| CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science Parkes Users Guide |
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The Parkes RadioTelescope is a major resource for both Australian and international astronomy. Like any major astronomical facility it is a complex and costly instrument and may present a potentially hazardous environment. Unlike many other facilities around the world, the Parkes Observatory DOES NOT employ telescope operators and as such astronomers must be present to perform observations. The Parkes Observatory is also different in that these observers sit within the telescope structure and not in a control room located away from the telescope.
There are two types of training at Parkes. The first is the Safety and Environment Induction (HSE) which can be done online (click above link) and is valid for one year. A face-to-face induction is also done when you arrive at the site. The second type of training is the Observer training course. At the completion of the observer training you become a LICENSED OPERATOR and your ’ticket’ remains valid for 24 months until a refresher is required.
People who have not received the HSE induction AND Observer training are not permitted to use the telescope.
The purpose of this chapter is to outline what will be taught during the Observer training Course. Words in CAPITALS have special meaning and defined either in-text or in Definitions.
In general, a person wishing to become a LICENSED OPERATOR:
The following sections outline specifics in more detail.
To use the Parkes RadioTelescope requires at least two people. One, called the LICENSED OPERATOR, is responsible for the minute-to-minute movement, stowing/unstowing and safety of the telescope. The second person is called the DESIGNATED CONTACT PERSON (or DCP) and is primarily responsible for the safety of the OPERATOR. The OPERATOR must be present in the TOWER when the Telescope is in use. The DCP must be contactable by the OPERATOR at all times. For the majority of the time, the OPERATOR is in the TOWER and the DCP is located in the Observer’s Quarters building. This describes the One in the TOWER rule.
Contact between the OPERATOR and DCP is maintained primarily through a special telephone and alarm system. Under normal operating conditions the OPERATOR must press a green reset button, at intervals approximately 15 minutes in length. If this button is not regularly pressed, then a series of increasingly far-ranging tones are heard. The first is in the TOWER, so as to alert the OPERATOR. The second level of alarm alerts the DCP. The third level automatically alerts staff that live both on and off the site.
Please note the following:
The SAFETY TIMER is an electronic timer which is automatically activated whenever the telescope is in operation and, optionally, at other times. This timer includes a clock with a display of elapsed time, controls multiple alarm systems, and has a number of push-buttons (some of which are replicated throughout the control rooms). The purpose of this timer is to monitor a continuous and effective presence in the TOWER in order to maximise the safety of the OPERATOR(S) and the telescope.
The SAFETY TIMER cannot be disabled while the telescope is in operation. An interlock disables the drive system if power is removed from the SAFETY TIMER.
In order to have confidence that the SAFETY SYSTEM is able to work effectively, the OPERATOR and DCP should check that both communication paths between them are functional. To this end a simple test of the DCP phone should be carried out whenever a DCP commences duty, or changes location during a shift.
Figure 3.1: The Safety Timer.
The SAFETY TIMER display is shown in Figure 3.1. It shows the amount of time (in minutes and seconds) which has elapsed since the timer was last reset.
The clock starts counting from 00:00:00 when it is initially activated (MCP powered ON) and whenever it is RESET. It will continue to count towards its maximum count (99:99:99) as it passes through the NORMAL, WARNING, CONTACT and ALARM states. These are explained below.
The clock starts counting from 00:00:00 with the SAFETY TIMER in the NORMAL state, when it is initially activated andwhenever it is RESET either manually or by the infrared detector (IRD) in the CONRTOL ROOM.
At 14 minutes, 40 seconds, the SAFETY TIMER enters the WARNING state. At this time a warning tone begins to sound in the TOWER to alert the OPERATOR that fifteen minutes have elapsed since the RESET button was last pressed and that only ten minutes remain before the alarm on the DCP phone will be rung to summon the DCP.
The SAFETY TIMER will emit a short tone every 30 seconds. If this is ignored, the tone will continue until the elapsed time reaches the 25 minute mark. The OPERATOR should press the RESET button as soon as possible and then continue with observing.
At 25 minutes the SAFETY TIMER enters the CONTACT state and the CONTACT BELL begins ringing continuously. The DCP must respond to this as described in Response to the DCP Contact Bell. The clock continues to count up.
Note this stage can also be reached directly by pressing the YELLOW Contact button on the SAFETY TIMER panel.
At 35 minutes the timer enters the ALARM state, the DCP phone alarm changes to being rung for 1 second each alternate second, and, at 35:10, the off-site security company is alerted. The SAFETY TIMER will then remain in the ALARM state and the clock will continue to increment towards a maximum of 99:99:99 with the display showing how much time has elapsed since the last RESET.
