Nothing to report. A very quiet week.

• See http://wiki.gb.nrao.edu/bin/view/Mechanical/WebHome for shop work schedule - updated 4/24/08

• Operational Support:
  • Minor BOS support
  • Astrid hanging because of corrupted ports on earth.
  • GBTIDL user support for issues related to large file sizes.
• PlanOfRecordC32008

• The MIT/LL crew upgraded their computer system, IF electronics and installed the 1.5 to 3 GHz feed.
• Thanks to everyone who helped the MIT/LL crew the last two weeks.
• Measurements by Gary and Jonah indicate the Kildal feed has a good pattern in the frequency range 150 to 500 MHz.
• Regular operations resumes on Tuesday April 29.
• Rich Bradley and Rohit Gawande hope to test their 500 to 3000 MHz feed on the 43m some time in the next month.

We supported 21 projects in 34 observing sessions, including 4 VLB sessions. The telescope was also scheduled for maintenance (16 hrs) and servo tests (2 hrs). Lost time was low -- 3.4 hrs, 2.2% -- and came from:

• Earth reboot (Grail/Astrid RPC problems) : 2.5 hrs
• Telescope schedule conflict : 0.25 hrs
• Observer no-show : 0.25 hrs
• Winds : 0.23 hrs
• Unexpected Safe Hold Mode (2 instances) : 0.09 hrs
• Operator error : 0.08 hrs

The safe-hold problems were very atypical and occurred within a few minutes of each other but haven't happened again since last weekend. One observer was informed of a later start time than that given to the operators and the receiver was ready before the observer was ready (i.e., it was our fault). The Earth/Grail/Astrid problem was also atypical.

Dynamic Scheduling -- Karen

Dynamic Scheduling -- Karen (2 week report)

• Accomplishments:
  • First review of DSS to telescope operators
  • Version 0.7 released
  • Actual database uploaded
  • Overview calendar complete
  • Web page for observer information updated
• Coming up
  • Begin training science support staff
  • Continue working with telescope operators
  • Operations MR begin worked on
  • Weather history being developed
  • User's manual almost complete
• Concerns
  • Only 5 more weeks until release

• Holography-
  • [Todd?]

• OOF Holography
  • As of last night, the latest OOF software from Bojan has been compiled and executed on prospero. Next we need to itemize the various libraries that will need to be updated in Astrid etc. before it can be incorporated into the system.
  • First draft written for MR8C308 (to add a thermal Zernike model to active surface manager)
• Traditional holography
  • Last Friday, a location was found for the holography reference receiver that can coexist with RFI monitoring station -- adjacent to, but offset toward the elevator side. Measurements were made and mechanical drawings of the box and tube have been created.
  • Fred is modeling the required accuracy for position knowledge. Preliminary result is somewhere in the 10-20 cm range. A survey will likely be made sometime after it is installed.

• • On telescope tests
    • New velocity generation for pointing model
    • Test pointing update command ‘glitches’

• • On-telescope tests of recently-completed servo MRs (Monday night)
    • Minor bug fix for the velocity generation for pointing model (removes the possibility of an oscillation caused by the hysteresis term)
    • Temporal smoothing of dynamic correction pointing updates (which can otherwise cause command ‘glitches’)

• • Traditional holography manager testing

• Nothing to report

• Nothing to report

• MUSTANG 'cold' at UPenn and soon available for remote VNC access after some connectivity issues sorted
• Housekeeping section of YGOR manager under development

PTCS program -- John

PTCS program -- Marty

• Servo-
  • Proof-of-concept for MATLAB to C++ code conversion
• Holography-
  • [Todd?]
• Upcoming activities-
  • On telescope tests
    • New velocity generation for pointing model
    • Test pointing update command ‘glitches’
  • PLC Interlock acceptance testing (Az/El)

Activities List

Activities List

Last Week =====

Observations for proposals BB240 , GBT08A-020, GBT08A-075, GBT08A-033, GBT08A-077, GBT07A-087, GBT07C-086, GBT07A-066, BL156 , GBT07C-066, GBT08A-047, GBT08A-037, GBT08A-027, GBT07C-057, GBT07B-025, GBT07C-049, GBT07B-029, GBT05A-029, BB242 , GBT08A-040, GBT07C-060

