HERA Observing Pool
Please observe all projects for the HERA pool in the project account herapool. The project description and status can be found on the HERA pool data base http://herapool.iram.es.
For each HERA pool project, the pako procedures are in the corresponding subdirectories (e.g. ~/088-08), together with a README describing how the procedures are used, and which weather conditions are needed. The same information is available on the project page of http://herapool.iram.es (instructions section). If you have important information on the status of a project (e.g. if it is partly finished, or if something went wrong), please note it there, in the comments section.
For starting pako, please type goPako, pakodisplay, and pako. Each project should have a script for its general setup, e.g.
@ ~/088-08/setup
Please make sure that the project number is correctly set (the only way to distinguish the HERA pool projects later), and that the doSubmit parameter is set to YES. The results of the online data processing will be written to the file
/vis/088-08/observationData/mira/spectraOdp.30m
while the plots generated by the online data processing are in
/ncsServer/mrt/ncs/monitor/plots
The lastScan.html file for the display of the online data processing is also in the latter directory.
Please use the HERA pool database at http://herapool.iram.es to manage the HERA pool projects. If you have an account, the user name is your last name (case sensitive), as you spelled it in your HERA proposal. If you log in for the first time, you will have to use the default password (ask the operator). Then you are required to change your password. It may happen that the password change needs some time to propagate to the server (in that case please reconnect later). - If you do not have an own account, you may use the "observer" account (same password as for the bolometer pool database).
Once in the HERA pool database, please select the current HERA pool, and you will get the project list. The project status can be one of the following:
CONTINUE - a project is started and still needs more observing time
SCHEDULED - a project not yet started, authorized for observing
ON HOLD - do not observe this project
DONE - the project is done, do not continue
Then click onto the number of the project you want to observe; please observe A projects first (see below for the code). The project page appears; there you can read the proposal, the observing instructions or enter your comments (after you observed the project). The visibility of the sources can be checked by looking at the vibility plot (the corresponding button in the menu of the project listing). For each source, the project number xxx-yy.p is indicated, together with the priority p (first integer code, 6 = highest, 1 = lowest). The second integer code is the PC rating for individual objects of a given project (2 = observe, 1 = observe only if time left, 0 = don't observe).
The php scripts of http://herapool.iram.es now also allow to reduce and plot data with MIRA (please set the observing date and then the scan number with the pull-up menus provided). In the statistics field you can compute the mean water vapour content, and plot its evolution. When the data are processed by MIRA, a "Results" link appears, allowing to access the plots. You can also compute the total integration time of a given project. AoD's have the permission to update the used observing time in the database (please hit the "submit" button at th bottom of the page, at "Update used time").
If the weather is uncertain and you want to check the conditions without attributing the observing time to a given project, please type in pako
set project test
In case the weather should be too bad for 1.3mm observations, there are HERA projects with setups for 3mm observations only (called backup projects, labelled e.g. B033-08 in the project list on http://herapool.iram.es).
In the ~/pako subdirectory of the herapool and herapool2 accounts, there is a utility procedure allowing you to use the ASTRO software to select a suitable nearby pointing source (in case you don't want to use XEPHEM). Start on mrt-lx3
astro @view mySource 30
where 30 is the size in degree of the field to be plotted. The procedure will ask you for the input catalogue (typically heraPoolW06, heraPoolS07 etc. for the corresponding HERA pools). The name of the program sources may differ between the project setups and the heraPoolXXX.sou catalogues (the latter are generated from the proposal information). In order to monitor the telescope and to show the results of the online data processing, please log (as user herapool2 respectively herapool) onto mrt-lx1 and execute goMonitorObserver. If you prefer to reduce the data yourself with MIRA, please log onto mrt-lx3 and start the package with
cd ~/mira mira
(default version is gag_mar08). If you are not familiar with MIRA, please consult the documentation on http://www.iram.es/IRAMES/otherDocuments/manuals/index.html (there is a cookbook section). If you use the new control system for the first time, plase consult also the PAKO manual (same html link, cookbook recipes in chapters 3 and 4).
Checklist for project start
* Check the calibrations for each receiver/backend combination, and for each pixel (either on ODP screen, or with MIRA). MIRA issues a warning if something goes wrong.
