Receiver availability

The default receiver pairing will be Ultra-Wideband Low (UWL) receiver along with the Cryogenically Cooled Phased Array Feed (CryoPAF). High-frequency receivers such as 13mm and MARS will replace the UWL when required. Near the end of the 2026OCT semester we expect that the ultra-wide-bandwidth mid and high frequency receivers (UWM/H) will be being commissioned on Murriyang. As part of this upgrade the ultra-wide-bandwidth low (UWL) will not be available for a period of 6 to 8 weeks in the second half of the semester (Feb/Mar – Apr). Engineering commissioning for the UWL/M/H would follow this and be at the very end of the semester and likely into the start of the 2027APR semester. After the commissioning of these new receivers the legacy receivers may not be available. For 2026OCT semester proposals are accepted for the UWL and the CryoPAF, please contact Shi Dai (shi.dai [at] csiro.au) for more details on the receiver upgrades.

We encourage the submission of “Large Projects” or “Long-term Projects” for the CryoPAF as appropriate.

A complete description of the CryoPAF modes and features are described in this CryoPAF specification document. In brief the expectation is that 600 MHz of bandwidth will be available, 72 beams are available for pulsar search and spectrometer modes, 8 beams are available for pulsar fold and VLBI modes. A small number of beam footprints will be available. 

We note that time will be allocated subject to evidence of awareness of, and capacity to manage, the large data rates produced by CryoPAF – particularly for pulsar search mode. 

The key contact for CryoPAF installation and commissioning plans, as well as information about associated visits and travel support is Simon Johnston (Simon.Johnston [at] csiro.au), CryoPAF Project Scientist. 

Backend Availability

Apollo is a GPU based backend (and the replacement for MEDUSA) and details of the available modes can be found in the User’s Guide here (with other modes driven by proposals, acknowledging shared risk development). Whilst we await the Ultra-Wideband High frequency receiver, UWH (a 4-32GHz receiver), Apollo can be used with the UWL, plus the Mars and 13mm high frequency legacy receivers. For those intending to use Apollo please include details of the backend capabilities required. 

Other available backends:

Breakthrough Listen backend is available for scientific use up to 50hrs per semester, please see this webpage for details and contact Joe Bright 

VLBI backends Multiple VLBI backends (LBADR, Apollo) are available for non-LBA VLBI and single dish voltage capture. The LBADR system allows you to capture up to 2 x 64 MHz (1 Gbps) or 8×16 MHz (512 Mbps) dual polarisation bands with 2-bit sampled raw voltage output, or 2×16 MHz dual polarisation bands with 8-bit sampled voltage. The Appolo GPU is now capable of a VLBI voltage capture mode. Data recording up to 8 Gbps should be available (2 GHz bandwidth with 2bit sampling). A bit depth of 2,4 or 8 bits/sample is supported. If you choose to use Parkes in this mode, without requesting any other LBA station or VLBI correlation by ATNF, you only need to write a Parkes proposal. These modes have restrictions: proposers who are interested in using this must contact Chris Phillips to discuss what is possible. You must include in your proposal a short description of how you will process the data and data transport logistics. 

Data Rates and Volumes

Data from Parkes observations are archived in ATOA (the Australia Telescope Online Archive) or the Data Access Portal (DAP). Given the high data rate of the receivers, we need to know the expected data requirements to manage data access, archiving and scheduling. We cannot guarantee availability of all recorded data products if your observations exceed the proposed data rates.

The cover sheet for Murriyang proposals specifically requests the following information for all projects:

  • State your expected data rate in TB per hour
  • Are you recording more than 10TB in total for this semester [yes/no]? (if yes, data may not be archived in DAP for pulsar data or ATOA for spectral line/continuum data after 10TB have been taken)
  • Identify your data endpoint [options are ATNF bookable disk space, CSIRO HPC, other]
  • Have you requested adequate storage on your data endpoint [yes/no]? 
  • There is a checkbox confirming the user has read and agree to the following terms: Data rates from Murriyang receivers can be as high as 10TB per hour – it takes time to transfer these volumes, so please be mindful that your observations may have adverse effects on the next set of observations. For scheduling and archiving purposes, it is essential that we know the maximum data rates and volumes that your project will produce, and that you have planned adequate storage for your data. If you exceed your stated data rate/volume, then we may need to delete the data before you are able to access them, and they will not be archived.

To assist in determining your data rate an equation is provided below, and the DHAGU? interface will also calculate your data rate when generating a parameter set. An email notification to our data management team will be triggered if the data rate from a parameter set exceeds 1TB per hour.

The following can be used to calculate data rates per beam (single beam for the UWL, maximum 72 beams for the Cryo-PAF):

  • Pulsar Search: File size [bytes] = Nchan x Npol x Nbit/8 x Tobs/Tsamp
  • Pulsar Fold: File size [bytes] = Nchan x Npol x Nbin x 16/8 x Nsub
  • Spectral line mode: File size [bytes] = Nc_sb x Nsb x Npol x Ndump x 32/8
  • Voltage Capture (non-standard): File size per zoom band [bytes] = Nbit/8 x BW x 1e6 x 2 x Tobs x 2

where:

  • Nc_sb = number of channels per subband

  • Nsb = number of subbands (normally 26 for the UWL)
  • Nsub = number of subintegrations in pulsar fold mode
  • Nchan = total number of channels = Nc_sb * Nsb
  • Npol = number of polarisation states (1, 2 or 4)
  • Nbit = number of bits/sample (1, 2, 8, 16 or 32)
  • Tobs = observation time (seconds)
  • Tsamp = sampling time (seconds)
  • Ndump = number of spectral dumps (the total integration divided by the spectral dump time (seconds))
  • BW = bandwidth in MHz

Noting that the total data volume will be a few percent larger than that given by the equation because of the need to store meta-data information.

Contracted telescope usage

Breakthrough Listen will be allocated of the order of 200 hrs of Murriyang observing time in the 2025OCT semester. The Breakthrough Foundation is not guaranteed any more than 30% of time at any given local sidereal time (LST) range (hour) each month. Commensal use of Breakthrough Listen data is possible (the data is not proprietary) and does not require a proposal to be submitted for consideration by the ATNF Time Assignment Committee. Data is obtained for the P595 project (PULSE at Parkes) and PX600 (a Galactic Centre search) commensally and can be found on the DAP. 

Spacecraft tracking is treated like a NAPA trigger and may override scheduled astronomy observations. Observatory staff will contact affected observers and work with projects to reschedule any lost time as promptly as possible. 

Observing Information

Remote observing with Murriyang is the default mode of observing. It is also possible to observe from the Marsfield Science Operations Centre (SOC), the Perth SOC, or Parkes itself (for complex or non-standard observations, or in other circumstances where this is the more sensible option). Although observing onsite at Parkes is not fully supported, we do encourage site visits during working hours for those interested.

Remote assistance can be sought during working hours through the PORTAL. Local Parkes Observatory staff will continue to provide the first point of contact for matters relating to safety of the telescope, and equipment.

Further information

Proposers intending to start a new project are advised to contact the Parkes Observatory Lead Scientist, Shi Dai (Shi.Dai[at] csiro.au), to discuss their requirements and availability of configurations before proposal submission. For further information on all Parkes capabilities please refer to the Parkes Radio Telescope Users Guide.