• A friendly and periodic reminder of the rules we use for fostering high SNR and quality conversation and interaction at Stormtrack: Forum rules

    P.S. - Nothing specific happened to prompt this message! No one is in trouble, there are no flame wars in effect, nor any inappropriate conversation ongoing. This is being posted sitewide as a casual refresher.

Phone apps for the 2019 chase season

Devin Pitts said:
Satsquatch GOES-16 with a paid subscription last season was great, I cant wait for wxbyte to get a proper mobile app developed for it.
Click to expand...

Devin, we are working on it and hope to have it ready by spring of 2019. We have the bare bones in place, just finalizing things like IOS certification and subscriptions. oh and we are also adding full disk support for our Canadian and south american friends.
 
I am using both Android Radar Scope and GR Level 2. I have a crappy windows table that can run GR (barely) and just use my galaxy phone to run radarscope and a free offline map handler called maps.me. I split screen them and that works really well. I also have an update on Satsquatch from WxByte for everybody. An app is coming for spring of 2019, we are awaiting approval from apple, but the basics of the app are ready. I've been transitioning away from the coding side of things and letting the better programmers take over. Tentative launch is March 2019 for Android and Possibly April for iOS.

If this shutdown ever ends and I get godamn paid I will be buying a 2 in 1 laptop (Hp Spectre X 360) with a touch pen to be able to do some analysis, edit video on the fly and have some radar capabilities.
 
Michael Snyder said:
The App: MAPS.ME needs more mention.
Downloads to your phone for the region you are chasing in so you dont need service for your map to work. Highly recommended.
Click to expand...

Seconded. It has been my main mapping software for chasing for several years now. And you don't have to download entire states, so it won't necessarily consume all the storage space on your device.
 
I haven't changed my app usage much over the past few years. When it comes to weather, I really only use RadarScope. Google Chrome is my mobile browser of choice when looking at satellite imagery, mesoanalysis, observations, etc.

RadarScope - always my go-to for radar, with pro subscription
Google Maps - navigation, but also for finding places to eat and rest at (with reviews)
Gas Buddy - great for finding gas in rural areas, as well as the lowest prices
Yelp - helpful with finding restaurants and other attractions, although Google Maps tends to have more reviews in the most rural areas.
Wyndham Rewards - I switched over to this app for booking the majority of my motel/hotel stays. Most accommodations in their chain are reliably clean/comfortable, especially once you do a quick scan of the reviews. Also, their prices are competitive with the app, especially if you travel a lot. I used to predominantly use Expedia, but I find deals that are just as good by becoming a Wyndham Rewards member. With every three stays (3,000 points), I get a discount that's usually good for 20-30% off my next stay.

For some quick photo/image editing tools...

PS Express - quick and easy to touchup photos on the go. When I want to share photos from my phone (which aren't the highest resolution), I can make a few quick edits in this app to get the photos looking sharp.
iWatermark - a great app for watermarking photos via iOS
Aviary - I still go back to this app when I want to draw/annotate on maps, either to share on social media or to send to other chasers.
InstaSize - a quick way to format panoramic photos for sharing on Instagram.
 
I recently downloaded RadarUS+ for iOS. RadarScope is of course my primary radar app, but it does not provide a regional or national composite view; RadarUS+ gives me that big picture perspective on what’s going on - more for my morning forecast, when I want to see if there is any ongoing convection.
 
I also use the RadarUS+. I use it for an overall picture of ongoing convection and also use it on the way to the target area before I switch to RadarScope. I like the road map that is imbedded in it.
There is a free GOES 16 satellite app. It’s called SSEC GOES. The loop takes longer than i’d like to load, but it does provide your position on the map which is helpful.
 
Todd Lemery said:
I also use the RadarUS+. I use it for an overall picture of ongoing convection and also use it on the way to the target area before I switch to RadarScope. I like the road map that is imbedded in it.
There is a free GOES 16 satellite app. It’s called SSEC GOES. The loop takes longer than i’d like to load, but it does provide your position on the map which is helpful.
Click to expand...

Thanks Todd. I have been looking for something that would plot my position on a sattelite image.
 
Anyone know of an iPhone app other than RadarScope that allows me to update my SN location? Switched over to Mac this year due to work and no longer have the option for SN app on my computer.
 
Are there any radar sites that one can access with a web browser that will also show one's position? Even better, overlay on Google maps.
 
Todd Lemery said:
I also use the RadarUS+. I use it for an overall picture of ongoing convection and also use it on the way to the target area before I switch to RadarScope. I like the road map that is imbedded in it.
There is a free GOES 16 satellite app. It’s called SSEC GOES. The loop takes longer than i’d like to load, but it does provide your position on the map which is helpful.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the SSEC GOES recommendation Todd! That’s the first app I have seen that includes positioning on a satellite image, which is very useful; I remember countless times jerking around trying to relate features to my position by estimating relative to state borders or the few major highways that appeared on the satellite map. The reviews for SSEC GOES say that it loads very slowly, particularly the animations, but hopefully that improves. I do wish Satsquatch would add positioning. I could still see needing to use both, one for estimating my own position and one for better speed, resolution and other surface data.
 
I started playing with this yesterday after someone mentioned it somewhere. For the price, definitely a great find. I figure it’s probably as close to GR2AE as you’re going to get for a mobile app. Right now, it’s iOS only, but it seems to be a newer app and the devs are open to suggestions.

https://www.weatherlab.io/
 
There's a few different ways to WeatherOps. Mine's through the Commander Platform. Full disclosure - My WeatherOps is free because they back me, and I promote the package.

That being said, I can't say much about it right now, but things, they are a-changin', with the DTN buyout and all.
 
There is an app called WINDY that I love, but didn't see anyone mention. It shows hour by hour forecasted winds as well as overlays of rain, cloud cover, temperature, etc. It is also free and super easy to use.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Nathan Parker
Cell Phone Providers for Travel Across the US
Replies
10
Views
849
Nathan Parker
Nathan Parker
Bo Adams
2024 chase partner
Replies
3
Views
159
Brian R.
Brian R.
adlyons
State of the Chase Season 2024
5 6 7
Replies
164
Views
12K
Warren Faidley
Warren Faidley
Brandon Jones
The day I was scared of a thunderstorm on 2019-07-19
Replies
0
Views
382
Brandon Jones
Brandon Jones
Nathan Parker
Storm Tracking on Mac Questions (Including Questions on AWIPSII and GR on CrossOver)
Replies
1
Views
900
Nathan Parker
Nathan Parker
Back
Top