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 (dipole installation 26 Apr (after this no L/S-band polarimetry)). CBE issues may be resolved! Correlator hw resources support up to 56 BlBprs (that many sub-bands or use for additional resolution).
  • Jim Jackson in the building talking with staff.
• Key dates:
  • 26 Apr: 4-band dipole installation
  • 02 May: RSRO Committee meeting
  • 07 May - 15 Jun: 4-band science observing
  • 09 May: Planned end of B configuration
  • 13-31 May: BnA configuration
• Staff Travel:
• Visitors:
  • 05 Jan - 06 Apr: John Cannon sabbatical at DSOC

Hardware status and updates (Langley, Perley, Rupen)

• Array (Perley/Langley):
  • 06Apr: EA13 returns to array (13Apr; EA18 move to AAB; EA22 to MP).
    • List at: https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0Al6JLDuYrDsBdFV0SEhDblFmT0l5Sm9vSlh6QlVyaFE&hl=en&output=html
  • EA24 cold-load testing (Perley/Hayward)
  • Phase transfer tests (C/X) (Dhawan)
• WIDAR (Rupen):
  • Notes (Rupen/Sowinski): CBE testing is the highest priority; other tests as possible. Ongoing work with the CRM.
• 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
• Ongoing work with alerts (will lead to improved flagging); rolling forward and back on CBE as needed. OPT 1.09 coming at the end of the month (see AOB).
• CASA Update (new functionality available/issues/enhancements):Notes (Miriam): Bug fixes for release; hoping for next week; currently there are more resolved than created JIRA tickets; new stable today.
• AIPS Update (new functionality available/issues/enhancements): Notes (Eric): NOIFS was mis-scaling maps; fixed. IM2CC (can take a model image from CASA and break it up into facets and make a CC file - used for comparing wide field imaging algs); improvements in FARS user interface.
• 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)

• Mon
  • 1200-1700: Testing/software development time
  • 1800-0930: Science operations and testing
• Tue:
  • 1200-1700 Testing/software development time
  • 1800-0900: Science operations and testing
• Wed: Maintenance day
  • 0900-1700: Maintenance operations
  • 1800-0900: Science operations and testing
• Thu, Fri (to be negotiated for additional observing time):
  • 0900-1700: Testing/software development time
  • 1800-0900: Science operations and testing
• Sat-Sun
  • Science operations + planned testing

Issues Affecting Science Observing:

• Correlator: Missing/lost scans in data sets. May be related to overall issues with CBE; major focus
• 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).
• 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);Update from last week; no further work due to other CBE issues; will resume once this is solved.
• Array/Construction: Frequency offset tests (Dhawan/Rupen). Update: The pattern suggests that crossing 32 MHz (one of the discontinuities in the L302 tuning plan) leads to the phase jumps. No explanation for the magnitude of the phase jump is offered here (~120 degrees). Switches from 2 other vendors have been ordered and will be tested soon.
• Correlator: Delay rocking across bands. Implementation pending factor-of-2 reconciliation.
• 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).
• Array: Zoo of other effects (some data are very good, some still seeing antenna-based IF/Polarization issue).

Testing This week

• Correlator: Pokorny: CBE
• Correlator: Momjian: Zeeman testing
• Correlator: Rupen: S-band shadow testing
• Correlator: *; L-band SEFD confirmation
• Spectral line: Momjian: HI High resolution bandpass testing
• Array: *; Individual issue sleuthing

Commissioning Groups

• Correlator(Rupen):
  • CBE
  • dtEpoch testing and results. No update.
• 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.
  • 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: Paused due to Momjian deployment in other areas; next meeting pending (focus on imaging issues).
• 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: Goss: HI bandpass shift field-testing .Shift 1.5 MHz (phase changes) but bandpass variation seen is only 1 part in 1000.
  • 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: New POLCAL's submitted.
  • Planetary (Butler):
    • Notes: Executor update has improved things but still off; waiting on next round.
  • Scheduling/Rapid Response (Frail): Link: https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/EVLA/RapidResponseObserving
    • Notes: Work on statistics of C configuration (Ashley) - due next week.
  • Adv: Solar (Perley):
    • Notes: New test data obtained yesterday; analysis pending.
  • 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. 1/3 of antennas phased up (applied the correct phasing output), some phased to some value other than zero.
      • Summary Status: summary_status_forwardplans.rtf: summary_status_forwardplans.rtf

• Calibrator Models
  • Notes: Ka/S-band SBs being analyzed.
• HPC (Bhatnagar/Owen/Golap):
  • Notes:
• Imaging (Ott/Golap):
  • Notes: 4M data taken.
• Algorithm (Bhatnagar, Owen):
  • Notes: Plans for training of local staff in MS-MFS for user support (to be organized).
    • 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)

• Brogan: (Q-band) Good data, little flagging
• Chomiuk: (C-band) EA26 LL deformatter issue
• Krauss: (CXKKa) sundry issues

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
    • 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
    • Hau-Yu Liu (POC: Juergen Ott); area(s): mosaicing

Demo Science Status

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

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).