The Ghost Train - A Podcast By Chasers For Chasers

[Marcus Diaz]

Yes Dan, I plan to archive every episode onto that channel I linked above (few posts up). So if you subscribe you should never miss an episode.

 

[Adam Lucio]

Awesome, already subscribed to the channel. Looking forward to seeing where this goes.

 

[Marcus Diaz]

Ok, SHane and I are live for the test episode. Going to watch some old tornado footage tonight.

http://youtu.be/2i82AHb7gh0

 

[Steve Miller]

Watching the live feed right now and am pretty impressed with the potential here. Listening to a chaser narrate someone elses video is a neat concept that I hope catches on and becomes a regular portion of the program. With a solid list of people to participate on the panel regularly, this could easily become the WeatherBrains of chasing.
Marcus, good job!

 

[TJKLECKNER]

"This channel has no videos."

I figured the beta would be posted here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU-nl7lDdBG1RmLvh_bj02w

 

[Marcus Diaz]

So the beta was a success. Figured out many things to optimize the podcast. I figured out that I streamed the whole thing on the wrong channel, but I figured out why. I'm going to post the full beta with key points so everyone can see and make some judgement. I might do another test this weekend showing old footage again. I'll keep posted on here with more info!

 

[Marcus Diaz]

Here it is, in its entirety. I know 3 and a half hour hours is a lot to ask for in terms of watching it all. Basically Shane and I riff together for an hour and a half watching old footage and other silly things. I eat some awesome brownies at about 1:42.00 in the stream. Skip and Wesley Luginbyhl join in around 2:06.00. AND EVERYONE NEEDS TO WATCH FROM 2:31.00 for the funniest moment in the stream

Watch video >

 

[Jeremy Perez]

Congrats on the successful beta! Thanks for all the effort getting this going. Getting the picture-in-picture set up about halfway in was a nice touch. The 1990 Wakita commentary worked great this way—no interruption of the view, and then things like the interesting insights on positioning for ideal lighting & whether you’ll have time to set up that kind of shot. Looking forward to the next one.

 

[Marcus Diaz]

Here in about 2-3 hours, Skip and I are going to get back on and check out some older big outbreaks. Specifically May 29,2004, April 26, 1991, and March 13, 1990. Hope you guys join us again.

 

[Marcus Diaz]

Beta test II is up. Not as long as last night's but still a bit long if I say so myself. Skip and I chat about the March 13, 1990 setup, where we would've targeted that day, and how we would've chased it. We also watch some good old footage from that day. James comes in and we chat about May 29, 2004 setup but don't get into the footage. We might jump in tomorrow a bit more prepared and try to cut down the show some more. I guess time flies when you're having fun.

Watch video >

 

[Mark Blue]

I'm sorry I missed the live airings, but I'm playing catchup now after spending the holiday with our family. Looks like you're off to a good start to me!

 

[Jeff Duda]

I haven't watched much of either beta episode, but from what I did watch, I did see something that I personally don't like. I've seen this in WeatherBrains also. For me (not the most patient person in the world) it can be a turn-off: there's a lot of wasted time getting people spun-up on the show and getting technical issues sorted out, digressions, or just waiting for someone to chime in on something. I prefer to watch a show that has more rigorous structure, a script, or an itinerary with intended durations for each topic with quick transitions. I'm not against banter as long as it remains relevant to the show's topic. If someone starts to rant, however, especially if it's about something personal or just not related to weather or chasing, I tend to tune out pretty quickly. IDK, perhaps I'm in the minority with that opinion.

Also, I understand that these are just test runs, so perhaps things will improve in that area after you guys get some experience and develop a routine.

Also, if these aren't live, will you have the ability to go back and cut out sections where there isn't much going on?

 

[James Hammett]

+1...dead air and long digressions are bad. WeatherBrains cuts out all the pre-show stuff in the live-stream for the audio version.

To keep Hangouts from switching video feeds automatically just click one of the feeds at the bottom (or your own).

 

[Shane Adams]

IMO the pre-show banter of WXBrains is often the best part of the podcast.

 

[Marcus Diaz]

James has done some research of a few past events and we're going to try to go through all 3 in about an hour or so. So we'll be live at 7:30 pm central with another test before our debut tomorrow.