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Instructions for observing with the ZA limits imposed on slewing and 
tracking due to overstraining the platform structure.
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For remote observing, start up a VNC session
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If you're not doing remote observing, jump ahead to "Set up actual observing".
Otherwise, you may begin by consulting AO remote observing instructions
(http://www2.naic.edu/~astro/remote.shtml).  However, if you are
going to use VNC (HIGHLY recommended!!), the instructions below tell
you all that you should need to know.

Let's get started.  From your computer away from Puerto Rico:

%ssh -X <username>@remote.naic.edu

[That -X may not be needed, depending on how your Xforwarding is set
up, but it doesn't hurt.]

$ssh fusion00

$vncserver -geometry 1280x1024

The geometry parameters can be anything you like (they don't have
to be "normal" values like 1024x768 etc.  They can be 1200x900 or
1500x1100, etc).  It is best to make it slightly smaller than the
resolution of the monitor that you are working on.

[If you've never done this, it'll ask you for a passwd; make it one
that you won't have a problem sharing with others - in other words,
_not_ your usual passwd!]

[This will return something like fusion00:4 <- that number is important.]

Back at your computer off Puerto Rico,

%vncviewer -via <username>@remote.naic.edu fusion00:4

[instead of 4, use whatever number you got from running vncserver in
fusion00; also, you can change the geometry parameters.]

For Mac, Windows and some Linux, the -via option is not available. 

On a Mac, run
ssh -f -L 590N:fusion00:590N YOURLOGIN@remote.naic.edu sleep 14400
in a terminal window. Then open Vncviewer (just use the icon) and select
 display > open -- localhost:N
in both lines, N is the important number from above.

For Linux, use the same first line; then run 
 vncviewer localhost:N

For Windows, download Putty, set 
     Session > Host name              = remote.naic.edu
     Session > Protocol               = ssh
     Connection > Auto-login username = YOURLOGIN
     Connection > Tunnels  
     Source port  = 590N
     Destination  = fusion00:590N
And connect. In VNCViewer, open 
      localhost:N

You'll be asked for 2 passwds; the 1st is your regular Arecibo passwd;
the 2nd is the one you made in fusion00 when running vncserver,
and that you should be comfortable sharing with others.

Now you should have a big window on which you can open xterms,
etc, and soon you'll start cima and do the observing from here.
Very usefully, anyone else can hook into your vnc session (if you
give them your vnc passwd) and see all that you're doing (or do it
for you!) and offer advice, by doing the following from their computer:

vncviewer -geometry 1200x900 -via <theirusername>@remote.naic.edu fusion00:4

At the end of the session, you log out of CIMA as per the observing
instructions, within the VNC session.  Then you kill the VNC window
(by clicking on the x at the top right hand corner of your large
window, or something similar).  Finally, you must log into fusion00
from an xterm in your computer and do the following, in order to not
monopolize resources:

$vncserver -kill :4


Set up actual observing
--------------------------

NOTE 1: Slewing and tracking is allowed for ZA < 16deg. 

NOTE 2: There is NO warning in CIMA if the current source goes outside the 
allowed ZA range--the telescope will just silently stop tracking the source 
when it has reached the ZA limit. You can watch the telescope's current AZ & ZA
 in aostatus (run 'aostatus &' on the command line.)

NOTE 3: Telescope status (Tracking, Slewing, Settling, or Not Tracking) is 
displayed in aostatus. If the telescope hits the ZA limit during the 
observation, tracking will stop, status will change to Not Tracking as the 
source drifts out of the beam, but data taking will continue until you abort 
the observation or requested obs. time is over.

0. In your vnc session, log in to observer2 with username dtusr. You can get
the password from the telescope operator at 787-878-2612 x211. Then type cima
on the observer2 command line.

1. Choose the 'single pixel' ('mocksp') version of cima. Enter p2030 as the 
project ID and your name/initials for observer. Select 'Pulsar' and click 
'Accept.'

2. Several windows will open. In the 'Receiver Selection Menu' window, select 
ALFA, and click 'Accept.' The receiver will rotate into position. You can watch
 the telescope status in aostatus or the 'CIMA observation status' window. 

