GBT Operations & Commissioning Meeting
AGENDA
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- The repair of the actuator room support took most of everyone's effort this week. This work is in progress. Pictures at 1000.
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- And on top of that, we also had a spring plate failure at the 43m Thursday.
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- We received the tensioning equipment for the track studs this week.
This week we had another light observing load, supporting 10 projects in 18 sessions including one VLBI project. Average setup time was 14 minutes. The telescope was also scheduled for 42 hrs maintenance and 1.0 hr receiver checkout. Lost time was 3.33 hrs, about 2.6% of the time scheduled for tests and observing. Of the 14 operator shifts, 8 had lost-time problems which is much higher than the recent norm. Problems were:
- Astrid not updating LPCs : 0.80 hrs
- Observer error with configuration : 0.64 hrs
- Observer late calling in: 0.63 hrs
- Spectral Processor FIFO errors: 0.50 hrs
- Subreflect Y2 fault : 0.28 hrs
- Astrid hung due to incorrect shutdown: 0.22 hrs
- Az transducer fault: 0.09 hrs
- Astrid hung (2 instances) : 0.17 hrs
- No-lost-time problems : Active Surface, ODM 7, wrong observing code.
Astrid not updating LPCs is a "new old problem". There were two occurances - one for VLBI and another during X-band spigot observations. This helped inflate the amount of lost time.
A fourth of the lost time was from one observer who was late and then "logged out" without closing astrid first - hanging astrid up - at the end of their time.
One observer used the wrong project id. This caused several hours of behind the scenes work afterwards to get the data into the correct directories and to get astrid's databases corrected (scheduling blocks under the correct project ID, session numbers corrected, etc.).
Last 3 Weeks
=============
Observations for proposals
GBT06B-040, BF088 , GBT06B-053,
GBT06B-032, GBT06B-021, GBT06C-010,
GBT06B-011, GBT06B-044, GBT06B-033,
BK127 , GBT02A-053, GBT06B-034,
GBT06B-013, GBT06B-025, GBT06B-014,
GBT06B-026, GBT06B-028, GBT06B-018,
GBT06B-019, GBT06A-070, GBT06B-009,
GBT06A-072
Completed proposals
GBT06B-040, BF088, GBT06B-053,
GBT06B-021, BK127, GBT02A-053,
GBT06B-013, GBT06B-025, GBT06B-009
Next Week
=========
Observations scheduled for **
GBT06C-051 [ P ] Lincoln Greenhill
Monitoring 2 NGC4258-like Masers: Measurement of
Distances / Constraint of LCDM
GBT06A-054 [F ] Paul Demorest
Long-term Precision Timing of Millisecond Pulsars
GBT06B-032 [ B] Steve Begin
Timing of the Binary and Millisecond Pulsars in
M28
GBT05C-042 [ B] Scott Ransom
Timing the Binary and Millisecond Pulsars in
NGC6440 and NGC6441
GBT06A-046 [ B] Glen Langston
A search for the Largest Interstellar Molecule,
HC_13N
GBT06A-014 [ P ] Andrea Tarchi
H2O vs Continuum in the Megamaser 3C403:
Reverberation Mapping of the Nucleus
GBT06B-024 [ P ] Jeff Mangum
CCS Chronometry of Dense Cores
GBT06B-035 [F B] Brian Kent
ALFALFA HI Clouds: Milky Way HVCs or Virgo
Cluster Harassment Remnants?
