[mmaimcal] BIWEEKLY CALENDAR OF THE ALMA PROJECT at NRAO

[Al Wootten]

                        BIWEEKLY CALENDAR OF THE ALMA PROJECT at NRAO
                            December 6 -- December 20, 2004


******************************** THIS FORTNIGHT*********************************
Antenna contract discussions continue.  Further tests on the prototype antennas
are planned to address unresolved issues.  Logistics for these tests will be
handled by Victor Gasho, carried out by a reconstituted AEG under Jeff Mangum
in coordination with Dick Sramek, SE&I IPT Lead.
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Past issues of this Calendar may be viewed at 
http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~awootten/mmaimcal/ALMACalendars.html
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General Happenings

SPdA:  Invitation for bid on 22 beds for Contractor's Camp released; completion and
enlargement of the ALMA Camp are in process.  Road work to OSF: 6 of 7 km complete;
estimated to be finished 2004 Dec 10.  Road work to AOS progressing beyond km 26.

Tucson: Talk by Y. Shirley: 1pm Tues Dec 7 Rm.N305 UofA Star & Planet Formation
Discussion Group.  ""Probing the Earliest Phases of Low-mass 
Pre-protostellar Core and Protostar Formation"
P-SI Tucson:  Phase noise tests are underway of LO reference signals;  #31 ALMA 
document 80.12.03.00-005-A System Integration Phase Noise Measurements 
LO Photonics tests on hold while preparations for re-activation of ATF holography
receiver progress.

ATF: Stanghellini visiting.  Project acceptance of AEC antenna expected within 
a matter of weeks.  Specific new tests are projected for the prototypes by a
reconstituted Antenna Evaluation Group.

AOC: Computing IPT members attending all-hands meeting in Garching.  Correlator
team visiting.  Data Transmission System stability tests in progress.  Systems
folks attending Cryostat CDR at RAL, England.
 
NTC: B6 (1.3mm) cartridge beam pattern tests without window and IR filters to be
measured.  Second revision of B9 (.45 mm) sextupler testing continues, looks good.
First quadrant correlator boards 100% complete, excepting some to be redesigned.
First prototype tunable filter bank card being assembled for delivery in this period.

NAASC: Monthly meeting notes at https://wiki.nrao.edu/bin/view/ALMA/NAASC 
(Internal only).
            
DAILY CALENDAR (Times EST )
 Mon 6  
 10:30 AM-12:00 PM: JAO/IPT Teleconference
 1:00 pm Star Formation Group meeting Videocon TUC, CV, AOC
 Tue 7
 4:00 PM-5:00PM: NAScienceIPT teleconference (open to all interested 
                                 parties) (434)296-7082
             Agenda: http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~awootten/mmaimcal/ 
 Wed 8
 Thurs 9 
 Calibration Group telecon
 8:30 AM-10:00 AM: JAO Teleconference
  Fri  10  
  Sat  11  
  Sun  12 
  Mon   13
 9:30 AM-10:30 AM: NA Project Office Staff Meeting
 10:30 AM-12:00 PM: JAO/IPT Teleconference
  Tue  14
 10:30 AM-11:30 AM: ASAC Teleconference
 11:30 AM-12:30 PM: Science IPT Teleconference
  Wed  15  
  Thu  16 Beethoven's Birthday
 8:30 AM-10:00 AM: JAO Teleconference
  Fri  17  
  Sat  18  
  Sun  19 
****************************** UPCOMING EVENTS ******************************
ALMA Calendar  
    
    * 2 December -- ALMA Board Telecon
    * 14 December -- ASAC Telecon
    * 5-7 Jan 2005 -- UNSC URSI Boulder meeting Commission J
    * 6 Jan 2005 -- ANASAC Telecon
    * 11 Jan 2005 - ALMA Town Meeting, AAS San Diego
    * 27 Jan 2005 -- ALMA Board Telecon
    * 24-25 Feb 2005 -- ASAC face-to-face meeting, Garching (tent)

******************************* TECHNICAL NEWS *******************************

*******************************ALSO OF INTEREST*******************************
NANTEN-2 a 4m telescope previously operated by Nagoya University at Las Campanas,
was rededicated at Pampa la Bola on 25 November.  With a new 15 micron surface, 
this telescope equipped with .6mm and .3mm multibeam receivers from the University
of Cologne will provide wide-field submillimeter observations as a guide for
ALMA.  
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Please send information for upcoming calendars by Friday evening of the
preceding biweekly period to Jennifer Neighbours or Al Wootten via e-mail 
(jneighbo at nrao.edu or awootten at nrao.edu).

The calendar will be issued between late Friday and sometime on Monday by e-mail
to all NRAO scientific staff members and anyone else interested. A specific
mailing list, alma-info, has been created for anyone wishing to receive it.  Past issues
are now available at http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~awootten/mmaimcal/ALMACalendars.html