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Weather
enthusiasts often ask, how do I become a storm chaser? Before
you chase storms, a course in meteorology is strongly advised.
Reading books and the internet are both great places to
start. When you storm chase, it is very important to be aware
of your surroundings. Safety and common sense first! Observing
an
anvil top of a severe thunderstorm 50 miles away and chasing
that storm could put you in danger. Not knowing if the storm
will change course, or, you are on an unfamiliar dead end road or
the road is washed away from a flood. The storm's rain band
could obstruct a tornado, high wind or hail. The
greatest dangers to storm chasers are not just tornadoes, wind
and hail, instead, it's traffic and lightning. Night chasing
can be very dangerous. Only a few chasers pursue night storms.
But those who do, rely on RADAR and frequent lightning to see
the storm. I have researched the internet and found the best
188 Storm Chasing Websites which are located at the lower part
of this
page.
Another important tip is public safety. Never sleep at unlit Interstate rest area's unless
a caravan of tractor trailers are present. Sleep overnights on well
lighted toll roads and turnpikes. Service Plaza parking
areas near the food courts are your best bet. You'll be
carrying expensive equipment, credit cards, money, etc..
Always cover your equipment with a blanket when leaving the
vehicle unattended. KOA Campground
sells a US Directory for $6.00 online. Most campgrounds are within a few
miles of most interstate highways and charge $15-20
per night which includes a hot shower and heated pool. Always
have on hand a
large Coleman cooler with plenty of drinks/water, food/protein
bars
and ice for emergencies.
Your
chase vehicle will be your best friend. It must be in good
working order. A complete checkup should be done each spring,
and each time before a trip. A chase can be hundreds of miles
per day depending on where severe weather occurs. An oil change may be
necessary during the trip. It is wise not to chase alone. If
you are traveling with a group in multiple vehicles,
communication is important. Most storm chasers are amateur
radio operators and they are in contact with each other on
local 2 meter simplex frequencies. Non hams use citizens band
or cell phones. Not all cell phones work in open areas without
cell service, but some cellular companies
use satellites. I use a Motorola V-170 TracFone, a
pay-as-you-go service. There are some tracfones which have USB
ports to download weather data to laptops. I prefer XM
Satellite Weather from Baron Services.
My collection of
study materials... "Under The Whirlwind" and
"Essentials of Meteorology" are my
favorite study guides.
"Essentials of Meteorology" is a common college
study guide. The price is about $110 new and is also available
at half the price on Ebay.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Essentials
of Meteorology |
Under
The Whirlwind |
The
Ultimate Storm |
Storm
Chaser |
USA
Today |
| Fifth
Edition |
Second
Edition |
Survival
Handbook |
By
Warren Faidley |
The
Weather Book |
| C.
Donald Ahrens |
Jerrine
& Arjen Verkaik |
By
Warren Faidley |
. |
By
Jack Williams |
|
---------------------------------------------------------- |
|
These
books are also available at Borders and Barnes and
Noble. |
Storm Chase
Equipment
Weather
Data Service
|
I use the WXWORX
Mobile Threat Net Premium Package from Baron
Services to access
all weather data from XM Satellite
Weather. Here is the Data
Service that's available. The system is $899 and
includes a $100 one time, 1 year activation fee, a $49
or $99 per month service
gives the customer a choice of any activation time
period (I chose May thru October). The package
includes a WXWORX 5.5" w x 5.3" d x 1.5"
h receiver,
2" magnetic mount satellite antenna, free updated software which
works with Windows 2000
and newer. A USB cable connects the receiver to one or
more laptops. Due to the high demand of current weather
data by storm chasers, XM Weather
added the Storm Prediction Center data to it's
software package in 2007. XM Radio is available at a
discount of $6.99 per month (regular $12.95 per month)
with the XM Weather Package, which is great on long
trips. GPS is available with the Mobile Threat Net
Package. The GPS Store sells the US
GlobalSat BU-353 USB port Receiver for $54.95 and
is NMEA Compliant with the WXWORX Software. |
|
|
 |
| WXWORX
Components |
| DC-AC
Power Adaptors, Software |
| with
your personal Radio ID Number. |
| Receiver
connects to the first USB port. |
|
 |
| US GlobalSat BU-353 USB port GPS
Receiver |
| Includes
the Antenna / 5 foot USB Cable and Software. |
| Connects
to the second USB port. |
|
Computers
 |
 |
| DELL
C 800 and C 810 Pentium III Laptops |
DELL
C 600 Pentium III Laptop. 1 USB port. (Backup) |
| with
CD Burners. 2 USB ports each. |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
Netgear
Wireless Card |
Asus
Wireless Card |
|
Communications
Having
an Amateur Radio License is a plus. When I travel in the
Midwest, I chat with fellow hams back in New York State and
Massachusetts on the 20 meter band (14.300 MHz). I can report severe weather to the National
Weather Service operators on local 2 meter repeaters that have
an operating range up to 50 miles. An ARRL US Repeater
Guide lists repeaters by State, Frequency and PL tones.
