DA Checklist

DA Links

DA general information
Summary of DA duties
DA checklist
Current DA schedule
Previous DA schedules
Observing Information
Current Issues
Observing Schedules
Remote Schedules

Remember, being a Duty Astronomer does not mean that you have to know everything. If you are out of your depth, or unsure of what to do, please contact the "On Call" person. Please don't let a problem go on too long before calling for help.
See DA Duties Pages for information on the DA duties.

• Personal Safety:
  • Are you aware of the personal safety guidelines relating to telescope access? (see the OHS pages)
• General Information:
  • Are you familiar with the Compact Array Users' Guide, Observers' Notes Folder, and the Expert Info folder.
  • Do you know about the Primary Monitoring Manual Quick Reference Guide and the UPS Manual?
  • Have you checked the control room notice boards and web for current information?
  • Have you talked to the previous DA and/or read through their report?
• Antenna Safety:Under what circumstances should you stow the telescope (i.e. wind and storm limits)?
  • Can you stow the antenna:.
    • From CAOBS in normal circumstances?
    • Using the operator stow switch in the Primary Monitor Rack?
• Alarms: What form do they take, how do you respond to:
  • Fire alarms,
  • Storm Alarm,
  • UPS,
  • Mopra MAPS alarms,
  • Cable Air Supply alarms.
• Records and call up procedures:
  • Do you know about the site log book and the observer's log book?
  • Do you know about the on-call system.
  • Do you know about the on-line fault report system?
  • Do you know about completing the hand-over report?
• Storms/Generators: Do you know what to do in event of a storm? When do you turn a generator on? Off?
  See here for more information.
  Do you know about turning generators on for Energy Response? (This saves us money (sometimes large amounts): Stuart Lynch is generally the person who rings.)
• Forms and the like: Do you know about and how to use the following forms:
  • User Questionnaires ,
• Observing stuff:
  • Do you know the current observer password?
  • Can you restart the pericles PC, log into xbones and start the observing windows? See here for more information. (This is for the experts - if you are not sure what you are doing, get someone who does.)
  • Can you start and drive CAOBS, CACOR, CAMON, ASSISTANCE, VIS, monica and sched?
  • Can you calibrate delays, phases and gains?
  • Do you know the recommended observing frequencies. Do you know that we can't observe L and S simultaneously (until L/S upgrade, which is scheduled for late 2010)?
  • Do you know that there may be a weak field centre artifact and, therefore, the field centre should be offset from the expected position of any weak sources being investigated.
  • Have you checked the proposals to ensure that you understand what is involved in observing while you are Duty Astronomer?
  • Have you checked for remote observing, and do you know what you have to do to support it?
  • Do the observers know your room number?
• 3mm Support (specific questions if there are 3mm observations during your DA support period)
  See User's Guide to 3mm Observing with the ATCA for more information
  • Do you understand the requirements for mm calibrators and the differences in scheduling strategies between cm and mm observations (including pointing and paddle scans)
    (see the Preparing a Schedule pages).
  • Do you know the current good bandpass calibrators (they may have changed from your favourites last time you were here!)
  • Do you know how to check the 'Seeing' with the Seeing Monitor (displayed by Monica)
  • Have you checked which projects have swap partners and do you know what to do in the case of a 'swap'? (See ATCA Swap notes).
• Other bits
  • Do you know where the supplies are kept (CDs/DVDs, printer cartridges, paper, stationery)?
  • Do you realise that the library PC and the observer's PC are available for observer use?
  • Do you know how to get an outside telephone line, and do you know where the direct (i.e. not through the local PABX) telephone line is?
  • Do you know that you need to enable tone dialing to select options in menu interactions with the phone on the control desk (ext 4033)? (10-Aug-2004)