Diff for "TelescopeSystemStatus"

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System - General

The 30-m telescope is now operating using the New Control System (NCS) (2005-11-30 HU)

• [http://www.iram.es/IRAMES/ncs30m/ NCS documentation]

  [http://mrt-lx1/mainWiki/ Wiki with up-to-date Notes on NCS]

NCS supports only source coordinates in Equatorial J2000.0 system. (More systems will be made available as soon as possible)

Observations near and towards the Sun are not yet supported.

NCS supports observing modes and source offsets in:

• Projection "Radio" (same offsets as in old CS) in Equatorial J2000.0
• "true angle" horizontal
• Nasmyth (receiver offsets)

All 4 Switching Modes are supported by the NCS (total power, beam switching, wobbler switching, frequency switching.)

• Observations with "rotated" wobbler and the bolometer are now possible within the pool; contact the pool manager, Stephane Leon, on how to prepare such observations. After finishing with rotated Wobbler, make sure that the operator puts the rotation back to exactly 0 degrees.

Observing modes supported by the NCS:

• Calibrate (for heterodyne)
• Pointing
• Focus
• Tip
• Track
  • Frequency Switching
• ON-OFF
  • Position Switching
  • Wobbler Switching
• On-The-Fly Map
  • Heterodyne
    • Total Power (like Position Switching)
    • Frequency Switching
  • Bolometer
    • Wobbler Switching
• VLBI

Automatic calibration and processing of heterodyne data using the MIRA software is in operation for all observing modes. MIRA can also be used manually and offline.

Online data processing, in some circumstances, still may have problems with scans extending over midnight. Please check data and report problems to Albrecht Sievers. It may be safer to avoid long scans extending over midnight.

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Antenna

OK

On 30.10.2007 the GISMO bolometer has been installed. It is in the beam of single pixel or HERA observation for all declinations smaller than 25 degrees. There is no alarm, so astronomers should be aware of this (RM 30.10.2007)

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Wobbler

Available under NCS.

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Pointing Model and Focus

The Pointing Model is maintained with respect to the receiver B100. The misalignment and focus error (D-focus) of the other receivers with respect to B100 is the following:

  Rx       misal.(")       date            D_focus(mm)       date
 A100     0.16 ±0.06     27-Feb-07,        +0.09 ±0.03     13-Mar-07
 A230     1.34 ±0.18     27-Feb-07,        +0.43 ±0.02     13-Mar-07
 B100     0.00                              0.00
 B230     1.74 ±0.16     27-Feb-07,        +0.40 ±0.10     17-Apr-07
 C150     1.26 ±0.24      5-Feb-07,        +0.64 ±0.13     17-Apr-07
 C270     0.78 ±0.18      5-Feb-07,        +0.36 ±0.15     17-Apr-07
 D150     1.03 ±0.13     12-Mar-07,        +0.26 ±0.02     12-Mar-07
 D270     1.40 ±0.19     12-Mar-07,        +0.18 ±0.05     12-Mar-07

heterodyne: last model update: 2007-10-23, 40 points, previous rms = 3.44", new rms = 1.69"

bolometer: last model update: 2007-11-16, 36 points, new rms < 1.5"

A glycol pump to regulate the temperature of the quadrupod is broken. The reparation could take a couple of weeks. Meanwhile focus and pointing scans must be repeated more often to correct the effect of possible thermal fluctuations. 3-Jan-08, JP BR Whereas the standard focus value for the bolometer is -3.5, with the glycol pump problem, the current values can oscillate between -1. and -3. 2007.01.23, SL

Pointing on spectral line sources like SiO masers is not yet supported by the data processing.

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SIS Receivers

A, B, C, D receivers are supported by NCS for observations.

Image/Signal gain-ratio calibration is supported by NCS.

A standard table of T_cold calibration temperatures for A, B, C, D receivers is implemented in NCS. This built-in table covers most frequencies. Outside this range, T_cold has to be set manually.

