DUMMSY Command List

Introduction

The commands listed below can be delivered to DUMMSY from three different sources:

By typing the command at the } prompt in the window from which the DUMMSY process was started.
From the TKDS GUI, either from buttons or entry fields, including the command entry field.
From the external command socket connected to port DS_COMMAND_PORT.

Commands

go

Causes the correlator to start cycling. If a data file is open, this command signals the start of a new scan. A scan header will be written.

stop

Causes the correlator to stop cycling. If a data file is open, this command signals the end of the current scan.

cyc[le] [period [blank [hold [switch] ] ] ]

Defines the timing of the correlator cycle. The parameters, all in decimal seconds, are listed below. The default settings are shown in [ ].

period - the integration cycle period, in the range 2.0 to 30.0 seconds. [5.0]
blank - the cycle blank time, in the range 0.01 seconds to period. [0.04]
hold - the hold time quantum - not currently applicable to multibeam correlators - leave on default setting. [0.01]
switch - the period of the calibration switching signal. [0.002]

Note: Both period and blank must be integer multiples of switch.

conf[ig] [name]

If name is given, configure the correlator to the configuration "name". Otherwise enter the correlator configuration process in interactive mode. In this mode existing configurations can be modified and new ones created.

fo filename

Causes a data output fits file named "filename" to be opened.

fc

Causes the currently open data output fits file to be closed.

ant[ennas] ant1 [ant2 [ant3....... ] ]

Defines the names of the antennas which will compose the antenna table written in the data output fits file antenna table. Names beginning with "MB", "CA" and "#" have special significance for ATNF facilities and should be avoided.

obse[rver] observers_name

obst[ype] [type1 [type2 [type3 ....... ] ] ]

Defines the type of observation which can be any reasonable combination of the following types.

NORMAL - Standard mode - no special flags set.
FQSW - ATCA Frequency switching mode
MOSAIC - ATCA Mosaic mode
PSR - Pulsar binning mode
REF - Next scan is a reference scan in position switched spectral line mode.
MBFQSW - Special Parkes Multibeam frequency switching mode.
F_FQSW - Special Parkes Multibeam fast frequency switching mode.

sou[rce] name ra dec epoch

The source parameters. ra in the format hh:mm:ss.sss, dec in the format [-]dd:mm:ss.sss

freq frequency_1 [frequency_2]

Defines the band centre frequencies, in decimal MHz.

rfreq rest_frequency_1 [rest_frequency_2]

Defines the rest frequency, in decimal MHz, of one spectral line contained in each band.

bw bandwidth_1 [bandwidth_2]

Defines the bandwidth, in decimal MHz, for each band.

finv[ert] yes/no [yes/no]

If "no" then the sky frequency increases with increasing correlator channel number.

chan[nels] freq_1 [freq_2]

Defines the range of frequency channels to be written to the data output fits file for each frequency band. The parameter[s] can be "all" or "0-0" for all channels, or "ff-ll", where ff is the first channel number and ll is the last channel number.

Note: The last command entered from the set [freq,rfreq,bw,finv,chan] will define, by way of the number of parameters given, the number of active frequency bands.

tsys fn a1 b1 [a2 b2 [a3 b3 ....... ] ]

Defines the tsys values for polarisations a and b of antennas 1,2,3..... for frequency band n. The ai and bi tsys values given should be the square root of the actual system temperatures in the chosen units.

tsys e

At the start of the next scan, enables the amplitude calibration based on the given, or measured, tsys values.

tsys d

At the start of the next scan, disables the amplitude calibration based on the given, or measured, tsys values. A tsys value of 500 units is assumed for all antennas.

avg n

Defines the number of correlator cycles for which the data will be averaged before being written to the output fits file.

q[uit] or ex[it]

Exits the program.

Special Multibeam Correlator Commands

[no]mbsam

At the start of the next scan, enables or disables the Multibeam Sampler total power data acquisition. Disabled on startup.

mbtp [OFF]

At the start of the next scan:

Without parameter, turns on the Multibeam fast sampling total power mode. This disables the correlator. With parameter = OFF, turns off this mode and returns to normal correlator operation.

Last updated: Warwick Wilson 14 May 2001

wwilson@atnf.csiro.au