Ready to observe? Check that all the following tasks have been done:
Determined sources to use for:
Delay calibrator
Flux density calibrator
Bandpass calibrator
Gain calibrator(s)
Pointing calibrator(s) (only if doing reference pointing)
Polarisation calibrator(s) (only if doing polarisation studies)
Checked that all sources are visible during allocated time.
Prepared a schedule file using the CABB web scheduler for:
Array setup
Calibration
Science observations
Used the sensitivity calculator to make sure that integration time on calibrators is sufficient.
Ensured that turret movements are limited to once every 15 minutes or longer.
Generated a mosaic pointing file (only if doing mosaic observations), and copied it to the appropriate place on xbones.
Generated an ephemeris for the solar system object (only if doing solar system observations), and copied it to the appropriate place on xbones.
Calculated how much data the observations will generate, and obtained enough disk space to accommodate this.
Checked for possible problems, and made contingency plans for:
Antenna shadowing
Wrong time range for flux density calibrator observations
Bad weather forecast during observations
Checked the Portal for issues that may cause problems with the observations.
Checked that remote observations are permitted (only if remotely observing).
Contacted observatory staff and duty astronomer if assistance will be required during observations.