Disclosure · Science · UFO ·

CSETI Experiences Decoded: A Field Researcher's Guide to Contact Protocols

From Passive Watching to Active Contact

Evenin', folks. Howard Callahan here. If you know me, you know I've spent the better part of forty years standing in the Arizona dirt, staring up at the San Francisco Peaks with a pair of binoculars and a thermos of black coffee. Back in '77, when Betty and I had our first sighting, the rule was simple: you watch, you record, and you keep your mouth shut.

But the game has changed. We aren't just birdwatchers anymore. The conversation has shifted toward interaction. This is where the Center for the Study of Extraterrestrial Intelligence (CSETI) comes in. Dr. Steven Greer's efforts [34] to formalize contact protocols have stirred up a hornet's nest of debate, but as a science teacher, I care about one thing: data. So, let's strip away the woo-woo and look at the mechanics of what they call CE-5.

The Protocol: More Than Just Looking Up

You can't just go out with a flashlight and expect results. The CSETI method is rigorous, detailed in their Working Group Manual [40]. It relies on a specific triad of actions, but the controversial heart of it is something called Coherent Thought Sequencing [1].

The Science of "Vectoring"

Now, this is where some folks get off the bus, but stick with me. The protocol requires a deep meditative state [3]. You aren't just thinking happy thoughts; you are using coherent, centered thought [4] to create a beacon. Dr. Greer describes this in his CE-5 initiative transcript [2] as a way to guide a craft from some distant point [8] directly to your research site.

It sounds wild, I know. But Richard Haines, a former NASA scientist, was writing about Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind [6] back in 1999, cataloging 242 case files [7] where human intent seemed to play a role. The idea is that these visitors possess technology that interfaces with consciousness itself. It brings up heavy spiritual implications [9] and forces us to rethink our entire cosmology and contact [5] framework. It's all laid out in The CE-5 Big Book [33], which serves as the encyclopedia for this stuff.

The Toolkit: Lasers, Radar, and The Law

If you're going out there, you need gear. But you also need common sense, or you'll end up in handcuffs. We use radar detectors [12] to pick up electromagnetic signatures. Specifically, we are looking for anomalies in the UHF operating radar frequency [10]. We aren't counting cars on the highway-a standard traffic detector handbook [11] won't help you interpret the data we get.

Sometimes these events happen over water, requiring us to understand the environment as well as a team doing hydrographic surveying [15]. But the most popular tool-and the most dangerous-is the laser.

The Laser Safety Warning (Read This!)

Teams use high-powered green diode pumped modules [14] to signal the sky. But listen to me: Aiming a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime. The statute 18 U.S.C. 39A [18] is crystal clear. This isn't a slap on the wrist; it is a serious crime and criminal procedure [22] that leads to prison time. You will see this statute cited in 18 USC 39A [24] repeatedly because pilots are blinded by idiots every year.

Before you even buy a laser, check the FDA regulations for laser pointer manufacturers [28]. They regulate everything from surveying, leveling, and alignment products [19] to medical laser products [23]. If you are operating outdoors, you must adhere to FAA AC 70-1B [20]. This Advisory Circular [21] outlines exactly how to avoid interfering with flight paths.

Do your homework. Run your laser safety calculations [13]. Follow the OSHA guidelines [17] for eye protection. Even general laser products [25] carry risks. If you're reading this from Europe, check the Guide to Good Practice [26] and the White Paper EN 50689 [16]. The FDA even has a compliance program guidance manual [27] for field staff. Do not be the person who shuts down an airport because you wanted to signal a UFO.

The Evidence: Gulf Breeze and Beyond

So, does any of this actually work? Skeptics love to talk about the probability of a hoax [38], and I welcome that scrutiny. But you have to explain the data.

Take March 1992, near Gulf Breeze, Florida [37]. This wasn't a blurry photo taken by a lone wolf. We are talking about an event witnessed by a CSI pilot team [31] and documented in the CSETI Project PDF [30]. There were over 50 credible witnesses [29], including former military personnel.

The event was so significant it generated its own media coverage [32] and was preserved in news clippings [36] from the era. When you have a crowd of children and adults [39] all reacting to the same phenomena, pointing at the same spot in the sky, mass hallucination becomes a difficult argument to sustain. It reminds me of the high strangeness of the Doddleston Messages [35]-cases where the interaction feels almost impossible, yet the physical trace evidence remains.

The Bottom Line

You don't have to believe everything you hear. In fact, I encourage you not to. But don't ignore the data just because the method sounds strange. The skies are busy, and for the first time in history, we have a protocol to say "hello" back. Just make sure you keep that laser pointed away from the Cessnas, alright?