Storm Chasing and
Contacting me in a chase.

First things first. STORM CHASING is DANGERIOUS and its well worth paying attention to where you are and how vulnerable you could be.

Now I am not going to rewrite the safety rules so I sending you to a very good link on "Storm Chasing with Safety, Courtesy, and Responsibility" by Charles A. Doswell III. National Severe Storms Laboratory. This is an American site but the information is relevant to us here in the UK.

I carry the following equipment when on a chase.

Mobile Phone (07717 857202 if you want to text me or call)
2m/70cm Radio fixed in the car. Portable may follow. (Amateur Radio - 2E0KPO is the call sign)
GPS device (Garmin GPS+ in my case)
Compass (Useful for getting a heading to an event)
First Aid Kit
Cameras (I have a Digital SLR, Canon 10D and a Sony Video Camera, after all I want to be able to save that moment)
Laptop Computer with GPRS connection to get the latest weather data (it also has a wireless network card if needed)
Tripods
Protective clothing.

Most of my storm chasing happens around the Midlands.

There are a few ways to get in touch with me if you want to report a weather related event to me or comment on the accuracy of the data such as the lightning page or just help out.

Sending a SMS text is the best option, I will try to get back to you ASAP but be aware I may be in a position where I can't reply straight back. (use 07717 857 202)

I will also be on Amateur radio and around the Midlands I will most likely be using 145.500MHz and GB3CF (this is a repeater with an input freq of 145.000MHz and and output of 145.600MHz, Tone CTCSS C (77.0Hz). My radio is duel band so I will be monitoring both at the same time. 2E0KPO is the call sign.

I can be found listening on 145.500MHz and GB3CF in most cases when I am at my home QTH, Burton upon Trent, Staffs. I can operate on HF if needed but you will need to contact me first to arrange this as I only go there when I am DX'ing.

Echolink is another option to contact me, Echolink is a system for Radio Amateurs only so you will need a licence to be able to use the system. I don't have this on all the time though so its a bit of pot luck. Best time is in the evenings on a weekday and it could be anytime on the weekend. Echolink is not used in a chase.

I belong to TORRO and a few of the other members are now using Amateur Radio to communicate to each other during a chase, we will always be happy for feedback, assistance from base stations and so on.

If you are a base station, understand the weather and have an internet connection by your radio maybe you would like to help with feeding information to myself and the other chasers then please contact us. There are several web sites on the net that give live or almost live data that is very useful to a storm chaser. A good example is my lightning page, for me to use it when mobile I have to stop the car, log on and get the data. This all takes time, time I could be using to get to the location I need to get to for some reason.

Some useful links.

http://www.ukspeedtraps.co.uk/weather/light0900.htm - My Lightning Page - 1 minute update
http://www.estofex.org - European Storm Forecast Experiment, area of probable storms
http://www.wetteronline.de/eurobli.htm - 30 minute update lightning data
http://www.strikestaruk.com - new service for 2 minute triangulated lighting data from Boltek lightning detectors
http://www.meteorologica.info/ - Lots of useful charts

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/ukweather/midlands/rain.shtml - Rain Radar 1 hour update plus other information for the Midlands
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/ukweather/rain.shtml - Rain Radar 1 hour update plus other information for the UK

http://www.avbrief.com/ - Subscription service for radar (£29 PA), the best you will get in the UK

http://www.torro.org.uk - TORRO - The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation or 'TORRO' is a privately supported research body, serving the national and international public interest. Founded in 1974, data-collection, research and co-ordination is undertaken by the Directors of TORRO, which is supported by some 300 to 400 observers, investigators and other contributors. Most supporters are British, with a smaller number from elsewhere in Europe and across the world. TORRO Staff are composed of professional and amateur meteorologists, with academic qualifications ranging from nothing to doctorates: the only requirements are an interest in the subject area, enthusiasm and a desire to add to the body of scientific knowledge for the good of mankind.

So there you go, if you want to contact me I given you as many options as possible.

I look forward to talking to you or receiving any information you have and don't forget you can report a weather event directly to TORRO if you wish.
Steve Warren