[alma-config]Re: [alma-site]Reconfiguration Times

[Mark Holdaway]

Three points:

1) With 3 moves per day (which you got by adjusting some numbers)
  we could do the canonical spiral or Y+ 3 antenna reconfiguring
  with a single transporter, ie, if one of the transporters is
  down for maintenance or is busted, which will occur on occasion
  if we are reconfiguring every 2 or 3 or 4 days.

2) I am somewhat concerned about the accuracy of baseline and pointing
   determinations from the subarray of just 3 antennas that have
   just been reconfigured.  Has anyone done the numbers on this, or
   thought of this?

>  However in the compact arrays from the configuration
> point of view it may be  desirable to have significantly larger 
> move rates (i.e. 6 - 8  moves/day). The reason is that 
> the intermediate configurations between say the most compact 
> and the first N-S extended array may not be as useful as 
> for the intermediates. 

3) It seems that the gentle change in resolution with reconfiguring
3-4 antennas means that, even though getting halfway to the N-S
extended array is non-optimal for zenith observations, it isn't
non-optimal by much.  It could be quite non-optimal for extreme
declination observations which would result in several shadowed
antennas until more are moved out.


	-M