Storm Chasing for newbees

[Rob Sermon]

Hey, John!

The miscommunication is on my part. The internet can wait until 0500Z when I get to the hotel/motel. Weather, and GPS is front and center.

The cost isn't too bad (http://home.hiwaay.net/~langford/xm/ ...KR2S is a homebuilt aircraft), considering the expected cost of chasing stuff that I study to avoid.

I appreciate your help, and will probably depend on it again.

Thanks!

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

One thing to keep in mind is that XM radar is rather... well, lacking. Very, very smoothed data; almost impossible to pick out anything but broad storm features. (It has shear markers, though, which is nice, but so do the internet alternatives.)

The difference between XM radar and, say, GRLevelX (which is internet based) is like the difference between trying to open your eyes underwater and trying to open your eyes above water.

If you're rich enough, you can afford to run both -- when you have data (which is most of the time these days) via cellular, you get good Level 3 data, when you lose data occasionally, you can fall back to XM radar.

Also, note that in all likelyhood XM/Sirius will be out of business within the next two years and that the XM radar equipment, at that point, will be worth about as much as a paperweight.

 

[Jason Foster]

The Stormtrack Library Page

It isn't linked anywhere on the site anymore...but any new chaser can check this old Stormtrack page:

http://www.stormtrack.org/library/

Great for any new storm chaser....and a must for some current chasers (like reading the ethics part).

 

[Eric Flescher]

I did not know that existed

Nice set of websites, resources and links for all levels of stormchasers not only newbies. Thanks for the posting to point it out


:::

It isn't linked anywhere on the site


anymore...but any new chaser can check this old Stormtrack page:

http://www.stormtrack.org/library/

Great for any new storm chaser....and a must for some current chasers (like reading the ethics part).

 

[Steve Polley]

One thing to keep in mind is that XM radar is rather... well, lacking. Very, very smoothed data; almost impossible to pick out anything but broad storm features. (It has shear markers, though, which is nice, but so do the internet alternatives.)

The difference between XM radar and, say, GRLevelX (which is internet based) is like the difference between trying to open your eyes underwater and trying to open your eyes above water.

If you're rich enough, you can afford to run both -- when you have data (which is most of the time these days) via cellular, you get good Level 3 data, when you lose data occasionally, you can fall back to XM radar.

Also, note that in all likelyhood XM/Sirius will be out of business within the next two years and that the XM radar equipment, at that point, will be worth about as much as a paperweight.

Not trying to hijack a thread here, but where are you getting your info about Sirius/XM going out of business in the next couple of years?

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

Not trying to hijack a thread here, but where are you getting your info about Sirius/XM going out of business in the next couple of years?

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/ticker/article.aspx?Feed=FOOL&Date=20081031&ID=9340644&Symbol=CXR

http://money.cnn.com/2008/11/19/markets/thebuzz/

http://www.businessweek.com/magazin...an=investing_investing+index+page_top+stories

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/12/03/2009-survival-guide-for-sirius-xm-radio.aspx

Basically, they've got a lot of debt in a busting economy with the credit markets frozen and the automakers (who are a huge source of their subscriptions) imploding.