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GBT Operations & Commissioning Meeting

16 March 2007

AGENDA

• Upcoming Activities -- Carl
• Az Track, Antennae Report -- Bob
• Observing News -- Ron
• Scheduling Status -- Carl
• Microwave Electronics Status -- Roger
  • Operations
  • Development
• Digital Electronics Status -- Randy
• Software Status -- Amy
• Computing -- Chris
• PTCS -- PTCS Team
• Pulsar Related -- Scott
• MIT/LL 43m Project -- Glen
• Commissioning Plans -- Ron
• Any other Business

Upcoming Activities -- Carl

Az Track, Antennae Report -- Bob

• We received the first 15 base plate sections. Unloading went well, once the lifting beam arrived. They are staged around the telescope ready to install.
• We also received more wear plates the same day. We now have 31 on site, plus 3 of 4 transition pieces.
• Our next delivery of base plates will be March 27. We should receive another load of wear plates next week.
• I am back to updating the outage schedule with updated information from Continental and SATCOM. I also updated the safety briefing for the contractors, and sent it around for review.
• We will do a fit-up of wear plate, base plate, and bolts and do a trial at tensioning them, hopefully next week.

Observing News -- Ron

A busy but productive week. We supported 17 projects in 39 observing sessions, including 2 VLB sessions. The telescope was scheduled for 17.5 hrs of maintenance, 4 hrs of PTCS tests, 4 hrs of TCAL measurements, and 1.5 hrs of receiver and project checkouts.

Total lost time was low (3.8 hrs, about 2.5%) but not low enough for sticky buns. For the first time in many weeks, lost time was not dominated by the weather. Eight of the fourteen operator shifts had no problems. The lost time came from:

• Weather (0.4 hrs, 0.3%)
  • Winds
• Observer Error (0.7 hrs, 0.5%)
  • Script problem
• Hardware/software/operational (2.7 hrs, 1.8%)
  • Q-band condensation : 1.0 hrs
  • Astrid lockup : 0.6 hrs
  • Track Segment Delivery : 0.5 hrs
  • VLBI Backend : 0.5 hrs
  • GFM : 0.1 hrs

Scheduling Status -- Carl

Microwave Electronics Status -- Roger

Operations

Development

Digital Electronics Status -- Randy

Digital Group Status 10-MAR-07 THRU 16-MAR-07

***Operations, Problem Summary***

An operator reported problems with the Active Surface Tuesday morning. One LVDT module was repaired which cleared the reported group of 16 actuators.

Active Surface Maintenance...

(See above...)

***Development***

Spectrometer LTA Re-design...

All documentation is now complete and the LTA spare and test fixture are ready to go. Parts continue to trickle in and the project is still on track.

New Pulsar Backend...

• The UC Team have confirmed that they'll be in Green Bank on 19-MAR-07 to conduct a face-to-face demo/project review which will be held in the Jansky Auditorium beginning around 9:00 or 9:30 AM.
• Don Backer's loaner iBOB showed up this week, so I'm in the process of setting it up now.

ALMA...

On-going efforts are continuing fairly smoothly on the ALMA front.

***Plans***

• Get Don Backer's iBOB running and set up workstation...
• Continue ALMA efforts as required...

Randy

Software Status -- Amy

We are in week four of the second development cycle of 2007 which can be viewed at PlanOfRecordC22007. Our next release is scheduled on 28 March 2007. Integration testing begins next week.

Operational and user support was relatively light this week and included:

• Investigated problems related to prime focus/DCR Tcal's. PF mgr needed to be cycled from off/on to pickup correct feed after feed change.
• Investigate problem with spectral processor processes. Fixed.

Modification Requests:

• MRs ready for integration/regression testing:
• MRs ready for sponsor testing:
  • Develop New Pointing Pre-Processing Application (ModificationRequest5C706)
    • Sponsor testing continues with Frank and Kim. Writing PTCS Project Note summarizing findings related to Focus scan processing that are now embodied in current version of Prepoint application. Revising mean error calculations in fitting methods. Updating Design section of MR.
  • Extract Sampler Information from Log Files & Create Antenna Characterization Database (ModificationRequest3C107)
    • Undergoing sponsor testing. A couple of extra requirements have been requested, but not yet implemented.
• MRs under development:
  • SCCU Servo Changes (ModificationRequest1C806)
    • Although the code is working, we have found that commanded velocity spikes occur during normal observing. To date this has not been a problem since the hardware filters out the spikes. However with the hardware modifications coupled with this MR, the spikes will corrupt the intended operation of the friction compensation. John is working on modeling a different methods of deriving the velocity commands.
• MRs under CCC review:
  • Add Two New ScanTypes: FivePoint and Circle (ModificationRequest1C706)
    • Not scheduled.
• MRs being written:
  • Fix Inclinometer Data Collection Problems (ModificationRequest1C207)
    • Joe is in the process of integrating the new parallel data acquisition code into the Inclinometer Manager. He has converted the system to use a UDP transport to avoid the command 'merging' found with the TCP based version. He also performed some error rate vs. sample rate tests per Kim's request.
  • Create Pyrgeometer Manager (ModificationRequest2C22007?)
    • We have started looking at this, but the inclinometer work is the #1 PTCS priority.
  • Update Pointing/Focus code to Handle Old Data Sets (ModificationRequest3C207)
    • Source of issue located in code / old data - "beam C vs. beam 1" anomaly. Developing an extension of the simple workaround (C=1) that correctly makes this substitution when appropriate (it's an incorrect subst. in some instances).
  • Modify Peak Finding Algorithm for Pointing/Focus Code (ModificationRequest4C207)
    • Frank is working on the requirements section. We are testing several variations on updated peak-finding algorithm.
• Other Activities:
  • Dynamic Scheduling - We are in the process of responding to comments received on the Overview. Melinda and Mark are working on implementing Selection Criteria I rules.
  • Complete Pointing Processing Description Memo - No progress
  • Complete Documentation of Cross-Polarization Changes - In progress
  • Evaluate GBT Data Handling Status & Future Options - In progress

Computing -- Chris

Nothing to report.

PTCS -- PTCS Team

• Engineering work
  • Working on a memo to document servo changes to date, so they can be reviewed and released for production. With any luck I'll finish before the track shutdown...
  • Working on accelerometer and inclinometer time tagging. Also, inclinometer serial links are unreliable. Joe is carrying this load.
• Astronomy/Pointing
  • ?

Pulsar Related -- Scott

MIT/LL 43m Project -- Glen

• Mostly normal spacecraft tracking. Tim's servo fixes are almost complete. Just one glitch
• Steve White and I worked on testing the RF-to fiber system. See Report
• Preston ang GB ops continue to do a great Job!
• Regular tracking next week

Commissioning Plans -- Ron

Any other Business

-- RonMaddalena - 15 Mar 2007