• See http://wiki.gb.nrao.edu/bin/view/Mechanical/WebHome for shop work schedule - updated 2/28/08

• Operational Support:
  • Nothing significant
• PlanOfRecordC32008

Both elevators are available for operation again. The rest of this week's maintenance time was consumed by receiver changes.

The "sense" of wind directions has now been corrected and verified to indicate winds "OUT OF" any given direction.

• Accomplishments:
  • Dana worked with the software group on the statistics plots, fixing a few minor bugs and understanding the code.
  • The overall look and feel of the project pages has been greatly improved
  • Work on completing the project database was begun
  • Version 0 of the user's manual was completed
  • The project team was expanded to include Jules Harnett (Jim Braatz joined two weeks ago)
  • We are now the full, desired team size for the summer tests
• Upcoming
  • The user's manual will be changed in response to comments
  • The projects interface will be completed by Friday of next week for release to the project astronomers
  • The full database will be completednext week and updated with all backlog projects
• Concerns
  • 8 more weeks to go

• Team meeting and updates on summer MUSTANG work
  • http://wiki.gb.nrao.edu/bin/view/Pennarray/MustangPlanningMar08notes
• MUSTANG safely removed from telescope.
• Development of instrument failure scenarios and mitigation/restoration/escalation plans
• Upcoming items:
  • MUSTANG to return to UPenn 10-April
  • Develop contents and planned dates for summer MUSTANG/YGOR releases

• Servo replacement spec development
• Active Surface actuator repeatability and surface error tests
• System Design and Modeling small group meetings
• Upcoming items:
  • Sponsor testing of Holography Manager

There was some concern that we would not be able to execute some key science projects if we were not able to repair the elevator and execute 2 receiver removals and 2 receiver installations. Do to the hard work of many, some good weather, all was done as we had hoped.

We supported 22 projects in 31 observing sessions. The telescope was also scheduled for 16.5 hrs of maintenance. Lost time was low -- 4.6 hrs or 3% -- and was due mostly to the weather.

• Freezing rain - 2.4 hrs
• Winds - 2 instances - 0.6 hrs
• Active Surface - 2 instances - 0.3 hrs
• Wrong VLB scheduling block - 0.3 hrs
• Bad Pointing due to weather - 0.3 hrs
• Servo Turret - 0.3 hrs
• GFM - 0.2 hrs
• Spectral Processor - 0.2 hrs
• Az Transducer Fault - 0.1 hrs

As I suspected, the lost time reported last week was misreported and was high by about 1 hr.

Both Zpec and Mustang are off the telescope after very successful first season observing.

PTCS program -- John

PTCS program -- Marty

• GUPPI
  • Got spectra out of it and onto disk this week. Maybe Scott or Randy has an update?
  • Worked through a bunch of little problems, got fast help from Wolfgang when needed!
• Nothing else on CICADA

• OOF Holography
  • Status telecon to be held later this morning

• This week we first removed Mustang, Zpectrometer, and then installed C band and Ku band receivers.
• The receivers are ready for use.
• Completed the replacement of a pin diode switch in CM15. Qualified for use.

• A target date for testing a single pixel receiver on the GBT needs to be addressed. (Late Summer?).
• The other components are progressing toward completing a single pixel as scheduled.

• Mostly normal tracking. Tracking shutdown on April 1 at 9:30 PM. Pete cleared the 43m for motion after a system check. Tim Weadon is examining.
• Plans continue to be developed for Front End and Trailer upgrades.
• MIT/LL requested that we take the low frequency feed off on Monday April 14. Rx Box should be put in the 43m control room.

%META:TOPICMOVED{by="RonMaddalena" date="1207246286" from="Observing.CommissioningMeeting04Apr28" to="Observing.CommissioningMeeting08Apr04"}%

Activities List

Activities List

Last Week =====

Observations for proposals BB251 , GBT07C-072, GBT07A-086, GBT08A-043, GBT08A-011, GBT07C-030, GBT08A-077, GBT07A-087, GBT07A-066, GBT07C-086, GBT08A-057, GBT08A-047, GBT07C-033, GBT06C-033, GBT08A-090, GBT07A-029, GBT07C-049, GBT07B-029, GBT08A-082, GBT08A-083, GBT07A-094, GBT07A-051, GBT07C-060