GBT06B-026 [ B] Julia Deneva
Searching for Pulsars and Transient Sources in
the Galactic Center
GBT05C-046 [ B] Ingrid Stairs
Timing of a Relativistic Binary and other Pulsars
from the Arecibo PALFA Survey
GBT06B-027 [ P ] Ted Bergin
Ammonia in Massive Pre-stellar Cores
GBT04B-014 [ P ] Paul Kondratko
Anchoring the Extragalactic Distance Scale
GBT06C-004 [ P ] Tony Remijan
A Search for o-Benzyne (o-C6H4) and Phenyl (C6H5)
toward CRL 618
GBT06C-048 [F B] Nissim Kanekar
HI 21cm absorption in strong MgII and CI
absorbers in the redshift desert
GBT06C-049 [ B] Karen Masters
Mapping Matter in the Nearby Universe with 2MASS
GBT06B-019 [F B] Toney Minter
Obtaining A Complete Sample Of Pulsar OH
Absorption With The GBT
GBT06A-071 [F ] Fernando Camilo
Constraining the distance to the magnetar XTE
J1810-197 via HI absorption
** Scheduled as F-ixed, P-rimary, B-ackup
Contact Information for 09/14/2006 - 09/28/2006
=======================================
Proposal PI Bands Email [NRAO contact]
---------- ------------------ ----- --------------------
GBT06A-040 Mark McKinnon K mmckinno@nrao.edu [Toney Minter]
GBT06A-030 Don Campbell S campbell@astro.cornell.edu [Frank Ghigo]
GBT06B-030 Peter Martin L pgmartin@cita.utoronto.ca [Jay Lockman]
GBT06C-053 Martin Zwaan A mzwaan@eso.org [Toney Minter]
GBT06B-044 Robert Ferdman L ferdman@phas.ubc.ca [Scott Ransom]
GBT04C-031 Paul Kondratko K pkondrat@cfa.harvard.edu [Jim Braatz]
GBT06A-068 Yancy Shirley K yshirley@as.arizona.edu [Toney Minter]
BU031 Jim Ulvestad S julvesta@nrao.edu []
GBT06A-046 Glen Langston U glangsto@nrao.edu [Glen Langston]
GBT06B-034 Jacqueline van Gor L jvangork@astro.columbia.edu [Frank Ghigo]
GBT06B-024 Jeff Mangum K jmangum@nrao.edu [Frank Ghigo]
GBT06A-004 Bill Reach K reach@ipac.caltech.edu [Toney Minter]
GBT06B-047 David Schiminovich LA ds@astro.columbia.edu [Toney Minter]
GBT05C-001 Bruce Campbell 4S campbellb@si.edu [Frank Ghigo]
GBT06B-003 Mark McKinnon L mmckinno@nrao.edu [Toney Minter]
GBT06B-015 Larry Morgan K lmorgan@nrao.edu [Larry Morgan]
GBT05C-057 Regina Jorgenson 4 regina@physics.ucsd.edu [Frank Ghigo]
GBT04B-014 Paul Kondratko KU pkondrat@cfa.harvard.edu [Jim Braatz]
GBT06B-027 Ted Bergin K ebergin@umich.edu [Larry Morgan]
GBT05C-037 Nissim Kanekar A nkanekar@nrao.edu [Glen Langston]
GBT06C-049 Karen Masters L kmasters@cfa.harvard.edu [Larry Morgan]
GBT06C-016 Fernando Camilo S fernando@astro.columbia.edu [Scott Ransom]
GBT06B-018 Michael Kramer L mkramer@jb.man.ac.uk [Scott Ransom]
GBT05B-018 Nissim Kanekar 4 nkanekar@nrao.edu [Toney Minter]
GBT06B-019 Toney Minter L tminter@nrao.edu [Toney Minter]
GBT06A-071 Fernando Camilo L fernando@astro.columbia.edu [Scott Ransom]
Scheduled hours [backup]
========================
Category/Month-> August September October
Astronomy ~ 441 562 [362] 490 [576]
Maintenance ~ 200 38 [068] 77 [034]
Test & Comm ~ 104 118 [030] 128
Un-assigned ~ 0 3 56
Proposal Checkouts
==================
Awaiting checkout - 43
Active checkout - 0
On Hold - 16
Schedule - 55
Completed - 533
Current backlog [hours prior to 06B*] = 1002
[2001:2(1), 2003:19(1), 2004:107(7), 2005:537(22), 2006:337(17)]
Backlog excluding 139 hrs of monitoring projects after 06B = 863
Total time to discharge [hours] = 3590 **
Includes 424 hours of monitoring after trimester 06B
* Includes projects that are on hold for trimester 06B
** The large increase is a result of accepting 43 GBT proposals for a total of 1364 hours
and additional ~ 235 hours for 9 HSA projects.
No problems this week.
Q-band Receiver: Component testing and reassembly continues. We are about two weeks away from being ready to begin system tests again.
Ka Receiver: Receiver assembled, cooled with circular waveguide loads in place of feeds. Hardware modifications tested, debugged, tested again, all
appears well. Initial RF testing begun, cals detectable with power
meter, phase switches all functional. First round of radiometer
balancing complete, radiometer 1 balanced to +/- 20 degrees, +/- 3 dB
across most of the band (26-38 GHz), radiometer 2 balanced to +/- 45
degrees, +/- 3 dB over same bandwidth. Suffered a setback as wiring error caused damage to four IF amps. Damage analysis is underway.
