USNO VLBA Support Meeting

Date:March 13th, 2014

Time: 11 am Mountain, 1pm Eastern

Phone: 434-817-6584

Attending:

USNO: Alan Fey, Nicole Geiger, Chris Dieck, John Spitzak, Dave Hall, Dan Veillette

NRAO: Steven Durand, Peggy Perley, James Robnett, K-Scott, Walter Brisken

Agenda

Previous Action items:

• Action NRAO:(Perley to follow-up): Walter recommends Craig to run a 4 antenna observation to provide data to USNO as a test. Test was observed.
• Action NRAO (EFord): develop written procedure - ongoing needs to include Operator and site tech instructions.
• Action USNO : Need to confirm ETA of availability of additional power from USNO power engineer. (New date is late May 2014)

Status

• Correlator:
  • Status of Phase 2 - Contract is under development
  • Other:
• VLBA Status
  • Discussion of streamlining data delivery from backup VLBA intensives
    • The Mark5c recorders are being investigated to confirm interface capabilities.
    • Interface cards will be ordered accordingly and scripts tested with the SSDs through early April.
    • The goal is to deploy the system to SC & LA by end of April.
    • VLBA Operators will be able to remotely initiate recording of backup observations and site techs will then remove and ship SSDs to USNO.
  • Investigate the addition of another 2 VLBA antennas for new series of 4-antenna USNO observations.
• Daily Observation Report.
  • Ellipsoid failure at MK . - New monitor points will help identify failures of the Ellipsoid.
  • Confirmation needed that new PFB personality has not affected data. - Confirmed the data are OK. (data from Feb 27 and Feb 28)
• Open issues
  • USNO requested two fiber cables be sent.
  • Need to test back-up correlator concept. USNO will ship NRAO Mark5 disk packs for correlation. Peggy is the point of contact for this task.
• Next meeting April 10th, 2014.

-- EphraimFord - 2014-03-06