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: B configuration; 4-band dipoles deployed. Correlator hw resources support up to 64 BlBprs (that many sub-bands or use for additional resolution). Stable software system; move begins next week. 11B cycle disposition letters 31 May; next call for proposals 1 Jul.
  • PEPs (self-evaluation) due May 2nd.
• Key dates:
  • 07 May - 15 Jun: 4-band science observing
  • 09 May: Planned end of B configuration
  • 13-31 May: BnA configuration
• Staff Travel:
• Visitors:
  • Robert Harris (AC982): 24 Apr - 16 Jul
  • Alison Peck (ALMA): 15 May - 17 May
  • Bob Sault: 16 May - 23 Jun

Hardware status and updates (Langley, Perley, Rupen)

• Array (Perley/Langley):
  • EA18 out until 23 May.
• WIDAR (Rupen):
  • Notes (Rupen/Sowinski): Ongoing focus on 3-bit samplers (report Langley/Dhawan); able to do 64 BlB pairs (two boards need repair/replacement but not affecting data).
• 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
• CBE looking good; pushing ahead on subarrays; CM work to fix an issue recovering from stress/pointing files; CRM delayed to this week (pending adequate testing time). OPT 1.09 testing under webtest is ongoing.
• CASA Update (new functionality available/issues/enhancements):Notes (Miriam): Stable deployed last Friday; release pending.
• AIPS Update (new functionality available/issues/enhancements): Notes (Eric):
• SDM Update: Notes: No news.

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)

• Mon
  • 1100-1700 Testing
  • 1800-0900(Tues) Science operations and testing
• Tue:
  • 0900-1700 Testing/software development time
  • 1800-0630: 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 (holiday):
  • Science observing and testing
• Sat-Sun
  • Science operations + planned testing

Issues Affecting Science Observing:

• 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).
• Correlator: [Clark/Carlson] Delay rocking across bands. Implementation pending factor-of-2 reconciliation.
• Array: [Gustaaf] Amplitude wobbles seen on subset of antennas; phase jumps at scan boundaries also seen on subset of antennas (Ka, Q bands only thus far).
• Array: [All] Zoo of other effects (some data are very good, some still seeing antenna-based IF/Polarization issue).

Testing This week

• 3-bit samplers (Dhawan+): statistics and noise testing (highest priority)
• Spectral Line (Linz/Ott): Spectral dynamic range test (TSPE0010.3923557). Submitted.
• Spectral Line (Goss/Chomiuk): BP stability/repeatability (TSPE0005.3699117). Submitted..Completed. Report pending.
• Correlator: Rupen: S-band shadow testing; Delayed until Michael's return.
• Correlator: *; L-band SEFD confirmation
  • We present sensitivity measurements of the EVLA at L-band between 0.95 and 2 GHz. These are obtained using three EVLA antennas that are equipped with the final, EVLA-compliant L-band receivers. The reported SEFD values meet and/or exceed the EVLA sensitivity requirements over about 70% of the band, but are too high by 12-38% over the frequency range 1425-1750 MHz.
• Correlator: Durand/McMullin/Pokorny/Butler; review of CRC error events (may involve testing).
• Spectral line: Momjian: HI High resolution bandpass testing
• 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
    • Draft User Documentation: http://evlaguides.nrao.edu/index.php?title=Category:HighFrequency
    • Notes: Pending user documentation update. Quiescent.
  • 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: Update to exposure calculator; updates to LSC SEFDs.
• 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: Spectral dynamic range test submitted; BP stride test report coming.
  • 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: Working way through bands; more observations coming.
  • Planetary (Butler):
    • Notes: Ongoing work on ephemeris object tracking.
  • Scheduling/Rapid Response (Frail): Link: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/RapidResponseObserving
    • Notes:
  • Adv: Solar (Perley):
    • Notes: Recent test results at: https://bugs.nrao.edu/browse/ECSV-167
  • 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: Amy began testing last week with Michael trying to replicate previous installed system; not quite there.
      • Summary Status: summary_status_forwardplans.rtf: summary_status_forwardplans.rtf
  • 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: Shooting for end of the month for initial round of testing; hoping for May for Paul's time.

• • Adv: Low band (Owen):
    • Notes: Status report and readiness.
• Calibrator Models
  • Notes: Status report and Ka/S update.

• Algorithm (Bhatnagar, Owen):
  • Notes:
    • 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 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
    • D.J. Saikia (10C-119/AI145)::RSRO-75; 300G(2); x7106-POC: Momjian (Low Frequency)
    • J. Irwin (10C-119AI145)::RSRO-75; 300G(1); x7333 -- POC: Myers (Polarimetry)
    • Peter Hofner (10B-124/AH1011)::RSRO-26; 200G(1); x7496 -- POC: Ott (CASA testing)

Demo Science Status

• https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/EVLADemoScience
  • Complete for B configuration

AOB

• OPT enhancements for 1.09
  • EVL-1622: Update X band frequencies to full EVLA range
  • EVL-1624: Enable maximum elevation warning (>75 degrees) for Scheduling Block Summary report (for assumed scheduled start time).
  • EVL-1625: Add maximum elevation check to validation (cycling over LST start range)
  • EVL-1626: Enable specification of environmental constraints for the sun (minimum separation, avoid sunrise, avoid sunset)
  • EVL-1627: Enable notification of sunrise or sunset during SB summary report
  • EVL-1620: Incorporate knowledge of known RFI-producing satellites into warning/constraint system (GPS, Iridium, etc)
  • EVL-1621: Add default setups for 4-band

Misc Actions

• [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).