Mark Farnik
EF5
Greetings all,
I know that this idea has been kicked around for a number of years, but now I think is the time to take action and create it. Solo chasing has been becoming more and more impractical for several years now, and with gas prices rapidly approaching $4 a gallon, solo chasing this year is likely to be limited to mostly local (<200 mile chases). For the great majority of chasers, the best option is to convoy, or 'chasepool', a term I have recently coined for this type of chasing, with other chasers.
The benefits of chasepooling are many. The biggest consideration, naturally, is the fuel and motel costs, particularly the fuel. The average 1000 mile solo chase costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $175, when gas/motel and food costs are all added up.
But if you split that two, three, or even four or more ways, chasing is suddenly affordable again!
Other considerations include being able to switch drivers to avoid the inevitable driving fatigue that comes with long chases, having someone or several someones to navigate and interpret the latest data while the driver focuses on the road, and having a second, third, etc. opinion when making critical chase decisions.
But finding other chasers in your backyard and getting ahold of them isn't always the easiest task. I say this from personal experience, and I know that many of you echo those sentiments.
What I am about to propose would take all the stress and legwork out of trying to find other local chasers to chasepool with.
Of what do I speak?
I am talking about a national storm chaser database, which, naturally, would be known as The National Storm Chaser Database (NSCD). It would be my hope that the NSCD be a subcategory of the ST Forum, just like Target Area or The Chaser Bar and Grill.
What exactly would the NSCD entail? Let me show you how this would work...
The first part of the database entry would be, of course, the chaser's name and /or nicknames they go by. The names in the database would be alphabetized by last name.
The second part of the entry would be the chaser's contact information. You would have the options of providing your home/cell number, email, IM handles, you could even list your website or blog if you wanted to.
You would use a star (*) by your preferred method of contact.
The third part would be the location where the chaser lives, i.e. Pretty Prairie, KS, Blewett, TX or Oblong, IL (all real towns, btw). Chasers who reside in the U.S. would be categorized by the state they live in, in alphabetical order.
International members would be likewise alphabetized, but listed by the country they live in instead of the state.
The third part would be the chaser's level of experience. There will be 5 ranks in my proposal, which would be based on years of chase experience, not necessarily indicitive of meteorlogical prowess:
Newbie - no chase experience or <2 years of chase experience)
Amateur - 2 to 5 years of chase experience
Semi-Veteran - 5 to 10 years chase experience
Veteran - 10 to 20 years of chase experience
Storm Chasing God - 20+ years of chase experience
The fourth section would list the vehicle the chaser chases with, i.e. a 1997 Toyota Corolla, 2002 Nissan Xterra, et. al. This detail would be provided so you would know that if you were just going to go on a local chase with less than 300 miles of driving and just two or three people, you could cram into Chaser X's eocnomy car for a few hours; if you're looking at an all day chase, with between 300-600 miles and two to four people, you might want to take Chaser Y's comfy midsize sedan for the day. However, if you're planning on taking a multi-day chase trip with 3 or more people, you might want to pile into Chaser Z's roomy big suv/minivan.
The sixth section would be the chaser's equipment list. This would be provided so if Chaser X decides he wants to 'chasepool' with Chaser Y, he can go look at Chaser Y's equipment list and if he see's that Chaser Y doesn't have a scanner, and Chaser X does, he knows to bring that along on the chase.
The seventh and final section would be the chaser's availability. Some of us are lucky enough to be extremely flexible in our school/work schedules, while others are far less fortunate. There would be four levels of availability - Always Available, Flexible, Somewhat Flexible, Limitedly Available
Here's a sample entry I created to give you an idea of what an entry in the database would look like:
Name: Mark 'Storm' Farnik
Location: Denver, Colorado, USA
Contact Information:
Cell - 970-768-7989*
Email - [email protected]
Blog - Stormgeek's Raging Skies Blog, www.stormgeek89.blogspot.com
(* indicates preferred method of contact)
Chase Experience: Amateur (3 years)
Chase Vehicle: 1998 Subaru Forester S AWD
Chase Equipment: Scanner, laptop with GRLVL3, Cascade Rockies Wi-Fi amplifier, Panasonic Mini-DV 3CCD camcorder, Nikon D200 camera
Chaser Availibility - Flexible
So that's the NSCD in a nutshell. I think this has great potential to be beneficial to all members of the storm chasing community, and I would love to get as much feedback as possible on this.
Thoughts, suggestions and commentary are strongly encouraged.
