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GBT Operations & Commissioning Meeting

12 May 2006

AGENDA

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

Az Track, Antennae Report -- Bob

• • No new developments on the track project. We continue to try to resolve one technical issue with the baseplate steel supplier.
  • We received fatigue stress vs. cycles data from a heat treating specialist. The material looks very good for the spring plates for the 140'. I have written a specification, revised the drawing and sent it out for comment. Should be able to give Carol a package for quotation early next week.
  • A telescope mechanic suffered burns to his face this week while spraying a lubricant on a hoist cable. The vapor accumulated in the hoist enclosure and erupted in a fireball, which singed facial hair and slight burns to face and eyeballs. The following should be passed along to employees as follows: * Many aerosol cans contain flammable liquids that vaporize: most lubricants, WD40, PAM cooking spray. * These should not be used where there is any source of heat - the eye of the stove,sparks from electrical equipment, etc. * The consequences of this accident were greatly reduced by the employee having on his safety glasses. * This lubricant was used outdoors, but there was very little air movement, which helped hold the vapor in place. * Always contact your supervisor immediately to assist in getting aid,investigating the accident, etc.

Observing News -- Ron

At the time I wrote this report, we've not had a moment of lost time, even during setups, since 9 AM on Monday. Of the 14 operator shifts, only 5 had any lost time.

We supported 14 projects in 31 observing sessions, with an average setup time of 15 minutes. The telescope was also scheduled for 10 hrs of maintenance, 13 hrs of software tests for the upcoming release, and 8 hrs for a PTCS pointing run. We lost 3.3 hrs to problems, about 2% of the time scheduled for observing and PTCS tests. About 1.7 hrs of that was from a single incident when we had a miscommunication between us and a remote observer as to whether they were to observe. Toney rushed in to pick up the time.

Other problems include:

• Spectral Processor (2 incidents) : 0.5 hrs
• RFI (2 incidents) : 0.5 hrs
• Antenna Manager/CLEO : 0.3 hrs
• Astrid (2 incident) : 0.2 hrs

There was also 2 reboots of Titania when it locked up. Victor needed rebooting at one point. And a few observers had copies of a configuration files that wouldn't allow Astrid to run properly.

Scheduling Status -- Carl

Last Week
=========

Observations for proposals
   GBT06A-063, GBT05B-042, GBT05C-042, 
   GBT06A-046, GBT06A-014, GBT06A-047, 
   GBT06A-026, GBT05C-046, GBT06A-049, 
   GBT06A-027, GBT06B-019, GBT06A-070, 
   GBT05C-019, GBT06A-061

Completed proposals
   GBT05C-019

Next Week
=========
Observations scheduled for **
  GBT06A-063 [  B] Martin Zwaan
       Where are the molecular absorption lines?         
  GBT06A-065 [F  ] Rachel Friesen
       Probing the initial conditions of star formation  
       in Ophiuchus                                      
  GBT06A-011 [ P ] Mike Blanton
       HI Content and Dynamics of Dwarf Disk Galaxies    
  GBT06A-056 [ P ] Paul Kondratko
       Are there Unrecognized NGC4258-like Systems Among 
       Known Water Masers in AGN?                        
  GBT06A-046 [F B] Glen Langston
       A search for the Largest Interstellar Molecule,   
       HC_13N                                            
  GBT05B-034 [F  ] Ingrid Stairs
       Timing Binary and Millisecond Pulsars from the    
       Parkes Multibeam Survey                           
  GBT06A-047 [FP ] Miguel Angel Requena-Torres
       Complex Molecules in the Galactic Center          
       molecular clouds                                  
  GBT06A-027 [  B] Karen Masters
       Mapping Matter in the Nearby Universe with 2MASS  
  GBT06A-049 [FP ] Tony Readhead
       Definitive Detection of Excess Arcminute Scale    
       CMB Anisotropies                                  
  GBT06A-039 [  B] Fernando Camilo
       Deep Searches of Three Pulsar Wind Nebulae        
  GBT05C-037 [F B] Nissim Kanekar
       Measuring changes in fundamental constants with   
       redshifted OH  lines                              
  GBT06A-070 [ P ] Fernando Camilo
       A new radio transient                             
  GBT06A-050 [F  ] Steve Begin
       Timing of the Binary and Millisecond Pulsars in   
       M28, NGC6624 and NGC6522                          
  GBT06A-061 [F B] Martin Zwaan
       HI 21-cm absorption in MgII and CaII absorbers    
** Scheduled as F-ixed, P-rimary, B-ackup

