How did you get weather data in pre-Internet days?

[Tim Vasquez]

For data on the road, we used acoustic couplers, a device that strapped onto pay phones and received data

I will raise my hand for actually trying this on May 16, 1999 on a pay phone near Snyder, Oklahoma. It didn't work, though... the pay phone was a real piece of crap. In fact don't get me started on all the godawful phones that fly-by-night COCOTs were putting up in the mid/late 1990s, which had bad audio quality and illegally prevented me in places like Altus and Eastland from accessing my carrier of choice. Glad those days are over and I hope those companies have all been liquidated. My acoustic coupler only seemed to work well when the pay phone had a name brand on it like Southwestern Bell or GTE. Seeing something like LCZ Communications on the nameplate pretty much insured I'd be going visual on the chase.

I'll buy a beer for anyone who actually used an acoustic coupler on a chase after 1999!

Tim

 

[mikegeukes]

I remember the days listening to AM radio in the car, as your only source for weather information, then the next upgrade was NOAA weather radio. Use to drive around with a TV in the car for weather information.

I do remember having CompuServe and AccuWeather back then. The data was quite expensive, especially AccuWeather. My computer was a Commodore 64 and the baud rate was 1200 or 2400.

I use to stop by fertilizer and grain elevators for weather data, using DTN weather data. For a time, I had a DTN Satellite dish in my backyard for weather data. As time went by, use to stop by libraries for internet. Then for awhile, I used Baron Mobile Weather Net.

Nowdays, I rarely chase, since I do not have the money and I take care of my father 24/7. I have not own a camcorder since the 1990,s.

Mike

 

[Dann Cianca]

When I started chasing in the late 90's, I didn't really have any data. Of course, chasing to me at the time was seeing a storm approaching me (in Southwest Montana), going west to intercept it and following it back into the mountains as far as I could. If it went right over town (Butte), I'd stop home for a radar update on The Weather Channel.

Of course, I had no idea what the hell I was doing back then.

 

[rdale]

Tandy had a dialup system back in the 80's that was concentrated on agricultural / farm uses. I was able to access that and get a hold of their weather information, and wrote scripts on my Commodore 128 to refresh the NSSFC bulletins and watch for something that impacted my area. I also took the national SDUS composites ("//// 1263 ////" and turned those back into a graphical radar map. Once on the road, it was just whatever the guy at WSO Toledo could tell me on the Skywarn net.

 

[David Drummond]

I will raise my hand for actually trying this on May 16, 1999 on a pay phone near Snyder, Oklahoma. It didn't work, though... the pay phone was a real piece of crap. In fact don't get me started on all the godawful phones that fly-by-night COCOTs were putting up in the mid/late 1990s, which had bad audio quality and illegally prevented me in places like Altus and Eastland from accessing my carrier of choice. Glad those days are over and I hope those companies have all been liquidated. My acoustic coupler only seemed to work well when the pay phone had a name brand on it like Southwestern Bell or GTE. Seeing something like LCZ Communications on the nameplate pretty much insured I'd be going visual on the chase.

I'll buy a beer for anyone who actually used an acoustic coupler on a chase after 1999!

Tim

I tried one of those acoustic couplers for a while to and had a hard time getting them to work. I never connected it was probably those crappy telecoms your talking about.

 

[Jeff Richardson]

When I started chasing in the spring of 1982, my main sources of data was either NOAA weather radio and/or A.M. Weather on PBS. When TWC started, that was a big help, but didn't give as much detail as A.M. Weather. Once I was in the field, it was strictly 'visual' for the most part & my hand-held scanner and AM radio were the only info sources I had. I didn't start using the internet until 1995...that was a massive boost for me. It's amazing to see how far we've come even in just the last ten years. Still, the nostalgic part of me misses something about those early AM Weather days.

 

[czenzel]

Very Interesting Thread!

I know it is off topic, but I am learning a lot from this thread. Being that I am just in college (for about a year now) I didn't know most of how weather data was retrieved before things such as mobile Internet or the new technologies we have today.

The only thing I remember is that when I moved into a location that didn't have Internet yet (only dial-up) I signed up for the AccuWeather trial (that used the modem). It was too expensive and it also wasn't that impressive.

Weather data has come a far way since the 80's and especially the 90's. This shows new technology for gathering weather data will come everyday.

 

[Melissa Jablonski]

AM Weather on PBS and a weather radio. I miss those days.

You mean you didn't mind when chaser convergence was 2 cars?

