Observation Preparation
To observe with the VLA on an approved proposal, scheduling blocks must be prepared using the "Observation Preparation Tool," or OPT. The OPT is available at:
Once an observing proposal has been approved for scheduling, about 2-4 weeks before the relevant array configuration in the observing semester, the details of the proposal will appear as a project with program blocks in the OPT. Source and resource catalogs will also be populated as much as possible. The proposers will be notified by email when this has occurred, and when the scheduling queue will be accepting scheduling blocks. Please adhere to the current restrictions posted on https://science.nrao.edu/facilities/vla/docs/manuals/obsguide/restrictions; things do change and the current restrictions page reflects our latest requirements for accepting scheduling blocks.
After consulting the documentation, any remaining questions or help required in making scheduling blocks can be directed to the NRAO Helpdesk at http://help.nrao.edu using your my.nrao.edu/PST user account.
