Phone:

Meeting ID: 5007

Chair: Tasso Tzioumis

Attendance: Tingay, Reynolds, Moin, Bignall, C. Hotan, A. Hotan (Curtin); Tzioumis, Phillips (ATNF Marsfield); Horiuchi (Tidbinbilla); Lovell (Hobart); Reid (Mt. Pleasant); Stevens (ATNF Narrabri); Rioja, Dodson (UWA)

Agenda

• Review of Actions from last meeting

• Next VLBI session
  • Schedules
  • Disks (problems with 750G disks)
  • e-VLBI tests
  • Observing support

• e-VLBI tests to Curtin (<1 Gbps and >1 Gbps) (Phillips/Reynolds)
• e-VLBI demo to Curtin (Tzioumis/Tingay)
• LBA operations/eVLBI/Networking meeting (Tzioumis/Bignall)
• Update on ASKAP VLBI EoI and ICRAR investment plan (Tingay)
• Status of ARCS data transfer tests to iVEC (Phillips)
• Update on New Zealand antenna (Gulyaev)
• Update on Curtin cluster at Narrabri (Phillips/Amy)
• AuScope Update (Lovell)
• Update on VLBI tests with GMRT (Tzioumis)
• AOB
  • Mopra recording problems from November (Phillips)

Actions arising

(new items in blue)

GENERAL

• One of Curtin Mark5B+ units to be shipped to AUT when they arrive, plus an invoice to AUT. (Steven) - updated 28/01/09 - Shipping cockup by supplier. Delay in delivery of units. 11/2/09 - in progress.

• Swinburne archive of correlated VLBI data to be moved to ATNF & Curtin at end of all Swinburne correlation (Steven/Claire) - update 28/01/09 - Swinburne correlation complete. Claire transferring data to Curtin. Will tidy up before sending on to ATNF. Claire to advise ATNF on archive size. 11/2/09 - in progress.

• Options for disks and data transport:
  • Buying excess disks from Swinburne VLBI pool and/or Mk5 disks. (Tasso/Steven) - update 28/01/09 - Tasso and Steven still discussing.
  • Initiate discussion on next generation VLBI systems and disks (Mk5b/Mk5c/of-the-self) for the March LBA meeting. (Tasso/Steven) - update 28/01/09 - to be added to agenda for March meeting. UTas to be debriefed and kept in loop with meeting outcomes.

• Provide additional advice to PIs on scheduling the ATCA to keep it phased up at 8 GHz and above (Tasso) - update 28/01/09 - Richard to have input regards polarisation properties. 11/2/09 - to be tested with observations in next session.

• List on the Wiki available bands/polarisations at each LBA antenna. Also update “standard bands” (from S2) and define “standard” bands for wide-band recording. (Cormac/Tasso). 11/2/09 - initial progress within SCHED. Will be further followed up.

• Curtin Cluster at Narrabri: we would like to get the cluster up once the network is installed. Action on Tasso and Shaun to get the networking going as soon as possible (Tasso/Shaun) - update 28/01/09 - Gear ordered and arrived. Work to be done in next ~3 weeks. Jamie at Narrabri maybe get involved.

DEMO and MEETINGS in March

• Tasso to prepare a 'block schedule' for the meeting and seek comment (Tasso)

• eVLBI tests/demos to be discussed at Mar 2 meeting with AARNet. Agenda of issues needed for that meeting (Steven/Tasso/Chris).

• Organise live video to Parkes during demo. Tasso to talk to Shaun (Tasso)

• Organise help for Python developments for demo displays (Chris/Cormac)

NEXT OBSERVING SESSION

• Some of the new 750 GB disks appear to have bigbuf problems at 512 Mbps. Claire to send Jim some disks for an out-of-session test at Hobart (Claire/Jim). 11/2/09 - tests continue with high priority. Need to determine asap.

• Observing support schedule for February session on the Wiki (Tasso)

• Wiki entries for next session needed. To be constructed from schedules (Cormac)
• Remind PIS re late schedules. (Cormac)

• Expedite ARCS support for data transfers (Steven/Cormac/Tasso/Chris)

• Decision to ship disks from Nov 08 session to Curtin. (Parkes/Narrabri)
• Observatories will need disk IDs to ship. (Claire)

OTHER

• Need updated inventory of all XRAID disks. Letters to observatories and correlators. (Claire)

• Mopra shows some data glitches from remote recording. Need to assess problem during correlation. (Hayley/Claire/Chris)

• Need determination of data format for tests with GMRT. Tasso to write to Adam Deller for information and support. GMRT-Mopra test observations on 15 March. (Tasso)

• Next telecon: Wed 1 April, 2009, 2pm Sydney time (Tasso/Chris) Postponed to Tuesday 7 April 2009.