VLBI Facility report - Mar 2003

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VLBI Facility report - Mar 2003

• Tasso Tzioumis
• ATNF CSIRO

2
Report timing

• Last report Nov 2002 4 months ago
• Early ATUC late AT steering committee
• -- no detailed stats available
• TAC meeting follows 5-6 March
• - proposal stats?
• LBA strategic review 5 March
• Short report details next meeting

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The LBA in brief

• ATNF Parkes, ATCA, Mopra, LBA-Correlator
• UTas Hobart, Ceduna
• Tidbinbilla (NASA) -- limited access
• Hartebeesthoek (S. Africa) Kokee Park (USNO)
• adhoc others
• Observe at all AT-bands
• - 1.4, 1.6, 2.3, 4.8, 6.0, 6.7, 8.4, (12), 22
  GHz
• Observations 5-10 days /term
• Usually block session special days

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LBA Proposals

• Proposals through ATNF ATAC
• -- (1-year lifetime)
• 6 new proposals /term
• Overall oversubscription rate - 2
• Schedule time on 5-6 proposals/term
• Expired proposals notification?
• - adhoc at present (TAC group scheduler
  operations)
• Better mechanism to be developed

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Operations

• Successful observations November 02 and February
  03.
• No major known failures in last year
• Observational support problematic
• - more people are needed
• Correlation progress still slow (people?)
• - casual student operator in Jan-Feb
• - may try to continue practice

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Scheduling

• Access to Tid (70m) difficult for VLBI
• (Access via SIM mission for astrometry project)
• Short time periods available (spectroscopy)
• 2-3 x (10-12hr) slots (VLBI?)
• Ceduna only manned during LBA block sessions
• Available for whole session
• Conflict -- Ceduna vs. Tid scheduling

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People movements

• Steven Tingay - ATCA ? Swinbourne (Jan 03)
• Richard Dodson - UTas ? Japan (Nov 02)
• Hayley Bignall (UAdel) ? JIVE (Jan 03)
• Tracy Getts ? netball coaching (Dec 02)
• Paul Jones 6 months LBA correlator (Jul 02)
• Chris Phillips Bolton fellow (technical) (Sep
  02)
• Casual correlator operator Jan-Feb 03
• - need more ?

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VSOP

• NASA support ceased Feb 2002 (5 years)
• Survey program continues
• - S2 recording Canadian correlator
• - until Feb 2003 ? Aug 2003
• Request for Mopra support via ATAC per term
• LBA Mp, Ho, (Hh) 1-2 obs/week
• Since end Jan HALCA attitude control loss
• - not recovered yet.
• Observations cancelled till further notice

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LBA Future

• New technologies (Disk recording fibres)
• - 1 Gb/s rates (vs. 128 Mb/s now)
• NTIV (New technologies in VLBI) meeting in Korea
  (5-8 Nov 2002) 6 people from ATNF
• LBA strategic plan
• - open meeting 5 March 2003
• - will report to next ATUC (Steering Ctee?)
• All welcome
• Plan LBA path for near future
• UTas VLBI centre???
• Far future is SKA?

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(No Transcript)
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Radio Quiet Zones

• SKA LOFAR - separate reports?
• Productivity Commission review of
  Radiocommunications Act in 2002
• ATNF submission for radio sensitive zones
  around existing telescopes (ATCA, Parkes)
• Rec 10.4 in report ? cabinet!!!
• DEST ACA agreement to implement via ACA
  regulations and practices.
• Will be following up with ACA
• Prelude to international radio quiet reserves?
• Follow up at ITU-R