Completed proposals BL156, GBT07C-066, GBT08A-027, GBT07C-057

Next Week ===== Observations scheduled for ** BB240 [FP ] 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-021 [F B] Jeff Mangum Formaldehyde Densitometry of IR-Bright Galaxies GBT08A-043 [F B] Jeremy Darling An OH Megamaser Survey at z~1 GBT07B-031 [ P ] Steven Majewski Proper Motions of the Sagittarius Tidal Stream and the Shape of the Halo GBT08A-033 [F B] Mike Blanton Testing the cold dark matter mass function with dwarf disk galaxies GBT07A-087 [F ] Paul Demorest Detecting nHz Gravitational Radiation using a Pulsar Timing Array GBT08A-014 [F B] Jay Lockman On the Trail of Smith's Cloud GBT07C-033 [F ] Jason Hessels Follow-up Studies of Recent GBT Pulsar Discoveries GBT08A-047 [F B] Chris Carilli First limits to the IGM during cosmic reionization using the H 2p-2s transition GBT07C-056 [ P ] Jeremy Darling Formaldehyde in the Gravitational Lens PKS 1830-211 GBT08A-039 [F ] Dana Balser Magnetic Fields in Photo-Dissociation Regions GBT07C-005 [ B] Jeff Mangum Formaldehyde Densitometry of IR-Bright Galaxies GBT07C-049 [ P ] Jaime Pineda The COMPLETE GBT Ammonia Mapping of Perseus GBT08A-081 [F B] Kevin Bandura HI Brightness Mapping of DEEP2 Fields GBT08A-082 [F ] Min Yun Probing Distribution and Physical Characteristics of HI Clouds in Galaxy Halos GBT08A-062 [F ] Jeremy Darling A "Blind'' HI Absorption Pilot Survey of the Local Universe GBT08A-040 [ P ] Pat Thaddeus A Search for the Negative Molecular Ions C4H-, C3N-, and CH2CN- GBT08A-041 [F B] Jeremy Darling Formaldehyde Absorption in the Gravitational Lens PKS 1830-211 GBT07A-051 [ P ] Mike Hollis A GBT Legacy Survey of Prebiotic Molecules Toward SgrB2?(N-LMH) and TMC-1 GBT07C-060 [F ] Fernando Camilo GLAST timing at GBT: six key radio-faint pulsars ** Scheduled as F-ixed, P-rimary, B-ackup

Contact Information for 05/08/2008 - 05/22/2008 =================================== Proposal PI Bands Email [NRAO contact]

Scheduled hours [backup] ==================== Category/Month-> April May June July Astronomy ~ 634 [083] 574 [354] 263 [002] 253 Maintenance ~ 60 43 [051] 167 195 Test & Comm ~ 26 48 [034] 7 0 Un-assigned ~ 0 79 284 298

Proposal Checkouts #[hrs]* ===================== Awaiting checkout - 0[0] Active checkout - 0[0] On Hold - 0[0] Schedule - 114[2264] Completed - 537[6535] * All but completed queue applies to GBT only proposals

Current backlog of Reg & RRS proposals [hours prior to 08A*] = 1092 [2005:56(5), 2006:194(10), 2007:842(41)] Backlog includes 112 hrs of monitoring projects 254 hrs of vlbi projects Total time to discharge [hours] = 4997 Includes 276 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

• Gave talk to CV NTC about the CICADA program, and about the CASPER program. We talked about how some of this might be used in our receivers and IF systems in the near future.
• GUPPI
  • Working on fixing timing problems in designs so they will work at 1.6 Gs/s
  • Working on problem causing a slip of a few bins in spectrum
  • Packaged up the machine in one chassis
  • Patrick, Amy, and ROn have made good progress on control software
  • Scott and Paul have gotten the data collection software going.
  • Took data on GBT and 43m last week

Accelerometer #4 (located at the vertex) was restored to service by replacing a faulty RS-232 driver chip in its companion GDAQ unit.

• Upcoming activities: A. Harris, UMd, will be performing upgrades to the Zpec hardware sometime this summer.

%META:TOPICINFO{author="RonMaddalena" date="1209046230" format="1.0" version="1.1"}% %META:TOPICPARENT{name="CommissioningMeetings"}%

GBT Operations & Commissioning Meeting

25 April 2008

GB137 and by video-con from CV-Conf

AGENDA

• Upcoming Activities -- Carl
• Operations
  • Scheduling Status -- Carl
  • Observing News -- 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

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 - 24 Apr 2008