Meeting Information

• 1600 UT (1000 MDT)
• AOC 317; IP: 146.88.16.8; phone: +1 575-835-7370

Agenda/Minutes

News, Travel, Visitors (McMullin)

• Overall status: In B configuration; able to support 16 baseline board pairs (for up to 16 subbands). New software over the last week (Executor, MCAF); currently an issue with archive extraction - to be resolved ASAP.
• Key dates:
  • 07-10 Mar: New Worlds, New Horizons (Santa Fe)
  • 07 May - 15 Jun: 4-band science observing
• Staff Travel:
• Visitors:
  • 05 Jan - 06 Apr: John Cannon sabbatical at DSOC
  • 22 Feb - 08 Mar: Sonja Vrcic (Correlator)
  • 28 Feb - 28 Mar: Bob Sault

Hardware status and updates (Langley, Perley, Rupen)

• Array (Perley/Langley):
  • EA13 returns to array (24Mar; EA18 moves out).
  • L band on EA16 (Wednesday)
  • Issues: Baseline determination still showing some large offsets, weather suspected. Previous issue resolved:

The recent move into B array uncovered some oddities in the  fitting 
of antenna positions ('baselines') in the AIPS routine LOCIT. This was
traced to the format of the AIPS OTT= 'Over the Top' table written by
BDF2AIPS - it was in real*4 instead of real*8. This has been fixed by
Eric Greisen.

• • • List at: https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0Al6JLDuYrDsBdFV0SEhDblFmT0l5Sm9vSlh6QlVyaFE&hl=en&output=html
    • Construction: RFI sweep at Ku, K, Ka, Q pre-requisite for high pass filters for use with L301.This week.
      • Looking at a public web-based observing log (searchable) (Butler/McMullin).
• WIDAR (Rupen):
  • Notes: Work on subarrays this week (Vrcic/Pokorny); testing of scan alignment fix (Rupen/Pokorny); testing of new Executor fshift algorithm (Sault/Clark/Rupen).
• Computing (Robnett):
  • New link to Lustre guidelines: https://staff.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/Main/LustreUsersDoc (Robnett).
  • Notes:

Software status and updates (Butler)

• Links:
  • Software versions/updates: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/EVLASoftwareVersioning?sortcol=table;up=#Current_Software_Versions_in_Use
• OPT/OST 1.08; some issues with time outs/slow downs - being investigated; Executor update last week.
  • Release Notes: https://staff.nrao.edu/evla/sss/opt/sssOptReleases.shtml#1.08.00
• CASA Update (new functionality available/issues/enhancements):Notes (Miriam): Development review (3.2) and planning (3.3).
  • EVLA-CASA3.3_priorities-v2.pdf: EVLA-CASA3.3_priorities-v2.pdf
  • CASATimingsFeb2011.pdf: CASATimingsFeb2011.pdf
• AIPS Update (new functionality available/issues/enhancements): Notes: Eric on travel through the 19th. Need switched power heuristics for reduction.
• SDM Update: Notes:

Commissioning Group Reports and Test Planning

• Key link: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/EVLACommissioningOrganization

• NOTE: Please cc me on submitted tests so that it can be assigned the appropriate priority!

Commissioning priorities for the week (McMullin, Chandler)

Single maintenance day week:

• Mon
  • All day: Science Operations/testing observations
• Tue
  • 0900-1700: Testing/software development time
  • 1800-0630: Science operations
• Wed: Maintenance day
  • 0630-1700: Maintenance operations
  • 1800-0900: Science operations
• Thu, Fri:
  • 0900-1700: Testing/software development time
  • 1800-0900: Science operations
• Sat-Sun
  • Science operations + planned testing

Issues Affecting Science Observing:

• Correlator: fshift sub-band anti-aliasing causing phantom spectral lines when using recirculation for narrow bands (only worry if Michael has to prep your file); Work this week with Bob et al.
• Correlator: Missing/mislabeled scans in data sets (small percentage but recurring).
• Correlator: time mislabeling in SDM data (non-synchronous operation between correlator dumps and CBE can require additional 1/2 integration time padding for online flags);fix available pending testing verification.
• Array/Construction: Dhawan/Rupen: RF switch issues; new set coming to be tested.
• Correlator: Delay rocking across bands. Brent investigating; tests to come.
• Correlator: Subset of BlBs misbehaving (only affects hardware stacking modes). Currently restricted to 16 working Baseline boards; several RSRO projects are pending.
• Antenna/High Freq: Reference pointing accuracy (C, X, Ku). Rick has noted that we are worse than before - larger fraction of observations indicate larger pointing offsets (Perley).
• Array: Amplitude wobbles seen on subset of antennas; phase jumps at scan boundaries also seen on subset of antennas (Ka, Q bands only thus far).

