System performance
last monthly update: jun08
The performance of the various receivers
measured
with the heiles calibration scans are listed by receiver and epoch. The
plots show the average of polA and polB. There are 3 sets of plots:
- Gain [K/Jy], Tsys[K], SEFD[Jy/Tsys], and average beam width[Asecs]
- coma parameter, 1st sidelobe height, main beam efficiency,
and
main
beam + first sidelobe efficiency.
- Pointing errors [Asecs] vs az and za.
For receivers that cover a wide range of frequencies, the data will be
plotted with all frequencies combined, and then by frequency.
For the alfa receiver the data is
first
plotted with all pixels together. The color is used to code the pixel
number.
After the combined plot there are 7 more plots showing each pixel by
itself.
For these plots the color is used to distinguish the source used.
There are sections that show the cumulative system performance and
the system performance by month.
Links to sections:
Cumulative
system performance
system performance by month.
cumulative
number of scans by rcvr for last 12 months (.ps)
(.pdf)
check
the flux of the calibration sources
System modification
history:
Miscellaneous multi frequency measurements
System
modification
history: (top)
This is a short list of changes that could affect the system
performance.
A more complete list can be found at system
modification history.
- 01jul08: xband model subtracted 4 asecs from za constant term for
bania. Did not modify any other recievers.
- 20jun08: updated
pointing model with calibration data using fits to 1az and 3 az
terms.
- 13jun08: cooled 327 receiver installed
- dec07: this included the pointing model made with sband narrow
after the painting project completed. It will include the pointing
errors after the painting and before the new model was installed.
- xxapr07: pointing off since painting program moving weights.
- 31mar07: painting project started moving weight on the platform.
- 10dec06: updated pointing model 1az terms and az*sinza.
- 03/04dec06: x102 runs had offsets in model for testing. sin(za)
az:
-45.9*sin(za).
1az term for za: -6.7cos(az) - 6.8sin(az) . These values were added to
model. To goback to old model, subtract these values.
- 16jun06: lbw polB Cal. found loose sma feed thru inside dewar.
Probably
causing the drifts in polB Tsys.
- 10apr06: sbn cal remeasured 15mar06. installed 10apr06. backdated
to
14oct03.
Need to recompute the sbn data to used these new cal values. the old
ones
were probably a little high.
- 04dec05: lbw polB cal value jumps 20%. remeaured cals on 23feb06.
- 23nov05: lbw diodes replaced
- 30sep05: station clock off by 1 second midnite to
8:30am.
lbw
calibration data will have extra 15 asec pnterr.
- 18aug05: sbw cal cables changed. This changed the amount of cal
getting
into the dewar. Need to remeasure the cals.
- 08aug05: new cband cals installed. backdated to
25may05
when
new amps were installed. recomputed cband data from may05 with new cal
values.
- 22jul05: lbw diode 1 died.. used diode 2 for
cals
until
new diodes arrive.
- 21jun05: installed new lbw cals (had a bug in
diode1->polb...
fixed 09aug05).
- 01jun05 : lbw: found bad polA connection to
probe in
dewar. found cracke polB cal cable in dewar..
- 25may05: cband reinstalled with new amps, cal values
need
to
be updated.
- 13mar05 Included 430ch data in system
performance.
- 12mar05 oh filterbank installed for alfa.
- 29jan05 (check date) 430 filters to
remove tv
station
intermods installed polb ch and pola,b dome.
- 23jan05 recomputed alfa system performance
using the
new cal values.
- 05jan05 added alfa data. Using old cal values
from
the
lab.
- 27dec04 cbh . model offsets az,za incremented
by
(-.28,-3.82).
data from x102 runs.
- 27oct04 the 327 data taken 27,28oct04 had a
hybrid in
front of the receiver. It was used to create circular polarizations for
a vlbi observation.
- 09oct04 cband dewar brought down. found short
in
polA
cable inside dewar that was causing the tsys values to jump around.
- 12sep04 lbw cals measured 06aug04, installed
12sep04,
backdated to 04jun04.
- 04jul04 cband polA cal value jumps back (after
dewar
warmed up and cooled down). note continues to jump around until 08oct04
when dewar brought down and short found in one of the cables in the
dewar.
- 31may04 cband polA cal value jumps.
- 17may04 pointing model 15 installed after
verify runs
completed. (sbn installed a few days before).
- 14may04 sbw diodes replaced, horn lowered 2.4
inches.
- 10may04 during this week calib scans were done with
some
receivers
with large pointing errors.
- 10may04 during week pointing model made sbn, verification
other
sources
with calib scans.
- 01may04 tertiary resurveyed into position
- 29apr04 horns resurveyed and moved into "best"
position.
lbw,sbw,sbn not moved.
- 23apr04 lbw
polB cal value jumps.
- 21apr04 alfa installed, kevlar cables installed week
before.
- 15mar04 xb receiver back up. Was in lab for
cals,amps,
loose cables in dewar. remeasured cal values.
- 29feb04 pointing offsets cbh updated using
calib runs
feb04.
- 14feb04 horn survey, repositioned horns,
updated
pointing model. Larges move was lbw.
- 13feb04 sbh horn moved dow .8 inches to bring
in
focus.
New cals installed
- 10feb04 cbh installed
- 26jan04 leaf springs on the dome changed to
stiffer
ones
(approx. date)
- 14jan04 610 receiver moved on the turret floor.
- 07jan04 327,xband receivers moved on the turret
floor.
- 10oct03 sbw cals remeasured. backdated to
15aug03.
still
drifting.
- 02nov03 lbw gain curve from data 01mar03 thru sep03. back
dated
to
01mar03.
- 14oct03 8am. az encoder jumped by 3 teeth
(about 16
asecs).
fixed on 16oct03.
- 05oct03 xband
cals remeasured on antenna test rangei valid from 05oct03.
- 04sep03 I think the Cal values on xband have
changed
after new horn installed (see
measurements).. They need to be remeasured.
- 03sep03 new xband horn installed.
- 21jul03 xband. updated pointing offsets from
calib
data.
- 21jul03 xband installed new cal values from
sky,absorber.
- 30may03 recomputed xband cals. uncorcal,0cal definitions were
wrong on
measurement page.
- 18may03 loose cable cband cals. retightened cable and redid cals.
- 14may03 remeasured sbh cal values. diodes have been drifting.
- 22apr03: cband new cal noise diodes installed.
- 10mar03: corrected feeds offsets installed 07mar03.
- 07mar03: model 14 installed with feeds offsets (but offsets were
backwards)
- xxfeb03: dome lifted, elevation rails shimmed, model 14 installed.
- 21nov02: lbw horn focus changed
- 30aug03: 610 antenna switched from fat dipole back to skinny
dipole
- 28aug02: cband horn focus changed
- 21aug02: lbn horn focus changed.
- 31jul02: 327 room temperature receiver installed.
- 02apr02: update xband turret position from theodolite survey.
- 23may01: 610 receiver switched to fat dipole.
- 06feb02: reshimmed xband horn position.
- xxsep01: major adjustments to reflector surface completed.
Misc,
multi-freq:
(top)
14feb05:
hpbw vs lambda (all rcvrs) for data taken 2004
14feb05:
hi frequency performance after reflector adjustments.
home_~phil