[evlatests] Retaining a piece of history?

[Bob Hayward]

This might not be the best form to bring this topic up, but it goes to 
all the right people to start the conversation. We can then take it 
somewhere else if it's worth further discussion.

We only have a few antennas left to be upgraded. Once the last one is 
done, we can say goodbye to the old VLA electronics forever and the dawn 
of a new age begins.

I'd like to suggest that we preserve at least set of the antenna 
electronics. By this I mean the A, B and F Racks. A great deal of time 
and effort has been given by numerous people - many no longer with us - 
designing, building, testing and improving these units. And let's not 
forget the amount of tender loving care that has been devoted to keeping 
them working over the last 30 years. It would be a shame to just toss 
all of the racks on to the garbage heap of history.

If there was room in the Visitor's Center, that might be a good place to 
put them - sort of a VLA Memorial. If not, somewhere out of the way in 
the basement in the Control Building might be fine too. I always found 
it fun to show visitors at the Site a VLA antenna first, then take them 
over to see an EVLA antenna and then point out all the differences that 
several decades worth of new electronics allowed the EVLA to achieve. 
With no more VLA antennas, that option will no longer be viable.

If there is any interest in preserving the VLA's heritage, then we 
should start thinking about it soon. Maybe someone has already 
squirreled away some of these racks. If not, the time is now.

If there is agreement, how many should we save? Where will we put them? 
Does anyone know if Green Bank would be interested in a rack or two 
(much of this stuff was developed and prototyped back east)?

-Bob