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GBT Operations & Commissioning Meeting

9th June 2006

AGENDA

• Az Track, Antennae Report -- Bob
• Observing News -- Ron
• Scheduling Status -- Carl
• Microwave Electronics Status -- John
• Digital Electronics Status -- Rich
• Software Status -- Amy
• Pulsar Related -- Scott
• MIT/LL 43m Project -- Glen
• Any other Business

Az Track, Antennae Report -- Bob

• • The teflon shim material was produced this week by Enflo Corp. It should arrive next week. First component of the remediation!!
  • Bids closed for the bolt measuring equipment. Carol is awarding a P.O. to the lowest bidder. Both of these items are on budget.

• • The mechanics have been checking the bolts by torquing them to find bolts near failure this week.
  • Bob Goldizen replaced the tachometer on El motor 5, replaced the rest of the cable wrap switch, and repaired the B hoist high speed circuit.
  • We have 5 painters here this week. Weather has not been friendly. 3 more start Monday.

Observing News -- Ron

We supported 18 projects in 22 observing sessions, including 4 VLB runs. Average set up time was just under 10 minutes. The telescope was also scheduled for 42.5 hrs of maintenance and 5.5 hours of calibration tests.

Lost time was 4.9 hrs, about 4% of the time scheduled for tests and observing. Six operator shifts had no problems and another two had only no-lost-time problems. Almost all of the lost time was due to 2 hardware problems:

• Elevation Motor Controller : 2.2 hrs
• Subreflector Ethernet Module : 2.0 hrs
• Winds : 0.3 hrs
• Spectral Processor : 0.2 hrs
• Others (Astrid Hang, RFI, Stale Messages) : 0.3 hrs

There have been a few "LO1 5 MHz/1 PPS" lock failures over the past two weeks, a bit more than we've seen in some time. These are typically no-lost-time problems,

In other activities, we have worked out the support schedule through the end of August.

Scheduling Status -- Carl

Last Week
=========

Observations for proposals
   GBT06A-063, GV018     , GBT06A-054, 
   GD021     , GBT06B-021, GBT06B-023, 
   GBT04C-031, GBT06A-014, GBT04C-043, 
   GBT05C-023, GM062     , GBT05C-046, 
   GBT06A-007, GBT06B-029, GBT06A-019, 
   GBT06B-019, GBT06A-071

Completed proposals
   GV018, GM062, 
   GBT06A-007, GBT06A-019

Next Week
=========
Observations scheduled for **
  GBT06B-030 [F  ] Peter Martin
       Characterizing Dust Evolution in Intermediate     
       Velocity Clouds                                   
  GBT06A-053 [F  ] Scott Ransom
       Continued Timing of the Binary and Millisecond    
       Pulsars in Terzan 5                               
  GBT06B-031 [F  ] Michael Muno
       Searching for Pulsars in Massive Young Star       
       Clusters                                          
  GBT06B-032 [F  ] Steve Begin
       Timing of the Binary and Millisecond Pulsars in   
       M28                                               
  GBT05B-042 [F  ] Michael Kramer
       Timing and General Relativity in the Double       
       Pulsar System                                     
  GBT06B-022 [F  ] Martin Zwaan
       A search for molecules in CaII absorbers          
  GBT05C-042 [F  ] Scott Ransom
       Timing the Binary and Millisecond Pulsars in      
       NGC6440 and NGC6441                               
  GBT06A-046 [F  ] Glen Langston
       A search for the Largest Interstellar Molecule,   
       HC_13N                                            
  GBT06B-023 [F  ] Jeff Mangum
       Formaldehyde Densitometry of External Galaxies    
  GBT05C-022 [F  ] Jim Braatz
       The Accretion Disks and Supermassive Black Holes  
       in NGC 2273 and NGC 4051                          
  GBT05C-046 [F  ] Ingrid Stairs
       Timing of a Relativistic Binary and other Pulsars 
       from the Arecibo PALFA Survey                     
  GBT06B-028 [F  ] Ingrid Stairs
       Timing the Planet Pulsar in M4                    
  GBT06B-029 [F  ] Ginny McSwain
       Pulsars in Quiet Massive X-ray Binary Candidates  
  GBT06A-070 [F  ] Fernando Camilo
       A new radio transient                             
  GBT06A-061 [F  ] Martin Zwaan
       HI 21-cm absorption in MgII and CaII absorbers    
** Scheduled as F-ixed, P-rimary, B-ackup

