Poll: keep or delete the spotter section on ST?

[Jason Foster]

There is no real reason or motivation behind this thought/thread, other than thinking about duplication (with www.skywarnonline.com) and the fact some have mentioned ST being more chaser oriented. So, I'm going to take any heat for starting this thought & poll, and putting it out there.....


....should StormTrack forum keep the Storm Spotters section?

 

[J Tyler]

I'm very highly mobile SKYWARN. I get bored waiting for the storms to come to me, so I drive 1,500 miles to them! But, once there, I join the local nets. If there is not one, I try to find the local WFO on the radio and work directly with them. My point is, I'm a hybrid chaser/spotter. So, this area works for me.

 

[Ric Burney]

I too spot and chase but ST appears to me more chaser oriented. There are other forums dedicated to spotting / skywarn activity. Even though there is some good info in the spotting section if keeping ST focused more on chasing means it should go, so be it.

 

[Marcus Hicks]

I like SkywarnOnline but that site I fear fosters (no pun intended) bad information backed by more bad information and then praised. That place is a newbies playground. At one point it was ok but no longer.

 

[MattKaskavitch]

I like SkywarnOnline but that site I fear fosters (no pun intended) bad information backed by more bad information and then praised. That place is a newbies playground. At one point it was ok but no longer.

I echo Marcus here. SkywarnOnline tends to have bad information passed from inexperienced enthusiasts. I'm on SO, but take it as mostly entertainment value with scattered bits of learning and info sharing. Taking down this section of the forum would be a disservice to dedicated spotters looking to learn and advance their skill set from knowledgable sources.

I say nay.

 

[Tim Shriver]

I think having the spotter section has lead to a couple of things.

1. More understanding between spotters and chasers.

2. That a newer, smarter spotter/chaser is coming into being. A highly motivated
spotter that takes his/her spotting mobile and to the technical level StormTrack is known for. Not there yet, but getting there.

While it has lead to some, lets say, interesting debates, I feel in the long run it
will continue to benefit both the chaser and the new breed of spotter (Tracker?).

So I say nay as well and agree with the other nay postings thus far.

Tim

 

[Tim Shriver]

I'm very highly mobile SKYWARN. I get bored waiting for the storms to come to me, so I drive 1,500 miles to them! But, once there, I join the local nets. If there is not one, I try to find the local WFO on the radio and work directly with them. My point is, I'm a hybrid chaser/spotter. So, this area works for me.

Cool. I posted before reading your post here.

I agree, the new "tracker" needs somewhere that is of a higher
level of function. StormTrack provides that.

Tim

 

[Shawn Gossman]

I think having the spotter section has lead to a couple of things.

1. More understanding between spotters and chasers.

2. That a newer, smarter spotter/chaser is coming into being. A highly motivated
spotter that takes his/her spotting mobile and to the technical level StormTrack is known for. Not there yet, but getting there.

While it has lead to some, lets say, interesting debates, I feel in the long run it
will continue to benefit both the chaser and the new breed of spotter (Tracker?).

So I say nay as well and agree with the other nay postings thus far.

Tim

I agree with Tim to a point but I think the board should stay. Or else your going to get spotter talk in with chaser talk and the two are very different...

 

[rdale]

Good observation. Spotters at least know that rainbows are not severe weather indicators...

 

[Shane Adams]

If there's a Bar & Grill section, why not a Spotter section?

 

[rdale]

Good point - a lot of spotter reports I've seen make it clear that they spend WAY too much time at the bar...

 

[Karen St John]

Good observation. Spotters at least know that rainbows are not severe weather indicators...

Really???? Dang it! I bought the app and everything!

Seriously, though...the interplay between the communities is really valuable, IMO, and each can help each other out.

 

[Wes Carter]

I vote to keep it. My reasoning is that we have a lot of people in Stormtrack whose primary goal is spotting and if we remove that board some of these conversations are going to migrate onto the Weather and Chasing board.

 

[Bill Hark]

I rarely look at this section but it is nice to have some idea about what's going on in the world of spotters. Like many chasers, I am also a Skywarn spotter and call in reports from my home area when not chasing. I voted to keep it.

Bill Hark