 

[David Yoho]

You mean you didn't mind when chaser convergence was 2 cars?

Exactly...but even two cars seemed like too many!

 

[Warren Faidley]

One thing I don't think anyone has noted is how much we use to rely on "visual" forecasting.

Without radar, it often came down to which tower appeared to have the most robust accent or storm with the best westward angle of backshear. Patience was a true chasing necessity. On the big days it was really frustrating, e.g, not begin able to see outflow boundaries and initiation areas. When I look back, I cringe thinking about all the great ones that were missed becuse we did not have on-board radar. (The 1991 Lazbuddie, TX tornado carousel event comes to mind).

We also came up with a few creative ideas. We once had an Amarillo TV weather reporter (station and name to remain secret), embed a WW-II underground type secret message into the afternoon forecast, directing us by code, for example: "The moon is blue over Liberal."

Warren

 

[Rob H]

We also came up with a few creative ideas. We once had an Amarillo TV weather reporter (station and name to remain secret), embed a WW-II underground type secret message into the afternoon forecast, directing us by code, for example: "The moon is blue over Liberal."

That is one of the most awesome things I've ever heard.

One thing I don't think anyone has noted is how much we use to rely on "visual" forecasting.

Once I get more experienced I'd like to try chasing "naked" more. It's relaxing in a way, to not have a power inverter fan blowing and a laptop with GPS cables and whatnot dangling everywhere. Just a road atlas, a cell phone for emergencies, and maybe a NOAA radio. You veterans definitely had to work for your storms, but I bet success felt amazing.

 

[Bob Hartig]

Those of you who were truly pre-Internet have some fascinating accounts. I admire and respect you for the ingenuity and dedication you demonstrated. Technology is wonderful, but nothing can replace the experiences you guys have had.

My own experience was more of a hybrid. Internet was available, but I had no practical access to it. I started as an opportunist, grabbing storms as they came by. In the mid-90s, as I became aware of the growing number of online resources, I used my computer at work to check out the SPC's convective outlooks. But lacking my own home PC, let alone a laptop or even a cell phone, my chase tools consisted of a weather radio and my eyes. Since I didn't know squat, I didn't use that latter tool very effectively, but I tried. I got radar updates by stopping at libraries and airports, little realizing the difference a single scan could make.

A cell phone was my first piece of practical equipment, enabling me to have friends nowcast for me. Next came the laptop, a modem, GR3, and all the rest.

 

[Stephen Levine]

Between 1977 and 1993, when I lived in the Midwest and Calif, I chased and photographed lightning storms. It was a combination of visual and AM radio lightning bolt data in the early days plus sheer intuition. After 1993, and expanding into tornado chasing as well, I added NOAA weather radio, motel WX Channel stops and a great Fax service through Accuweather that would send fax- on -demand of radars, cloud heights, SPC watches, surface WX, etc to any fax machine anywhere.

 

[Morgan Palmer]

I started later than most (I am in my early 30s) but from the early 80s I loved listening to NWR on the old Regency scanner in my parents room. Crystal controlled, it had all the Abilene (TX) police and fire freqs and DPS and of course NWR from NWS ABI.

I would give anything for a recording from that time. Since there were occasional special inserts with severe weather preparedness information... voiced by someone that scared the heck out of my sister and myself. I have been told it was Boris Karloff, but am not sure. It was just a voice talking about severe weather safety but in an incredibly throaty voice saying "Your National Weather Service advises you..."

Scared us to death!

I called 1-900-WEATHER quite a few times in the early 90s to just get currents. Once I got on CompuServe in '93, things got easier.

Was saddened to see the recent retirement of all old CS addresses. I was 75543,1701.

Through Compuserve internet access, I can't forget that first WSR-88D image I saw through KDYX. It was on from there.

I had a TV in the back seat when chasing with the V-shaped TV antenna on the roof of my SUV in the late 90s, along with ham radio and scanner.

 

[Warren Faidley]

I would give anything for a recording from that time. Since there were occasional special inserts with severe weather preparedness information... voiced by someone that scared the heck out of my sister and myself. I have been told it was Boris Karloff, but am not sure. It was just a voice talking about severe weather safety but in an incredibly throaty voice saying "Your National Weather Service advises you..."

Scared us to death!

LOL, I remember that voice! Reminded me more of Darth Vader. The NWS needs to hire James Earl Jones to record a new one. It would really get peoples attention if Darth Vader provided a safety briefing!

W.