Subject: [Fwd: Re: GBT timing obs]
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 2002 14:38:26 -0400
From: Ingrid Stairs <istairs@nrao.edu>
Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory
To: fghigo@nrao.edu

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: GBT timing obs
Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2002 12:59:23 -0700 (PDT)
From: don backer 415 campbell 510-642-5128 <dbacker@astron.berkeley.edu>
To: zaven@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov
CC: istairs@nrao.edu, dbacker@astron.berkeley.edu

Zaven,

Jason H and I used the GBPP with GBT during visit
earlier this month. We developed a useful script
to make the operation alpha-friendly. We'd like
to migrate this to gui, that might not be integrated
exactly with GBT as BCPMs are. Amy could do this
but really needs a user there to guide her.

OK. Dates: Thu/Fri 18/19 Jul I plan to be
reachable at Nancay, but Plan A is to go off
on weekend with my wife and not be around
cpu. That is 20/21. So, if you have some test
time down there, we could perhaps coordinate
on Th/Fr.

Elements of GBPP:

GBT IFs go to BCPM1 IF switch. This needs to
be setup to 1 or 2 depending on GBT IF. The
output is split with one side going to BCPM1
and other under floor to GBPP IF switch. That
IF switch needs to be set in position 3.

GBPP needs rfif.tbl which informs it of
both LO chain and has "if 3" in it for setting
of IF switch. Models of rfif.tbl are in
c:97feb\data called rfif0425.tbl and rfif1375.tbl.
Copies are on osiris:/gbpp0/mpulsar/gbpp/onlingbt
(a dbacker owned directory).

At start one has to download things like
rfif.tbl, ty.dat, polyco.dat all DOSified
via unix2dos if not already. ty.dat is version
of tztot.dat that is only used for DM and
so can be mocked up to do so. Suggestion
is to run test observation of any objects
to assure ok prior to observing; GBPP doesn't
know telescope is not tracking!

Then we ran various scripts for observing/cal-ing
that are in /gbpp0/mpulsar/gbpp/onlingbt

Basically the PC runs "GO.GBT" which is infinite
loop dos script. It looks across the net for
telescope status which we've dummied up to be
always ok so you can ignore. It also looks for
an obs.bat in this onlingbt directory. The
script makes up a bunch of dos commands in
tmp.bat and then unix2dos's them and places
result in obs.bat. When PC sees this it executes
the batch file. (One catch is that a valid
LST stop time is needed in "sched" commands;
this is avoidable quirk but currently the
GO.GBT batch file runs "wait" and wait pays
attention to sched/stop times as it is nominally
making 24h loop on 85ft.) Current datataking
can be aborted by placing a 7 in the file abort.txt
which the PC also looks at; a 1 in the abort.txt
file means continue to end of integration. One
must (and scripts do) clear this entry into
abort.txt to proceed. Finally there is one
more method of PC communication - the update
process. Here we place "update" in last line
of "update.sta". The PC, in its GO/wait cycle,
will find this (prior to looking for obs.bat)
and pull across "update.bat" and run update.bat.
Then PC places pause as last line in update.sta.
Until this pause is cleared, nothing happens.

So...a little intricate, but not all that complicated
once all elements are understood. It's useful to
practice on unix machine near GBPP.

Don

EXAMPLES OF SCRIPTS
contoff.cal
conton.cal
pulsar.cal
pulsar.full
pulsar.obs
pulsar.psr

ABORT
abort.txt

UPDATE BUSINESS
update.bat
update.sta

RFIF EXAMPLES
rfif0425.tbl
rfif1390.tbl

TZTOT VERSION
ty.dos

pulsar.obs:
-----------
#! /usr/csh
#echo "Hit return to begin..."
#set reply = $<

'rm' update.sta
'rm' abort.txt
'rm' update.bat
'rm' tmp.bat
'rm' obs.bat
echo no update > update.sta
echo ' ' > abort.txt
echo rem update.bat > update.bat
set zero=0
#
# CAL section
#
if ($2 > $zero) then
    echo 'using CAL'
    echo writelog Turn cals ON now !!!!! > tmp.bat
    echo sched c$1 l 200000 $2 2k 4 p 1 25 >> tmp.bat
    echo call setda  >> tmp.bat
    echo dataloop -d -c 2 $2 -a 'n:\gbpp\onlingbt\abort.txt' >> tmp.bat
    echo writelog Turn cals OFF in 30s !!!!! >> tmp.bat
endif
echo sched $1 l 200000 $3 2k 4 p 1 0 >> tmp.bat
if ($2 > 0) then
    echo call setdx >> tmp.bat
else
    echo call setda >> tmp.bat
endif
echo dataloop -n $1 -c 5 $3 -a 'n:\gbpp\onlingbt\abort.txt' >> tmp.bat
echo writelog All done !!! >> tmp.bat
echo 'echo pause >> n:\gbpp\onlingbt\update.sta' >> tmp.bat
echo rm tmp.bat >> tmp.bat
unix2dos tmp.bat obs.bat
echo Cycle through update business now
#
# could prompt, then fall into
#
# echo update>update.sta
(/gbpp0/mpulsar/gbpp/onlingbt) osiris% tail -f gbpp.log
^C