The First Scan

Create a first scan if necessary: FILE - CREATE NEW - NEW SCAN. Select your first scan (click on "[New Scan]" next to the telescope icon and "STD" in the left hand side column); it contains default parameters such as a scan mode "Standard Observing" for 5 minutes "duration" ("on source" is previously known as "dwell time"), and you will notice three tabs at the top. The number of tabs depends on the scan mode. Current scan modes are "Standard Observing" (tracking a sidereal position in the sky), "Interferometric Pointing" (for improving telescope pointing) and "Tipping" (for measuring opacity curves). Each mode has a different code that shows next to the telescope icon: STD, IP and TIP respectively. Next we will describe "Standard Observing" (STD), which is equivalent to"Standard Interferometer" in Jobserve. IP and TIP modes will be described further below.

Selecting Standard Observing

(STD) for "scan mode" displays two tabs: "Overview" and "Comments". In "Overview" you set up the actual scan (Figure 4.4), whereas in "Comments" you may enter anything specific for this scan for your own reference.

Within the "Overview" tab two tables are displayed. In the first, you name your scan. Note that the scan name is just for the scheduling display in this tree (and in the summary); it is the source name specified in the SCT catalog that ends up in your data. It is followed by scan mode ("Standard Observing"), the antenna wrap, whether or not you want to apply the solution from a previous pointing scan, and whether observing "over the top" is acceptable (most likely not!). The antenna wrap and reference pointing are described further below.

The second table contains the actual target source, the hardware setup (with Doppler tracking settings), scan timing and intents with this scan. Each of these fields must be completed, and an error would result if any of these fields is unspecified.