What are some common "Storm Chaser" radio setups like?

[2112]

The increasing reliability and availability of mobile internet and cellular phones is decreasing the importance of having radios for storm chasing.

Of course, storm chasing is not the same as storm spotting; radios for storm spotting may very well be important depending on who the spotter is affiliated with, whether it be with a amateur radio group, a telephone spotter, or with a public-safety agency.

For me, when I started with spotter nets some 15 years ago, I had all kinds of radio equipment in the car. About 7-8 years ago, I switched more to chasing, while retaining a lot of radio equipment. Over the years, the radio equipment in my car has been coming out. This year, all I had in the car was a FT-90 VU hammie. For next year, that's coming out because I only use the radio for car-to-car and occasionally to listen to NOAA All-Hazards Radio. I can just as easily do this on a portable radio, so I just don't see a reason to keep a hard-mounted radio in the car (theft risk, lightning risk, lack of portability if I chase with someone else, etc.) any longer.

This fits well with my attitude toward storm-chasing gadgetry - less is more. I'm not into piling all kinds of plumbing, boat radars or antennas on my car. I'm also very low-profile about things; I don't go for flashing lights or magnetic signs. I'm just not about advertising myself, hassling with equipment, and blowing money unnecessarily. Next year, I don't expect to have any antennas on top of the car or anything permanently mounted inside; one bag will contain it all, including the laptop and the cameras. Tenba makes some *great* products .

But that's just me; opinions and attitudes vary. You can find out more by going to popular chaser forums such as stormtrack.org and stormchasers.org/forum.

Hope this helps!

 

[2112]

Most Storm Chasers (not to be confused with the completely different Storm Spotters) radio set-ups are not particularly impressive to the radio hobbyist. Weather is their passion, not radios. They'll spend thousands on a laptop with satellite weather downlinks, as well as mobile weather instruments, but function with no more than a fifty-buck CB for communications. Most who get a ham ticket do so only as an aside, not because they really care about amateur radio.

They ones who are serious news journalists and chasers outside of severe weather will usually be more into the commo aspect, and they'll have some scanners for monitoring the authorities response to any incidents. Those aren't the common Storm Chaser though. The common Storm Chaser is not in it for the news aspect and isn't really interested in any comms that aren't directly related to the weather. In fact, a lot of chasers have no more comms than their cellphone and laptop, as they aren't into spotting or communicating with other chasers. Most commonly, I see not much more than a single VHF or dual-bander Ham radio and maybe one scanner or CB in a chaser vehicle.

It's the Storm Spotters that tend to have antenna farms growing on their cars, as most of them are from Amateur radio clubs and more into the comms than the weather. They are very different from Storm Chasers.

There are some very good points here... for storm chasers, it's not only more about the weather, it's about their overall objective and attitude. Over the years, I've switched to chasing from spotting, my objective has changed to forecasting and photography, and my attitude is a low-profile one. Everyone's different, so the vehicle setups vary greatly.

 

[WX4EMT]

I wear several different hats personally and professionally. Also, I can't afford a different vehicle for each activity so it's all in one.

For the chase: GPS, Laptop, Air-Card with external antenna and camera.

For spotting: APRS TNC linking GPS, weather sensors, laptop and DR-135. Yaesu FT8800 to call in my reports. PSR-600 to monitor local traffic. Motorola HT1250 to talk directly to EMA, Fire and EMS.

For the LONG hours on the road: XM and CB.

Professionally: The aformentioned HT-1250 and PSR-600 plus the blinky dinks and the whooptie whoops to get me where I need to be so I can save lives.

But for all the gee-wiz stuff out there, honestly I use the laptop / air-card the most.

 

[Bote]

Great weather RADAR web service

I use a subscription service at WeatherTap.com for my daily use in south Florida.

Their weather RADAR simply can not be beat. I leave it up on a spare monitor at work and people walking by the lab pop their heads in to note the latest line of storms that are a daily part of life during the warmer months, remarking how good the detail is.

Apropos to this discussion, they also have SpotterNetwork and NWS spotter reports available, but I don't know anything about it.

I just noted on their home page when I checked the link above that they also have a lightning detection map page, which might be of value to storm spotters. They also have aviation charts on there with isobars and all that good stuff, too. I challenge you to find that on weather.com!

Like Mr. LEO above, a laptop with an air card tuned in to WeatherTap might be all you need to focus on the action. I love it to pieces. It would certainly be quieter than all those weather alert radios blaring at once.