* Check that CLASS files are correctly written (into /vis/xxx-yy/observationData/mira/spectraOdp.30m).
* When you start the execution of an observing procedure provided by a pool PI, make sure that you are on the right source (we recommend to select the source in the script, but this is not always done if several sources are to be observed with the same script).
* If you need the wobbler, ask the operator to switch it on. When a wobbler switch observation starts, please check the wobbler signal on the {\it wobbler monitor} mounted below the ceiling, in front of you.
* If you use frequency switching, have a look at the oscilloscope to the left of the operator's desk.The LO signal needs to jump with the same phase time entered into PaKo.
A few caveats
* Try to reach the receiver temperatures published in the HERA manual (Figure 2, page 5), at http://www.iram.es/IRAMES/otherDocuments/manuals/index.html. As an indication: at 230.5~GHz, the receiver temperatures of the HERA1 pixels are typically between 100 and 150 K, and for HERA2 between 150 and 200 K, respectively. For some pixels this will not be possible. * The derotator may run into its limits during a project, due to the parallactic rotation and its corresponding tracking in the receiver cabin. Once you obtain the first scan XXX of the source to be mapped (typically a calibration), please use MIRA and type scan XXX view /derotator [positionAngle] where positionAngle is the HERA position angle on the sky (typically 9.5 degree for the oversampled mode, and 18.5 degree for the undersampled mode). If you do not specify it, its value is taken from the scan header. If part of the curve shown is red, you will have to change the HERA position angle to its value +- 90 degree. The time at which you will have to do this is shown on the plot. * After a telescope slew of 50 degree and more in Azimuth, please do the pointing twice. Even if the first one looks good, the pointing parameters may change meanwhile due to the update of the inclinometer values. * If you want to test paKo procedures using an offline session, make sure to use GILDAs version AUG06 (type gag_aug06), and that the parameter doSubmit is set to no (in paKo: set dosubmit no). Do not use herapool's paKo subdirectory while observing, but another account (e.g. project).
Observing templates
Templates for project startup:
README tenplate file for your observing instructions
Setup.pako general parameters and defines catalogues
Sourcecat.sou a template source catalogue
Templates for observing (HERA):
Linecat.lin A template line catalogue for HERA.
heraReceiver.pako Sets up HERA.
heraBackend.pako Defines backends and connects them to the receivers.
heraPointing.pako Sets the derotator to position 0 frame, connects the continuum backends, does a pointing (beam switch, calibration optional), and reconnects the spectrometers.
heraFocus.pako Sets the derotator to position 0 frame, connects the continuum backends, does a focus, and reconnects the spectrometers.
heraOnOff.pako Observing mode: on-off. Switch mode: total power. Is usually called position switch.
heraWobbler.pako Observing mode: on-off. Switch mode: wobbler.
heraFrequSwitch.pako Observing mode: track. Switch mode: frequency switching.
heraOnTheFly.pako Observing mode: on-the-fly. Switch mode: total power.
heraOnTheFlyFrequSwitch.pako Observing mode: on-the-fly. Switch mode: frequency switching.
Utility GREG procedures for OTF preparation:
simulateOS.greg GREG simulation of HERA's oversampled mapping mode (outputs PAKO command line).
simulateUS.greg Same for HERA's undersampled mapping mode.
Templates for observing (EMIR):
EmirLinecat.lin A template line catalogue for EMIR.
emirReceiver.pako Sets up EMIR.
emirBackend.pako Defines backends and connects them to the receivers.
emirPointing.pako Connects the continuum backends, does a pointing (beam switch, caliabration optional), and reconnects the spectrometers.
emirFocus.pako Connects the continuum backends, does a focus, and reconnects the spectrometers.
emirOnOff.pako Observing mode: on-off. Switch mode: total power. Is usually called position switch.
emirWobbler.pako Observing mode: on-off. Switch mode: wobbler.
emirFrequSwitch.pako Observing mode: track. Switch mode: frequency switching.
emirOnTheFly.pako Observing mode: on-the-fly. Switch mode: total power.
emirOnTheFlyFrequSwitch.pako Observing mode: on-the-fly. Switch mode: frequency switching.