ham is cool
Getting my license helped me become a better chaser and makes the experience more fun. I expect people who use CB radio have a similar experience--it's a way to chase 'with' others, but retain autonomy and independence in terms of decisions and strategy. I have good friends I've chased with for a long time, but only in the same vehicle once or twice, yet their voices are all over my videotapes, coming over the radio. It's one of the coolest aspects of the chase for me, and I can't imagine not having it.
You can have long storm-related chats on the way to target, and on the way home, and even while in chase mode to a lesser extent. If you're on the storm and don't want to talk anymore, you can turn it off. A few of your friends might be several miles north of your location, and, if you're also communicating with people to the south, you might have long sections of the dryline under surveillance with eyes you trust. Cell phones work for this, too, but radio is easier and free of charge. On a long drive home, a radio talk can keep a chaser who has to get home for work the next day awake on the road.
Another important point is spotting. If you have a radio, you can report what you see. This is a nice option to have. Similarly, you can ask for help from fellow chasers or locals if you have a problem. On May 8, 2003, Scott Eubanks' van got stuck in the mud. We were in a poor cell area, and if he hadn't told me over the radio, I would not have been able to get help for him. Considering that there were tornadic supercells buzzing around at fifty knots, it was sort of time-sensitive.
I've learned a lot about the weather on the radio, asking questions and comparing notes with others. Storm structure, strategy--once, many moons ago, Gene Rhoden popped into our little QSO and gave us some great motel tips in deep west Texas. 2 meter radio allowed me to listen in as Al Moller and Sam Barricklow compared approach strategies as we convoyed May 5, 2002. I didn't have much to tell these two, of course, and was all about listening, but my partner Jeff Lawson found a road option they hadn't considered, which helped all of us arrive in time.
The ham test is easy, the radios are relatively inexpensive and chasers are always selling old models for pennies on the dollar. Can't go wrong with amateur radio.
I have a question for those chasers with higher grade licenses. Do you use much outside the 2 meter band while chasing? I know some Skywarns have moved to 70, but was wondering if other chasers are chatting with HF or other long-distance rigs.
Amos Magliocco KC5VPD
