This year's MESO chase will feature the debut of Echo, our new Mobile Lab which is loaded to the roof with computers, generators, and weather prediction systems. Echo 1 will replace our old, outdated McWar lab which has been put out to pasture somewhere in Illinois.

ECHO is MESO's newest addition to the fleet. This next-generation mobile lab builds on our original prototype vehicle, McWAR, and includes more modern equipment and rugged construction. The vehicle that became ECHO is a 1989 Ford Econoline E-350 box-style ambulance donated to MESO by Lifestar Rescue, Inc., to whom we are eternally grateful for not only believing in our cause, but helping us to realize it. The ambulance needed to be gutted and several mechanical and electrical systems needed to be fixed or replaced to suit our custom requirements. ECHO has been brilliantly engineered and built by John Griswold and Jason Sebastian, and several other members have traveled to its construction site to help in completing the project.

It is equipped with a 4kW generator donated by Onan Industries, a 2kW inverter, Motorola 110W VHF radio, Motorola 50W UHF radio, Kenwood 20W 3m radio, Maxon 5W CB radio, Motorola 3W cell phone, and integrated Earthmate GPS tracking and display. In addition, it has a Capricorn 2000 Weather Station donated by Columbia Weather Systems, a rear-vision camera & monitor system donated by Rearview Systems, 10" monitor, 13" color TV, DSS receiver, DVD and VHS players, and for those long drives across the desolate Plains, an AM/FM/CD stereo with 300W amplifier. The computers have high-resolution mapping software, Digital Atmosphere, SwiftWX, RadarLab, and other relevant software packages installed.

When not out chasing storms with us, it will be used for demonstrations to other groups such as schools, fire departments, emergency management, spotter organizations, and anyone else who might have an interest in such a tool.