Contact Information for 06/22/2006 - 07/06/2006
=======================================
Proposal   PI                 Bands Email [NRAO contact]    
---------- ------------------ ----- --------------------
GBT06B-040 Nissim Kanekar     U     nkanekar@nrao.edu [Scott Ransom]
GBT06B-030 Peter Martin       L     pgmartin@cita.utoronto.ca [Jay Lockman]
GBT06A-054 Paul Demorest      L     demorest@astron.berkeley.edu [Scott Ransom]
GBT06B-020 Karen O'Neil       L     koneil@nrao.edu [Karen O'Neil]
GBT06B-031 Michael Muno       8     mmuno@astro.ucla.edu [Scott Ransom]
GBT06B-021 Karen Masters      L     kmasters@cfa.harvard.edu [Frank Ghigo]
GBT05C-042 Scott Ransom       S     sransom@nrao.edu [Scott Ransom]
GBT06B-033 Jason Hessels      8     hessels@physics.mcgill.ca [Scott Ransom]
GBT06B-044 Robert Ferdman     L     ferdman@phas.ubc.ca [Scott Ransom]
GBT02A-053 Carl Heiles        LS    cheiles@astron.berkeley.edu []
BU031      Jim Ulvestad       S     julvesta@nrao.edu []
GBT06A-046 Glen Langston      U     glangsto@nrao.edu [Glen Langston]
GBT06B-045 Jack Hewitt        L     j-hewitt@northwestern.edu [Scott Ransom]
GBT06A-014 Andrea Tarchi      K     atarchi@ira.cnr.it [Jim Braatz]
GBT06B-035 Brian Kent         L     bkent@astro.cornell.edu [Frank Ghigo]
GBT06B-014 Paulo Freire       3     pfreire@naic.edu [Scott Ransom]
GBT05C-023 Fernando Camilo    8     fernando@astro.columbia.edu [Scott Ransom]
GBT06B-037 Joel Weisberg      L     jweisber@carleton.edu [Toney Minter]
GBT06B-049 Jean-Luc Margot    X     jlm@astro.cornell.edu [Frank Ghigo]
GBT06B-029 Ginny McSwain      S8    mcswain@astro.yale.edu [Scott Ransom]
GBT06B-019 Toney Minter       L     tminter@nrao.edu [Toney Minter]
GBT06A-072 Vicky Kaspi        S     vkaspi@physics.mcgill.ca []

Scheduled hours [backup]
========================
Category/Month-> June      July      August    September 
    Astronomy ~  419 [048] 499 [126] 376 [063] 448 [282] 
  Maintenance ~  174       145       200        40 [068] 
  Test & Comm ~  123 [005]  79 [014] 114 [005] 153 [021] 
  Un-assigned ~    4        21        54        79       

Proposal Checkouts
==================
Awaiting checkout - 0
  Active checkout - 0
          On Hold - 20
         Schedule - 76
        Completed - 503


Current backlog [hours prior to 06B*] = 1118
   [2001:2(1), 2002:60(1), 2003:19(1), 2004:107(7), 2005:537(22), 2006:393(23)]
   Backlog excluding 139 hrs of monitoring projects after 06B = 979
Total time to discharge [hours] = 2878
   Includes 419 hours of monitoring after trimester 06B
* Includes projects that are on hold for trimester 06B

Microwave Electronics Status -- John

Work continues on the testing. Some problems with the Lab spectrometer have slowed Q band testing. Ka Band is nearly ready to connect up to the lab spectrometer after having been taken apart and checked for loose parts and trash in the waveguides.

C band upgrade Upgrade continues with procurement, test fixture fabrication, and preparations for component tests.

Other LO1 Reference system fiber length tuned this week. Pintle Room phone repaired

Digital Electronics Status -- Rich

***Operations, Problem summary***

There are no significant digital hardware problems to report this week.

***Development***

Cal-Tech Continuum Backend (CCB):

The 2nd CCB is now complete and awaiting tests with the receiver.

The Power Input Module in the original CCB was modified this week to make it identical to the improved power module in the second CCB

Lab Spectrometer

The 6 GHz evaluation scope was used to identify and fix problems in a second Lab Spectrometer sampler. We also spent some time with the LeCroy? representative to discuss details of a quotation that he will prepare for us.

Active Surface

Maintenance work on the active surface has started this week and will occupy a fair fraction of Jason and JD’s time for the next several weeks. It appears that about 25 actuators will require a trip under the surface.

***Plans***

- Continue CCB construction...
- Continue Lab Spectrometer sampler testing
- Continue Active Surface maintenance...
- Continue ALMA support as needed...

Randy and Rich

Software Status -- Amy

This ends Week 4 of 6 in the fourth development cycle of 2006 which can be viewed at PlanOfRecordC42006.

Operational support for this week included:

• Antenna having problems communicating with SCU
• Elevation tachometer failure recovery
• Evaluated differences in user's installed aips++ filler vs stable GB aips++ filler
• Changed hot antenna spare from algol to donna

Summary of Cycle 4 MRs:

• MRs with sponsor approval:
  • Create Linux Quadrant Detector Manager (ModificationRequest9C306)(Pending CCC approval)
  • Allow Saving of Invalid Scheduling Blocks (ModificationRequest4C805)(CCC approved)
  • Add LST Capabilities to Scheduling Blocks (ModificationRequest14C306) (CCC approved)
  • Implement CCB Self-Test (ModificationRequest10C306) (CCC approved)
  • Software Fix for Spectrometer "Bad Lags" (ModificationRequest15C306) (Pending CCC approval)
  • Balancing Project:
    • Get, Set, and Change Attenuators (ModificationRequest8C505)(Pending CCC approval)
    • IF Rack: Change messages to indicate non-balance and non-linearity (ModificationRequest10C505)(Pending CCC approval)
• MRs being written:
  • Integrate F. Schwab's Antenna Trajectory Algorithm & Test (ModificationRequest2C306)
  • Create Penn Array Manager (ModificationRequest3C406)
  • Balancing Project:
    • Converter Rack: Add Ability to Set Power Levels and to Balance to those Levels (ModificationRequest4C505)
    • Change Spectrometer Warning Messages During Balance (ModificationRequest9C505)
    • Multiple sampling for Balancing procedures to diminish RFI effects (ModificationRequest11C505)

Pulsar Related -- Scott

MIT/LL 43m Project -- Glen

Tracking was suspended Tuesday to Thursday for computer hardware work in the MIT/LL trailer. A work around was in place for Friday June 9.

Testing Steve W.'s new up/down conversion unit that allows 43m use of GASP. Initial tests are good. Still challenged by Signal to Noise ratio for astronomical observations above 1 GHz, due to high system temp. This should be improved by cooled LNA to be installed at end of the summer.

Any other Business