$) gave a presentation on behalf of Belfort Instruments
Digiwx AWOS at HEMS 2006 in Boulder, CO which claims many bold faced
lies. Ralph Petragnani must have gone blind palying pocket pool also because he can't read or comprehend the historical archives of the Wright Brothers nor the writings of Orville Wright. Here is what history has recorded:
"FINAL PREPARATIONS"
We laid the track on a smooth stretch of ground about one hundred feet
north of the new building. The biting cold wind made work difficult,
and we had to warm up frequently in our living room, where we had a
good fire in an improvised stove ready, J.T. Daniels, W.S. Dough and
A.D. Etheridge, members of Kill Devil Life Saving Station; W.C.
Brinkley of Manteo, and Johnny Moore, a boy from Nags Head, had
arrived.
We had a "Richard" hand anemometer with which we measured the velocity
of the wind. Measurements made just before starting the first flight
showed velocities of 11 to 12 meters per second, or 24 to 27 miles per
hour. Measurements made just before the last flight gave between 9 and
10 meters per second. One made just after showed a little over 8
meters. The records of the Government Weather Bureau at Kitty Hawk gave
the velocity of the wind between the hours of 10:30 and 12 o'clock,
the time during which the four flights were made, as averaging 27 miles
at the time of the first flight and 24 miles at the of the last."
So what happened Ralph Petragnani: 1) did you decide to embellish
Belfort's fabled history to help you sell Digiwx AWOS product, or 2) did
Belfort's owners Bruce R. Robinson, Nicholas C. Kaufman and "pocket-pool player" Mark W. Decker ask you to lie on the company's behalf? Did you think no one would notice Ralph? How naive are you? Can you be trusted by customers?
Did Lt. Mark W. Decker (Naval Academy grad) tell you:
1) the "Wright Brother Relied On Us" when they really didn't rely upon
weather instruments from Belfort Instruments (formerly Belfort/Friez) as
the company inaccurately alleges, and
2) the Belfort/Friez weather company was not found in 1876 as reported
on their company website since Mr. Julian Friez never made it to
Baltimore to set up shop until sometime in the 1890s, and
3) that Belfort Instruments is not the "Oldest Weather Company in the
World as the earliest anemometer was invented by Thomas Romney Robinson
(1793 - 1882), six years before Julian Friez was even born in 1852, and
4) how many Belfort Digiwx weather systems were actually bought by bona-
fide customers and installed as FAA commissioned DigiWx AWOS units.
Oooooh Ralphie boy, your presentation lists several DigiWx sites that
allegedly have AWOS units. Why did you lie about this also?
Maryland Shock Trauma Center, MD, Coral Creek, FL, Ocean City, NJ don't
have DigiWx AWOS units! Call the airports managers and ask them because
apparently Belfort Instruments managements/owners can't keep track of
which airports do and don't have AWOS units.
But that shouldn't surprise anyone, because Belfort doesn't have their
historical facts right about supposedly supplying wind sensors to the
Wright Brothers either. Belfort is just trying to re-write Wright
Brother history while stealing thunder from the Wright Brothers
accomplishments. Imagine a company that doesn't know it's own company
history. Orville nor Wilbur Wright never wrote a thing about Belfort or
their wind sensors! Please feel free Belfort lowlifes to show us
otherwise if you dare!
Closing note for Ralph Petragnani, did Belfort make those DigiWx tee-
shirts in size 4X to 6X so that you can wrap one of them around your
sleek, stout tee-pot corpulent body of yours?
