The Stratus R/T was a new addition in October 2007 and was taken on
it's first chase on October 18th. I wanted something with good fuel
economy, a comfortable ride, lots of space and some power. I started
eye balling the Stratus as a potential vehicle, and then commited to
the R/T version for a little more power, comfort and a more sleek
design. For more photos of the vehicle's exterior and interior setup
click here.
ICOM 2200H Single Band Ham Radio
You never really understand how valuable a ham radio is in storm
chasing until you finally commit and give it a shot. This eliminates
the use of calling other nearby chasers on your cell phone every five
minutes wearing out the battery and interupting your data transfer and
decreasing your safety. I originally had been running a Yaesu 7800R but
had an issue with the power supply so I needed a quick fix. Since I
never really used both bands I went with a cheaper single band radio in
the ICOM 2200H. I only really use the radio while chasing, and most
chasers use the chaser simplex on the 2M band so a few hundred dollars
more for a dual band radio was not needed.
Radio Shack Pro 2052 1000 Channel Trunking Scanner
The scanner isn't really something I use very often anymore. It's a
shame that more spotter networks out there are not a more valuable
resource to listen in to, but I find that listening to most just
distracts me and adds more chaos. Training going into spotter programs
just isn't what it used to be, so anymore I never really feel like
adding the chaos of their channels to my car. I really only ever turn
on the scanner if I want to monitor a Noaa Weather Radio channel while
the ham rig is busy.
Dell Latitude D400
I got the D400 this past March 2008. I normally don't like changing
things right before the chase season begins but my old lap top had been
crapping out and running slower and I figure if I'm going to be playing
around next to tornadoes I should have reliable equipment going. The
computer runs amazing. I was able to run it continuously on all of my
chases without having to reboot during the chase once. I'm able to run
data with the Gibson Ridge radar program, Delmore Street Atlas, Mozilla
Firefox, Spotter Network, and sometimes an instant messenging program
all with no problems in the field.
Canon ZR100 MiniDV Camera
I've actually had this camera since spring of 2005 but have had no
reason to upgrade yet. I'm in n hurry to upgrade to High Definition, so
as far as Mini DV is concerned, it's hard to beat what I've already
got. I used to be a Sony person, but anymore I swear by Canon. It's
almost impossible to beat their lens quality these days. Low light of
course has never been a strong point, but if the need really arises I
switch to my backup Sony Hi8 camera.
Canon Digital Rebel XT
I'm one of many chasers who use the Canon Digital Rebel XT. As I said
with my video camera, it's really hard to beat a Canon lens. This is
actually a new edition winter of 2007. I don't shoot 100% digital
though, and sometimes like to break out the 35mm SLR.
Gibson Ridge Level 3 Radar
Having radar in the field is one of the most valuable resources in
storm chasing. With Gibson Ridge Level 3 I'm able to view many
different radar modes with zoom capability and overlay my GPS location
directly onto the radar image. There's a one time fee of about 80
bucks, but it's well worth the price. In my opinion, it considerably
more worth the price than XM WX Worx that some chasers use. The price
for XM is considerably more, and there is at least a 10 minute lag in
getting current radar imagery. There have been several instances where
GRlevel3 showed a new storm forming and taking off, but chasers using
XM did not see the newly intensifying storm for 10-15 minutes when I
was already 10 miles down the road towards our new cell. Minutes mean a
lot in this game.
GPS is probably ahead of mobile radar at the top of the priorities for
mobile resources while on the road. Knowing your current location and
road options is an invaluable tool when you're in infamiliar territory
and facing critical decisions. While I always carry paper maps as a
backup, I would never again willingly chase without some form of GPS
tracking. I find the Delorme and Earthmate method to be the best match
for me since I can run it on my large laptop screen and use it to
overly my position on the Gibson Ridge radar program, and through the
Spotter Network program. The setup will run you a little under $100 at
any electronics store like Best Buy.
Spotter Network Client
Spotter network allows you to upload your GPS location to the Spotter
Network database and allow anyone in the country to track your current
location along with hundreds of other storm chasers and view it on a
google map, or on your Gibson Ridge radar image. You are also able to
submit severe weather reports using your current gps location. It's a
free resource and one I would advise all to check out! Check it out here.
