Chasing Correctly

[nmjameswilson]

I hope there are not any rules that do not let you do this, if so feel free to delete this.

I've gone out a few times over the last few years but it was only with a camera. I got into a couple bad situations due to not having real time radar with me. I want to do it correctly from here out and would like advice in the best equipment to have. I'm studying up some more on all aspects of chasing but i want my truck equiped to help me in every way possible.

From scratch ... what would you get before you went out?

Thanks in advance.

[John Wetter]

an understanding of how storms work and how to visually identify when you're getting into a bad spot. IMHO, real time radar is not a substitute for this as it isn't perfect and there isn't perfect coverage as proven by chasers getting in to bad spots this last year due to relying on old radar data.

[Skip Talbot]

Focusing on equipment, I would not walk out the door without:
A laptop.
A mobile internet connection (wireless data card from a cell provider).
A GPS connected to the laptop.
Radar Software (GrLevel3, Swift)
Mapping Software (Street Atlas, Streets and Trips).

Live radar and mapping is extremely helpful during a chase, and can also keep you out of trouble when you don't have a visual on the storm.

[Jason Caster]

To supplement John's advice, which is good advice, go through the Skywarn series. It helped me when I was first starting out.

http://spotterguides.us/basic/basic01.htm

I went on my first storm chasing trip this last season, and the one thing that helped me immensely was having someone to drive while I studied data and roads.

By the way, all I had for gear was a laptop tethered to my mobile phone and a camcorder.

[Jason Foster]

Storm chasing at it's core is not about the equipment. Having equipment doesn't make you a good chaser.

You do really need to learn storm dynamics, learn to be a great navigator, and learn really good driving techniques. You have to watch videos to see the variety of storms that are out there. You need to learn the ethics of chasing, ethics of the road, and laws pertaining to chasing and the type of driving you'll be doing while out there. You will need to learn a bit about the culture of chasing if you plan to chase around other chasers. Understand their preferences and tolerances. If you plan to video storms around others, learn what is and isn't acceptable....(i.e., don't ever walk in front of someone else camera, don't talk or curse while around someone else camera).

This will take time. You should be immersing yourself in all things storm chasing, because with only a few months before the start of the severe weather season, it doesn't leave you a lot of time to catch up.

[Skip Talbot]

James was asking for an equipment recommendation, not a "newbie needs to hit the books" lecture.

[nmjameswilson]

Thanks for all the replies they are very helpfull.

[Jason Foster]

I've gone out a few times over the last few years but it was only with a camera. I got into a couple bad situations due to not having real time radar with me. I want to do it correctly from here out and would like advice in the best equipment to have. I'm studying up some more on all aspects of chasing but i want my truck equiped to help me in every way possible.

From scratch ... what would you get before you went out?

Thanks in advance.

Skip....yes...but the lecture needed to be made. From the way the post is written and I understand it, he thinks getting equipment is going to prevent him from getting into "bad situations" as he put it. I'm just trying to make him, and other readers on the forum understand this is NOT the solution.

I could be wrong, and he could already be a good chaser...if he is, I'm sure he'll post that. But I stand by my post....sorry you don't think it's worth saying.

Edit: LOL...James posted while I was writing my post.

[Shane Adams]

I hope there are not any rules that do not let you do this, if so feel free to delete this.

I've gone out a few times over the last few years but it was only with a camera. I got into a couple bad situations due to not having real time radar with me. I want to do it correctly from here out and would like advice in the best equipment to have. I'm studying up some more on all aspects of chasing but i want my truck equiped to help me in every way possible.

From scratch ... what would you get before you went out?

Thanks in advance.

Best advice I can give you is trust your eyes over any piece of equipment. Learning how to use them takes years, but it's quite possible to start from scratch and remain relatively safe. Survival Instinct is a great asset to a new chaser, saved my butt a few times when I was a rook.

[nmjameswilson]

I've read the spotter guide and a good deal of information on the net. I have basic equipment and have bought a couple other items outlined here. I'll watch more videos and continue my education as i think equipment is now good. Thanks

[Lanny Dean]

I have to second what Skip has said, his list of equipment is pretty basic but as Shane has also said, I would trust my eyes over any piece of equipment that I have.
My early days found me with only a NOAA weather radio which actually wroked out for me quite well, but I already had a good idea of storm stucture.
There are still guys that chase the "old school" way and the are very successful at it but again, they know what is going on around them at all times.
If you are going to get some equipment, Skips list is great but is missing an NOAA weather radio or scanner with those frequencies, I would not leave home without it!
Hope that helps some.

