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
• 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 (re)start the xbones and cabb VNC sessions?
  • Can you start and drive CAOBS, CACOR, CAMON, ASSISTANCE, VIS, monica and sched?
  • Do you know the recommended observing frequencies?
  • CABB Questions
    • Do you know that you should NOT reconfigure the correlator without appropriate training - Local staff will leave the correlator in modes appropriate for observations (as best we can tell) or train the DA for any necessary changes. If in doubt, check with local staff.
    • Do you know how to check the sampler levels, when they need to be reset and how to do this?
    • Do you know how to check the value of delavg, when it should be changed, how to change it, and how to work out the appropriate value to set it to?
    • Do you know how to set appropriate channel ranges for setting up?
    • Do you know how to flag self-generated interference?
    • Do you know how to flag other interference - and that you are generally better to limit the channel range rather than flag out channels completely?
    • Do you know how to check and set the focus - and when this needs to be done?
    • Do you know how to calibrate the delays - and that it should not be done if the delays are not stable?
    • Do you know when it's appropriate to point - and how do to this?
    • Do you know how to calibrate the amplitudes? How is this different at 3mm
    • Do you know to check the T_sys values that are determined by the amplitude calibration? When are these values be an indication that something is wrong?
    • Do you know how to calibrate the phases?
  • 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 them?
  • Do the observers know your room number?
• 3mm Support (specific questions if there are 3mm observations during your DA support period)
  • Do you understand the requirements for mm calibrators and the differences in scheduling strategies between cm and mm observations (including pointing and paddle scans)
  • 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)?
• Network and Data Transfer
  • Do you understand why the "pink cable" network connections exist and the restrictions they impose?
  • Do you know how to help visiting astronomers transfer their data to their laptop or portable hard disk?
• 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)?