Recent Changes - Search:
Schedules /

LBA Observing Session, Feb 2019

Setup, operations and troubleshooting:

  • Observing with Hobart 26m and Ceduna 30m (A visual overview by Lucas Hyland)
  • Hobart 26m setup for LBA (A step-by-step guide for setup, monitoring and some troubleshooting by Lucas Hyland)
  • Ceduna 30m setup for LBA (A step-by-step guide for setup, monitoring and some troubleshooting by Lucas Hyland)
  • The Hyland guides have a few typos, but these should be apparent if you read through them and try to understand things (will correct typos later). Please don't just blindly copy things. (Last guide update: 2019-02-23)
  • Setup and operation notes from last session (2018 Dec) for Hobart and Ceduna. Some things are obsolete which I'll change later, but it is very good to read through for general understanding).
  • Passwords to systems (login to this page is the usual default one).
  • Katherine 12m and Yarragadee 12m setup: It is similar to Auscope shifts. Make sure there is enough space on disks, and don't forget to do setup01 and sched_initi instead of the usual (after calling the procedure file and before running the schedule file).

General information

Online pages to monitor:

Notes:

  • Observers on duty are responsible to look after Hobart 26m, Ceduna, Katherine and Yarragadee.
  • Please arrive at least 15 minutes before your shift starts to ensure a smooth handover.
  • Please identify yourself at the start of your shift in the chat and always keep an eye on things. When going to sleep or being away for an extended time, please let people know. Mattermost can be installed on your phone to get notifications, or alternatively let them know your phone number.
  • Please familiarize yourself with how things work before your shift by looking at the notes from the tutorial and the last session. The setup notes have troubleshooting and monitoring guidance, too.
  • Always update LBA people about how things are going. Better to be too detailed in chat than being silent.
  • After finishing a shift, please update the person following you and fill out handover notes on newsmerd:/vlbobs/lba/handover (monitor 3). This is temporary and I will make a nicer handover system later.

Asking for help (do in this order):

  1. Try the things in the Lucas troubleshooting tutorial. If fails, then...
  2. Try asking for help in the LBA chat (Gabor is in Marsfield for LBA training, so should be available most of the time) and AuScope chat. If fails, then...
  3. Try contacting Lucas or Tiege. Phone numbers are on the whiteboard in the AuScope room.

Troubleshooting problems for this session (so far):

  • Hobart: In dual polarization experiments with the multifeed receiver (C,X,K), set form=astro2 and BBCs 1-4 and 9-12 (or 1-2 and 9-10 if only 4 channels) in the procedure file. Make sure quad is OUT at receiver change.
  • Hobart: In dual polarization experiments with the L-band receiver, set form=geo in the procedure file. Make sure quad is IN (if possible).
  • The above changes need to be made by hand (if necessary) in the procedure file after running the slogit scripts (refer to Hyland guides for details).
  • Hobart & Ceduna: The reference time definition for the Fila10g has some issues, which might result in clock offsets at the setup (introduced at the Fila10g setup). This shows itself as a constant delay offset during fringe checks (which might mean the fringe will shift outside of the adopted delay window of the fringe check). When starting an experiment and no fringes are found in the RtFC, remind Chris Phillips and/or Jamie Stevens to search for +/- 1-2 sec offsets as well (after you are sure that the problem is not on your end). It is very important therefore to monitor the LBA chat for this during the fringe check times and keep an eye on the RtFC results (delay vs amplitude: spike is good, no spike is bad).
  • Hobart & Ceduna: Other cause of no fringes might be that the attenuation levels are not set properly (see Hyland guides).
  • Hobart: During receiver change the z-coordinate won't move to where it should be? Try putting the telescope to service position (source=service) to help gravity solve your problem (this tips the telescope 90 degrees to the side, after which you can try moving the receiver again).