C-band: Removal of the receiver was delayed due to Penn Array delay. Component testing for the electronics redesign continues; some components have been ordered.
Penn Array: Warm now and cryostat will be opened today.
Digital Group Status 26-AUG-06 THRU 01-SEP-06
***Operations, Problem Summary***
GASP Backend...
- Supported a request for technical assistance with the GASP backend. They reported a problem with their 128MHz clock reference and asked that we connect it to an external reference. We did this which helped but didn't fully cure the problem.
- Supported a second request on the GASP backend. They ordered a shielded cable to connect their clock signal between the analog box and the computer. We installed this cable but it was apparently causing some other problems so we put the original one back.
Active Surface...
No work was done on the Active Surface this week.
***Development***
Caltech Continuum Backend (CCB)...
Construction of CCB #3 is still underway with a newly revised completion date of 15-SEP-06.
Spectrometer LTA Re-design...
Work continues on the LTA re-design project... A detailed project schedule should be ready by 15-SEP-06. Following this, an informal preliminary design review will be scheduled for sometime in the late-September time frame.
Lab Spectrometer...
No news to report...
ALMA (As reported by Jason Ray)...
- Traveled to CV (J.Ford, JD, & Jason) to demonstrate our new mechanical design which was a success. Also, we worked through some desired modifications to the ALMA specification documents regarding the bias module.
- Received potentially bad bias modules from CV. They were trying to use them with the Band 7 cartridge. We tested all four bias module boards and one of them was in very bad shape. The other three tested ok. Re-packaged and returned them to CV.
- Tested the bias boards from the Band 6 module that was subjected to a shake test in CV. One of the boards tested ok and the other did not. Note that the one that tested bad already had jumpers on it to repair bad traces. I looks like the shake test caused about four more trace failures.
- Worked with Jeff Cromer & Dennis Egan regarding drawing modifications.
- Prepared for and assisted Jim Muelhberg with some measurements he wanted to make on a bias board.
MISCELLANEOUS DIGITAL NEWS...
Our new 8 GHz Oscilloscope has arrived along with its complement of probes, accessories, etc. !!!
***Plans***
- Continue Active Surface maintenance as required...
- Continue construction of CCB #3...
- Continue work on LTA re-design and prepare project schedule...
- Continue ALMA support as needed...
Randy
This ends the second full week of 6 in the sixth development cycle of 2006 which can be viewed at PlanOfRecordC62006. We are scheduled to release on September 29.
We have been very busy with Penn Array support this week.
MelindaMello has left to attend Virtual Observatory (VO) school for the next two weeks.
Operational support was light. Of note, MarkClark has been working with FrankGhigo trying to understand the Astrid hang-ups that happen with fair regularity; we have found nothing definitive yet, but we will keep investigating.
Modification Requests:
- MRs ready for release:
- MRs ready for sponsor testing:
- MRs under development:
- Implement Linux Quadrant Detector Manager (ModificationRequest9C306)
- Manager coding finished, now testing the manager internally. We expect to hand this off for sponsor testing next week.
- Add Zpectrometer Control Interface to LO1Manager (ModificationRequest3C506)
- Modifications to Ka Manager (ModificationRequest1C506)
- Manager changes checked in and ready for GalenWatts to test. IFManager changes are now in xml files and are being tested.
- MRs under CCC review:
- MRs waiting for sponsor approval:
- MRs being written:
- Integration of the Zpectrometer into SDFITS (ModificationRequest4C406)
- Currently working with Kevin Rauch and Andrew Baker to sort out the requirements and understand the Zpectrometer SDFITS file.
- Integration of the Zpectrometer into GBTIDL (ModificationRequest5C606)
- Currently working with Kevin Rauch and Andrew Baker to sort out the requirements and understand the Zpectrometer SDFITS file.
- GBTIDL Autoflagger (ModificationRequest2C506)
- Zpectrometer config tool changes (ModificationRequest1C606)
- Discussions with University of Maryland personel, have indicated that it is too early in the project to characterize observations with instrument at the level required by the configuration tool. This MR is on hold.