Bote

 

[newsphotog]

This WeatherTap program looks interesting, but I can't seem to find any clear information through their navigation. Is this a Windows-only application? It seems like it's browser-based and uses Java? Could it be used on a Mac? With the basic subscription do you only get state radars or can you zoom in to a specific area/storm or do you have to pay extra for that? Share whatever you can, I'm sure that I'm not the only one that is drooling at this program right now.

 

[rdale]

It's browser based... If want THE radar app by which all others are judged - http://grlevelx.com is your source.

 

[WX4EMT]

Great weather RADAR web service

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bote wrote:
I use a subscription service at WeatherTap.com for my daily use in south Florida.

Thanks Bote,

That looks great! You can never have enough resources. In the past I have used NWS NEXRAD and links to local media radars on the web but this year we will be trying out GRlevelX for the first time.

 

[mkh]

I agree - GRLevelX is the one by which all else is measured.

 

[Bote]

I agree - GRLevelX is the one by which all else is measured.

OK, I'm sold. I'm checking it out...

Thanx!

Bote

 

[KB9LMJ]

This WeatherTap program looks interesting, but I can't seem to find any clear information through their navigation. Is this a Windows-only application? It seems like it's browser-based and uses Java? Could it be used on a Mac? With the basic subscription do you only get state radars or can you zoom in to a specific area/storm or do you have to pay extra for that? Share whatever you can, I'm sure that I'm not the only one that is drooling at this program right now.

I used Wxtap for my first season I had the computer in the truck. When it worked, it worked well...when it failed, it failed catastrophically. I ran into another chaser staged in a parking lot on a busy CO day and we started talking about what we were using. He was using a Mac laptop with weathertap because that was the only program he could run as, at the time, GR3 was only windows based. (I believe it still is) I was using a PC with weathertap. Both of us had run into loading problems in the last hour before we met, and we put our heads together and figured out it was the data network in the area we were in and the fact that weathertap is browser Java based and needs a TON of data to work correctly.

You can pan and zoon with wxtap anywhere in the US and follow any storm down to street level. You can also integrate GPS and track yourself on the map and load the SpotterNetwork and track other spotters on the map. A drawback is you have to load multiple browsers if you're interested in looking at BR/CR/BV scans. With GR3, you can divide your screen and look at multiple application at the same time without loading the program over and over. (Am I making any sense?)

But since then, I have upgraded to GR3 and strongly agree with everyone else here...that is THE only way to go if you're going to be mobile. As far as using a program on a desktop, it's really personal preference. I will not go back to wxtap because I'm hooked on GR3. But for a stationary program, weathertap did well when I had it. The biggest difference I noticed from Wxtap to GR3 was GR3 is infinitely expandable. With the ability to load static and dynamic placefiles, you can fully customize your radar to what you want. And, GR3 "sips" data as apposed to "sucking" it like weathertap, because it's not Java based like wxtap is. When GR3 loads its next image, it does it in the background and then imposes it on the screen. When wxtap loads, it drops your radar images and kicks up a "loading image 1 of...." message until that image loads and then redisplays your radar loop or images. That, to me, was another fatal flaw when you're out in the field. If GR3 doesn't have the data available to load the next image, it just keeps on looping or displaying the last known image and when the data comes back, it picks back up again with no break in display.

I suggest downloading the full trial version of GR3 and play around with it. One thing I found when I was new to GR3 was the "missing" owners manual. You'll have to go to these forums to get the help to questions you have. <http://www.grlevelxstuff.com/index.php> <http://www.grlevelx.com/owners/index.php>

 

[jleverin]

I'm not a chaser but do some voluteer weather spotting. I only have a cell phone with me, my handheld scanner and/or a 2 meter ham radio to monitor the local skywarn folks(I hope to be able to use the 2 meter radio more in the future once I'm a ham). I really can't understand all these people who cram so many radios into their vehicle plus the laptop on a pedestal. I spot from a stationary position but if you are chasing I can't see having to look at a computer screen while you are driving! I understand they use the software to track the storm but seems kind of dangerous to me. Some of the pictures I seen of vehicles have so many radios in there, you couldn't get out of the vehicle if you needed to in a hurry! A bit of overkill if you ask me......

 

[AK9R]

With GR3, you can divide your screen and look at multiple application at the same time without loading the program over and over.