Lee Airport (ANP) got ride of Digiwx in favor of SuperAWOS (11/14/2006)
Yeah, you read that right! Mark Decker from Belfort Instrument Company worked with Van Lee (Lee airport owner & manager) sometime in 2002 to place a Digiwx at Lee airport in Annapolis, MD. Soon thereafter, Belfort's M. Tylor Burton (Ty Burton) installed a personal computer with Digiwx Voice thereon. Another Mark (who did the best crosswind landings I've ever seen even though he taxied that plane of his to darn fast) flew the pattern to get Digiwx Voice to "reco." A successful reco would trigger an automated weather broadcast from the Digiwx system. Belfort "tested and tweaked" and then "tweaked and tested" some more. This went on for 2-3 years until they abandoned the Digiwx Voice reco system in favor of mic clicks which has been a SuperAWOS mainstay. For the two to three years that Belfort attempted to tweak Digiwx Voice, we at Lee airport would go long periods without any technical support, service or training from Belfort Instrumetn Company despite several requests. Numerous pilots on the field tried Digiwx Voice which seemed to work maybe 5-10% of the time. Mark Decker and Ty Burton (if you could reach them and if they would return phone calls) always had excuses. The main one was that the pilots weren't saying the voice reco terms properly. This was utter bull$h*t! If that was the case, then you have to wonder why Belfort sw9itched to mic clicks instead. Needless to say, Van Lee turned off the PC because Belfort just seemed to have abandoned this Digiwx installation. The Digiwx was replaced in 2005 with a SuperAWOS weather system. SuperUnicom originated the mic click idea to trigger a weather broadcast over the Unicom frequency. I can't begin to tell you how incomplete and disappointing Belfort's Digiwx AWOS weather product really is. And Belfort's tech support and service was the worse I've ever seen for any product. Belfort just didn't give a darn! If it wasn't Mark Decker trying to pump us up with another load of $h*t, then he'd send down his right hand man Ty Burton who'd unload a bunch of bull$h*t. To this day, I understand that Belfort doesn't have even one satisfied airport user who uses Digiwx Voice. Nobody at Lee airport would recommend Digiwx to another airport owner or operator and nobody at Lee airport would recommend that you talk with Mark Decker or Ty Burton at Belfort who are both full of $h*t. A lot of factual stuff has been written about Belfort's Digiwx in the rec.aviation.products newsgroup. Many more problems have been documented there than I could begin to note here.
belfort's crap (11/16/2006)
Belfort antiquated and outdated Aerovane wind system recently sold at a U.S. government auction for $350.00 at http://cgi.govliquidation.com/auction/view?auctionId=989091
That's $47,398.32 of Belfort's weather CRAP that sold for auction at a grand total $315.00 (pennies on the dollar).
What do you think that Digiwx AWOS will be worth in a few months?
Digiwx Voted Most Unreliable AWOS (11/18/2006)
Interesting find: Digiwx AWOS was voted the MOST UNRELIABLE AWOS weather system in the U.S. marketplace according to a recent poll of pilots from AOPA.
Pilots reported that:
1) Digiwx unable to consistently transmit weather data, 2) rampant Digiwx outages (that's pretty scary), 3) incorrect wind direction and wind speed readings, 4) incorrect temperature and dewpoint readings, 5) Digiwx AWOS systems that aren't even FAA commissioned, 6) non-existant tech support from Belfort Instruments, 7) Digiwx that doesn't broadcast over Unicom using mic clicks, 8) Digiwx that doesn't broadcast over Unicom using voice reco, 9) several airports that have replaced Digiwx with SuperAWOS, and 10) Belfort Instruments lies about it's involvement with Wright Brothers.
Rampant Belfort Instrument Digiwx AWOS Outages (11/25/2006)
Adding to number two on the list (rampant Digiwx outages) that helped make Digiwx AWOS the MOST Unreliable AWOS as voted upon by AOPA:
Coral Creek, FL Digiwx AWOS is intermittent at best! It has spent more time down this year in 2006 than it has been up and working properly!
Other Digiwx AWOS data NOT AVAILABLE:
Driggs Reed, Idaho
Buckeye, Arizona
These unavailable UNRELIABLE Digiwx AWOS units are probably being replaced with SuperAWOS units as Digiwx only
comes with a 90 day warranty. If Belfort Instruments only stands behind Digiwx AWOS for 90 days, what does that tell you about how reliable they think the unit really is!
And what will it cost the customer to keep this piece of doodee working reliably! The words "Digiwx" and "reliable" don't belong in the same sentence!
Only a single FAA commissioned Digiwx AWOS unit of 30 or so installed during the past 6 years should compel you to run to another competitor's weather system not manufactured by the amateurs at Belfort Instrument Company.
