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12m Antenna Check Procedure
- Send the antenna to (Az, El) = (1, 87) deg
test1
- Wait for it to get there (look for
flagr/antenna,acquiredor watch the system monitor display). While you're waiting, Check the generator status:- At Hobart and Katherine you can check the status of the backup generator via the System Monitor interface. The default mode is “In Auto, off” which means it's ready to turn on if there's a power failure but it's currently switched off. If it's in any other state, query it with the On Call person.
- Check that the RF and IF signal paths are correct and the attenuators are at their nominal levels. Refer to the notes on configuring the RF and IF signal paths
- Check the DBBC is properly configured:
iread
You will see what the current Conditioning module settings are. Output format is:
<time>/<Module label>/<IF input number>,<Auto or Manual gain control>,<Nyquist filter number>,<Target power level>,<attenuation>,<actual power level>
Check there’s agreement with what appears in the
ifd8fdefinition in the procedure file. The actual power level should agree pretty well with the target level. The attenuation number can be anywhere between 0 (none) and 63 (maximum). If you see it at 0 or 63, it means the Conditioning module is having trouble getting the power to the right level. You may want to adjust the attenuators (see configuring the RF and IF signal paths) to get them back in range. - Then type:
bread
You will see what the DBBC has set the BBC freqs to (compare with the .prc file). Output looks like this:
<time>/<bbc name>/<Frequency (MHz)>/<Conditioning module in use>,<Bandwidth (MHz)>,...
the Frequency, Conditioning module label and bandwidth should agree with the listing in
dbbc8f8. - Check the maser. See theHydrogen Maser check notes
- check that the clock offsets are in range
clkoff maserdelay
and check the difference reported in the log monitor
- Make sure Skype is running to allow a chat session with all participating sites plus the on-call person
- Use the “Audio test” button on the log monitor to check the alarms are audible.
- Measure the Tsys while at a high elevation
systemp12
- There are a series of Az/El slews to move the antenna over it's full range. Type each of these commands into eRemoteCtrl in the order they appear. Wait for eRemoteCtrl to report
flagr/antenna,acquiredbefore continuing to the next:test1 test2 test3 test4 test5 test1
These commands send the antenna to the following set of (Az, El) coordinates in turn : (1, 87), (1, 6), (1, 45), (-269, 45), (269, 45), (1,87). The idea here is to exercise the antenna and log the results se we can look for any changes over the days that may indicate mechanical problems.
- Lastly, export the data collected by MONICA from the MONICA GUI as follows:
- Select “Export → ASCII Data”
- When asked for a file name, give the current obs code and station name (e.g. a1402hb), the word “check”, and end with “.txt”. For example:
a1402hb_check.txt
- Select “Export → PNG image”
- As above but a “.png” extension. e.g.
a1402hb_check.png