More information on what occurs after this state is entered is located in Emergency Situations below.
The green RESET buttons and IRD are used to set the elapsed time counter back to zero. They are connected in such a manner as to preclude continuous resetting of the counter, should they be jammed in a pressed state. Its purpose is to indicate that a responsible person is present in the TOWER and is accepting responsibility for the safe operation of the telescope.
We recommend that the observer press the reset button regularly (without waiting for the 15 minute warning). It may be pressed at any time to return the SAFETY TIMER to the NORMAL state. With movement is detected, the infrared detector switches on and remains on for 40 seconds; if it continues to detect movement, it stays on for another 40 seconds until the last detection. As long as movement is detected within a period of 4 minutes, the SAFETY TIMER will automatically reset to the NORMAL state (00:00:00);
The yellow CONTACT button may be used to ring the DCP phone alarm in order to get in touch, urgently, with the DCP. However, in general, a telephone call is the preferable method. Pressing this button causes the SAFETY TIMER to turn on the DCP phone alarm.
When pressed, alerts the external security company. Pressing this button causes the SAFETY TIMER to immediately enter the ALARM state (see above).
There is a 10-second "period-of-grace" during which time pressing the green button both RESETs the timer and cancels the SAFETEY TIMER going into the ALARM state. (This is in case the red button gets pressed accidentally.)
More information can be found in Emergency Situations.
This indicator, when illuminated, shows that the telescope is in operation and that the SAFETY TIMER has been automatically enabled.
If the telescope is not in operation, pressing the blue button for two seconds will cause it to light and will enable the timer to provide optional protection for a person working alone in the TOWER. Pressing this button when the telescope is in operation has no effect.
If the telescope is not in operation, pressing the orange button will cause it to light and will disable the optional protection mode. Pressing this button when the telescope is in operation has no effect.
The OPERATOR will use the CLEARCALL to warn of an impending movement of the telescope whenever it has been stopped in a position which allows for personal access (i.e., after a maintenance or reconfiguration period). This includes, but is not limited to, movement in Zenith away from either the Zenith or horizon limits, and movement in Azimuth only while at the Zenith.
The telescope should not be left unattended without it being STOWED. Exceptions include very short periods of absence, not exceeding 5 minutes in order to perform such functions as checking the weather from ground level outside the TOWER.
If something happens which prevents observing from taking place, a NON-STANDARD SITUATION may have developed. If it is not an emergency, the ROSTERED CALL-OUT PERSON should be the first person contacted (unless, of course, the OPERATOR and DCP have both the necessary expertise and authorisation to remedy the situation).
If the ROSTERED CALL-OUT PERSON (or, subsequently, another appropriately qualified member of the Parkes Observatory staff) is telephoned, the OPERATOR may be given instructions over the phone as to how to perform any necessary NON-STANDARD PROCEDURES.
If the SAFETY TIMER ALARM state is triggerred by one of the following;
a flag will be raised in an alarm system that is monitored 24/7 by an external security company. Their operator will follow a procedure of making phone calls to appropriate places or people, and possibly the Police to bring help to what must then be an emergency. As of June 2010, this list, in order of contact is:
The last four listed above are EMERGENCY CALL-OUT PERSONS.
If the security company operator is unable to contact someone, the next place/person listed will be contacted and so on until a contact has been reached. If no contact is available, the Police will be notified.
If someone in the Tower or Quarters Kitchen answers, they will be asked to clarify the situation. If there is no need to progress to the next contact as shown above, the security operator will ask for a password. This password shall be told to people when the receive their Telescope Operator Training and/or HSE induction. If the correct password is supplied, the operator will hang up and discontinue contacting people in the list above. If an incorrect password is supplied, the security operator will continue calling as per the list above.
Examples of EMEGENCY SITUATIONs are presented below.
The personal safety of OPERATORS, as well as the safety of the telescope equipment, requires all OPERATORs be mentally alert. People should not continue to be the OPERATOR if they are too tired to perform their duties correctly. For example, it would be considered inappropriate for a person to be the OPERATOR for more than 16 hours a day.
In addition, adequate breaks are necessary during long shifts in order to maintain alertness. For this reason, it is strongly recommended that when a shift lasts more than 10 hours, a break or breaks totalling at least 1 hour be taken.
