Version 10.1

This version was released on or about Feb. 14, 2012. It addresses a number of issues related to the new wideband system on the VLBA.

• Add example eg3mm_rdbe.key that shows how to schedule reference pointing while doing RDBE_PFB observations where the RDBE cannot be told to use the Doppler frequencies and narrow bandwidths needed for reference pointing. This involved adding the catalog files sources_RDBE_PFB.pointing and peak_RDBE.cmd which are very similar to sources.pointing and peak.cmd but set up for use when making the RDBE schedule (VEX file). Feb. 14, 2012. RCW.

• Add warning if requesting more than 0.5 MHz per spectral channel if correlating in Socorro. That puts the data at some risk of smearing when correlated with a priori clocks. Feb. 10, 2012.

• Add ASC (Astro Space Center - Moscow) to the allowed correlators. That correlator is used for Radioastron data. Feb. 10, 2012 RCW.

• Beta version released near Feb. 7, 2012 RCW

• Tweak egrdbe.key and egrdbe2.key to make them more useful for users. Also work on the wideband part of the manual. Feb. 7, 2012.

• Increase number of digits on RA and Dec in multiple phase centers in the v2d output at request of Adam Deller. Feb. 6, 2012 RCW.

• Deal with cases of multiple pcenters input groups. Also warn when a centers group is not found. Fix bug when testing for multiple centers on a phase center. Feb. 1, 2012 RCW.

• Some pointing schedules driven from the scripts using the optimization mode that takes scans that are up were passing up a lot of good scans at the start. Itcatalogs/sources.gsfc2011b turns out that this was because the estimated start time of the first scan was changing too much until a scan was finally kept and sources that were actually up were flagged as down. Fixed Jan. 31, 2012. RCW

• Allow 1040MHz BBC for RDBE_PFB so it is possible to schedule single polarization runs that span the full IF bandwidth. Warn of likely corruption of data in that channel. If sideband inversion is being used, the 528 channel will also be needed so allow that too, but warn that the on-line system will change it to 1040. Correlation will happen as if it is 1040, so don't expect fringes. Jan. 4, 2012 RCW.

• Make it possible to write Vex files for pointing observations on the VLBA. This required providing a FORMAT in the schedules and getting around some tests against non-recording projects in the Vex and regular code. A future enhancement will be to allow FORMAT=NONE for non-recording observations and to provide some way to specify pointing patterns in Vex. The immediate need is driven by the transfer of control of all switches on the VLBA antennas to the new control system which was originally meant to control the RDBE and Mark5C but will eventually control everything. The new control system works from the Vex files and must control the switches for all observing, including pointing type single dish tests. This item also includes adding the ptv... setup file for pointing with a FORMAT assigned. Nov. 15, 2011. RCW

• Make new source catalogs sources.vlba.2011nov, sources.rfc2011d, and sources.gsfc2011a based on the Goddard 2011a_astro and Petrov 2011d solutions. Provide symbolic links sources.vlba, sources.Petrov, and sources.GSFC so schedules don't have to be kept up to date with last release. See the top lines of any of those files for details of how they differ. Users should think about which they wish to use which is why sources.vlba is no longer there except temporarily as a link to the previous catalog. Nov. 11, 2011 RCW

• Fix an oversight in the Vex code where two FREQ blocks could be considered the same if everything except the net sideband matches. We actually had a test schedule involving sideband inversion at the GBT that had just such a situation, when the FREQ blocks should not have been condsidered to be the same. Nov. 8, 2011 RCW.

• Fix a bug where, if there were no periods ok for preemption, an array element with subscript 0 was accessed. The SUN version did not like that and crashed. Nov. 3, 2011. RCW

• When using the frequency catalog to find a good first LO etc when using the RDBE, discourage choices that will cause baseband channels to include a crossover point. This should help get settings for which the 32 MHz channels with the PFB are at the right place, even when there are both upper and lower sideband first LO choices. It also helps get the right LO setting when the DDC is used. Nov. 3, 2011. RCW.

• Add warning when the first scan crosses midnight and there might be confusion about DAY, MONTH, and YEAR applying to the stop time. Nov. 2, 2011 RCW.

• Add support for the new VLBA 4-8 GHz receiver. Very many frequency options were added to freq_RDBE.dat to support the 4 channel IF converter. The use of any of the 4 IFs was added to the checking routines, although the total number is still limited to 2 for now. Example egcwide.key was added to exercise this system. This will still be called the 6cm band. Nov. 1, 2011 RCW.

• For RDBE/PFB observations where the sideband in the RDBE must be lower, allow for the fact that the DiFX correlator can invert the sideband. This is done in the code by the program that checks the setups for the RDBE/PFB. If an upper sideband is found, it is converted to lower with appropriate LO and sideband changes. Some bugs were revealed in the VEX new mode section, some of which were fixed, but not all yet. Oct. 16, 2011 RCW

• Make freq_RDBE.dat with frequency bands adjusted for 512-1024 MHz. This now has the VLBA and GBT and one fake EB entry. More will be needed. Oct. 12, 2011 RCW.

• Fix the hsa1cm.key file for some setup errors recently identified in the ongoing observations. Oct. 11, 2011 RCW.

• Rationalize the DSN stations in the catalogs. Move to the DSS names as much as possible, consistent with the positions from the geodetic solutions. This might break old key files. Oct. 11, 2011 RCW

• Update the locations catalog to gsfc2011a. Oct. 16, 2011 RCW

• Add BEGIN and END to locations catalog inputs to deal with time ranges for episodic motion. Set up the format translators from geodetic solutions to provide those numbers. Discontinue the use of DBCODE and AXISTYPE in the locations file (AXISTYPE is in the stations catalog) and DBCODE is not used. Oct. 5, 2011 RCW

• Remove use of RCWINCLUDE with verbatiminput to include examples in the manual and simplify the update and release process. Sept. 26, 2011 RCW.

• Only announce fits being skipped in geodetic segment if GEOPRT=1 or higher. Sept 21, 2011.

• Improve the PGPLOT distribution included with SCHED. This is mainly improving the organization and instructions. Also it involved some changes in the scripts that build the makefile for SCHED. RCW Sept 24, 2011.