… the F6 blog

When you chase storms, as I used to, you need to bring along a good bit of technology to keep the chase going. Sure, you can drive around all day and figure out where the storms may erupt, but having the right technology makes it easier to find, spot, and warn about impending storms.

My first storm chase, I brought just a video camera. We used paper maps and prayers. After that experience, I learned a few things.

• your paper maps are gonna’ get wet
• there’s a whole lot of roads to get lost on
• hail really hurts when it hits you

So, the next time, I went and got some new toys. Justifying everything as a “purchase to ensure safety” I brought along enough that I spent almost 20 min at airport security turning on things to ensure they really did what they did.

• ultraportable laptop: I brought along an ultraportable laptop loaded with mapping software to replace the paper maps from the first time
• GPS: I used a USB-connected DeLorme GPS device to work with the mapping software (also from DeLorme). I have to say that this was a huge benefit. Knowing exactly where we were and where to go to get away from trouble helped … a lot.
• cellular data modem: I actually used my cell phone connected to my laptop via USB to connect and download satellite data from the National Weather Service. Having those maps also proved enormously helpful. I don’t know what we did without that data.

We also used a wi-fi card and, with the generous permission of the various retail and hotel establishments we encountered, viewed storm data in those cases when we couldn’t get a decent cell signal. (Sprint appears to have way better coverage in the midwestern states and Verizon Wireless does.)

Today I realized that, if I were to go storm chasing tomorrow like I did in days past, everything I need would already be built into my laptop: wifi, GPS, cellular modem … even the video camera. The mess of cables I had last year wouldn’t be a problem. Sometimes tech integration amazes me more than I think.