The program was first set up in 1997 by National Data Buoy Center (NDBC), a part of the National Weather Service (NWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  In 2007 it greatly improved the system by adding the Great Lakes and several shore stations.
 
Dial-A-Buoy is a service that allows mariners to get condition reports from weather buoy's via phone.  The report will give you wind directions, speed, gust, significant wave height, swell and wind-wave heights and periods, air temperature, water temperature and sea level pressure.  

 

It is updated once every hour and several Coastal stations allow you to obtain a forecast.
 
Using Dial-A-Buoy
Call 888-701-8992
 
If you know the station number:

1. Press 1 for weather reports
2. Enter the 5 digit station identifier.  (Some coastal stations use letters.  Simply use the number that corresponds to that letter, i.e. input 5 for J, K or L)
3. Press 1 to confirm the station number
4. The system will then find your station and read the weather within the last hour.
5. Press 1 to hear again Or Press 2 for more options.

1. Press 2 at the beginning of the call
2. Enter your Latitude and Longitude.
3. The system will find the nearest station and give you the weather for that station.

• CG Sector Mobile, AL: MCGA1
• Dauphin Island, AL: DPIA1
• Gulf Port Outer Range, MS: GPOM6
• New Canal, LA: NWCL1
• Bayou Gauche, LA: BYGL1
• Calcasieu Pass, LA: CAPL1
• Sabine Pass, TX: SRST2
• Rollover Pass, TX: RLOT2
• Galveston Pier 21, TX: GTOT2
• Morgan's Point, TX: MGPT2
• USCG Freeport, TX: FCGT2
• Matagorda Bay, Port O'Conner, TX: PCNT2
• Port Aransas, TX: RTAT2
• Baffin Bay, Port of Rocks, TX: BABT2
• Rincon Del San Jose, Portero Lopeno SW: RSJT2
• Port Isabel, TX: PTIT2

A Towboat propeller consists of a hub and typically 4 blades, spaced equally around the axis.  The tip is the point most distant from the hub.  The root of the blade is the area where the blade arm joins the hub.  The leading edge is the edge that first cuts the water.

When the wood screw turns through wood or a solid medium, that advance forward is set.  One revolution of the screw advances the actual distance of the pitch.   A marine propeller is turning in a liquid medium which allows it to skip or skid along the path.  The difference between the theoretical advance or pitch and the actual advance through the water is called the slip. 
 
The set of the pitch of a propeller is dictated by the horsepower of the driving engine.  Set the pitch too great, and the engine will not reach max rpm.  Too little pitch and the engine will quickly come up to rpm but will not produce the expected horsepower. 

• damage to the prop from striking an underwater object can knock a blade or blades out of pitch. This will set up unequal forces while rotating. 
• unbalanced propeller....more weight on one side vs. the other can cause vibration and loping.
• cavitation can be caused by a poorly designed prop operating at high rpm's.

A "singing" propeller is caused by poor preparation of the trailing edges of the prop before installation.