[nmjameswilson]

I bought this one a few days ago. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000P708NM)

A laptop. CHECK
A mobile internet connection. CHECK
Mobile GPS CHECK
Mapping Software (Street Atlas, Streets and Trips). CHECK
NOAA weather radio. CHECK
700-Watt Inverter CHECK
Radar Software (GrLevel3, Swift) UPCOMING

[nmjameswilson]

BTW, i'm thinking i'll need a back-up laptop battery even with my 12-hour one.

[Lanny Dean]

Might not be a bad idea for a back up one or, you could always put a DC to AC converter in your car so you would have A/C
Also, have you had a chance to look at Storm Lab? It is what I use and I really like it.
You can find more info for it here:
http://www.interwarn.com/sldesc.html

The guy who developed it is a metorologist and is a member here on ST. I have used the product since 2006 and Its great! Not to take anything away from GRLevel2 or 3 but might be a good idea to keep your options open.
Good luck!

[Mikey Gribble]

Is there a reason why you can't run a power inverter in your car? I wouldn't try to run the laptop off of battery when I was out chasing. Number one it dims the screen which is already hard to see and second it is not a reliable source since you don't know how the long the chase will last.
If you need more DC outlets/cigaretted outlets in your car best buy will wire some in there for pretty cheap. You can have them wire in a power inverter too, but don't buy that piece of crap red one they sell. I would go buy a radio shack brand one or another reliable brand and have them install that inverter along with a couple cigarette outlets. That way you always have plenty to charge your phone, run the laptop and power anything else you need. You'd be surprised at how many you'll end up using once you start aquiring chasing equipment. I have four in my car and a power inverter wired directly to the battery and I still don't have enough.
As far as the other stuff you listed goes that sounds really good. If you have internet on your laptop and Delorme mapping software with GPS (which is like $60) then you should be good to go. You don't even have to get grlevel3 if you don't want to. A jotto desk would be great too if you need it.

[nmjameswilson]

Thinking this one, cheaper than a laptop battery as well. (http://www.buy.com/prod/belkin-ac-anywhere-300w-power-inverter-input-voltage-12v-dc-output/q/loc/101/10363243.html)

[Skip Talbot]

Why not just get a DC power adapter for the laptop and skip the inverter all together?

[Dennis Sherrod]

I like the inverter because you can put a power / surge protector strip on it and run several things if you want. I use mine for laptop, recharging camera batteries or running directly to the video camera saving the battery for outside the car use, etc.

James, as far as some suggestions on power inverters, use the search feature above. There are some good threads on the use and hookup of them.

[nmjameswilson]

700 WATTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (http://www.amazon.com/Xantrex-Technologies-851-0700-700-Watt-Inverter/dp/B00009OYH8/ref=cm_cr_pr_sims_t)

[Mikey Gribble]

I tried using a DC cord to power my laptop, but for some reason my battery would drain slowly while I did it. It runs fine off the power inverter though. Don't know why that happened. I guess it's just one of the mysteries of chasing. As somebody mentioned the inverter is nice if you need to power multiple things.
Do yourself a huge favor though. Don't go cheap on the power inverter. They aren't expensive anyway. I've gone through five or six of them. I have a 700 watt one from best buy installed in my car and I can't even power one of my laptops off of it (my other laptop will run off of it). If I try to power that laptop it does the squelch noise like you're drawing too much power. I can take that same laptop though and plug it into my 300 watt radio shack power inverter and it runs fine. The two more expensive inverters I bought (radio shack is one of them) have lasted like 7 years now while I've had to throw away several of the cheaper ones. I'm sure somebody will disagree with this because of their personal experience where a cheap one worked fine and I'm sure that it does in some cases. This is just how it worked for me and I'll always buy quality power inverters in the future because it sucks really bad when you're chasing and you start having equipment issues because the power inverter sucks.

