• Accomplishments:
  • Version 0.4 released (Feb 1)
  • MR on integrating Carl’s database written, submitted to Carl
• Risks:
  • Reduced software effort for first 6 weeks of Q2; will result in less ease-of-use for June tests
  • All desired user docs for June tests are still not complete, but are rapidly getting there
• Upcoming
  • Dana will being comparison of his code to new code
  • Meeting next week to discuss when a score is too low and how to display observers scheduling probabilities
  • Software team working on calendar to display windowed, fixed sessions

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

No significant events to report this week

Todd reported that the Pyrgeometer located at the Laser Lab was off-line. Jason and J.D. discovered that the corresponding Linux box was locked up and proceeded to fix the problem with a simple re-boot first thing this morming (08-FEB-08).

• Just routine maintenance this week, plus the zspectrometer installation.

• Normal spacecraft tracking last week.
• MIT/LL electronics issue in one of channels, suspended tracking Wed, Thurs, Friday
• Two engineeers from MIT/LL performed maintenance on trailer electronics.
• 43m Dewar pumped and temperatures now look good.
• Further tests of 43m high rate pointing planned.
• Operations likely in FY 2009
• New peak pattern is installed in 43m. Figure below.
  • To view latest peaks plots follow link:

Activities List

Activities List

Last Week =====

Observations for proposals GBT07C-094, BB240 , GBT07C-040, GBT08A-077, GBT08A-011, GBT07A-087, GBT08A-034, GBT07A-066, GBT08A-014, GBT05B-011, GBT07A-029, BG170 , GBT08A-072, GBT07A-094, GBT07A-040, GBT07A-051

Completed proposals GBT07C-094, BG170

Next Week ===== Observations scheduled for ** BB240 [ P ] Geoff Bower RIPL: Radio Interferometric PLanet Search GBT08A-020 [ B] Jason Hessels Completing the GBT350 Pulsar and Transient Survey of the North Galactic Plane BR125 [F ] Tim Robishaw The New Extragalactic Magnetometer: Zeeman Splitting in OH Megamasers GBT08A-076 [ B] Nissim Kanekar The nature of damped Lyman-alpha systems, as traced by their spin temperatures GBT08A-054 [ P ] Esteban Araya Correlated Variability of Astrophysical Masers II: Flares in IRAS18566+0408 GBT07C-084 [ B] Laura Kasian GBT Timing of a Young Highly Relativistic Binary Pulsar GBT08A-065 [F ] Don Campbell Surface Properties of Titan GBT07A-087 [ B] Paul Demorest Detecting nHz Gravitational Radiation using a Pulsar Timing Array GBT08A-066 [ P ] John Bally NH3 Survey of Galactic Plane Cloud Cores Selected at 1.1 mm with Bolocam GBT08A-077 [F B] Fernando Camilo Studying the magnetar XTE J1810-197 GBT08A-056 [ P ] Simon Dicker Observations with MUSTANG on the GBT at 3.3mm GBT08A-034 [F B] Bob Rood The Abundance Gradient in the Milky Way GBT07A-066 [FP ] Jim Braatz The Megamaser Cosmology Project GBT08A-057 [ B] Jennifer Donovan A Continuing Search for Wet Mergers in a Dry Sample GBT07A-034 [F ] Jim Braatz The Megamaser Cosmology Project: A Survey for H2O Masers in SDSS and 2MRS AGNs GBT08A-003 [ B] Steve Curran The Metallicity-21-cm Line Strength Relation in Damped Ly-alpha Absorbers GBT07B-034 [F B] Robert Ferdman Timing Binary and Millisecond Pulsars from the Parkes Multibeam Survey GBT07A-050 [ P ] Claudia Cyganowski Kinematics of Ionized and Molecular Gas Associated with IR Dust Bubbles GBT08A-073 [ B] Viswesh Marthi A deep search for associated HI 21cm absorption in red quasars GBT07C-082 [ B] James Aguirre Searching for Dark Matter Annihilations in Draco GBT07A-040 [ P ] Larry Weintraub Detecting the Origin of Arcminute Scale CMB Anisotropy GBT07A-051 [FP ] 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 02/21/2008 - 03/06/2008 =================================== Proposal PI Bands Email [NRAO contact]

Scheduled hours [backup] ==================== Category/Month-> February March April May Astronomy ~ 590 [334] 647 [554] 627 [484] 589 [374] Maintenance ~ 21 [068] 4 [102] 9 [102] 42 [051] Test & Comm ~ 72 [035] 60 [034] 49 [040] 31 [032] Un-assigned ~ 17 34 39 82

Proposal Checkouts #[hrs]* ===================== Awaiting checkout - 0[0] Active checkout - 0[0] On Hold - 0[0] Schedule - 114[3371] Completed - 537[6566] * All but completed queue applies to GBT only proposals