About Belfort Instrument Company
Belfort used to be a leading provider of weather instruments to the government, professional meteorology and aviation markets. Key words: "use to be." They never provided any wind sensors to the Wright Brothers despite their fantastic assertion that they did! Historical archives available at the U.S. Air Force National Museum (1100 Spaatz Street, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433) tells a very different story and specifically mentions a "Richards" anemometer which Wilbur Wright held as pictured at: http://www.exn.ca/FlightDeck/Aviators/wright3.cfm. The Belfort aerovane wind system on U.S. Naval aircraft carriers are currently being replaced with ultrasonic wind sensors from QPI (11207 Single Oak Road, Fredericksburg, VA 22407) which just won a $94 million dollar contract for the Moriah Wind System. Belfort wind speed and direction anemometers found on the ASOS platform are now being replaced with ultrasonic sensors from the Vaisala Group. Belfort Instruments Model 6000 visibility sensor will no longer be a part of the U.S. Air Force's OS-21/FSB program come early 2007. And despite a $500,000 U.S. government grant from NASA's Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) program in 2004 to build a low-cost ceilometer, Belfort didn't possess the technical smarts nor the engineering know-how to accomplish the task. So now they're importing the Eliasson CBME 80A laser ceilometer from Muir Matheson. As one can readily see, Belfort is no longer setting any standards of measurement in the weather instrumentation world. And now Belfort is propagating lie after lie about their fabled company history while trying to steal thunder from the accomplishments of the Wright Brothers. According to the National Museum of American History (12th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20560), Belfort founder Julian Friez never made it to Baltimore to set up shop until sometime in the 1890s even though Belfort officials fradulently claim the company was founded in 1876. Thus, there was no 125th anniversary for Belfort to celebrate in 2001 even though they hosted a party to which no one came! Belfort's proclamation that it is the "Oldest Weather Company in the World" is simply yet another Belfort lie as Thomas Romney Robinson invented the first wind anemometer in 1846, six years before Julian Friez was born in 1852. Belfort doesn't even know it's own company history so they just make it up! You should wonder what other crap (eg. Digiwx AWOS) they also make up! For more information about Belfort Instrument and DigiWx, visit dogsh*t.com
Belfort Instruments Digiwx FABLED 130th Anniversary (12/02/2006)
Troy Wells and the other BLOW-HARTS at Belfort Digiwx AWOS report that Belfort Instrument Company will celebrate its 130th year in business in 2006 according to info posted at:
WHEN WILL BELFORT INSTRUMENTS STOP LYING ABOUT THEIR FABLED AND UNTRUE COMPANY HISTORY?
Belfort Instrument Company going to hell... in a handbasket... in a hurry! (12/11/2006)
Snooping of unencrpyted results from an internal financial audit of BelfortInstrument.com (38.119.104.242) and it's bank named Suntrust.com (167.181.46.72) reveal a severe revenue sales decline followed by a severe income loss for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006. When BelfortInstrument.com leaves a back door or two open, they sure leave it WIDE OPEN! Wide enough for things to be planted like weeds which no IT administrator will ever eradicate!
Belfort Instrument Company (also doing business as UDT Instruments, Advanced Retro Technology, Gamma Scientific and RoadVista) is bleeding "red ink" in the meteorology (wind, visibility, precipitation, cloud, hygrothermograph, crane wind alarm, runway visual range) and Digiwx AWOS (aviation, military & industrial) line of products which has been going on for years. And the bankers who loaned Bruce R. Robinson and Belfort money aren't happy! Sales are off by more than 50% year over year which could be largely attributed to the negative press being reported in this and other internet newsgroups.
Belfort Instrument Company owners Bruce R. Robinson, Nicholas C. Kaufman and President Mark W. (Weiner Whirler) Decker along with Belfort's Chief Operating Officer & Resident B*tch Debra S. Alascio and CFO William C. Gordon have been steadily driving this company off a cliff for years. It's no longer a question of "if Belfort will file for bankruptcy," the only question now is "when will Belfort file for bankruptcy?"
To you few remaining Belfort employees currently numbering about 15, you've been warned that this company ship is sinking with no less than a U.S. Navy Academy midshipman and graduate (namely Mark "Weiner Whirler" Decker) on board at the helm who has no clue how to power a ship which is now dead in the water. You're sitting ducks! And it is only a matter of precious time, which Belfort no longer has, before the competition blows your lying ass*s out of the water!
Meanwhile, Debra S. Alascio (whose making $100,000 a year while stuffing $17,000 in her company 401k plan) is going to tell all you current employees "all the things you want to hear" but she won't tell you "all the things you need to hear" about how fast this company ship is going down! It's time to abandon ship! There can be little doubt that Ms. Alascio has drawn up contingency plans to ditch more employees with pink slips during and/or immediately following this holiday season. That annual company Xmas party should really be a blast! Folks, the writing is on the wall and the Belfort bulletin board. Are you employees in the same kind of denial that the Belfort owners and managers are in? How many of you will risk losing your car, home and family to Belfort's mis-steps? You can bet that the Belfort Instrument Company is NOT going to look out for you, your car, home or family at the end of the day when the bank forecloses on all of it! It's time to refresh that resume and find another job. Belfort Instrument Company will not last another year. And this author would wager that Belfort only has a few months before the owners or more likely the bank pulls the plug and sells the remaining assets to liquidators.