Contact Information for 05/25/2006 - 06/08/2006
=======================================
Proposal   PI                 Bands Email [NRAO contact]    
---------- ------------------ ----- --------------------
GBT06A-063 Martin Zwaan       L     mzwaan@eso.org [Karen O'Neil]
GV018      Nissim Kanekar     8     nkanekar@nrao.edu []
GBT06A-020 Laurent Wiesenfeld X     Laurent.Wiesenfeld@ujf-grenoble.fr [Ron Maddalena]
GBT06A-054 Paul Demorest      L     demorest@astron.berkeley.edu [Scott Ransom]
GD021      Phil Diamond       L     pdiamond@jb.man.ac.uk []
GBT06B-021 Karen Masters      L     kmasters@cfa.harvard.edu [Frank Ghigo]
GBT06A-066 David Nidever      L     dnidever@virginia.edu [Jay Lockman]
GBT05C-042 Scott Ransom       S     sransom@nrao.edu [Scott Ransom]
GBT06B-022 Martin Zwaan       A     mzwaan@eso.org [Larry Morgan]
GBT06B-023 Jeff Mangum        CU    jmangum@nrao.edu [Frank Ghigo]
GBT06B-045 Jack Hewitt        L     j-hewitt@northwestern.edu [Scott Ransom]
BB219      Michael Bietenholz X     mbieten@yorku.ca []
GBT05C-043 Nissim Kanekar     Q     nkanekar@nrao.edu [Dana Balser]
GBT04C-031 Paul Kondratko     K     pkondrat@cfa.harvard.edu [Jim Braatz]
GBT06A-046 Glen Langston      U     glangsto@nrao.edu [Glen Langston]
GBT05C-065 Jim Braatz         K     jbraatz@nrao.edu [Jim Braatz]
GBT06A-014 Andrea Tarchi      K     atarchi@ira.cnr.it [Jim Braatz]
GBT04C-043 Scott Ransom       8     sransom@nrao.edu [Scott Ransom]
GBT05B-034 Ingrid Stairs      L     istairs@astro.ubc.ca [Scott Ransom]
GBT05C-066 Tony Remijan       UK    aremijan@nrao.edu []
GBT06A-004 William Reach      K     reach@ipac.caltech.edu [Toney Minter]
GBT05C-023 Fernando Camilo    8     fernando@astro.columbia.edu [Scott Ransom]
GM062      M. Orienti         L     orienti@ira.inaf.it []
GBT06A-026 Nissim Kanekar     8     nkanekar@nrao.edu [Toney Minter]
GBT05C-046 Ingrid Stairs      L     istairs@astro.ubc.ca [Scott Ransom]
GBT06A-038 Tom Troland        L     troland@pa.uky.edu [Jay Lockman]
GBT06A-007 Andrea Possenti    S     possenti@ca.astro.it [Scott Ransom]
GBT06A-018 Joe McMullin       Q     jmcmulli@nrao.edu [Dana Balser]
GBT05C-037 Nissim Kanekar     A     nkanekar@nrao.edu [Glen Langston]
GBT06B-029 Ginny McSwain      S8    mcswain@astro.yale.edu [Scott Ransom]
GBT06A-019 Rachel Osten       S     ro6b@Virginia.EDU [Scott Ransom]
GBT06B-019 Toney Minter       L     tminter@nrao.edu [Toney Minter]
GBT06A-009 Jim Condon         K     jcondon@nrao.edu [Jim Braatz]

Scheduled hours [backup]
========================
Category/Month-> May       June      July      August    
    Astronomy ~  557 [208] 400 [110] 504 [126] 412 [063] 
  Maintenance ~   35 [034] 174       145       200       
  Test & Comm ~  142 [021] 128 [013]  80 [014] 116 [005] 
  Un-assigned ~   10        19        15        17       

Proposal Checkouts
==================
Awaiting checkout - 0
  Active checkout - 4
          On Hold - 21
         Schedule - 84
        Completed - 484


Current backlog [hours prior to 06A*] = 916
   [2001:2(1), 2002:88(2), 2003:19(1), 2004:107(7), 2005:572(24), 2006:128(3)]
   Backlog excluding 111 hrs of monitoring projects after 06A = 806
Total time to discharge [hours] = 3225
   Includes 333 hours of monitoring after trimester 06A
* Includes projects that are on hold for trimester 06A

Microwave Electronics Status -- Roger

Operations:

The Q-band rx vacuum leak was repaired and the receiver will be reinstalled as soon as the weather allows. Spot testing indicates it should perform as before, but users should be skeptical of calibration because both the feed vacuum window and one of the noise source injection WR22 windows were replaced.

