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Getting your Tapes Together

At this stage it is best to work out the tapes that you want to use and the times for which valid data was recorded. We also look for the times of strong calibrator sources at either end of the experiment that we are going to correlate. These files are useful to generate the clock model used by the correlator. Do this by consulting the tape database held on elleba, and also looking at the schedule and log files for the experiments in the ftp area /nfs/ftp-people/vlbi.

A database of all S2 tapes used in LBA recordings is maintained on elleba. It is in the file: cor$db:tape.db. You can get straight to this directory ($DISK1:[CORR.DB]) by typing on elleba;

E$ todb

And then to identify the tapes used in a particular experiment or observation type;

E$	db expt_name

and all lines containing instance of "expt_name" will be listed.
For Example:
E$ db v088d
will produce a list of all the tapes associated with any experiment that has v088d in the name.

To obtain a printed copy of this listing, use the alternative form:

E$	db/out=filename expt_name
E$	print filename

The resulting ``filename'' will then be printed directly on printer EPP022 which is in room 217: from the correlator room you head back towards stairs and turn right into the main ``correlator group'' area - it is then the 2nd room on the left. Alternatively, the file can be ftp'd to the Unix system and printed as desired.

From your printed list, you can now retrieve your tapes from the correlator room or the tape storage room. Often correlator personnel would have done this for you already - or shown you where they are. The tape storage room is the first door on the left past the kitchen when you head out of the correlator room.

Determine the first set of tapes with a strong calibrator and load this set into the transports, starting with logical playback 1, transport at11.

In some cases the next step, making the correlator schedule file, will already have been done, in which case you now go straight onto Section 5 - Fringe Searching.

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Next: The Correlator Schedule File Up: index Previous: Synchronise the Clocks   Contents

Paul Jones 2003-06-13