Initial setup¶
Antenna overall setup¶
When opening a DISCOS observing session, it is necessary to perform a setup which includes the antenna unstow, the mount configuration in tracking mode, the minor servo setup. This is done by means of a unique command, which is specific for the wanted receiver, to be written in the operatorInput. The currently available choices are:
> setupCCCL for the C-band receiver (narrow bandwidth)
> setupCCC for the C-band receiver (wide bandwidth)
> setupCHCL for the C-high-band receiver (narrow bandwidth)
> setupCHC for the C-high-band receiver (wide bandwidth)
> setupXXP for the X-band receiver
> setupKKC for the K-band receiver
Note
Spaces within the command line content are not allowed!
The above setup command sets the antenna mount, the minor servos, the selected receiver and the default backend (TotalPower) according to default parameters. The antenna mode is set to ProgramTrack (allowing tracking and the execution of schedules), while the Local Oscillator frequency and the bandwidth are set as illustrated in the following table.
| Receiver | LO freq | Frontend IF band | Backend IF band | Observed bandwidth | Observed band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| code | (MHz) | (MHz) | (MHz) | (MHz) | (MHz) |
| CCCL | 4600 | 100-250 | 50-250 | 150 | 4700-4850 |
| CCC | 4600 | 100-900 | 50-780 | 680 | 4700-5380 |
| CHCL | 4600 | 100-250 | 50-250 | 150 | 6500-6650 |
| CHC | 4600 | 100-900 | 50-780 | 680 | 6500-7180 |
| XXP | 8080 | 100-900 | 50-780 | 680 | 8180-8860 |
| KKC | 21964 | 100-2100 | 50-2400 | 2000 | 22064-24064 |
Notice that, depending on the devices in use, the sky frequency at the observed band starting point is given by the LO frequency plus an offset. For the present combinations of the frontends with the total power backend, which the above table refers to, this offset is 100 MHz. In general, the true observed band depends on the intersection between the frontend IF band and the chosen backend filter. The actual observed bandwidth and the band starting frequency are recorded in the output files (see Appendix C - Output files).
Logfile and project code¶
The default logfile is named station.log. If the user wants to change it:
> log=[logfilename] (without extension)
Logfiles are stored in a dedicated folder (see Retrieving the data). When schedules are run, a new logfile is automatically started, and it is named after the schedule: [schedulename].log.
It is possible, and advisable, to insert the project code/name (a string assigned to the project by the TAC) using the command:
> project=[projectcode] (e.g. project=maintenance)
This will make the user save time in later stages, as it will not be necessary to specify the project name in schedule-launching commands. The project code/name must correspond to an existing user, already known to the system. This means that, if its spelling does not match with the recorded name, an error rises.