The duties of the DCP are less extensive than those of the OPERATOR but are no less important. In essence, a DCP is responsible for the safety of the OPERATOR. To do this, the DCP must ensure:
Via the DCP phone alarm, the DCP is alerted to an urgent problem and must telephone the OPERATOR (ext. 1755 or 1754), immediately, to find out what the problem is. If the OPERATOR answers, a conversation will take place. During this it will be determined what assistance is required. (Note, the time delay push-button may be pressed to silence the bell for a few minutes while the call is made; however, unless someone in the TOWER responds, and resets the SAFETY TIMER, the bell will sound again after the time delay.) If no answer is obtained within a reasonable time (12 rings is adequate) the DCP must assume that the OPERATOR is in some way incapacitated and must proceed immediately, but carefully, to the TOWER to investigate. If, upon investigation, it is determined that there is a real emergency in progress, the red ALARM button should be pressed immediately – do not press the green RESET button. However, if you are too busy dealing with the emergency to be able to get to the buttons, the SAFETY TIMER, will automatically trigger an alarm to an external security company when the 35 minute mark is reached.
This section is addressed, primarily, to the EMERGENCY CALL-OUT PERSON but is included here to describe what response can be expected to an ALARM call. As an EMERGENCY CALL-OUT PERSON, when you receive a call from Chubb Electronic Security in Bathurst and will be informed that there is an EMERGENCY SITUATION at the telescope. Please refer to EMERGENCY CALL-OUT below.
The following questions and answers are given to provide some practical examples of situations which might arise under the One in the Tower method of observing.
Q1. It is midnight but observing has not yet started and the Telescope is STOWED. An astronomer, who is a LICENSED OPERATOR, and the DCP have just been talking together at the Quarters. The astronomer drives alone to the TOWER and enters the CONRTOL ROOM. What procedures should be followed first?
A1. The astronomer should phone the DCP as soon as possible and test the SAFETY SYSTEM to ensure that it is working.
Q2. A DCP, asleep at the Quarters, is awoken by the CONTACT BELL. The person phones the TOWER but obtains no response. What should be done?
A2. This may be an EMERGENCY SITUATION. The DCP should go immediately, but carefully, to the TOWER and ascertain why the OPERATOR did not answer.
For the following questions, the situation is as follows: an astronomer, who is a LICENSED OPERATOR, is operating the Telescope under the One in the Tower Rule at around 3am on a Saturday morning. The DCP is asleep in a bedroom at the Quarters.
Q3. Because all the objects have set, the astronomer decides to stow the dish and go to bed. What procedure should be followed?
A3. The astronomer may proceed to STOW the dish, but should pay particular care while out on the Azimuth track. It is not necessary to wake the DCP for this procedure. When the telescope is STOWED the astronomer may leave the TOWER if so desired.
Q4. The astronomer decides to check the weather from just outside the Telescope TOWER so as to have a clear look at the sky. May the astronomer do this? And, if so, what procedure should be followed?
A4. The astronomer may perform this operation without calling the DCP provided that the astronomer is absent from the TOWER for no longer than 5 minutes.
Q5. The astronomer suddenly feels extremely ill and in danger of collapsing. What should be done?
A5. This is an EMERGENCY/ALARM situation: the astronomer should press the RED ALARM BUTTON immediately. It may save time if the DCP is phoned.
Q6. The astronomer notices that the wind has risen rapidly to 45 km/hr and the dish begins to stow automatically. At this moment, there is a power black-out and the diesel generator does not start. The dish drive stops with the dish at 55 degrees Zenith angle. What should the astronomer do?
A6. This is an EMERGENCY SITUATION. The OPERATOR should press the Red ALARM button immediately. When the button has been pressed the OPERATOR must wait for someone to contact him/her before leaving the TOWER to perform any other procedures.
Q7. Observing is proceeding normally and the weather conditions are fine with little or no wind. Suddenly the dish drive becomes disabled and the astronomer, after some time, diagnoses (correctly, as it later turns out) that there is an electrical drive system problem. What should be done?
A7. This is a NON-STANDARD, but not EMERGENCY SITUATION. The person should call the ROSTERED CALL-OUT PERSON. The DCP need not be disturbed.
The CLEARCALL is a public address system used to communicate with personel in various parts of the telescope structure. In particular, it is required to be used to warn of impending movements of the telescope whenever it has been stopped in a position which allows for personal access. There are CLEARCALL microphones in the first and second level control rooms. Throughout the telescope structure there are many CLEARCALL stations which all operate in parallel, and have either hand-held or wall-mounted microphone/speaker units.
A person is deemed to be CONTACTABLE by the telescope OPERATOR if that person can:
The alarm on the DCP phone is activated when the SAFETY TIMER alarm bell reaches 25 minutes. In a way, it is a portable SAFETY TIMER alarm bell, but it is limited as to where it can be used. See the definition of the DCP PHONE for a list of such areas.