Roster:

  • Fringe check session: Make sure procedure and schedule files are there before session starts. Pay attention to chat and fringe check results and troubleshoot as necessary. Main experiments after fringe check sessions always use the same frequency setup, so if something worked during the fringe check, be sure that you have it the same way for the following experiment.
  • Receiver changes: Don't forget that Ceduna needs to be changed manually, so make sure to contact Bev in advance.
  • Experiment start: Make sure procedure (.proc) and schedule (.snp) files are there before session starts. Most experiments start with an hour of fringe checks (expecially if there wasn't one just before). Pay attention to chat and fringe check results and troubleshoot as necessary.
  • Experiment middle: Monitor the antennas and note down anything unusual in the handover notes.
  • Experiment end: Stow antennas if necessary and fill out handover notes.
Shift (local time)Observer (length)ExperimentsStationsNotes
21 Feb (Th)
11-17		Lucas (6h)vt02aoCdHoKeYgFringe check session start (X-band/3cm)
21 Feb (Th)
17-24		Ross (7h)vt02aoCdHoKeYgFringe check session middle (X-band/3cm)
22 Feb (Fr)
0-9		Lim (9h)vt02ao, GM074aCdHoKeYgFringe check session end (X-band/3cm) & Experiment start (X-band/3cm)
22 Feb (Fr)
9-18		Mas (9h)GM074a, vc369, vx027CdHoKeYgExperiment end (X-band/3cm) & Receiver changes (X->L) w/ fringe check session (L-band/1.6) & Experiment start (L-band/1.6)
22 Feb (Fr)
18-24		Earl (6h)vx027CdHoKeYgExperiment finish (L-band/1.6)
23 Feb (Sa)
0-8		Tiege (8h)vc370, GM074bCdHoKeYgReceiver changes (L->X) w/ fringe check session (X-band/3cm) & Experiment start (X-band/3cm)
23 Feb (Sa)
8-15		Momtaz (7h)GM074b, v252bqCdHoKeYgExperiment finish (X-band/3cm) & Experiment start (X-band/lba3cm)
23 Feb (Sa)
15-24		Lim (9h)v252bqCdHoKeYgExperiment finish (X-band/lba3cm)
24 Feb (Su)
0-9		Katie (9h)vc371, GM074cCdHoKeYgFringe check session start (X-band/3cm) & Experiment start (X-band/3cm)
24 Feb (Su)
9-16		Ross (7h)GM074c, v252brCdHoKeYgExperiment finish (X-band/3cm) & Experiment start (X-band/lba3cm)
24 Feb (Su)
16-8 (Mo)		Patrick (16h)v252brCdHoKeYgExperiment middle (X-band/lba3cm)
25 Feb (Mo)
8-14		Prad (6h)v252brCdHoKeYgExperiment middle (X-band/lba3cm)
25 Feb (Mo)
14-21		Jay (7h)v252br, vc372, v255agCdHoExperiment finish (X-band/lba3cm) & Receiver changes (X->C) w/ fringe check session (C-band/6.7GHz) & Experiment start (C-band/6.7GHz)
25 Feb (Mo)
21-9 (Tu)		Simin (12h)v255agCdHoExperiment middle (C-band/6.7GHz); includes AuScope shift (5h) [covered by Lucas until AuScope shift start]
26 Feb (Tu)
9-17		Warren (8h)v255agCdHoExperiment finish (C-band/6.7GHz); coincides with AuScope shift
26 Feb (Tu)
17-23		Tiege (6h)vc373, v452eCdHoFringe check session start (C-band/6.0) & Experiment start (C-band/6.0); coincides with AuScope shift
26 Feb (Tu)
23-8 (We)		Jay (9h)v452eCdHoExperiment middle (C-band/6.0); includes AuScope shift (5h)
27 Feb (We)
8-14		Mas (6h)v452eCdHoExperiment middle (C-band/6.0)
27 Feb (We)
14-23		Prad (9h)v452e, v452fCdHoExperiment finish (C-band/6.0) & Receiver changes (C->L) & Experiment start (L-band/1.6)
27 Feb (We)
23-8 (Th)		Momtaz (9h)v452fCdHoExperiment middle (L-band/1.6)
28 Feb (Th)
8-17		Katie (9h)v452f, v558cCdHoExperiment finish (L-band/1.6) & Receiver changes (L->C) & Experiment start (C-band/6.5GHz)
28 Feb (Th)
17-2 (Fr)		Simin (9h)v558cCdHoExperiment finish (C-band/6.5GHz)
1 Mar (Fr)
2-11		Jay, Lucas (9h)vx026cCdHoExperiment start and finish w/ monitoring UTAS+ATNF (C-band/6.7GHz) [Ross Burns ToO]