[Jason McKittrick]

To stress how important knowing storm structure is vs. radar. after I pick a storm and reach it, I switch over to Delorme GPS. Radar images are at best 7 min old. On a storm moving 40 mph that would be off by 5 miles(sometimes the entire length of the storm. A good GPS is the most important tool after reaching your storm.

[Jeff Russell]

BTW, i'm thinking i'll need a back-up laptop battery even with my 12-hour one.

how about an inverter?

[Bob Hartig]

I bought a fairly inexpensive, 375-watt inverter a couple years ago. I learned a valuable lesson: just because a power inverter comes with a cigarette lighter adapter doesn't mean you should use the adapter. Wire up to your battery unless you don't mind going through fuses like M&Ms.

The inverter itself works fine. I'll probably shop for something more powerful for this coming storm season, but so far this one has performed well for my laptop, cooling pad, and cell phone charger.

[Jeff Russell]

Just had a Duracell 1000w inverter installed this week. I bought the inverter off Amazon a few months ago when someone on ST found a great deal. I had the audio shop use 80 amp fuse on the hot & ground. They installed the unit under the pax seat. Picture taken with seat full forward.

Jeff

[Brandon Sullivan]

http://www.targus.com/us/product_images/APM12US_accessories_b.jpg

I use a targus laptop power supply.. much more efficient than any inverter... this one is dual power so you can use it mobile or bring it in the motel at night!

[J Kinkaid]

Just had a Duracell 1000w inverter installed this week. I bought the inverter off Amazon a few months ago when someone on ST found a great deal. I had the audio shop use 80 amp fuse on the hot & ground. They installed the unit under the pax seat. Picture taken with seat full forward.

Jeff

It's nice to see others get in on deals that I post and good job with the install

[David Drummond]

Just had a Duracell 1000w inverter installed this week. I bought the inverter off Amazon a few months ago when someone on ST found a great deal. I had the audio shop use 80 amp fuse on the hot & ground. They installed the unit under the pax seat. Picture taken with seat full forward.

Jeff

Holy crap! Be sure and gets pics of the fire for us! What gauge is that wire?

[Jeff Russell]

Holy crap! Be sure and gets pics of the fire for us! What gauge is that wire?

It's 4 gauge with 80 amp fuses. Well within limts.

[David Drummond]

It's 4 gauge with 80 amp fuses. Well within limts.

ahhh, it looked smaller in the picture. Some serious wire going on there.

[John Wetter]

80 amp fuse? Planning on running multiple vacuum cleaners?

[Mike Krzywonski]

Since this thread has turned into a discussion about inverters, can anyone recommend one for a rental car?

[Skip Talbot]

I think it is Dustin (maybe he'll pipe up), who uses an inverter in a rental. Not sure which one he is using, but he puts alligator clips on the battery terminals and feeds the wire in through the driver side door near the side mirror. He says it works well, the cable is tight, and doesn't leak.

[John MacKay]

Mostly, one needs to study storm structure so you know what you are actually looking at. Storm spotter classes were going into much more detail on storm structure just as I was leaving KS. That's generally a quick way of learning from a book-level point of view.

The second thing is to know the movements of the storms you are chasing so you can position yourself in a way you have both escape routes (in case of a right-turn on a supercell) and chase routes. A weather radio and an atlas go a long way in directing one to a storm and keeping you out of danger.

But, another big part of success is to have some radar image so you can see other storms outside the weather radio's coverage area and what storm looks the most promising (look at it as a starting point of reference, but use your knowledge after that). And if you don't have that, have access to someone with storm knowledge and a radar image to give you that information. I wouldn't have seen the Galatia tornado (May 24, same storm as the LaCrosse tornado) if I didn't have my sister call with radar information from a local TV station.

The piece generally leading to my demise has been lack of radar in the field and refusal to drive suspect gravel roads. There are scenarios (such as May 5th, 2007 where I was nowcasting for a fellow chaser) where a bunch of junk (non-severe up to borderline severe storms) develops in the morning and leaves a cloud deck that makes detecting the right storm impossible without radar (since you can't see how high the storm clouds go and the intensity of them).

Regardless of all of this advice, the best thing is to go out on many chases and learn from any mistakes you make. Your chase history is important in making more correct decisions in going after a storm (or choosing which one to go after).

[nmjameswilson]

I really apreciate all the advice, i will use it all to do it correctly.