Note that the tables and plots at [http://gra-lx1.iram.es/mainWiki/ReceiverGroupColdloadPlots] appear to be out of date!

Tables and plots are now at [http://gra-lx1/mainWiki/ReceiverGroupColdLoadPlotsCurrent] 2007-10-11 dj

Receiver C150 shows low continuum signal at the higher frequencies (>168 GHz). It has to be fully checked. Use D150 instead. (2005-11-16)

Note: the last 2 points need to be checked and maybe corrected by the RX group!

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HERA

HERA is supported by the NCS. (2006-02 HU)

Second polarization installed. BR One previously blind pixel is now fixed (2006-04). BR SSB tuning tables for standard frequencies. BR Sideband rejections not determined (2004-12-01 AW). Use standard value of 0.1! BR

For HERA calibration, measured values of the load temperatures are automatically used!

Watch the computer control of the derotator closely (2002-12-22). BR Make sure the derotator tracking is stopped after observations, i.e., set to zero degrees in "frame". BR

The automatic tuning of both HERA1 and 2 can be improved by manually changing the mixer current according to DJ; HERA Pool managers should be aware of this, and operators will receive training (2007-09-19 RM)

HERA 2 is more noisy than HERA 1, limiting HERA2's useful frequency range to below about 242 GHz (2006-09-27 HU according to info from SN)BR

Note: these comments on HERA need to be checked and, if necessary, corrected by the RX group!

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Pointing and Flux monitoring with SIS receivers:

Continuum instability ("ripple") can occur with all receivers, making pointing and focusing difficult.

In general some receivers are better than others in this respect as summarized here:

• A100 generally OK for pointing. (2003-11-12) BR B100 OK, is best for pointing. B100 is the standard reference for the heterodyne pointing modelBR C150 often bad for pointing, ripple. (2002-07-16) BR D150 generally good performance for pointing.(2002-07-16) BR A230 often unstable, bad for pointing and flux monitoring. (2003-11-12) BR B230 OK BR C270 can be unstable and difficult for pointing. (2007-04-30) BR D270 can be unstable and difficult for pointing. (2002-07-16) BR

  With HERA pointing may be difficult using beam switch mode - total power mode may give better results but requires excellent weather BR

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Bolometers

Bolometer Observations are supported by the NCS.

Mambo1: OFFLINE

Mambo2: has been removed to install Gismo (RM 30.10.2007)

Mambo2 was re-installed and commissioned the week 13.11.2007/20.11.2007

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Backends

Support by NCS:

• Continuum Backends for heterodyne receivers

• 4 MHz Filterbanks

• 1 MHz Filterbank in parts of 256, 512, 768, or 1024 channels

• WILMA for observations with HERA

• VESPA

• ABBA for MAMBO bolometer

• the 100 kHz Filterbank is decommissioned. (RM, HU, 19.9.2007)

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Computer/Software

The 30-m telescope is now operating using the New Control System (NCS) (2005-11-30 HU). Note that the NCS supports most essential features, but still has some limitations! See the NCS documentation for details, in particular links from the Wiki [https://mrt-lx1.iram.es/mainWiki/OperationNotesObservers NCS Operation Notes for Observers]

Online data processing, in some circumstances, still may have problems with scans extending over midnight. Please check data and report problems to Albrecht Sievers. It may be safer to avoid long scans extending over midnight.

Pako does not run under the default gildas version on mrt-lx3, mrt-lx2. Use gag_aug06 before starting pako (2008-01-15 AS)

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Other Items

• Remote observing via VNC is available from Granada, Grenoble, and Bonn. Coordinate with Walter Brunswig.

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Updates/History

To see the changes between the actual and the last version, please see Show Changes in the Wiki Interface. If you want to see the Revision History of this page, please see Get Info in the Wiki Interface.

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Legend

: OKBR : WarningBR : ErrorBR

The wiki markup of these icons is:

{{{(./) : OK : Warning : Error }}}

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