I know that this idea has been kicked around for a number of years, but now I think is the time to take action and create it. Solo chasing has been becoming more and more impractical for several years now, and with gas prices rapidly approaching $4 a gallon, solo chasing this year is likely to be limited to mostly local (<200 mile chases). For the great majority of chasers, the best option is to convoy, or 'chasepool', a term I have recently coined for this type of chasing, with other chasers.
The benefits of chasepooling are many. The biggest consideration, naturally, is the fuel and motel costs, particularly the fuel. The average 1000 mile solo chase costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $175, when gas/motel and food costs are all added up.
But if you split that two, three, or even four or more ways, chasing is suddenly affordable again!
Other considerations include being able to switch drivers to avoid the inevitable driving fatigue that comes with long chases, having someone or several someones to navigate and interpret the latest data while the driver focuses on the road, and having a second, third, etc. opinion when making critical chase decisions.
But finding other chasers in your backyard and getting ahold of them isn't always the easiest task. I say this from personal experience, and I know that many of you echo those sentiments.
What I am about to propose would take all the stress and legwork out of trying to find other local chasers to chasepool with.
Of what do I speak?
I am talking about a national storm chaser database, which, naturally, would be known as The National Storm Chaser Database (NSCD). It would be my hope that the NSCD be a subcategory of the ST Forum, just like Target Area or The Chaser Bar and Grill.
What exactly would the NSCD entail? Let me show you how this would work...
The first part of the database entry would be, of course, the chaser's name and /or nicknames they go by. The names in the database would be alphabetized by last name.
The second part of the entry would be the chaser's contact information. You would have the options of providing your home/cell number, email, IM handles, you could even list your website or blog if you wanted to.
You would use a star (*) by your preferred method of contact.
The third part would be the location where the chaser lives, i.e. Pretty Prairie, KS, Blewett, TX or Oblong, IL (all real towns, btw). Chasers who reside in the U.S. would be categorized by the state they live in, in alphabetical order.
International members would be likewise alphabetized, but listed by the country they live in instead of the state.
The third part would be the chaser's level of experience. There will be 5 ranks in my proposal, which would be based on years of chase experience, not necessarily indicitive of meteorlogical prowess:
Newbie - no chase experience or <2 years of chase experience)
Amateur - 2 to 5 years of chase experience
Semi-Veteran - 5 to 10 years chase experience
Veteran - 10 to 20 years of chase experience
Storm Chasing God - 20+ years of chase experience
The fourth section would list the vehicle the chaser chases with, i.e. a 1997 Toyota Corolla, 2002 Nissan Xterra, et. al. This detail would be provided so you would know that if you were just going to go on a local chase with less than 300 miles of driving and just two or three people, you could cram into Chaser X's eocnomy car for a few hours; if you're looking at an all day chase, with between 300-600 miles and two to four people, you might want to take Chaser Y's comfy midsize sedan for the day. However, if you're planning on taking a multi-day chase trip with 3 or more people, you might want to pile into Chaser Z's roomy big suv/minivan.
The sixth section would be the chaser's equipment list. This would be provided so if Chaser X decides he wants to 'chasepool' with Chaser Y, he can go look at Chaser Y's equipment list and if he see's that Chaser Y doesn't have a scanner, and Chaser X does, he knows to bring that along on the chase.
The seventh and final section would be the chaser's availability. Some of us are lucky enough to be extremely flexible in our school/work schedules, while others are far less fortunate. There would be four levels of availability - Always Available, Flexible, Somewhat Flexible, Limitedly Available
Here's a sample entry I created to give you an idea of what an entry in the database would look like:
Name: Mark 'Storm' Farnik
Location: Denver, Colorado, USA
Contact Information:
Cell - 970-768-7989*
Email - [email protected]
Blog - Stormgeek's Raging Skies Blog, www.stormgeek89.blogspot.com
(* indicates preferred method of contact)
Chase Experience: Amateur (3 years)
Chase Vehicle: 1998 Subaru Forester S AWD
Chase Equipment: Scanner, laptop with GRLVL3, Cascade Rockies Wi-Fi amplifier, Panasonic Mini-DV 3CCD camcorder, Nikon D200 camera
Chaser Availibility - Flexible
So that's the NSCD in a nutshell. I think this has great potential to be beneficial to all members of the storm chasing community, and I would love to get as much feedback as possible on this.
Thoughts, suggestions and commentary are strongly encouraged.
... most chasers post their contact information quite freely over the net as it is. Hell, even some like me post their live whereabouts for the entire world to see. Whether a database gets established or not, I doubt the need to keep it under wraps is necessary. Not to mention the registered Yahoos that will inevitably end up on this database. Last I checked, I have never seen a "check here if you're a Yahoo" on any chase-related application or form I've ever seen.
