hey, new to the forums and seeking advice

[Danny Neal]

thanks for the links, that really cleared it up for me.

also i am not sure how much this matters, but i took the spotter network training course thing, and got a 100. thats good right?

Excellent job! You are well on your way Jake. Look to take some spotter training courses in your area this Winter.

 

[Jason Boggs]

thanks for the links, that really cleared it up for me.

also i am not sure how much this matters, but i took the spotter network training course thing, and got a 100. thats good right?

Heck yeah it matters! Good job on scoring high on the course. There really is never an end to learning the mysteries of the sky, but it sure is fun trying. It's nice to see that you're enthusiastic about learning. Keep it up and you'll be chasing storms with success in no time!

 

[Jake Tyson]

is there any way to find out when the schedule for the spotter classes in peachtree city georiga. (KFFC)

 

[Chris Nuttall]

is there any way to find out when the schedule for the spotter classes in peachtree city georiga. (KFFC)

Check their website. It looks like they do spotter training in the fall. Here is the current schedule.
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ffc/html/sched.shtml

 

[Jake Tyson]

do i have to wait till ther is one for my county, or can i go to any one.

 

[Ric Burney]

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ffc/html/sched.shtml
These classes are free and take anywhere from 2 - 4 hours depending upon the instructor and material. You should be able to take any of these listed classes w/ no problems.
There is nothing wrong with taking the same class at a different location / time. People miss things the first go-round and If your going to go out and do something as serious as chasing, you certainly don't want any gaps in the education.
In the early spring around here there will be other meetings with more advanced training.
http://www.tessa.org is a wonderful all day deal here in the DFW area.
Take as many classes as you need to feel comfortable that you have the knowledge they give you.
Keep asking us questions if you need help. There are NO stupid questions... really!

 

[Jake Tyson]

thanks guys,

ric: i would love to go to the tessa conference, but it wold use more money, and the more i can keep in my pockets during the chase season, the safer i am.

 

[Jake Tyson]

ahh, any ideas on what to use for mobile internet, i have heard cell data cards. which have the best service? and what am i lookin at prices.

also they have a thing at my local autozone, its a mobile wifi hotspot. $299 and $69 a month of use. anybody tried one of these

 

[Jason Boggs]

I use a sprint 595u (USB) aircard and I have never had problems with it. It stays connected 98% of the time, and it is easy to use. I'm sure there are better aircards out there, but Sprint is the company I think most chasers use for their mobile internet data.

595 aircard

 

[Bart_Comstock]

I use a sprint 595u (USB) aircard and I have never had problems with it. It stays connected 98% of the time, and it is easy to use. I'm sure there are better aircards out there, but Sprint is the company I think most chasers use for their mobile internet data.

595 aircard

I don't think the 595 is 4g compatible and with much of the plains states rolling out 4g through out next year I would just wait and purchase your card around the start of the year when Sprint's new WiMax and 4g compatible card comes out.

I have had both AT&T and Sprint and let me tell you AT&T is horrid. Less bars in less places and their customer service sucks. Sprint is who I currently have and who I would recommend.

 

[Brian Hurst]

ahh, any ideas on what to use for mobile internet, i have heard cell data cards. which have the best service? and what am i lookin at prices.

also they have a thing at my local autozone, its a mobile wifi hotspot. $299 and $69 a month of use. anybody tried one of these

If your looking for mobile wifi and want to save a little try a craddlepoint wifi router about 100 bucks and you could tether with your phone runs with Verizon 30 bucks a month but ties up your phone some.The craddlepoint router is really great well worth the money you can use it with most aircards,tethering and at home with dsl takes like a min to reprogram.Good luck Brian

 

[Jake Tyson]

what about verizon, do they have good coverage out there.

 

[Brian Hurst]

what about verizon, do they have good coverage out there.

I had alltel now verizon and it worked well had some spots but I have an amp and external antenna but for the most part it worked well .

 

[Jake Tyson]

ok well i looked at the coverage maps, and verizonlooks best, everything else looks pathetic.

 

[Danny Neal]

ok well i looked at the coverage maps, and verizonlooks best, everything else looks pathetic.

Verizon sure looks great, but let me tell you.... I have had nothing but problems when it comes to establishing and sustaining a connection in regions of S Kansas and W Oklahoma. Granted I don't have an amplifier and I am not sure the difference that would make. Verizon sure has the coverage, which is why I went with them, but 2009 was epic fail on data for me with Verizon. Adam has AT&T and it worked real well in the area Verizon didn't. If I could do it over again I would probably use Sprint.