Commissioning Groups

• OSRO User Support (van Moorsel): Link: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/OSROTests
  • Notes: Baselines updated.
• Observing Calibration/Flagging Strategies:
  • High Frequency (Claussen/Sjouwerman):Link: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/HighFrequencyObserving
    • Draft User Documentation: http://evlaguides.nrao.edu/index.php?title=Category:HighFrequency
    • Notes: Meeting 24 Feb focused on improving calibrator selection, guidance.
    • High Frequency: McMullin/Owen/Hunter: Tipping radiometer proposal
  • Mid Frequency (Dhawan):
    • Notes:
  • Low Frequency (Momjian): Link: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/LowFrequencyObserving
    • Draft User Documentation: http://evlaguides.nrao.edu/index.php?title=Category:LowFrequency
    • Notes: Work to improve exposure calculator estimates (sensitivity, confusion; Momjian). TLOW0001 generated for A configuration testing of LSC limits to imaging dynamic range (Owen). Ongoing updates to user documentation (Momjian).
• Observing Modes
  • Spectral Line (Goss/Ott): Link: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/SpectralLineModes
    • Draft User Documentation: http://evlaguides.nrao.edu/index.php?title=Category:SpectraLine
    • *Notes:Work to draft science use case for Doppler tracking (Ott); finalize planning elements for testing (Ott); draft bandpass stability documentation for user guide (Chomiuk).
    • Spectral Line: Dhawan: Follow-up on frequency offset phase jumps characterization.
      • https://bugs.nrao.edu/browse/ECSV-132
  • Polarization (Myers/Perley): Link: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/PolarizationModes
    • Draft User Documentation: http://evlaguides.nrao.edu/index.php?title=Category:Observing_Preparation
    • Notes: POLCAL results being generated (C band available); script developed to auto-update - see: file:///lustre/smyers/TPOL0003/20101215/HTML/polcal_master.html ; The 'flux densities' run has given us the calibrator source

polarizations, spanning the entire range between 1 and 50 GHz (for 3C48, 3C138, 3C147, 3C286).

• • • Polarization: Antenna cross polarization (Perley; Need script.); LSCX on 3C147; Postponed until wideband X available on EA24.
  • Planetary (Butler):
    • Notes: Status of Ephemeris table.; Need SB to test updated Executor horizontal parallax.
  • Scheduling/Rapid Response (Frail): Link: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/RapidResponseObserving
    • Notes: Minutes from last meeting posted at: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/23Nov2010
  • Adv: Solar (Perley):
    • Notes: Pending; Solar observing testing with 20db filters this week; need SB.
  • Adv: Phased array/VLBA/VBLI (Deller, Lazio): Link: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/PhasedArray
    • Draft User Documentation: http://evlaguides.nrao.edu/index.php?title=Category:PhasedArray
    • Notes: Mark 5C scheduled to arrive 15Mar, out at site and ready 01Apr!
      • Summary Status: summary_status_forwardplans.rtf: summary_status_forwardplans.rtf
  • Adv: Pulsar (Brisken):
    • Notes: Paul visit status.
  • Adv: Astrometry (Mioduszewski):
    • Notes: Paul visit status.
  • Adv: Low band (Owen):
    • Notes: Pick up starting 27 April with re-installation of dipoles
• Calibrator Models
  • Notes: Status
• HPC (Bhatnagar/Owen/Golap):
  • Notes:
• Imaging (Ott/Golap):
  • Notes: Meeting pending to discuss OTF mosaicing implementation.
• Algorithm (Bhatnagar, Owen):
  • Notes:
    • Tracking for MS-MFS: https://bugs.nrao.edu/browse/CAS-2480
    • Colloquium this week: Bhatnagar: Wide-band wide-field interferometric imaging: Challenges and progress
    • autoflag task: tfcrop ready for internal testing. Algorithm details, how to run/use it, parameter options and a fewsample plots are listed on:
      • http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/~rurvashi/TFCrop/TFCrop.html Updates to this; please review.
      • The relevant JIRA ticket is : https://bugs.nrao.edu/browse/CAS-2676

Testing This week

• Array: Sowinski: Ku-band collimation
• Array: Dhawan: Baseline determination run
• Correlator: Rupen: Subarray testing
• Correlator: Rupen: Scan time alignment testing (dumptrig epoch)
• Correlator: Sault/Clark/Rupen: fshift/spectral splatter testing
• Solar: Perley/Bastian: Solar observing tests (20dB testing)
• Spectral line: Momjian: HI High resolution bandpass testing
• Spectral line: Momjian: Zeeman test follow-up

RSRO/ECSO Reports

RSRO B configuration status: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/2011BRSROStatus

Individual reports (updates)

Misc:

• RSRO Calendar: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/RSROCalendar
• RSRO DnC, C config status: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/2010CRSROStatus
• Test Project Codes == *TRSR*
• Guidelines for RSRO observing: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/RSROObservingPreparationGuidelines
• Notes:
  • Current Residents
    • Laura Chomiuk (POC: Juergen Ott); area(s): spectral line observing (bandpass stability); AS1015 et al. 200C/7497
    • Sergio Dzib (POC: Amy Mioduszewski); area(s): astrometry; BL175; 200E/7246
    • Amy Kimball (POC: -); area(s): data review; 10B-104; 300G/7333
    • Hendrik Linz (POC: Claire Chandler); area(s): high frequency observing (calibrators); AC982 (RSRO-4): 200G/x7496
    • Ashley Zauderer (POC: Dale Frail); area(s): Time-domain science; scheduling. 10C-145/AB1369; 200G/7334

Demo Science Status

• https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/EVLADemoScience

Her A Status report (Perley)

AOB

*

Misc Actions

• [Frail/Butler]: Enable restrictions based on proximity to sun; review OST weather trending.
• [McMullin/Frail]: %REDWrite up disposition of RR items.
• [McMullin]: Review/recover metrics for Priority 0 items.
• [Perley/McMullin]: SPW/IF/BB lexicon and mapper
• Development of WIDAR guidelines document (Michael)
• List of known problems (can be used by OSRO commissioning team (van Moorsel)
  • • Med Priority [TBD]: Added. Phase change when frequency changes (needs to be tested).
    • Med Priority [TBD]: Anti-aliasing does not behave as advertised. - Sault visit * Low Priority [TBD]: Phase (and amp) wobbles; long history.fshift investigation.

-- JosephMcMullin - 2011-02-28