APT Observing Sessions
Observations before 1995
In the first few years of the APT, a few VLBI experiments
were organized with APT telescopes.
These include Mk2
imaging experiments with telescopes in Australia, South Africa and
Shanghai, Mk2 & Mk3 observations on Cen A by the
VLBA + APT, as well as smaller geodesy and astrometry
experiments. Also, a test S2 experiment was conducted in November
1993, between Russia (Ussurijsk) and Australia (Parkes & Hobart).
However, these have been individually organised and the APT had not
allocated network time as a block prior to 1995.
1995 scheduled VLBI session
The first scheduled APT network session was held on 27-29 June
1995. All observations were in Mk3 at the standard S/X band, with one
day scheduled on geodesy and the other two on astrometry. From the 7
stations that were nominally scheduled, 2 failed to observe, the data
from another 2 was unusable due to recording problems at the stations
and only the data from the 3 southern stations could be correlated!
Fringe searching has been completed at the Washington correlator but
correlation has been delayed due to USNO budgetary problems. These
observations are only of marginal value since little useful data has
been obtained. Better procedures are needed to ensure successful APT
observations in the future.
1996 and 1997 VLBI sessions
At the APT95 meeting the APT observatory directors decided to
allocate 6 days/year to APT observations, with a strong preference for
3 sessions of 2-days duration. At the open forum, it was decided to
schedule observations at: 22 GHz to be coordinated by the Japanese
network (JNET); 13/3cm (S/X) for astronomy and geodesy observations;
and 18cm (L-band) for astronomy imaging observations. An action was
left to appoint coordinators for each session. Dr. D. Jauncey (ATNF)
was nominated as the overall coordinator.
This page is maintained by Philip Edwards, based on the that originally
established by Tasso Tzioumis
Last Modified: 28 May 2002