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Daily Reports

2024 Mar. 5th, Tuesday

Sofia, Frédéric, Tuan-Anh and Angel at the telescope since 10:30 (hereafter, local time).

16:00-16:50; Angel: Starting system check. It was necessary to restart the BluePill for moving the telescope. DAQ started at 16:30 (lost KIDs: 18, 1, 38). Pointing on Uranus (scan 113); imbFITS files properly created. Despite we tried to keep the main dish as far as possible from solar radiation during the maintenance slot, a focus sequence check gave a possible correction far from the expected: sign of a distorted beam. End of system check and observations suspended at 16:50: Aleksej K. (OHB) requires the telescope for some tests.

18:00-00:00; Sofia and Angel: Resuming observations after OHB's tests. After doing pointing and focus on source 0736+017, we had a beam of 17.5 x 18.5. Completed repetitions of WB89-670 (1 repetition done, 1 remaining). Then switched to project 151-23 targeting cluster PSZ2G210 (5th repetition out of 6, 40 mins long). Waiting for complete relaxation of the telescope. Very stable atmosphere conditions, peak-to-peak variations below 2 Jy/beam. Moved to 0316+413 for a beam map in total power (scan 157), after pointing and focus. Moved to calibrator CRL618, set pointing 7.1 8.1. FWHM 17.16 x 18.17, calib_1scan (scan 159) with nikaw-23. Performed a skydip (scan 160). Then moved to the cluster PSZ2G206 for project 151-23, new pointing on nearby source 0735+178, set pointing 5.4 7.6. Completing final repetition of PSZ2G206 (6/6).

2024 Mar. 6th, Wednesday

00:00-06:00; Frédéric: I started with a pointing and a focus on 1045+018 (FWHM 16.8"x18.3") under nikaw-23. At 01:37 (local time), I went to project 138-23 to observe NGC4214 (2 repetitions after pointing at 1156+295), before the source went above 80 degrees. I moved to project 150-23, while NGC4214 was at zenith. I observed id321 (1 repetition after pointing at 1044+719; FWHM 16.77"x18.14"). I launched another repetition on id321 (after pointing and focus on 1044+719; FWHM 16.7"x18.48") before it went under 40 degrees. At 05:27 (local time), I finished the shift with project 138-23, performing 2 more repetitions on NGC4214, after a pointing on 1144+402 (FWHM 16.73"x18.31"). Overall, very good stability, with <rms> < 40 mJy/beam.

06:00-17:50; Tuan-Anh, Quang, Ioannis, Angel: starting with a calib_1scan scan (s35) on source MWC349 in total power. DAQ restarted in polarimetry mode (lost KIDs: 18, 2, 39). Getting pointing (redid after an hexapod error message in the ACU) and focus first on K3-50A (nikaw-23 account). FWHM 17.5" x 19.4" after focus correction. Switched to project 015-17, changed to 2200+420 (BL Lac) when its position was compliant with topo low without a round trip of the telescope. Getting a new pointing & focus correction. Focus correction set to 1.47. FWHM 17.7" x 18.0" (2 mm). Got a calib_1scan (scan 52). A total of 6 rounds on DR12OH (12 scans) and 2 rounds on Serp-SMM4 (4 scans) were obtained. Several calib_1scan maps on BL Lac and Mars, respectively, were launched between single or double rounds, depending on required pointing/focus corrections. Switching to total power at 16:40; restarting DAQ (after checking twice anomalous behaviour of the board in slot 5, crate 1; no reset needed), lost KIDs: 26, 2, 43. Alternate fog around the telescope. Pointing on Uranus, the beam at 2 mm is a bit distorted (17.3" x 19.1"). No data are available from PIIC-monitors at 1 mm: imbFITS files of the preceding polarimetry session are being created at this time. No change of focus correction. New pointing check, beam geometry is improving: FWHM 17.4" x 18.3". Sofia takes over.

17:50-00:00; Sofia: I start with a pointing and focus on 0458-020 (FWHM 17.3 x 18.9) under nikaw-23. Focus correction 1.04mm. At 18:14 (local time) I switch to project 117-23, targeting orion b. Start with pointing on 0458-020, set pointing 5 9.8. I launch the first repetition of 117-23/observe-orionb-4. Launch a new pointing in nikaw-23 on 458-020. Set pointing 4.9 8, than I go to Uranus and get a new pointing. I set pointing correction 4.2 5.4, with FWHM 17.34 x 18.71. New focus on Uranus: not successful, wind speed ~ 12m/s. Switch to source 0316-413, very bright quasar. Trying pointing and focus again. Not working. Switch to source 0954+658, so that antenna is pointing north, opposite of wind direction. Pointing on 0954+658. Tried pointing and focus, but it is not working due to high wind speed. Parking the telescope at 20h35 (local time). Wind forecast are not promising for the next hours.