Permanently-connected SAFETY TIMER alarm bells are located at the following locations:
Therefore to be CONTACTABLE imples you are located either at the Quarters, the on-site houses, the Administration building, the Woolshed or the TOWER. It does not include the ’trams’ adjacent to the Administration building (the "Olympic Village") or the Visitors Centre as the staff there cannot be asked to act as a DCP.
Person responsible for the safety of the OPERATOR. They may, or may not, be present in the TOWER. Usually DCPs have undertaken the Observer Training course and must remain CONTACTABLE by the OPERATOR for the duration of their rostered period of responsibility.
The DCP phone is an assembly comprising a PABX extension telephone, alarm, and a pneumatic time-delay push-button. Portable DCP PHONES are confined to the Quarters bedrooms, Quarters dinning room, Quarters lounge room and the three on-site houses, including the flat. The pneumatic time-delay push-button is provided for temporarily silencing the bell while the DCP makes a telephone call to the TOWER.
An EMERGENCY CALL-OUT PERSON has their home/mobile phone number listed with an external security company. In the abnormal event of an EMERGENCY SITUATION developing, all persons listed will be called, in sequence, until soneone is contacted. They will be informed by the security company there is an EMERGENCY SITUATION at the telescope.
This section is addressed, primarily, to the EMERGENCY CALL-OUT PERSON but is included here to describe what response can be expected to an ALARM call. As an EMERGENCY CALL-OUT PERSON, when you receive a call from Chubb Electronic Security in Bathurst and will be informed that there is an EMERGENCY SITUATION at the telescope.
If you receive a call from the monitoring centre, they may ask for a pass phrase. You should know what this is. If you have been contacted on one of the nominated premises phone numbers, after giving the pass-phrase, you may instruct the call-centre to refrain from calling further numbers if appropriate. If you receive a call as one of the contacts, you must note which system and which specific alarm has been raised, and then take steps to find the cause of the alarm and attend to it.
Some examples:
Don’t put yourself in danger, if in doubt call the Police.
In all of these cases, avoid going to site without letting someone know you are doing so!
An EMERGENCY SITUATION is one which poses an immediate threat to the safety of either an OPERATOR and/or the telescope.
LICENSED OPERATORs are persons who have received Observer Training within the last 24 months and are sufficiently responsible and qualified to be permitted to operate the telescope.
A NON-STANDARD SITUATION is a situation in which observing is not possible, but which does not pose an immediate threat to either the OPERATOR(s) or the telescope. NON-STANDARD PROCEDUREs are usually required in order to remedy such a situation, and would normally necessitate the contacting of the ROSTERED CALL-OUT PERSON.
A member the Parkes Observatory staff who has technical competence and is rostered to be available to assist in a NON-STANDARD SITUATION. They must be a LICENSED OPERATOR. This person may be contacted by calling a mobile phone short-form code 633 on any telephone extension within the observatory, They will then ascertain what the problem is, and either give advice as to how to fix it, come to the observatory to make repairs, or summon a third person (who has greater expertise in the situation) to do so.
The telescope is deemed to be STOWED whenever it is On-Stop with the Zenith Locking Pin IN and with the Azimuth Jacks either disabled or in the STOWED position, whether or not the control-system is activated. The power to the MCP is turned off so as to disable the SAFETY TIMER
NORMAL STOWING is the procedure of moving the telescope to its Zenith Stop under the control of the Manual Control Panel (MCP), driving the Locking Pin IN, and either disabling the Azimuth drives (recommended) or placing the structure On Jacks. The completion of the placement of the structure On Jacks, by going to the Azimuth track and moving the jack handles to the STOWED position, does not require a second person to be notified.
The TOWER is defined to be the Ground, First and Second Floors within the telescope building. This definition extends to the landing only, outside the CONRTOL ROOM, as long as the access door remains open. The stairway outside the CONRTOL ROOM, the Azimuth track, the centre column spiral stairway, and all other portions of the telescope structure above the Second Floor are specifically excluded from this definition.
NORMAL UN-STOWING is the procedure of driving the Pin OUT, moving the dish out of the Zenith limit under the control of the Manual Control Panel (MCP), and either enabling the Azimuth drives or taking the structure off jacks. This procedure requires the use of the CLEARCALL to warn of the impending movement The completion of the taking of the structure off jacks, by going to the Azimuth track and moving the jack handles to the FREE position, does not require a second person to be notified.
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