Hey mediocre chaser again, but what kind of vehicle should I use to chase, I have a 97' Cavalier sedan...

quote:

Originally posted by weathergeek90:
Hey mediocre chaser again, but what kind of vehicle should I use to chase, I have a 97' Cavalier sedan...

is this your first time chasing?

on my own I chased this past spring and the spring before that, but every other time my mom and I took her truck.

Where are you planning to chase and what kind of equipment are you going to use?

And the car you said is a good choice. My first chase vehicle was a 97 intrepid.

hopefully put a radar in there, barometer, thermometer, psychrometer, and maybe a spedometer on top of my roof.

quote:

Originally posted by weathergeek90:
hopefully put a radar in there, barometer, thermometer, psychrometer, and maybe a spedometer on top of my roof.

Radar is good, if you have the internet you can always be welcomed for live chat in the OWS website. We always talk with chasers live every season who are on the road and they exchange live feeds etc. Its better to have that support than go out blind. I'll be in the area too and i've seen more than 200 tornadoes but next year I will get around to filming them. I am more of the watcher and the documenter by eye than video and camera. It's fun, but make sure you dont chase out there blind!

quote:

Originally posted by OWSStormChaser:

Radar is good, if you have the internet you can always be welcomed for live chat in the OWS website. We always talk with chasers live every season who are on the road and they exchange live feeds etc. Its better to have that support than go out blind. I'll be in the area too and i've seen more than 200 tornadoes but next year I will get around to filming them. I am more of the watcher and the documenter by eye than video and camera. It's fun, but make sure you dont chase out there blind!

Those virtual chases were pretty fun, especially when it's so quiet out here on the West Coast during late/early spring. We've had upwards of 4 chasers with live feeds at one time.

As for vehicles it really depends personal preference. SUV's are comfortable and more rugged chase vehicles, but the gas usage is the major draw back. Cars are better in many respects in the gas, speed (when needed), and lower profile department. Your car should be fine as long as it's in good repair Good luck out there!

Thanks for the info! My dad told me that I am now getting a newer cavalier, so I can use this to my advantage, but the only problem is that its a two door.

I have chased in a two door celica, you should be fine

Wow! Okay!

If you are going to be chasing storms in areas with dirt or gravel roads I would suggest a 4 wheel drive. You don't want to get stuck in the mud with a tornado on your tail. If you are going to be on paved roads only, your car should be fine as long as you don't get chased by a tornado. However you go, please take a storm spotter course and be careful out there, its not all fun and games, its serious business! G

trust me, I have taken several =D

In that case, I wonder then if I should get a blazer or explorer.

quote:

Originally posted by weathergeek90:
In that case, I wonder then if I should get a blazer or explorer.

Thats a tough one, but to be honest.. get the one with the best gas mileage!

well in that case, I should get an equinox.

quote:

Originally posted by weathergeek90:
In that case, I wonder then if I should get a blazer or explorer.

I would recommend looking into a military surplus blazer. They have a Detroit Diesel engine, the best transfer case put on any GM 4 wheel drive, are usually low mileage, have been well maintained and they get around 20-25 mpg. They usually run between 1000 and 3000. The "official" codes for them if you're looking are CUCV and M1009.

quote:

Originally posted by OWSStormChaser:
I'll be in the area too and i've seen more than 200 tornadoes but next year I will get around to filming them.

LIES!

The type of vehicle you wish to use for chasing is entirely up to you, I've seen chasers driving vehicles of all types. I personally drive a Ford Expedition. Get whatever works for you, the main thing is that the vehicle run's good and that it is reliable.

As for the equipment, what do you plan on doing with the data from all that equipment you plan to mount on your roof? Making a mobile mesonet isn't as simple as mounting some weather instruments to a pipe and putting it on top of your vehicle. The aerodynamics of your vehicle will have a great impact on your anemometer and thus the data from it will not be accurate. When the probe vehicles were designed for Vortex 1 back in the mid 90's engineers put one of the probe vehicles into a wind tunnel to study the aerodynamics of the vehicle before they began constructing their mobile mesonets, the purpose was to ensure that the data they were collecting was accurate.

I personally do not see the purpose of having all that stuff on top of your vehicle, unless you are planning to collect scientific data using scientific grade equipment (which cost thousands of dollars) then you are better off just getting a Kestrel Pocket Meter or something.

If you are going to make a mobile mesonet you need to start with studying the aerodynamics of the vehicle you'll be chasing in, you'll want to know how the wind flows around your vehicle so that way you can get your anemometer up out of that for accurate reading. If you want accurate data then you're going to need to invest money, and a lot of it. An RM Young anemometer alone cost over $800, that doesn't include the data logger or display either.

The main thing is, what will you be using the data for? Personally, I think it's a waste of money and just a way to draw attention to yourself. With the amount of metar data that is now available, if you have mobile internet you should be able get all the data you need.

I've been chasing for 13 years now and not once did I ever have a need for all that junk on top of my vehicle, it really serves no purpose and doesn't make anyone a better chaser for having it.

If you aren't going to be collecting scientific data to be used for research, than there is no real purpose for it in my opinion. Instead, invest your money in stuff that will actually serve a real purpose such as mobile internet, GRLevel3, or get your ham radio license and use the money to get a ham radio for your vehicle. Trust me, a ham radio will serve more purpose to you than a mobile weather station ever will.

I used a Ford Crown Victory (Ex-Police car) and it was great.

as above poster said HAM RADIO license i would say is a must, it can really come in very useful

quote:

Originally posted by JoeyK:
I personally do not see the purpose of having all that stuff on top of your vehicle, unless you are planning to collect scientific data using scientific grade equipment (which cost thousands of dollars)...

Ditto to that!!!

Unless you want to look important (which doesn't really work if you're a nobody in the scientific community), that rooftop real estate is better used for communications gear. A $50 CB antenna (with the radio, of course) is more likely to give you good information than a big, personal mobile weather station ever will. Besides, you have to watch where you're going when you drive...

Chase in the crappiest car you have...no need to dent up a new car with baseball sized hail

My name is Jason. I was just wondering how I can become a part of the Storm Chasers team. I've always been interested in all kinds of weather and how everything forms from the sun to the clouds to the ground and would love to help out and do as much as I can. I will give you any info you will need to make this happen.
Thank you.