- Ka config tool changes (ModificationRequest4C606)
- This is on hold until MelindaMello returns from VO school. The hardware wiring is unknown.
- Modify SDFITS to correctly show Spectrometer cross-polarization data (ModificationRequest2C606?)
- Other tasks
- Reservation System
- We need to update the Project Charter and generate MRs. Writing up use case scenarios and gathering more details on PeopleSoft interface requirements. On hold until Zpectrometer SDFITS/GBTIDL effort is stable.
- Dynamic Scheduling
- 8/29 meeting came up with productive ideas about scheduling via conditions (weather, LST, telescope configuration).
- Provide a servo version with adjustable rate feedfoward for testing.
- Installed and available for test. As part of this activity, we sent JohnFord instructions on its use.
Absolutely tons of 350MHz Spigot observations over the past week made data moves, processing, and backing-up quite tricky -- especially since spigot2 doesn't seem to like connecting to multiple external drives anymore. A new bugfix version of the 2.6 kernel will get installed and tested next week. Hopefully that fixes some of the problems.
Ryan Lynch and I are making progress digging through the spigot_takedata code in order to find the segmentation fault(s?) that we think are stopping us from using the 2048-lag 8-bit modes. Hopefully we'll have this solved soon.
MIT/LL 43m Project -- Glen
Spacecraft tracking continued last week and this week.
We had a 43m brake spring break. The telescope mechanics did a great job of getting us
back in business by the next day.
Got the official MIT/LL request for 2007/2008 operations.
Submitted the 2007 + 2008 budget to C'ville. They are to clean up some
accounting details and return the statement of work to MIT/LL.
43m planning meeting on Sept 6 at 11:00 AM.
- Every month : Pointing -- 1 night/month except in November, A/B weather, dynamically scheduled.
- Week of Sep 4 : C-Band off telescope
- Week of Sep 11: Penn Array on telescope in Cband slot
- Sept 11 - Oct 27 : Penn Array commissioning -- 1 night/week, A-weather, dynamically scheduled. 8 nights max.
- Sept : Ka, Q-band, Zepctrometer lab tests
- Week of Oct 2 - week of Oct 12 : Penn Array backup daytime engineering time : 4 day-times max.
- Week of Oct. 9 : Ka-band placed on telescope
- Oct 16 - Nov 13: Ka-band spectral-line commissioning -- 1 night/week, A-weather, dynamically scheduled. 3 nights max.
- Oct 16 - Nov 13: CCB quick checkout (2-3 hours), time permitting.
- Week of Oct. 23 (earlier if it's practical and if the astronomy schedule has no conflicts): Ku-band down, X-band moved to where Ku was, Zpectrometer on telescope where X was
- Week of Oct. 30 : Q-band on telescope
- Oct 31 : Fixed maintenence day for Zpectrometer checkout
- Week of Nov. 6 : Penn Array down, C-band up in its place.
- Nov 6 - Dec 14 : Q-band commissioning -- 1 night/week, A-weather, dynamically scheduled. 3 nights max.
- Nov 13 - Dec 1 : Ka-band CCB continuum commissioning and Ka-band Zpectrometer testing -- Sharing four dynamically scheduled, daytime/evening sessions (~noon to ~midnight) for A/B weather. Zpectrometer will have up to ~ 25 hrs, CCB the remaining ~ 15 hrs.
- After Dec. 1 : Ka-band observations can commence, preference given to low-risk continuum projects.
- Week of Dec. 4 : Zpectrometer down, Ku-band up where Zpec was.
- Dec. 11 - Dec. 21 : PTCS OOF Tests -- A-weather, dynamically scheduled, 2 nights max.
- After Dec. 15 : Q-band observations can commence.
Receiver Installation Schedules
- C band, Remove: week of Sep 4, Install: week of November 7
- Penn Array, Install: week of Sep 11, Remove: week of Oct 31
- Ka Install : week of Oct 9
- Zpectrometer Install: week of Oct 23; Remove: Week of Dec 4
- Ku Remove: week of Oct 23; Install: week of Dec 4
- X band moved to Ku slot: week of Oct 23
- Qband, Install: week of Oct 30
-- RichardPrestage - 16 Aug 2006
Revision r1.11 - 01 Sep 2006 - 13:11 GMT - RogerNorrod
Parents: WebHome > CommissioningMeetings
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