Some repeaters are pl toned but most are open.
 |
 |
| ICOM
IC-706mkIIg HF/VHF 100 Watt All Mode Transceiver |
ICOM
IC-229H 50 Watt FM 2 Meter Tranceiver |
It is important to monitor
police activity, emergencies and National
Weather Service broadcasts with a scanner or the ICOM IC-706
mkIIg.. Have a micro
cassette recorder handy to record severe weather bulletins
while tracking storms.
 |
 |
| ICOM
IC-735 HF 100 Watt All Mode Transceiver
(Backup) |
Panasonic
Micro Cassette Recorder |
|
 |
 |
| Motorola
Tracfone |
Vector
1,000 Watt 12 Volt DC to 120 Volt AC Power Inverter |
Camcorders
and Cameras
Video
equipment is of great importance. When looking for a
camcorder, use a VHS-C digital mini cassette format. Always
use new cassettes and test each tape to assure they work
properly.After recording a full tape, break the record tab and
label each tape. Keep the tape/head transport clear of
moisture, dirt and fingerprints. I suggest not using DVD
camcorders. If you forget to save (burn) your video, you'll
lose the video data. Plus, DVD's easily get scratched, tapes
are encased in plastic. I purchased my camcorder new at Best
Buy with a 3 year plus extended maintenance warranty.
 |
| SONY
DCR-HC 36 Mini Digital Camcorder |
 |
 |
| OLYMPUS
FE-230 7.1 Megapixel Digital Camera |
 |
| OLYMPUS
D-450 1.3 Megapixel Digital Camera (Backup) |
Weather
Instruments
The DAVIS Model 7440 Weather Monitor II
and Model 7425 Weather Wizard Stations.
 |
 |
| DAVIS
Model 7440 Weather Monitor II |
DAVIS
Model 7425 Weather Wizard |
| DAVIS
Wired Remote Weather Sensors |
SKYSCAN
Lightning Detector |
| (Wind,
External Temp/Humidity & Rain Collector) |
|
 |
 |
Storage
Equipment is
protected in a Pelican Case.
Travel Check List
Currency and Credit Cards- Cash hidden from view |
2 Pelican Cases with equipment |
|
Valid Drivers License/Vehicle Registration/Spare Keys |
WxWorx Receiver, Antenna, GPS and USB Cables |
|
Current AAA PLUS Membership (up to 100 Mile towing) |
3 Dell Laptops-Power Adaptors and the carrying case. |
|
AAA Membership Maps and Road Atlases |
Laptop Desk Stand |
|
Chase
Log Book / Pens / Calendar / Reading Glasses |
Bring ALL Backup CD Software |
|
Compasses |
ICOM 706mkII and ICOM 229h Tranceivers |
| First
Aid Kit / Medicine |
Motorola V-170 Tracfone and AC-DC Adaptors |
|
Flashlights/Tool Kit (Soldering
Gun, etc..) |
Panasonic Micro Cassette Recorder |
|
Clothing, Blankets and personal
Items. |
SONY Camcorder and accessories |
|
Insulated Cooler-Non perishable Food and Bottled Water |
2 Olympus Cameras and accessories |
|
Hardhat,
Eye Goggles, Raincoat |
2 Davis Weather Monitor II, Weather Wizard Consoles |
|
Car Fuses/Anti-freeze, Oil, Fanbelts,etc.. |
Wind, Ext. Temp and Rain Gauge Instruments |
| Car
Battery Jumper Cables |
INSPEED Anemometer and Console |
|
100'
AC Extension Cord |
SKYSCAN Lightning Detector |
|
Extra Batteries- AAA, AA and 9 Volt |
CASIO EV-4500 4" TV |
|
Whelen
Emergency LED Strobe Amber
Lights |
Vector 1,000 Watt Power Inverter |
Storm Chase Van
Installation Section
I storm
chase from a 1996 Plymouth Voyager. Radio equipment includes an HF all
mode 100 watt ICOM
IC-735 and 2 meter 50 watt IC-229H tranceivers, a Comet UHV-6 HF/VHF/UHF vertical
, 5/8
wave 2 meter and multi band scanning antennas. The Radio Shack Pro 2035 1000 channel
and Pro 2026 scanners are for monitoring local emergencies, NOAA Weather and ATIS
Airport Weather Broadcasts. The weather instruments include a Davis Weather
Station and Inspeed Anemometer. I use the SKYSCAN Lightning Unit to detect
strikes under 5 miles for lightning photography. When
offline, I use the Chrysler factory radio to monitor distant lightning
discharges (sferics) on 530 KHz. The radio has excellent AM noise suppression,
sensitivity and selectivity on both AM and FM.
