VEGAS Tests 2013 August 19

Goals

• astronomical tests of VEGAS Modes 2 and 3

Observing Details

X-band Radio Recombination Lines

• weather is calm, overcast, very light rain
• no C-band, so start at X-band
• need a very long slew, then antenna gets stuck in stopping
• finally on source 04:04am
• AutoPeak is scanning in galactic coordinates! This is a bug in AutoPeak
• write my own AutoPeakFocus procedure, with a source explictly set
• 4:10am
• Amanda's procedure only configures one bank
• Scans 4-7 Peak Offsets (-0.0891,-0.1351)
• Scan 8 Focus - Offset = -4.066mm. Old DFC = -4.789mm. New LFC = 0.723mm.
• Scan 9 - RRLXbandMode2SpecOnOff
• Scans 9 through 20 Mode 2 - lines appear here but offset in frequency - presumably due to source velocity
• Switch to RRLXbandMode3SpecOnOff
• Scans 21 through 32 Mode 3 - weak lines visible

L-band HI

• 4:55am switch to L-band
• big slew back to S8
• Scans 33-36 Peak Offsets (-0.0925, -0.1014)
• Scan 37 Focus Offset = -17.273mm. Old DFC = 0.000mm. New LFC = -17.273mm.
• Try and run a scan - BankBMgr failed to start the VEGAS HPC subprocess, BankBMgr is hung in aborting.
• A few scans fail - Just use Bank A
• Scan 40 S8 ExGalMode2SpecFsw
• Scan 41 S8 ExGalMode2SpecFsw
• Scan 42 N1961 - 5 mins
• Scan 43 N1961 - 5 mins
• S8 position is B1950 not J2000 - edit position and try again
• Scan 44 S8 - 5 mins
• Scan 45/46 S8 - 60 secs ExGalMode2SpecOnOff
• Scan 47/48 - S8 repeat - not seeing anything... Why not?
• Try Mode1 - see if there is anything there.... Lmode1speconoffRMP
• Scan 49 - just a Track - edit procedure
• Scan 50/51 OnOff
• Still nothing there - go to a bright calibrator - 3C123
• Scan 52/53 OnOff - IF Rack failed to balance - Attenuators at 31dB - 100k continuum source there - why does spectral line not work?
• Try S8 again in lsrk, Radio
• Scan 54/55 OnOff - still nothing there. Frequency information is screwed up in some way?
• Change frequency to 1420.4058 - see what this does.
• Scan 56/57 - nothing there at all!
• 07:00am pack in