Current backlog of Reg & RRS proposals [hours prior to 08A*] = 1531 [2005:88(6), 2006:269(10), 2007:1174(49)] Backlog includes 67 hrs of monitoring projects 304 hrs of vlbi projects Total time to discharge [hours] = 5394 Includes 82 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

We supported 15 projects in 28 observing sessions, including 3 VLB runs. The telescope was also scheduled for 8.5 hrs of maintenance and 6 hrs of M&C tests. Lost time was 12 hrs (8.3%) of which almost 8 hrs was due to the weather. Of the 14 operators shifts, 7 were free of problems. The major causes of lost time were:

• Freezing rain - 7.9 hrs
• Antenna communication problem - 2.6 hrs
• Archivist (4 instances) - 0.5 hrs
• Spigot - 0.3 hrs
• Disk Space/User Error - 0.3 hrs
• Spectrometer - 0.2 hrs
• Astrid - 0.2 hrs

The Astrid, Archivist, and Antenna problems are probably all related and probably have a common cause. If so, the problem in total cost us 3.3 hrs. Joe will have more details.

Zpectrometer was placed on the telescope and turned on in preparation for observing this weekend or next week. No major news concerning Mustang.

• • Pointing
    • Azimuth track map from last week shows familiar structure, with small increase in tilt amplitude since September
    • However, there is an unexplained sinusoid in the Y inclinometer difference vs. azimuth that needs further study

• • OOF holography with Mustang and Q-band

• • Team meeting scheduled

• • Team meeting scheduled for next week

• • • Ongoing MUSTANG OOF analysis
    • Additional runs during MUSTANG observations over next few weeks

• • • Ongoing analysis of Mustang data compared to Q-band data; progress in python script development
    • Additional observations with different scan strategies are planned during MUSTANG runs over next few weeks

• GUPPI
  • Randy and Jason achieved a milestone this week by collecting data samples from a 400 MHz tone, shipping them off to a bee2 through the xaui ports, and processing them with a PFB/FFT into a nice spectrum. They continued on and have designed another design that ships the output of the PFB/FFT through the backplane to another FPGA, which then collects the data.
  • Glen is building a spectrometer for the 43m project for doing pointing.
  • Glen is also investigating a design from Peter McMahon? of MeerKAT?/CASPER that includes all the "backend" blocks we need to complete the first phase of GUPPI.
  • J.D. and our PCHS mentor student have installed a UPS, the 2 iBOBs, and space for the BEE in a rack in the tape room. It's kind of a low-key home for an ultimate pulsar processor.
• Other
  • Worked to include a library from Glenn Jones of JPL into our development tree.
  • Installed a new version of the CASPER library tarball into our development tree.
  • Sent out a call for papers from team members for URSI and a CASPER workshop

No significant events to report this week

• Accomplishments since last report
  • Zpectrometer installed on GBT this week.
• Upcoming activities
  • RCO Saturday or Monday

• Items/actions completed:
  • Sponsor tests of manager with tower and crate
  • Improvements to IDL analysis routines
    • Added calibration routine
    • Added opacity correction
    • Improved binary routines
    • Updated documentation

• Decisions made:
  • Observing plan completed; team to meet in GB week of Feb-11

• Items/actions in progress:
  • Completion of sponsor tests and bug fix for cycle
  • Research into vibration noise as a function of elevation
  • Drafting of housekeeping document/spec (Simon)

• Near-term activities (next ~2 weeks):
  • Close out development cycle and release resources assigned to other projects
  • Support MUSTANG team in GB

PTCS program -- John

PTCS program -- Todd/John

• Items/actions completed:
  • Team meeting scheduled
  • OOF Holography
    • Ongoing MUSTANG OOF analysis
    • Additional runs during MUSTANG observations over next few weeks
  • Servo Replacement
    • Created PTCS small groups, their charters, and team wiki pages
    • Created Servo Replacement Specification wiki (map attached)

• Near-term activities (next ~2 weeks):
  • Refine Servo Project software requirements (ongoing)
  • Update documentation/wikis (>2 wks)

nn Month 2008

08 February 2008

%META:TOPICINFO{author="AmyShelton" date="1202408880" format="1.0" version="1.1"}% %META:TOPICPARENT{name="CommissioningMeetings"}%

GBT Operations & Commissioning Meeting

nn Month 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
• 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

• Operational Support:
  • Fixed incorrect labeling in GFM Spectral Line Plugin
  • Minor BOS support
• PlanOfRecordC12008
• Next software release planned for the week of February 11, 2008 during a maintenance day.
  • 05 Feb 2008 - Integration Testing, 16:30-20:30
  • 06 Feb 2008 - Integration Testing, 16:30-20:30
  • 09 Feb 2008 - Regression Testing, 18:00-24:00 (paired with 11 Feb)
  • 11 Feb 2008 - Regression Testing, 18:00-24:00 (paired with 09 Feb)
• Reminder of new helpdesk
  • Visit the main Software GB wiki page for details (see top right-hand table)

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

Any other Business