Belfort's customer base has been eroding for years as customers fled to the competitors in search of more economical products with much better quality than the absolute antiquated sh*t being shipped from Belfort's docks in Baltimore which is still not ISO certified. If anyone is considering the purchase of any Belfort products including Digiwx AWOS, you should certainly be concerned how much longer that the Belfort Instrument Company will remain in business to support their products. And don't let that fat sh*t and Director of Sales Ralph F. Petragnani tell you differently. He has one motivation, to sell you some more of Belfort's antiquated and outdated product sh*t including Digiwx AWOS which was recently voted the Most Unreliable AWOS in the U.S. marketplace by AOPA pilots.
awisux (12/14/2006)
In the end, Gamma Scientific (Belfort Instruments' west coast office in San Diego) didn't possess the technical smarts nor the engineering know-how to manufacture that new Belfort laser ceilometer. Belfort's east coast operation surely screwed things up but not nearly as bad as that west coast office who wasted another 3/4 million dollars (in additon to that $500,000.00 grant from NASA SATS program) on the Belfort ceilometer that wasn't to be! If Gamma Scientific doesn't possess the technical smarts on the engineering know-how at the end of the day, what makes one think that anything made by Gamma Scientific does what it is supposed to do?
misery loves belfort instrument digiwx awos (12/22/2006)
this was a funny find in the rec.aviation newsgroup: Stocking Stuffers for the Belfort Instrument Digiwx DIRTBALLS - For Belfort Instrument Digiwx AWOS President and Chief We*ner Whirler Mark W. Decker - Santa gives Mark a case of jock-itch medication to help soothe the we*ner he keeps itching in public for everyone to see!
For Belfort Instrument Digiwx Chief Operating Officer and Resident Witch Debra S. Alascio - Santa gives Debra a stiff we*ner to shove up her "lying, denying & conniving" a$$!
For Belfort Instrument Digiwx Chief Financial Officer William C. Gordon - Santa gives Bill a recurrence and active progression of his cancer!
For Belfort Instrument Digiwx Sales Director Ralph F. Petragnani - Santa gives Ralph a subscription to Dunkin Donuts so he can grow more jowl, belly and a$$ to go along with his excess jowl, belly & a$$!
For Belfort Instrument Digiwx owner Bruce R. Robinson - Santa gives Bruce a signed book about "How to Run a Company Into the Ground"
For Belfort Instrument Digiwx owner Nicholas C. Kaufman, Santa gives Nick a pair of spectacles to read the book that Santa gave to Bruce!
For all current Belfort Instrument Digiwx AWOS employees, Bruce and Nick (not Santa mind you) gives you lessons on writing a resume because you're gonna need it when Belfort Instrument Digiwx AWOS goes belly up!
HAPPY NEW YEAR you Belfort Instrument DIRTBALLS!
you get what you pay for (02/08/2007)
Belfort Digiwx AWOS is advertised as the lowest cost AWOS in the marketplace according to the "baloney" from the Sales & Marketing department at Belfort Instrument Company. Here is what cheap really buys you:
Looking for value?
"It's unwise to pay too much but it's unwise to pay too little.
When you pay too much you lose a little money, that is all.
When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing you bought it to do.
The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot.
It can't be done.
If you deal with the lowest bidder, it's well to add something for the risk you run.
And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better!"
The following quotation is from John Ruskin (1819-1900)
NOAA looking to dispose of Belfort Digiwx AWOS rain gages (02/24/2007)
And now this:
NOAA Replacing Aging Belfort Digiwx 5-780 rain gages
Quotes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:
"New equipment currently under evaluation for use with the AIRMoN program includes the adaptation of several strain gages as potential replacements for the aging Belfort 5-780."
"The new equipment will be queried remotely, avoiding the time and
agony of deciphering information currently analyzed by hand from
Belfort paper charts." as found at:
http://www.arl.noaa.gov/research/projects/airmon_wet.html
belfort instruments woes (03/13/2007)
Now comes news compliments of the Baltimore Sun that Santo V. Alascio
(DOB: 11/04/1961), beloved husband of Debra S. Alascio (maiden name
VON LANGE; also of notorious Belfort Instruments Digiwx AWOS fame);
step-father of Amy Wesner; son of Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Alascio, Sr.
