First 24 hour session with APOD scans.

• With VieVS Satellite scheduling tool, by A. Hellerschmied
  • Observation mode: Modified Aust mode
    • 16MHz BW, 2 bit sampling, 10 X band Ch, 6 S band Ch, see VEX file
    • One S band Ch and 3 X band Ch were shifted to cover all APOD DOR tones
    • Same setup for APOD and quasars
  • 4 blocks with quasar scans
    • Scheduled automatically by calling std. VIE_SCHED from the satellite scheduling envirenment
    • sub-netting disabled
    • Min. on-soure time: 30 sec
    • Min Source flux: 0.65 Jy
      • 67 sources left
    • SNR limits: 20dB in X-band, 15dB in S-band
    • Cut-off elevation: 5 deg
    • Min sun-dist.: 4 deg
    • Source catalog: current source.cat.geodetic.goodac from GSFC
    • VIE_SCHED parameter file: param.txt
      • 10 sec added to calculated on-source time via PARA.CORSYNCH
      • 5 sec additionally added between slewing and obs. start via PARA.IDLE (problem with late on-source errors with AuScope antennas)
    • Sky coverage plots for each quasar block:
  • APOD scans
    • 3 blocks with APOD scans ()
    • Manual scheduling mode
    • only observe scans with common visibility of min. two stations (in previous test sessions also single stations scans were schedules to test tracking features)
    • Continuous tracking (AzEl mode) and recording
  • Calibrator sources added at start and end of session
    • Manual scheduling mode
    • For bandpass calibration
    • Used calibrator source: 1921-293 (other suitable sources are 3C279 (missing in catalog ) and 0537-441)
    • 10 min on-source time
• Schedule summary: a332_sum.txt
• VEX file: a332_comb.vex.txt
• Visibility plot: 2016-11-27_050000_elev_a332.pdf
• See catalog files for full setup (on vievs server, user: sorts)
• Min. 5 min time gap before after sat. scans to load antenna control files

• Observers: Jamie, Lucia
• Comments:
  • “source” commands for APOD scans deleted in snp file (tracking is handled independent from the FS vis AzEl files)
  • No possibility to disable pCal tones just for the APOD scans. pCal tones will still cover two DOR tones (however, due to the symmetric arrangement of the DOR tones the influence on the delay resolution function should be small)
  • First APOD block (a332a): All three antennas were tracking and recording. S band amplitudes on SA quite stable. Large periodic amplitude variations in X band (narrower beam).
  • APOD was tracked successfully in 2nd and 3rd sat. block (a332b and a332c).
    • Good amplitude stability in a332c
  • Due to maintenance work at the maser, the session had to be ended 1 hour earlier. The 10 min scan on the calibrator src was shifted.

• Satellite tracking based on direct AzEl input files
  • Azel values directly taken from tracking files provided by J. Sun
• Station equipment controlled by station dependent VEX files

• All control files used for the observations (VEX schedules, schedule summaries, orbit files, AzEl tracking files, etc.) are provided on the VieVS server (sorts@vievs.hg.tuwien.ac.at) at /home/sorts/apod/2016/
• Results:
  • Plot showing fringe fitting results (residual multiband delays, delay rates, SNR, formal errors):
  • VSO observation files containing the multiband total delays calculated by HOPS/fourfit (remove the .txt file name extension to load the VSO files in VieVS):
    • Scan 168: a332._band.168.txt_redclk-ion_free.vso.txt a332._band.168.txt_redclk-s.vso.txt a332._band.168.txt_redclk-x.vso.txt
    • Scan 169: a332._band.169.txt_redclk-ion_free.vso.txt a332._band.169.txt_redclk-s.vso.txt a332._band.169.txt_redclk-x.vso.txt
    • Scan 520: a332._band.520.txt-ion_free.vso.txt a332._band.520.txt-s.vso.txt a332._band.520.txt-x.vso.txt
    • Scan 564: a332._band.564.txt-ion_free.vso.txt a332._band.564.txt-s.vso.txt a332._band.564.txt-x.vso.txt
  • NGS file with “geodetic” scans of natural sources: 16nov27xt_n004.dat.txt