It sounds like you are talking about loading multiple instances of GRLevel3. I do this sometimes, too, when I want to look at multiple radar sites. On the other hand, GRLevel3 has the ability to divide the screen into 2 or 4 "panes". Each pane will show data from the same site, but you can show different products in each pane. This works extremely well on a wide-screen monitor. It's very useful to look at BR, SRV, VIL, and Tops simultaneously.

When GR3 loads its next image, it does it in the background and then imposes it on the screen.

Actually, GRLevel3 does not download images. It downloads raw data for each of the products. GRLevel3 then generates the images with its internal routines.

 

[WX4EMT]

Storm Chaser Setup

JLevrin wrote:
>>I'm not a chaser but do some voluteer weather spotting. Some of the pictures I seen of vehicles have so many radios in there, you couldn't get out of the vehicle if you needed to in a hurry! A bit of overkill if you ask me<<

JLev,

You are right some of us are a bit carried away but I understand both sides. Actually I do both chase and spot and yes there are maybe 5 radios and a computer all running at the same time. YES driving distracted (looking at the comp screen) is indeed dangerous and should not be done. Neither should you talk on the cell phone while driving. All that being said since I traverse multiple jurisdictions and each one has a different radio system, I need different radios simply because one radio will not "DO IT ALL". I have taken great care to keep everything out of the deployment radius of the airbags and keep my seatbelt securely fastened because in a wreck the worst thing you can do is get out quickly ie. ejected. In 28 years of working the streets as a Paramedic I never unbuckled a dead person... snap your lap strap.

Also how close are you to your ham ticket? It's a lot more fun to talk than it is to just listen and calling in a report to NWS that gives someone the warning they need to save lives and property really makes all the work and trouble worthwhile!

Finally, I am doing a final DIN install on a scanner this weekend and plan to take pictures of my "overkill" anyone want to see the pics?

 

[KB9LMJ]

It sounds like you are talking about loading multiple instances of GRLevel3. I do this sometimes, too, when I want to look at multiple radar sites. On the other hand, GRLevel3 has the ability to divide the screen into 2 or 4 "panes". Each pane will show data from the same site, but you can show different products in each pane. This works extremely well on a wide-screen monitor. It's very useful to look at BR, SRV, VIL, and Tops simultaneously.

I guess I said it wrong but you were able to put it to words better. With Wxtap, you have to load multiple applications in order to view BR/SRV/CR...etc. With GR3, yes, you can split your screen and not have to load multiple applications.

Actually, GRLevel3 does not download images. It downloads raw data for each of the products. GRLevel3 then generates the images with its internal routines.

Again, thanks for phrasing it more accurately. That's kind of what I was getting at by saying GR "sips" its data and doesn't have to load Java images and animate them. I'm not the best at describing computer stuff.

But, that is correct, and that's GR3s major benefit over Wxtap.

 

[KB9LMJ]

I'm not a chaser but do some voluteer weather spotting. I only have a cell phone with me, my handheld scanner and/or a 2 meter ham radio to monitor the local skywarn folks(I hope to be able to use the 2 meter radio more in the future once I'm a ham). I really can't understand all these people who cram so many radios into their vehicle plus the laptop on a pedestal. I spot from a stationary position but if you are chasing I can't see having to look at a computer screen while you are driving! I understand they use the software to track the storm but seems kind of dangerous to me. Some of the pictures I seen of vehicles have so many radios in there, you couldn't get out of the vehicle if you needed to in a hurry! A bit of overkill if you ask me......

There is a BIG difference between spotting from a stationary position and chasing a storm down miles and miles of roads. I know, I started out as a spotter for an emergency management agency, and then later turned chaser for my own pleasure. While I was a spotter, the only thing I had was a pair of binoculars, some spotter training, and a 2 way to the OEM who had a radar to keep us field personnel advised of approaching conditions. Of course, that was almost 14 years ago when laptop radar data in vehicles was almost unheard of! Today, I've run the gambit from "needing" all the radios, to cutting that down and focusing on what's important. I've become overloaded with radio traffic over the last season and decided that the only info I really need to listen to while chasing are the Skywarn nets. I tried the public safety freqs, but during a major storm they get so crowded it's hard to listen to what's really important. I know there are people that will argue that with me, but it all really boils down to personal preference.

