New to the site, looking for a little info

[Ken Bayard]

Hello all, I plan to make my first trek to the plains this coming spring, may 2010 first a few quick stats.

35 years old. From Michigan. 8 years of spotting for a few different skywarn nets around the state. I have my amatueur radio license, call is KC8RDT. vehicle for chasing: 05 F150 4x4.

Anyways, here are my scattered questions.

1. Anybody else from Michigan here? I'd love to pick your brain and maybe meet up for chases locally and out west.

2. When I make my trek west, it will most likely be the third week of May
(14th to the 23rd). Where would you suggest I should head first (traditionally) I'd like to make a city my starting point, I know it will all depend on mother nature as to where I end up, but I was wondering if anyone else picks a certain area their first stop.

3. New GPS or laptop gps. I have an older Magellan SporTrak Map GPS along with a laptop that I can use. Question is, should I buy something like MS Streets and Trips or just go get a new GPS like a Garmin Nuvi?

I guess this is a good start. Love the site, wish I had found it years ago.

Ken

 

[MatthewCarman]

Hello all, I plan to make my first trek to the plains this coming spring, may 2010 first a few quick stats.

35 years old. From Michigan. 8 years of spotting for a few different skywarn nets around the state. I have my amatueur radio license, call is KC8RDT. vehicle for chasing: 05 F150 4x4.

Anyways, here are my scattered questions.

1. Anybody else from Michigan here? I'd love to pick your brain and maybe meet up for chases locally and out west.

2. When I make my trek west, it will most likely be the third week of May
(14th to the 23rd). Where would you suggest I should head first (traditionally) I'd like to make a city my starting point, I know it will all depend on mother nature as to where I end up, but I was wondering if anyone else picks a certain area their first stop.

3. New GPS or laptop gps. I have an older Magellan SporTrak Map GPS along with a laptop that I can use. Question is, should I buy something like MS Streets and Trips or just go get a new GPS like a Garmin Nuvi?

I guess this is a good start. Love the site, wish I had found it years ago.

Ken

The best states to start in would be OK or KS. They are the most active states for tornadoes. In June you may be chasing farther north than OK most of the time. If you can check out Tim Vasquez storm chasing hand book. That is a great help I have heard.

Welcome to stormtrack my friend.

 

[Jason Boggs]

Welcome to the site Ken! I'm from Amarillo, but if I were in your shoes, I may pick a city like Dodge City, KS or Oklahoma City. Actually, thinking about it now, I think Woodward, OK may be the best spot for you. This puts you "in the middle ground" and you're not far from Kansas or the TX Panhandle, and you're still in Oklahoma.

As far as GPS, I would definitely go with a computer generated GPS program. I like Delorme street atlas pretty well. It does what I need it to do. I bought the program and the receiver for $100 about 2 or 3 years ago.

 

[Dustin Wilcox]

I'd say by late May Wichita would be an ideal "base" Late May yields good days in virtually all areas of the Alley, Wichita puts you within an easy days drive of most of them, any further North and you're a good drive from the TX panhandle, any further South and the money days in C NE are a stretch; not to mention it puts you in a prime spot for the mid-May bulls eye that has become W KS. That being said, given you might start in one spot and end up 1000 miles away the next, I'm not sure I see what's to be gained by choosing a starting point before it becomes clear the target for day 1.

As for GPS, I've used Delorme on the laptop for a long while now, though I personally think the dash mount screens are much more convient and am pondering discontiune using Delorme on the laptop and just using the more convient dash GPS mount. That way you can run strictly data on the laptop, still overlay GPS on the radar if you wish, and above all be able to shut the laptop down at the end of the chase while still having GPS to find the best local steakhouse, not to mention you have the GPS for year round use then without having to carry around a laptop.

 

[Dan Robinson]

If you're driving from a long distance away, your home may be the best starting point. More than likely you'll have possibilities for your first day ranging from northeastern Colorado to South Dakota to north Texas. Depending on where you start from, your potential routes west could vary greatly.

If you're coming from Michigan, Kansas City may be a good stopping point, since you have the option of I-70 west to western Kansas, Colorado and southern Nebraska, or I-35 southwest to Oklahoma and Texas targets. However, if South Dakota and northern Nebraska happen to be where the action is, then you'd be better off taking I-80 west through Chicago. If that happens and you started in KC, that's quite the extra mileage to cover. In other words, making home your 'starting point' leaves all the options open.