Completed proposals BB251, GBT07C-072, GBT08A-090

Next Week ===== Observations scheduled for ** BB240 [ P ] Geoff Bower RIPL: Radio Interferometric PLanet Search GBT08A-020 [F ] Jason Hessels Completing the GBT350 Pulsar and Transient Survey of the North Galactic Plane GBT08A-043 [ B] Jeremy Darling An OH Megamaser Survey at z~1 GBT08A-054 [ P ] Esteban Araya Correlated Variability of Astrophysical Masers II: Flares in IRAS18566+0408 GBT08A-033 [ B] Mike Blanton Testing the cold dark matter mass function with dwarf disk galaxies GBT08A-011 [F ] Maura McLaughlin? Continued Radio Timing Observations of RRAT Sources GBT07C-030 [ P ] Joel Bregman The Detection of Redshifted Hot Baryons with the NVII Line GBT08A-077 [F ] Fernando Camilo Studying the magnetar XTE J1810-197 GBT07C-086 [ P ] Pat Thaddeus A Survey of C6H- and C6H in Carbon Chain Sources in the Galaxy GBT07A-066 [ P ] Jim Braatz The Megamaser Cosmology Project GBT08A-068 [ B] Ryan Johnson Detecting merger activity among galactic cluster pairs GBT08A-057 [F B] Jennifer Donovan A Continuing Search for Wet Mergers in a Dry Sample GBT08A-014 [ B] Jay Lockman On the Trail of Smith's Cloud GBT07C-066 [ B] Jack Hewitt The Origins of Thermal Emission from Interacting Supernova Remnant G359.1-0.5 GBT08A-047 [ B] Chris Carilli First limits to the IGM during cosmic reionization using the H 2p-2s transition GBT07B-034 [F B] Robert Ferdman Timing Binary and Millisecond Pulsars from the Parkes Multibeam Survey BM267 [F ] Bob Mutel Time-Lapse Imaging of Algol's Radio Magnetosphere GBT08A-039 [ B] Dana Balser Magnetic Fields in Photo-Dissociation Regions GBT05C-027 [ P ] Jeff Mangum An Exact Identification of High Densities in Molecular Clouds GBT05A-029 [ P ] Paul VandenBout? Search for Cold Molecular Gas at High Redshift GBT08A-082 [ B] Min Yun Probing Distribution and Physical Characteristics of HI Clouds in Galaxy Halos GBT08A-072 [F ] Helene Courtois Bulk motions of filaments in the Local Universe GBT08A-083 [F B] Daniela Goncalves The North Celestial Pole Loop GBT08A-040 [ P ] Pat Thaddeus A Search for the Negative Molecular Ions C4H-, C3N-, and CH2CN- GBT07A-051 [ P ] Mike Hollis A GBT Legacy Survey of Prebiotic Molecules Toward SgrB2?(N-LMH) and TMC-1 ** Scheduled as F-ixed, P-rimary, B-ackup

Contact Information for 04/17/2008 - 05/01/2008 =================================== Proposal PI Bands Email [NRAO contact]

Scheduled hours [backup] ==================== Category/Month-> April May Astronomy ~ 637 [474] 599 [361] Maintenance ~ 26 [068] 42 [051] Test & Comm ~ 53 [008] 43 [032] Un-assigned ~ 5 60

Proposal Checkouts #[hrs]* ===================== Awaiting checkout - 0[0] Active checkout - 0[0] On Hold - 0[0] Schedule - 114[2497] Completed - 537[6539] * All but completed queue applies to GBT only proposals

Current backlog of Reg & RRS proposals [hours prior to 08A*] = 1197 [2005:63(5), 2006:194(10), 2007:940(43)] Backlog includes 73 hrs of monitoring projects 274 hrs of vlbi projects Total time to discharge [hours] = 4241 Includes 119 hours++ of monitoring (not Large or Spec) after trimester 08A

1. 1. 1. 1. hours of Regular & RRS proposals
         2. hours of Large proposals
         3. hours of VLBI proposals

• The Zpectrometer was removed from the telescope on April 2.

%META:TOPICINFO{author="RonMaddalena" date="1207233840" format="1.0" version="1.1"}% %META:TOPICPARENT{name="CommissioningMeetings"}%

GBT Operations & Commissioning Meeting

04 Apr 2008

GB137 and by video-con from CV-Conf

AGENDA

• Upcoming Activities -- Carl
• Operations
  • Scheduling Status -- Carl
  • Observing News -- Ron
  • Commissioning Plans -- Ron
  • GBT Telescope Operations -- Bob
  • Mechanical Division Operations -- Dennis
  • Microwave Electronics Operations -- Steve
  • Digital Electronics Operations -- Randy
  • RFI Group Operations -- Carla
  • Software Operations -- Amy
  • Computing and Network Operations -- Chris
  • Business Services -- Mike
  • 43m Operations -- Glen
• Project and Development Work
  • Dynamic Scheduling -- Karen
  • MUSTANG -- Brian
  • PTCS program -- John
  • CICADA program -- John
  • Ka-band Rx / Zpectrometer -- Galen
  • K-band Focal Plane Array -- Steve
  • Other Project Notes
• Upcoming Meetings
• Any other Business

Upcoming Activities -- Carl

Operations

Scheduling Status -- Carl

Observing News -- Ron

Commissioning Plans -- Ron

GBT Telescope Operations -- Bob

Mechanical Division Operations -- Dennis

Microwave Electronics Operations -- Steve

Digital Electronics Operations -- Randy

RFI Group Operations -- Carla

Software Operations -- Amy

Computing and Network Operations -- Chris

Business Services -- Mike

43m Operations -- Glen

Project and Development Work

Dynamic Scheduling -- Karen

MUSTANG -- Brian

PTCS program -- John

CICADA program -- John

Ka-band Rx / Zpectrometer -- Galen

K-band Focal Plane Array -- Steve

Other Project Notes

Upcoming Meetings

Any other Business

-- RonMaddalena - 03 Apr 2008