Radar is a HUGE help when you're chasing...not really needed when you're a stationary spotter. If you have the training, you can get a glimpse of a radar screen, go to your spotter location, and make the best of it where you are. Grant it, it would be nice to have radar, but I'm old school and feel your training will tell you what you need to know. While you're on the move and looking to cover the better of the storms, having constant Wx model updates and radar helps lead you in to where all the action is going to be and lets you readjust and reposition as conditions change. But, that being said, once you're where you want to be, pay more attention to your training and the clouds than the radar. Don't be one of those guys that gets so focused on the radar, you get yourself into trouble because you're not watching the clouds!

Oh, and while you're chasing, use a navigator to help with the computer and routes! Yes...I am guilty of going it alone, but I never do extensive computer work on the fly...I always pull over to study the laptop.

 

[blueangel-eric]

Most Storm Chasers (not to be confused with the completely different Storm Spotters) radio set-ups are not particularly impressive to the radio hobbyist. Weather is their passion, not radios. They'll spend thousands on a laptop with satellite weather downlinks, as well as mobile weather instruments, but function with no more than a fifty-buck CB for communications. Most who get a ham ticket do so only as an aside, not because they really care about amateur radio.

They ones who are serious news journalists and chasers outside of severe weather will usually be more into the commo aspect, and they'll have some scanners for monitoring the authorities response to any incidents. Those aren't the common Storm Chaser though. The common Storm Chaser is not in it for the news aspect and isn't really interested in any comms that aren't directly related to the weather. In fact, a lot of chasers have no more comms than their cellphone and laptop, as they aren't into spotting or communicating with other chasers. Most commonly, I see not much more than a single VHF or dual-bander Ham radio and maybe one scanner or CB in a chaser vehicle.

It's the Storm Spotters that tend to have antenna farms growing on their cars, as most of them are from Amateur radio clubs and more into the comms than the weather. They are very different from Storm Chasers.

i didn't realize there are so many types of storm watchers. then you got the every day idiots out chasing the storms that don't know much about storms. some redneck in a truck out in the country was going 50mph past me and my camera set up when i was filming a funnel cloud he threw gravel and dust all over me. he never slowed down. i was mad.

 

[blueangel-eric]

how do you get radar in the car? i want to someday afford a laptop and have radar in my car so i can chase. Is it expensive to have radar while mobile? i'm on a tight budget. right now i chase with only cameras and radios by myself. I want to be like the real chasers and know what storm is where so i know where i'm going. i'm still trying to learn how to see tornados on the radar. it's hard to see even when i know there is one somewhere.

 

[WX4EMT]

In-car RADAR

Eric,

In the olden days some dedicated yahoos actually strapped marine (boat) radars to their vehicles and went in search of.... This was very illegal and caused a lot of interference. Gladly the practice has diminished and been replaced with mobile internet. Now days all you need is a laptop computer and an air card tuned to the NEXRAD for the area and viola' mobile radar.

Also there are several programs available that will help you get the most up-to-date radar and even couple a GPS fix so you can see where you are in relation to the storm. SWIFT-WX and GRLevelX are the most popular right now.

For those of us on a tight budget and want radar..... an old laptop computer (I got a Compaq Armada M-700 on e-Bay for less than a hundred bucks) and a Wi-Fi card. I would chase from Wi-Fi hot spot to hot spot pull up national weather service, update my info and chase to the next hotspot. Time consuming but effective.

 

[blueangel-eric]

Eric,

In the olden days some dedicated yahoos actually strapped marine (boat) radars to their vehicles and went in search of.... This was very illegal and caused a lot of interference. Gladly the practice has diminished and been replaced with mobile internet. Now days all you need is a laptop computer and an air card tuned to the NEXRAD for the area and viola' mobile radar.

Also there are several programs available that will help you get the most up-to-date radar and even couple a GPS fix so you can see where you are in relation to the storm. SWIFT-WX and GRLevelX are the most popular right now.

For those of us on a tight budget and want radar..... an old laptop computer (I got a Compaq Armada M-700 on e-Bay for less than a hundred bucks) and a Wi-Fi card. I would chase from Wi-Fi hot spot to hot spot pull up national weather service, update my info and chase to the next hotspot. Time consuming but effective.

nice information. though what is an air card? plus what if your in the middle of nowwhere, where would you find a WIFI hotspot?

 

[scanfan03]

nice information. though what is an air card? plus what if your in the middle of nowwhere, where would you find a WIFI hotspot?

An air card gets internet from cell phone networks, so if your cellphone gets a signal then you can get internet on your laptop with the card. You can sign up with most major cell phone companies. Also some networks let you use your cell phone as the modem with a USB cable.