I am in a similar situation as I live roughly 1,000 miles or more from the average Plains target (from West Virginia), and I don't plan my routes until I know what general area the first chase day setup will be. On most trips, I go through St. Louis - but after that it's always a toss up between I-44 southwest or I-70 west. If I booked a room in Tulsa, for example, and the first setup ends up being in Hays, Kansas - that's a huge chunk of extra miles to cover when I could have just gone west on I-70 from STL. Some years I've gone through Indy and Chicago to get to Iowa and SD, way out of the way of my usual STL passage. So, it all depends on what the weather is doing.

As for GPS, I use the Delorme StreetAtlas on my laptop and have always liked it.

 

[Ken Bayard]

Dan, I see your point. I figured I'd make my way torwards KC, MO. and make a decission from there. Most likely the hours leading up to my departure, I'll just check in here and NOAA to see where the actions is...

I definitaly need to learn some basics when it comes to forecasting high risk areas. This is why I say I'm a true rookie still.

Ken

 

[Chris C Sanner]

I always hate sounding like a broken record but this winter I'd greatly recommend you read up on basic storm structure and forecasting techniques. Sure SPC gives good forecasts, but the only way to differentiate between a 50-100 mile span is to know what you are doing yourself. More often than not, a lack of any basic knowledge in the forecasting realm will lead to more failures than successes, which is part of the learning process mind you.

And most importantly, learn about basic chasing etiquette and safety. There are some important concerns which you will need to introduce yourself with, most of which don't even involve tornadoes.

As far as cities and such, you simply have to wait and see what's going on. The third week of May could just as easily be a quiet death ridge pattern as it could be an active SWly flow outbreak after outbreak pattern. And for equipment, I only use a GPS, iPhone and sometimes a computer if necessary. You really don't need to go overboard at first unless you are looking to grab some women with your awesome chaser mobile

 

[Ken Bayard]

I do need to learn a bit more on forecasting, no doubt there. Saftey and etiquette, I'm not concerned with(unless I'm missing something when I cross the Michigan/Indiana state line, maybe new rules go into effect.) I have been spotting/chasing here in Michigan for 8 years now. I understand my place when it comes to law enforcement, private property and once apon a storm where a tornado is generally formed and it's usual track. I have seen them, all though short lived in most cases here in Michigan. I have always been fascinated by storms, as I'm sure all of you were when you decided this is your hobby/job. I would like to start moving to the next level is all. All though I know it's not rocket science, it is an art, readying data to pin point a blow up.

As for the woman... I've yet to find any around here to be interested in my current gear (ham radios, gps, weather radio and safety vest...) just hasnt happened. I have had a few "What BLEEP are you doing on the side of the road, don't you know theres a tornado coming?" IF I'M LUCKY!

Anyway, I have the time to take in May, I'll be going regardless or not. I just hope I dont end up touring the plains for 8-9 days and get just sprinkled on in the process...

Good stuff guys, keep it coming, please.

Ken

 

[David Wolfson]

Again, welcome Ken! ST has a lot of information in other threads and the "Search" function is worth getting comfortable with. If you haven't seen it, there's another very similar recent thread: http://stormtrack.org/forum/showthread.php?t=22104.

As with me, it sounds like your reasons for chasing are personal rather than corporate (participate in research, run a tour, develop an extreme photography business, etc.) So I think the most important questions are ones that only you can answer. What do you hope to get out of your trip? What would make it a successful/rewarding trip for you? What would be disappointing for you?

I think it's a good idea to keep your goals for a first-time ten day chasecation pretty modest. Chances for "scoring big" on a first-time solo chase aren't very high, even with an active pattern. FWIW.

 

[Skip Talbot]

Hey Ken, welcome. There are several Michigan chasers on this board, and I'm sure you'll find them as you get to know people here.

You're gonna want to look at the GFS the week before your trip and pick your "base city" based off of that. The jet could very well be up in the Dakotas or down in Texas, or there could be no jet at all if there is huge ridge in place. In that case you might be playing some upslope flow way out in Wyoming or Colorado. You might even wind up not leaving the state if there is a warm front setup in Michigan. I don't usually have a base city when I go out for a week. I usually leave from Chicago the day/night before and then roam the plains like a nomad following the setups.

If you are going to be using a laptop, and you can't have both a puck and a stand alone unit, I would get the puck. I find it extremely valuable having your GPS tied into multiple applications such as Spotter Network and GrLevel3 in addition to Street Atlas. But if you have the money and space, why not bring both types of units along?

 

[czenzel]

Hi Ken! Welcome to StormTrack! You have come to the right place for learning more about storm chasing. I have learned a lot from this forum the past few months and the people here are very knowledgeable.

