1. Science Operations
Phil Edwards
Head of Science Operations
CSIRO ATNF

2. ATNF Operations Structure
Telescope Operations
& Science Services
Computer Infrastructure
Scientific Computing & Archives
Visitor services
Receivers, LO & Conversion
Digital & Servo Electronics
Cryogenics
Mechanical, Drives, & Electrical
Science Operations
Engineering Operations
National Facility Operations
CSIRO. ATUC report May 2010: ATNF Science Operations

3. Telescope Operations and Science Services
TAC met in July
Eight TAC members supported by 16 TAC readers
No password required to access Cover Sheets and Obs Tables of scheduled proposals by time of next Call for Proposals
Schedules released in early September
Release notes added for ATCA and Parkes
Difficulties in filling the DA roster for Narrabri
AT staff, co-supervised students, or experienced others welcome!
TOSS support for Narrabri Open Day & CASS Radio School
New version of AT User Guide
Continued improvements to content and formatting
New ATCA sensitivity calculator on-line
Beta version of new ATCA calibrator database on-line
CSIRO. ATUC report May 2010: ATNF Science Operations

4. Scientific computing and archives
New version of OPAL worked well
Updates to CABB scheduler and caobs
On-the-fly mosaicing tests with CABB carried out
World Coordinate System being implemented in miriad
MoniCA updated for new 20/13cm receivers
New version of MoniCA being tested
Parkes polarisation software being tested and refined
New versions of showtel and winds at Parkes
ASAP development now in cooperation with ALMA
CSIRO. ATUC report May 2010: ATNF Science Operations

5. Computer Infrastructure
On-going work in upgrading servers and adding storage
Horus and draco upgraded, athena decommissioned
Scheduled replacement of Parkes windows desktops and laptops completed, work begun at Narrabri
Pilot SOC point-to-point broadcast quality video link commissioned between Mopra desk and room 23
IP telephony installation at Marsfield (by IM&T)
Currently no phones with direct outside access
Moving and recabling of equipment in RFI-proof racks at Parkes last week
Shaun appointed leader of ASKAP Networking IPT
CSIRO. ATUC report May 2010: ATNF Science Operations

6. Visitor Services Group
Vicki and Sam sharing the Project Leader role
Accommodation prices increased by 10% from September 1
Meal prices unchanged
Visitors now ed after their stay and asked to complete and on-line questionnaire form
VSG staff from all three sites had a get-together at Marsfield earlier this week
New beds at Parkes Quarters
New fridge and freezer at Narrabri
Army of CASS Radio School participants well-fed
CSIRO. ATUC report May 2010: ATNF Science Operations

7. Around the Observatories
Tidbinbilla
A record 7 proposals for 2010OCT (following 0 for 2010APR)
Parkes pulsar project requiring higher frequency observations transferred to Tid
New LNAs and down-converters for the 22GHz system expected this month
New spectrometer and dual-pol filter box now being tested
ATNF Vacation Student to work on on-the-fly mapping with Jimi Green and Shinji Horiuchi
LBA
Correlator back-log (effectively) cleared
LBA session from October 25th, with Hartebeesthoek & Tidbinbilla
Shorter sessions during 2010OCT for observations of pulsar around periastron
Discussions progressing with AUT about inclusion of Warwkworth in the LBA
CSIRO. ATUC report May 2010: ATNF Science Operations

8. LBA observing time (in hrs) by year and band
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
20cm 36 37
107
142 58 65
13cm 64 44 54 91 51 11
6cm 22 60 42 14 95
3cm 98
192
127 99
226
168
1cm 24 12 21
105 57
total
244
333
341
366
505
396

9. Around the Observatories
Mopra
Paper on 12mm & 7mm characterisation published in PASA
Further 3mm characterisation observations over next month
Tests of “robotic mode” or “scripted” observing about to start
Successful fast-mapping observations
Change of default cycle time to sec likely to be adopted
More tests of standing wave mitigation by sub-reflector cycling
Some work on documentation remains
Mopra all-sky webcam planned by 2011APR
Parkes
CPSR2 decommissioned
Methanol multi-beam unlikely to be offered in future
Two week shutdown underway to commission RF switching matrix
Four week shutdown in March for MCP upgrade
Increasing RFI seen over last year: observers asked to record onset, duration and characteristics as accurately as possible
CSIRO. ATUC report May 2010: ATNF Science Operations

10. Around the Observatories
ATCA
20/13cm receive upgrade continuing
All six antennas outfitted by mid-December
20cm observing in 2010OCTS held off till mid-Dec as much as possible
Galactic coordinate mosaicing implemented in caobs and awaiting testing: allowing galactic coordinates to be used in the CABB scheduler to follow
Attempts to remedy instances of erratic azimuth tracking on some antennas continuing…
CABB progress to be described in separate report
All six Water Vapour Radiometers now accepted and installed, awaiting in situ calibration
CSIRO. ATUC report May 2010: ATNF Science Operations

11. WVRs
Water Vapour Radiometer project funded by LIEF grant administered by UNSW, with contributions from
UNSW
Sydney
James Cook
Swinburne
ATNF
CSIRO. ATUC report May 2010: ATNF Science Operations

12. Some first WVR data…
CSIRO. ATUC report May 2010: ATNF Science Operations

13. Scheduling policy
Observers are expected to check the archives to determine whether observations of their proposed source(s) exist, and, if so, to justify why additional observations are required.
The OPAL source list tool can be used with ATOA to determine which sources have been previously observed with the ATCA
Similar observations of a source may be scheduled for more than one team
Examples include Sgr A* with the ATCA, PSR J with Parkes
Proposals do not include sufficient detail to cross-check proposed observations against existing observations
Proposals for >30 sources do not need to list all sources
Proposals only allocated a fraction of their requested time often elect to observe only a fraction of their original source list
CSIRO. ATUC report May 2010: ATNF Science Operations

14. Scheduling policy
ATOA has not until recently allowed positional searches of ATCA mosaic observations
Large projects for all telescopes are being encouraged to establish and maintain informative web pages so that prospective users can determine whether their proposed source(s) have already been covered by large survey programs
Determining what constitutes a “sufficiently different” observation is not always clear-cut
CSIRO. ATUC report May 2010: ATNF Science Operations

15. Thank you CSIRO/ATNF Philip Edwards
CSIRO ATNF Head of Science Operations
Web:
Contact Us Phone: or Web:
CSIRO. ATUC report May 2010: ATNF Science Operations