*New Users. Meet and Greet Area*

[Mark Blue]

2) They're spending the money on unnecessary equipment like cameras, lenses, lightbars, a million antennas, decals and the list goes on.... If you're merely setting out to have a good enjoyable time and not out to get the best picture or best video and have no need to draw attention to yourself, you can get by without all the expensive equipment and still see just as many tornadoes as the other guy. IMO and from personal experience, a radio (standard in most cars), a map ($10) and a pair of eyes is all you really need for equipment. All that being said there is some other equipment that can "assist" in aiding your chasing success, a Laptop (most folks already have one and if not you can buy one for $300), GrLevel3 software (most weather nerds already have it and if not $70 I think) and last a GPS unit (again an application not just used for chasing $100).

Count me out of any groups that have lightbars or a million antennas on the roof Dustin! If you saw me on the road the only way you would know I'm a chaser is my license plate, but otherwise my vehicle looks totally normal. Dustin named the exact equipment I was thinking about, except for a data card or phone that will serve as a modem to access the internet. Even the data connection isn't imperative - unless you like looking for free Wifi - but the data connection is definitely a nice to have these days as the coverage gets better and better every year. There are notebooks and netbooks available for $300.00, but my tastes call for something a little more robust, since the occasional gaming session at night in the motel doesn't hurt a bit. If you buy a software application for mapping they generally come bundled with a GPS puck, so you could even punt the paper map if money is a concern. Anyhoo, not to get off topic too far, I hope you enjoy your chasecation no matter what you do!

 

[Mark J. Dempsey]

Hi Lucy, I like the stories.
Mark

 

[Dan Nichols]

WELCOME to Storm Track! Though I'm certain Tornado Alley argueably has the best storms in the world, I might like someday to visit England (for other reasons as well), and am told that storms are less frequent there. But I also know that storms all have their local "hot spots": areas of increased frequency and severity, often for no rhyme or reason. Do you know of any "hot spots" anywhere in England? London? North of London, along the southern coast? They may be more frequent than many of us realize. Fill us in........

 

[Paul Knightley]

Hi Cammie - I'm from England and have been chasing in the USA since 1998. The first year I went we just hired a car from Dallas and drove around for the 3 weeks! We based our chasing on where the Weather Channel said storms were going to be - we didn't see an awful lot!

Since then, my understanding of the forecasting and dynamics of severe thunderstorms has increased massively, mainly through extensive reading on the internet, and of course through the interaction with the many experienced chasers here on ST.

Nowadays we still hire the car (making sure we have all the damage waivers on), but take along various bits of equipment: a laptop for looking at the charts via hotel internet; a datacard for internet on the road; the Baron WxWorx outfit, for getting radar/weather data pretty much all the time; GPS mapping software to plan the routes both around the states, and whilst in a chasing situation; various cameras and video cameras.

I can't stress enough, though, the amount of reading/learning you'll need to do if you want to see anything great, and also to stay safe. Of course, the main danger is the driving rather than the storms (as it is generally in life), but when you're confronted with an enormous HP supercell thunderstorm, you need to be able to recognise this so you can play your way around it both to see the potential tornado, and to get out of its way! (from the storm per se, not just the tornado!).

Many people go on tours for their first times but I see no problem with people going DIY - just take a little advice and learn as much as possible! You've got a few months to do so!

 

[Marc Buschmann]

Greetings from Germany

Howdy,

i have finally managed to become a member here in your Community.
My Name is Marc Buschmann, I am a German Stormchaser. I am Member of Skywarn Germany as an Advanced Spotter. I was in May this year in Tornado Allee with nine other German Stormchasers.
America has drawn me into its spell; the Landscape, the People and Mother Nature are very impressive and have so much power ( especially the weather ), that you just have to be drawn to it.
Who ever is interested in my pictures from my Trip to America, can have a look on my Homepage.

Best Regards

Marc Buschmann

 

[Lanny Dean]

Hi Marc!
Welcome to Stormtrack! I got a chance and looked over your website, very impressive pics! Congrats on becoming a member!

 

[Skip Talbot]

Nice pics, Marc. Too bad May was a rather bum month this year. You guys should have hung around for June. It looks like you guys still had fun though. Is that a Klappernschlangen you guys caught on May 12? That's one of the few words I remember from taking German in highschool. Hope to see you all back on the plains in '10.