(Sorry if I answer your questions out of order)

3. To answer your question about a GPS, I would recommend looking at the various types of GPS sensors out there. The one included with Microsoft Streets and Trips is a great GPS sensor and works with a lot of various software packages other than Streets and Trips. I would also recommend looking at GPSGate if you are planning to run multiple applications that will pull from the GPS at once. I believe GPSGate is from Franson, but I am not sure.

2. I will leave this question to the chasers on the forum. I haven't been on a chase trip yet, but I am planning to take a storm chasing tour within the next two years. Most of the action is in the south or mid-west; however, in the North there are also a lot of storms. I know in Pennsylvania (North of Allentown) there are more tornados compared to the area I live in right now.

1. There are many chasers on the forum from various areas around the world! I am sure you will be able to find people from your state on the forums. When I first joined I didn't realize that there also was a few from Pennsylvania and from other countries!

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If you can check out Tim Vasquez storm chasing hand book. That is a great help I have heard.

I agree with Matthew with the books from Tim. The books are available from http://www.weathergraphics.com. All of Tim's books are well written and very understandable. I started with his Weather Map and Forecasting Handbook a few years back to learn more about weather. I also got his Second Edition of the Storm Chasing Handbook and that is a great reference guide to use before, while, and after chasing.

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While you are chasing I would recommend getting a phone that allows tethering or to get a Data Card from Verizon (or one of the other major carriers). Software such as GRLevel3 and the Data Card come in handy while chasing on the road. I would recommend you stick with Verizon for the Data Card because the coverage is better in most places, but you will need to check for specific areas.

GRLevel3 is a great software package that allows to process radar images as well as add overlays and GPS tracking.

---

Welcome to StormTrack!

Thanks,
Christopher Zenzel

 

[chadvia]

Welcome Ken!

I know I'm probably repeating what most others have already said, but I'll give my two cents worth. I live in western Ohio and last year was my first year chasing in the plains. We too left in mid May and set our initial destination for Tulsa, Oklahoma. This destination was to try to center us for potential storm activity. (also gave us the option of touring the SPC in Norman if there wasn't anything worth chasing) I actually suggest you start forecasting a bit by the time you hit St. Louis so you can decide on heading to Oklahoma or Kansas. Your travels will obviously just depend on the weather. I had no intentions of driving to Texas, but that was where all the action was the next couple of days. I'm glad we did too, because we ended up just a few miles away from a tornado near Wichita Falls TX the next day. Anyway, I'd also suggest a USB form of a GPS unit for your laptop... especially if you have a partner in the passenger seat. I have an in dash Avic Z2 with GPS, but it wasn't as useful as having my buddy in the passenger seat navigating with Microsoft streets and trips from the laptop. I purchased a GlobalSat BU-353 GPS receiver for $40 on ebay and it works with most any software application out there.

As far as data coverage, this year we are going to use a Palm Pre from Sprint since it has wifi tethering capabilities. Every computer in the vehicle will be able to connect wirelessly. I'm hoping to purchase a three watt amplifier for signal though. Didn't lose signal too often last year, but would still be a nice addition.

We too plan on departing about the same time you are in 2010, so maybe we can hook up this year.

 

[L.B. LaForce]

Hello Ken, I am from Michigan, and will be making my journey out to the plains next year right after my spring spring classes get out, which will be sometime in May. As Skip said, there are a few chasers on here from Michigan, including me.

My callsign in WX8TOR. Along the lines of getting ready, you'll probably want a laptop, GPS, radar software, and an aircard. The list of things can almost be endless. I'd also recommend forecasting techniques if you aren't very familiar with it. At least get some of the basics down, such as how to read the charts, what to look for on skew-t's etc.

For GPS, I use MS S&T 2009, and it works fine for me.

 

[John A. Sellers]

Hello Ken, We are from Indiana about 40 miles south of the Michigan State line. We have went out west on chase trips 7 to 8 times. We are planning to go the 2nd or 3rd week of May hope to see you there. When we go we try to pick a town ( depending on weather ) to head to as our starting point. Most of the time it is southern Kansas or northern Oklahoma. This way we can get a good nights rest and set for the week ahead.Good luck,and call sign is K9JAS.

 

[Ken Bayard]

I'd love to hook up with some of you guys on my trip. Over the next couple months I will take a more in depth course in reading data. I hope it will magically seem very obvious to me.... Time will tell.

Thanks for all the comments and I will pick up Tims book the next time the Eagle lands.

I'm going to look into getting a phone that I can have data downloaded. I guess I have been in a bit of a technology hole the past 5 years. I did not know you could get streaming radar images on a phone. I know, sheltered life, lol.

If I have questions on equipment, should they be posted here or in the equipment forum, keep in mind, they will be purely newbie questions?

Ken