I'm a
DIRECTV subscriber and take an extra dish and second receiver storm chasing and camping. The
satellite receiver is programmed for the Boston television market, Red Sox
Baseball on NESN (New England Sports Network), the Chicago Cubs on Superstation
WGN and The Weather Channel. The dish is roof mounted.
A Motorola
V-170 Tracfone is used to report severe weather to the National Weather Service
ops. The Dell Latitude C600 and C810 Notebooks are equipped with a Netgear Wireless Card
for free WIFI router access. The WxWorx XM Weather receiver connects to the
laptops via USB cables. Weather video is
recorded with a SONY
Model DCR-HC36 Mini Digital Tape Camcorder.
The Installation
The van installation was completed in 5 hours. The original
plan was to install the radios in a homebuilt formica finished wood enclosure
between the front seats.
But it would take up too much space and block the walkway to the back seats. I
installed the radios where the plastic coin tray was at the bottom of the
center console. I drilled a half inch hole thru the firewall just above the
accelerator cable to run the #8 AWG12 volt power cable wire to the battery
and sealed the power cable at the firewall with coax seal.
When I installed the antennas on my 1989 Ford Escort, I drilled 3/4 inch holes
for the NMO connectors thru the roof. I preferred not to repeat this process
with the Voyager. I purchased three COMET
model CP-5MO Universal lip-mounts which came with 14 feet of coax and connectors
from Amateur Electronic Supply. After installing the lip-mounts, connecting the antennas and radios,
I checked the SWR....a perfect 1:1 match! 100 watts (FM Mode) with the ICOM 735,
and 50 watts (FM Mode) on the ICOM 229h. It seems most door hatch mounts have
open grounds. I thought I might need to connect a braided ground wire from the
hatch door to the chassis of the van. I had to do that with the Escort, the
Voyager grounded just fine. I tucked the coax run under the carpet up to the
radios and that part of the installation was complete.
The DAVIS Weather Monitor II mounts to the right of the FM/AM radio. I removed the radio cover plastic front to drill four 1/8 inch holes to
mount the weather station bracket. A cable connects to the back of the weather
display and runs down into the center console (behind the radios) and connects
to the junction box. The wind instrument phone cable connects to that junction
box and is tucked under the carpet back to the rear hatch. The wind instruments
are mounted on a 12 inch vertical pipe, screwed on to a homemade stainless steel
bracket, which mounts to the luggage roof carrier. When I finish taking wind measurements
after a storm, I unscrew the unit and place it in a foam insulated Pelican Case for protection. The SKYSCAN Lightning Detector clips onto to
the change tray next to the weather station or sits on the dash held with velcro
tape.
The
WXWorx XM Satellite Receiver mounts under the passenger seat
and the antenna mounts magnetically on the roof for a maximum
satellite signal.
The Dell Latitude C600 or C 810 Notebooks sit on a homebrew stand that is bolted to the
floor with a 2" x 1/4" lag bolt. Care was taken when drilling the lag
bolt pilot hole through the floor that holds the bracket. Numerous brake lines
run beneath the passenger seat. Velcro tape holds the notebook in place.
The SONY Model DCR-HC36 Mini DV Camcorder screws onto an adjustable bracket
mounted on the dash.
2007
Installation photos
1996 Plymouth
Voyager (Secondary) Storm Chase Vehicle
2005-2006
Installation photos
| External
Installations: |
| Left
Rear- Comet UHV 6 HF / VHF / UHF antenna |
| Upper
Right Rear- 2 Meter 5/8 wave antenna |
| Lower
Right Rear-Antenna Specialist Scanner antenna |
| DAVIS
Weather Monitor II Wind Instrument |
| ==================== |
| Above
photo
taken at Nauset Light |
| Lower
photo
taken at Coast Guard Beach, Eastham, Ma. Cape Cod |
Comet
HF/VHF/UHF antenna 40-20-10 meter radials
Davis
Weather Wind Instrument
29-900
MHz scanner antenna
Comet
2 meter 5/8 wave antenna / Comet
2 meter antenna base connector / Comet NMO connector
Comet
HF/VHF/UHF antenna base / Comet 3/8" x 24 thread connector
Davis
wind instrument and homebrew stainless steel bracket mounts to the roof
rack
Homebrew
stainless steel pipe and bracket
Storm Chase Links
Upated
March 3, 2007
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