PF2 was installed on Thursday.

Development:

Much of the group was in the Inventor training class this week - think of it as an investment.

Galen is getting close to testing an integrated converter module (for use with the Lab Spectrometer). Most of the constituent assemblies have been individually tested and look satisfactory.

We accomplished a major milestone this week - the Q-band receiver was tested with the Lab Spectrometer and we saw the unstable baselines behaving the way seen on the telescope. This bodes well for identifying the cause this summer.

Digital Electronics Status -- Rich

***Operations, Problem summary***

There are no significant problems to report this week.

***Development***

Cal-Tech Continuum Backend (CCB):

There was little progress due to the inventor class.

Lab Spectrometer

There was little progress due to the inventor class. However, Roger did use the spectrometer to monitor the Q-band receiver this week and it performed “flawlessly”.

***Plans***

- Continue CCB construction...
- Continue Lab Spectrometer commissioning
- Continue ALMA support as needed...

Randy and Rich

Software Status -- Amy

This ends Week 6 of 6 in the third development cycle of 2006 which can be viewed at PlanOfRecordC32006. We conducted two integration tests this week and regression testing is scheduled for May 15. Details from the integration tests can be found at SoftwareReportCentral_IntegrationRegressionTestingReports. We are scheduled to release M&C software changes on May 17; release notes are under development. We are also planning on releasing GBTIDL v2.0 on May 17, 2006. GBTIDL v2.0 release notes will be emailed to gbtlocal prior to the release and included with the M&C release notes.

Operational support for this week included:

• Astrid failed to initiate because of entry to wrong Python installation in user's PYTHONPATH environment variable.
• Revising and rehosting weather information update mechanisms
• Investigated report of frequency out of range errors reported by KarenONeil.
• Investigated problem with GFM Spectral Line and Spectral Processor reported by DanaBalser.
• Investigated reported Archivist and DCR issues.

Summary of Cycle 3 MRs:

• MRs already patched in:
  • Add Motor Rack Control Functions (ModificationRequest1C106)
• MRs ready for release:
  • CCB/Ka Commissioning Support
  • Upgrade Weather1 Manager (ModificationRequest3C306)
  • Add Weather1 as a Choice for Refraction Corrections in Antenna (ModificationRequest4C306)
  • Add Inputs For Van Vleck Sampler Levels and DC Offsets To SDFITS (ModificationRequest7C306)
  • Complete Zspectrometer Manager (ModificationRequest1C306)
• MRs ready for integration testing:
  • Add Setting of Spectral Processor Parameter, taper, to the Configuration Tool (ModificationRequest11C306)
• MRs ready for sponsor testing:
  • Resolve Offset Nomenclature Ambiguities in Scheduling Blocks (ModificationRequest13C306)
  • Integrate Lab Spectrometer into SDFITS/GBTIDL (ModificationRequest5C306)
  • Antenna rehosted on Linux & deployed (ModificationRequest8C306)
• MRs which will not be released this cycle
  • Add LST Capabilities to Scheduling Blocks (ModificationRequest14C306)
  • Allow Saving of Invalid Scheduling Blocks (ModificationRequest4C805)
• MRs being written:
  • Integrate F. Schwab's Antenna Trajectory Algorithm & Test (ModificationRequest2C306)
  • Implement Single Factor Dynamic Scheduling (ModificationRequest6C306?)
  • Create Linux Quadrant Detector Manager (ModificationRequest9C306)

Pulsar Related -- Scott

MIT/LL 43m Project -- Glen

Spacecraft tracking is now fully automated and running from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM daily. The first radio source peak is at 7:30 AM daily.

MIT/LL had a disk pack problem on Tuesday night, and canceled tracking for Wednesday. Tracking resumed Thursday May 11.

Steve White installed new amplifiers and splitters for the 43m IF path to the Jansky Lab. We now can examine the 43m IF on the spectrom analyzer in the GBT operators area.

Any other Business