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Pointing and Focus - Introduction

These pages provide general recommendations on observing strategies, and detailed recommendations on performing and reducing "Peak" and "Focus" measurements to assure optimal telescope performance.

General Strategy summarizes the required pointing and focus accuracy to ensure good astronomical performance for each observing waveband. It also provides approximate wind speed limits at which good (or simply acceptable) results can be obtained, and recommends strategies for using dynamic corrections and offset pointing/focusing to achieve this performance in the presence of thermal gradients in the antenna.

Observing Details Provides specific instructions on using the "Peak" and "Focus" procedures to perform pointing and focus checks.

Check Surface Provides instructions on how to use Peak and Focus procedures to check the surface performance.

Pointing Catalog Provides information about the astronomical pointing catalog.

Systematic Pointing Error Describes a systematic pointing error that existed in the Antenna Manager software between 28 June 2004 -- 09 March 2006

-- RichardPrestage - 02 Feb 2004