 

[Allan Jeffers]

Hi All! I'm Allan
Looks like I found a place where people don't really mind if I have my head in the clouds

I live in Colorado, near Denver, and while I don't chase, nor am I a "spotter" I do enjoy watching the skies and I am always on the look out for optical phenomenon, such as halos on to severe weather. My main hobbies are photography and astronomy, but I recently picked up watching the weather in hopes of photographing something interesting and, I mean, if I can't see through the clouds, I might as well look at them

Here is a pic I snapped this Tuesday (8/18/09) as this puppy went over my house:

And since I am still pretty new to this, did I get it right when I called this a shelf cloud associated with the squall line that past through the state?

 

[Jason Boggs]

Welcome to the forum everyone. Yes Allan, that is a shelf cloud on the leading edge of the line.

 

[Jason Foster]

Welcome all. Just a friendly reminder the the new folks to be patient, think through your posts, and don't be discouraged by any criticism...sometimes is just a means of getting 'noobs' use to chaser culture...which is ever more varied these days.

Also, be sure to use the search feature. This site has a lot of great information already discussed, and sometimes takes a little digging through the many threads.

Also be sure to read through some of these old, but in some cases still appropriate pages from the old site:
http://www.stormtrack.org/library/

 

[Marcus Diaz]

Hey everyone, Marcus Diaz from Hereford, TX (yes, I know it always smells like crap here). I'm 20, and have been chasing since 2008. Though when I started, I only did visual chasing, in which I always came up empty handed lol. This year, met up with Steve Polley, Chris Rice, and Corey Sloan, who were nice enough to help me equip myself, and I'm very thankful for it. Since then I think several of y'all have met me somehow, or seen my on Spotter Network. 2010 is going to be full force chasing for me before August, when I (hopefully) go to TX Tech and study on meteorology. I want storm chasing and weather to be my life, I love it all. I've totalled 1 vehicle outside of Albuquerque getting to a target in Kansas back on May 23, 2008. Then this past June I chased up north in NE/KS/MO for a week only to come home and get fired from my job of 2 years. I didn't care, I had spent a week chasing, what's better than that?! Anyways, that's my intro. Love me, hate me, I don't care, I'm just here to storm chase.

 

[Marc Buschmann]

Welcome to this forum Marcus....

Skip and Lanny, thanks for your comments......

Greetings from Germany
Marc

 

[Lucy Blinebury]

Hey everyone, Marcus Diaz from Hereford, TX (yes, I know it always smells like crap here). I'm 20, and have been chasing since 2008. Though when I started, I only did visual chasing, in which I always came up empty handed lol. This year, met up with Steve Polley, Chris Rice, and Corey Sloan, who were nice enough to help me equip myself, and I'm very thankful for it. Since then I think several of y'all have met me somehow, or seen my on Spotter Network. 2010 is going to be full force chasing for me before August, when I (hopefully) go to TX Tech and study on meteorology. I want storm chasing and weather to be my life, I love it all. I've totalled 1 vehicle outside of Albuquerque getting to a target in Kansas back on May 23, 2008. Then this past June I chased up north in NE/KS/MO for a week only to come home and get fired from my job of 2 years. I didn't care, I had spent a week chasing, what's better than that?! Anyways, that's my intro. Love me, hate me, I don't care, I'm just here to storm chase.

Hey Marcus, welcome! I am also a "new" chaser, in as much I began in 2008, when I moved here all the way from England. Kudos for your desire to study Meteorology. I am hoping to do the same, soon. In the meantime I am learning as much as possible, with online resources, and books, and also the advice and help from many other chasers.

(P.S> I like your attitude. Similar to my outlook on life.)

 

[JeffGonzales]

Hey Guys, Im Jeff and im a new member to StormTrack. I have seen alot of cool post here and want to be able to contribute. I have been chasing for 4 years now. Im am a graduate from Texas Tech with a B.S. in Geology. Im am the owner of the chase team TornadoRaiders.com

Looking forward to makeing new stormchasing friends

 

[Danny Neal]

Welcome to STORMTRACK all newcomers. Glad to have y'all aboard.