As a service to our boaters, we endeavor to provide information

that will be beneficial to you as you decide whether or not to venture

onto Lake Erie.  We all know that conditions on the lake can change

quickly.  Any information pertaining to wind, wave height, approaching

weather, and even temperature can, in some circumstances, save lives.

In addition to our weather links and marine forecast links, we have

provided additional information intended to assist in contacting

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's

DIAL A BUOY SERVICE.

Weather information gathered at several nearby locations can be

obtained easily and quickly by telephone.  The reporting stations in

nearest proximity to us are located at:

Old Woman Creek  -  Huron Lighthouse  -  Marblehead  -  Cleveland

South Bass Island  -  Off Shore Buoy (located east of the islands and north of Vermilion).

Below you will find a "quick guide" explaining how to make the call, or link

online, to obtain a brief description of current conditions at each site.

You will also find detailed information provided by NOAA that further

explains this service and the NOAA Weather Radio service..

 

 

For service dial

1 888 701 8992

then

Press 1

to access information by station identifier.

Next, enter

the five digit telephone code

to select the station of your choice.

You can also click the name in the left column for online access.

Station Location

     Old Woman Creek

     Huron Lighthouse

     Marblehead

     Cleveland

     South Bass Island

     Off Shore Buoy

Station Identifier

               OWXO1

                HHLO1

                MRHO1

                CNDO1

                SBIO1

    

5 Digit Telephone Code

                       69961

                       44561

                       67461

                       26362

                       72461

                       45005

 

 

Click on this link to see a map of all recording and reporting stations,

access each site online, and view additional information.

 

 

When you have accessed the National Data Buoy Center,

Click on   DIAL - A - BUOY   located on the left of the screen.

 

 

 

 

 

What is Dial-A-Buoy?

Dial-A-Buoy gives mariners an easy way to obtain weather reports when away from a computer/the Internet. Wind and wave measurements taken within the last hour at buoy and coastal weather stations operated by NDBC and a growing number of Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOSŪ) partners can be heard using a cell phone. NDBC, a part of the National Weather Service (NWS), created Dial-A-Buoy in 1997. In 2007, NDBC and the National Ocean Service's Center for Operational Ocean Products and Services (NOS/CO-OPS) jointly implemented a replacement for the original system which had operated well beyond its expected life cycle. The new system is an extension of the Great Lakes Online service that NOS/CO-OPS is expanding to include its National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON) stations.

Large numbers of boaters use the observations, in combination with forecasts, to make decisions on whether it is safe to venture out. Some even claim that the reports have saved lives. Surfers use the reports to see if wave conditions are, or will soon be, promising. Many of these boaters and surfers live well inland, and knowing the conditions has saved them many wasted trips to the coast.

Buoy reports include wind direction, speed, gust, significant wave height, swell and wind-wave heights and periods, air temperature, water temperature, and sea level pressure. Some buoys report wave directions. Coastal weather stations report the winds, air temperature, and pressure; some also report wave information, water temperature, visibility, and dew point.

How do I use Dial-A-Buoy?

To access Dial-A-Buoy, dial 888-701-8992 using any touch tone or cell phone. Assuming you know the identifier of the station whose report you need, press "1". In response to the prompt, enter the five-digit (or character) station identifier. (For coastal stations whose identifiers contain both letter characters and numbers, use the number key containing the letter - for the letter "Q", press "7"; for "Z", press "9"; etc.) The system will ask you to confirm that your entry was correct by pressing "1". After a few seconds, you will hear the latest buoy or C-MAN observation read via computer-generated voice. At the end, the system will prompt you to press "1" to hear the report again, or "2" to continue with other options.

Dial-A-Buoy also can read the latest NWS marine forecast for most station locations. The system will prompt you to press "2" to continue after the observation is read, then "1" to hear the forecast. You can jump to the forecast before the end of the station report by pressing "21" during the reading of the station conditions.

When you are finished with Dial-A-Buoy, press 9 or simply hang-up!

There are several ways to find the station locations and identifiers. For Internet users, maps showing buoy locations are given at http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/ . Telephone users can press "2" at the beginning of the call to be prompted for a latitude and longitude and receive the closest station locations and identifiers.

When you become familiar with the system, you do not have to wait for the prompts. For example, you can can press "1420071" as soon as you begin to hear the welcome message to hear the report from station 42007.

How Does Dial-A-Buoy Work?

The Dial-A-Buoy system does not actually dial into a buoy or C-MAN station. The phone calls are answered by a computer that controls the dialog and reads the observations and forecasts from NDBC's web site.

What are some problems with Dial-A-Buoy?

How do I enter characters for a Station Identifier? Characters are entered simply by pressing the key containing the character. For Q, press "7", and for Z, press "9". For example, to enter CHLV2, press the keys 24582.

How do I quit Dial-A-Buoy? Simply hang-up.

How do I hear the observations for another station? When you are finished hearing the observation or forecast, the system will prompt you to press "1" to hear it again or '2' to continue. The second option will be to press "2" to enter a new station identifier. You can jump to the new station prompt before the end of the station report by pressing "221" during the reading of the station conditions.

If you press 22 at most points in the call, Dial-A-Buoy will take you back to the beginning dialog.

 

 

 

NOAA Weather Radio

In addition to online and dial-up weather information, NOAA Weather Radio provides

24/7 local weather broadcasts.  These are accompanied by marine forecasts that are

broadcast every 30 minutes.  The local VHF frequencies and NOAA link are posted below.

 

Call Sign

Site Name

Site Location

Frequency

Power

KDO94

Akron

Akron

162.400

750

KZZ46

Athens

Elliottville

162.425

1000

WWF35

Bridgeport

Bridgeport

162.525

1000

KZZ47

Carey

Carey

162.525

300

KJY68

Chillicothe

Ross County

162.500

300

KHB59

Cleveland

Chesterland

162.550

500

KIG86

Columbus

Columbus

162.550

1000

WXJ46

Dayton

Miamisburg

162.475

1000

WNG698

Grafton

Lorain County

162.500

300

WXJ47

High Hill

High Hill

162.475

1000

WXJ93

Lima

Cridersville

162.400

1000

WWG57

Mansfield

Butler

162.450

300

WNG734

Marietta

Washington County

162.400

300

WNG735

New Philadelphia

Tuscarawas County

162.425

300

WXM69

Otway

Moon Ridge

162.525

1000

KHB97

Sandusky

Castalia

162.400

1000

WXL51

Toledo

Holland

162.500

300

WWG56

Youngstown

Youngstown

162.500

100

 

 

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