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 D configuration (all antennas moved as of the 26th; end of D is 27 December). Smooth operations for ~week. Recent issues with transition from 3-bit to 8-bit operation have caused individual antenna/IF issues. EA12 IFA has been disabled for the last week. Odd jump in delays on Sunday. Ongoing work with the holography campaign and gain compression investigations. Discussion of temperature dependence of gains.
• Key dates:
  • 26 Sep - 27 Dec: D configuration
• Visitors:
  • Michiel Brentjens: 11 Jun - 11 Nov (Holography; characterizing polarized beams)
  • Bob Sault: 08 Nov - 08 Dec (V Stokes, anti-aliasing, etc).

Hardware status and updates (Langley, Perley, Rupen)

• Array (Perley/Langley):
  • Antennas: EA19 is out.
  • Receivers:
    • Lab: RF Switch testing ongoing
    • Calibration (Perley): Gain compression/expansion ongoing (Hayward). Status:
  • Holography (Brentjens): Notes:
• WIDAR (Rupen):
  • Notes (Rupen/Sowinski): Relatively stable; 62/64 BlB pairs available. Updated CM version in use. Flagging problem in MCAF (flagging antennas that were fine) was resolved (but not fully determined). Overall, focus on smooth 3-bit testing and 3-bit-to-8-bit transitions.
• Computing (Robnett):

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
• Notes: Group had been focused on ongoing reviews in GB; transitioning to development plan; some areas of work for low frequency support.
• CASA Update (new functionality available/issues/enhancements):Notes: Release soon.
  • https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AplRv_tuedVzdG5aNzdCbDJxak14YWtLMDhOckJCZ0E#gid=0
• AIPS Update (new functionality available/issues/enhancements): Notes:
• 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); Note: Change for Mondays in D configuration - dedicated to science operations/planned commissioning tests.

• Mon
  • Science operations and testing
• Tue:
  • 1000-1700: Testing/software development time
  • 1800-0900: Science operations and testing
• Wed: Maintenance day
  • 0630-1700: Maintenance operations
  • 1800-0900: Science operations and testing
• Thu:
  • 0900-1700: Testing/software development time
  • 1800-0900: Science operations and testing
• Fri (not-yet-a-holiday but next week is!):
  • 0900-0900: Science operations and testing
• Sat-Sun
  • Science operations + planned testing

Issues Affecting Science Observing:

• Correlator: [Rupen/Carlson w/ Momjian/Sault] V stokes issues.Status: Bob Sault returns 8 November.
• Correlator: [Pokorny/Rupen/McMullin] time mislabeling in SDM data (non-synchronous operation between correlator dumps and CBE can require additional 1/2 integration time padding for online flags). .Needs close-out testing (Michael-update activation time testing).
• Correlator: [Clark/Carlson] Delay rocking across bands. (October)
  • Array: [All] Zoo of other effects (some data are very good, some still seeing antenna-based IF/Polarization issue).

Testing This week/soon

• 3-bit sampler testing
• Holography
• RSRO D configuration tests (remaining).
• OTF test.
• Subarrays: cleanup.
• Stage 2 mixer testing to relax sub 128 MHz BW grids
• Correlator: Rupen: S-band shadow testing
• Baseband edge/filter rolloff.
• Sub-band dependent fshifts.
• Array: *; Individual issue sleuthing.

Commissioning Groups

• Correlator(Rupen):
  • Notes: Testing as above.
• OSRO User Support (van Moorsel): Link: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/OSROTests
  • Notes:
• Observing Calibration/Flagging Strategies:
  • High Frequency (Claussen/Sjouwerman):Link: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/HighFrequencyObserving
    • Notes: Updated HighFrequency Documentation under review: http://evlaguides.nrao.edu/index.php?title=High_Frequency_Observing
    • Additional tools for reviewing API/wind constraints by month: http://evlaguides.nrao.edu/index.php?title=Monthly_Conditions_at_EVLA
  • 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
    • Emmanuel out.
  • Adv: Low band (Owen):
    • Notes: New 4/P receiver installed 14 Nov
• 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
    • Ott: Proposed spectral line observations for the move time. (review wide-narrow transfer, uniform noise setups, channel isolation, spectral dynamic range (presence of RFI)). Obtained; pending reports. Gibbs phenomenon has returned testing out shift strategy.
  • 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: Additional Polarimetry documentation linked to OSS.
  • Planetary (Butler):
    • Notes: Tracking issues seem to be resolved; https://bugs.nrao.edu/browse/ECSV-52
      • https://bugs.nrao.edu/browse/ECSV-15 * Scheduling/Rapid Response (Claussen/McMullin): Link: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/RapidResponseObserving
    • Notes: New simulator tool is available.
  • 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
    • Status: September updates: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/PhasedArray?sortcol=table;up=#Testing_Logs - Write up on current prescription to be posted shortly (Mioduszewski); more testing of multiple sub-bands ahead.
  • Adv: Solar (Perley):
    • Notes: Recent test results at: https://bugs.nrao.edu/browse/ECSV-167; first L-band deployed; Further test status.
  • Adv: Pulsar (Brisken): https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/Pulsars
    • Draft User Documentation: http://evlaguides.nrao.edu/index.php?title=Category:Pulsar
    • Notes: Paul/Scott update (Rupen)
  • Adv: Astrometry (Mioduszewski):
    • Update:https://bugs.nrao.edu/browse/ECSV-173
• Calibrator Models
  • Notes: Ka/S models status.
• HPC (Bhatnagar/Owen/Golap):
  • Notes: ~500 GB data set obtained. Issues noted when filling switched power.
• Imaging (Ott/Golap):
  • Notes: Mosaic sequence testing (Brunthaler); script to minimize az motions (due to settling).
• Algorithm (Bhatnagar, Owen):
  • Notes: Calibration discussion this week (Moellenbrock)
    • Tracking for MS-MFS: https://bugs.nrao.edu/browse/CAS-2480
    • 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

RSRO/ECSO Reports

RSRO A configuration status: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/2011AConfiguration

Individual reports (updates)

Misc:

• RSRO D config status coming...
• Test Project Codes == *TRSR*
• Guidelines for RSRO observing: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/RSROObservingPreparationGuidelines
• Reports:
  • Chen: Dynamic Imaging Spectroscopy of Coherent Solar Radio Bursts: https://bugs.nrao.edu/browse/RSRO-85
  • Leroy: Resolving the Starbursts in Nearby LIRGs and ULIRGs: https://bugs.nrao.edu/browse/RSRO-7

Demo Science Status

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

AOB