DIED on September 14, 2006.
It needs to be noted that Santo V. Alascio was only 45 years old when
he died!
Knowing that Mr. Alascio worked for his wife (Debra S. Alascio) in a
work environment polluted with lead, mercury and asbestos sure makes
one wonder how Santo V. Alascio died.
Unfortunately, Belfort Instruments has a documented history of hiding
Right-To-Know info from it's employees. Just call Keith Owens, Roger Campbell or Jack English at MOSH (Maryland Occupational Safety & Health, 410-767-2190) and they can tell you all about Belfort Instruments unsavory history including actions and citations issued by MOSH to Belfort Instrument Digiwx AWOS company.
If you are a former employee of Belfort Instruments which also does
business under the names of Advanced Retro Technology, Gamma Scientific, Road Vista and UDT Instruments, you may have unknowingly been exposed to an array of hazardous materials including lead, mercury and asbestos. According to Keith Owens of MOSH, a complaint was filed against Belfort Instruments Digiwx AWOS in 2005 after an employe complained that Belfort Instruments was withholding Right-To-
Know information following a written request for access to such info.
Recently, there was a report that William C. Gordon, former CFO at
Belfort Instrumetns was diagnosed with cancer which probably resulted
from his employment and exposure in the Belfort Instruments workplace
to lead, mercury and asbestos for starters.
Stay tuned as I learn more about the criminal activity that has taken
place at Belfort Instruments Digiwx AWOS and the careless disregard
they have displayed for employee health and safety!
GeneralAviationNewsSUX.com (04/02/2007)
Dave Sclair, Mary Lou Sclair, Ben Sclair and Robyn Sclair from GeneralAviationNews.com wrote an editorial titled "Belfort Instrument Co: The meteorological instrumentation experts" dated February 2, 2007. It wasn't a news release!
In that editorial, they made a case (albeit it all wrong) that the so-
called "experts" at Belfort Instruments Digiwx AWOS have done all kinds of fabulous things when
nothing could be farther from the truth!
Remember, this is a weather company that didn't have the technical smarts nor the engineering know-how to build a ceilometer after they received a
half million dollar grant from the mid-Atlantic SATS lab in 2004. That's your tax money at work!
Again the question will be asked:
How much did Belfort Instruments pay General Avaition News to publish it's company line of untruthful BULL-CRAP? And why would the publishers of General Aviation News just accept as fact the complete BULL-CRAP that Belfort Instruments Digiwx AWOS
obviously feed them to publish?
General Aviation News NEEDS TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT.
The only question is: WILL THEY?
digiwx poop (07/10/2007)
haven't seen any poop posted about that unrelaible belfort digiwx awos... surely there has got to be some recent poop about this defective weather station to post... how about it?
belfort is bankrupt (08/09/2007)
"Minutes of previous Meetings Ralph Petragnani from Belfort Instruments proposed that the minutes of the General Assembly in 2006 be accepted, the General Assembly passed these unanimously."
WHAT THE HELL WOULD RALPH PETRAGNANI KNOW ABOUT THE MINUTES OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY LET ALONE THE IDEA OF TRYING TO IMPRESS Belfort Digiwx AWOS co-owner BRUCE R. ROBINSON (who both attended the HMEI General Assembly, held at the Conference Centre Geneva, Switzerland on May 9th 2007)?
THESE TWO IDIOTS (along with Mark W. Decker who scratches his pecker,
Ralph's pecker and Bruce's pecker) are lookalikes for the THREE STOOGES and they DON'T know the first thing about weather, weather instrumentation, weather reporting, pilots, aviation or business in general. This is one CLUELESS BUNCH!
Meanwhile, no DigiWX AWOS weather stations were purchased during the
months of April, May, June & July 2007.
Belfort's annual sales for the fiscal year ending September 2007 is expected to skid again to another all-time low of $1-2 million dollars total. You read that right Vaisala, All Weather Inc and SuperAWOS. Belfort's weather products generate barely more than $1 million dollars in total sales. It is the likes of Gamma Scientific, UDT
Instruments and Advanced Retro (Road Vista) that keeps Belfort's Digiwx AWOS collective head above water. Belfort Digiwx AWOS has filed for bankruptcy protection as they can't pay their creditors.
If you have purchased a Belfort Instruments Digiwx AWOS, you should be
wondering how much longer Belfort will support and service that outdated piece of aviation weather shit sitting on your airport!
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