3. In the 'CIMA Main Menu' window, click 'Load Configuration'. Load the file 
'ALFA_P_Mocks_CIMA_v32_rot19deg.conf. Click 'Load and Apply'. A 'CIMA Observing
 Menu' window will open. (Applying the configuration takes a bit. When it's 
done, in the 'CIMA Observation Status' window on upper right, the green square 
will say Idle.)

Loading the configuration file also sets up ALFA rotation and loads the catalog
 pairs_cut_sorted.cat. This catalog contains ON-OFF pairs of pointings 
separated by 'Donotobserve' dummies. It is crucial that both the ON and the OFF
 pointing are observed sequentially with only the ~20-30s gap for slewing in 
between. If you have observed the 1st pointing in a pair and find that the 2nd 
one has set, don't mark either pointing as done. 

4. Click on 'Backend Control' in the 'CIMA Main Menu' on the left. A 'Mock 
Spectrometer configuration menu' window will open. Click on 'Adjust Mock 
Power.' Mock power levels will get printed in the 'CIMA observation log 
display' on the lower right. The first 4 columns of numbers should be close to 
30. (Sometimes you will need to adjust Mock power a couple of times to get 
the levels right.) Approx. 25-33 is ok, much less than that means you are not 
getting power in some beams--if that is the case, tell the operator. 

Each pair of lines in this output corresponds to one beam (there are 2 Mock 
bands per beam), and power for each polarization (A or B) is measured 
separately. If only one beam or one polarization of one beam is dead, it's 
still ok to observe. 

(Possible trivial reasons for not getting power in *any* of the beams: the lid 
has not been taken off ALFA after a radar run, or a master switch to the 
receiverhas not been turned on after maintenance.)

Dismiss the 'Mock Spectrometer configuration menu'.

5. In the 'CIMA Main Menu', click on 'Pointing Control.' All pointings from the
loaded catalog will be displayed, along with their current AZ & ZA, time
 to rising/setting, and slew time to each. Note that the rise/set times are 
with respect to the normal telescope 'horizon', which is ZA=19deg, not the 
current restricted ZA range. 

With the ZA restrictions, making reliable schedule files would be very 
difficult, so observing is manual until the restrictions are lifted.

6. In 'Pointing Control', select 'Show all sources' as opposed to 'Show 
visible'.
To accommodate commensal projects, pointings should be observed in specific
pairs, which commensal partners will use as ON+OFF. In the 'Pointing Control'
window, pairs are separated by a dummy 'Donotobserve' line. Choosing 'Show all
sources' ensures that all pairs and dummy line separators will be displayed
even if not all of them have risen--this way there will be no confusion of
pairs if only one pointing from a pair is above the horizon. 

7. In 'Pointing Control', select an ON pointing (1st in a pair) whose ZA is 
within the allowed limits, and click 'Apply'. After the telescope has slewed 
to it, in 'CIMA observing menu' click 'Observe' (if this is buried below a mass
 of windows, you can bring it up by clicking 'Pulsar Observing' in the 'CIMA 
Main Menu'). The corresponding OFF pointing (2nd in the same pair) must be
observed immediately after the ON. 

You may find it useful to click on 'Show graphically' to see where pointings
and the telescope currently are in the AZ/ZA coordinate system. 

--If the current source goes outside the allowed ZA range, abort the 
observation ('Abort' button in 'CIMA observing menu' or 'CIMA log display') and
 select another source. 

--If none of the PALFA search pointings are within the allowed ZA range at the 
start or end of the session, you can observe some known pulsars. In 'Pointng 
Control', click on the catalog name on upper right. Then 'General Catalogs' and
 select psr.cat or psr_bright.cat and 'Accept'. To go back to our catalog, 
click on the catalog name, 'Project Catalogs', pairs_cut_sorted.cat, 
and 'Accept'. 

--Keep track of what pointings you have observed and after the session is over,
 comment out the completed pairs in the catalog file:
/share/obs4/usr/pulsar/p2030/pairs_cut_sorted_part1.cat 
(# in the beginning of a line will mark it as a comment and that pointing 
won't show up in Pointing Control next time). If you observed only one pointing
from a pair (e.g. you found the 2nd one was setting after the 1st was done), 
don't comment it out in the catalog file. 

If you don't have access, send me (deneva@naic.edu) a list and I will mark the 
done pointings.

--If you want to look at data, or see what pointings have been observed 
recently, raw Mock data is in /share/pdataX/pdev, where X=1-7 for beams 0-6, 
respectively.