Team China Report

1) Aim:

• Upgrade Urumqi (Nanshan) to thin tape and MkIV
• Upgrade Shanghai (Seshan) to MkIV

2) Outline:

1. Prepare formatters and read/write electronics
2. Arrange contract (L.Gurvits)
3. Ship equipment to China (10th Jan 2000)
4. Ship tools to China
5. Teamchina visits
6. Fix Urumqi
7. Fix Shanghai
8. Fringe test 14th April

3) Itinerary and Workplan Outline:

March Michael ships his tools ahead to Urumqi

March 25 Michael arrives in Shanghai March 26 Michael arrives in Urumqi

March 27 Michael arrives at the station and begins work on recorder.

April 2 Ed, Chopo, Ralph and Les arrive in Shanghai

April 3 Ed, Chopo, Ralph and Les fly to Urumqi

April 4 Ed, Chopo, Ralph and Les arrive at Nanshan station and join Michael in work on recorder, installing formatter, modifying field system and inspecting baseband convertors.

April 8 Gino arrives in Shanghai

April 9 Ed, Chopo, Michael Ralph and Les return to Shanghai.

April 10 Whole team drives to Seshan station.

April 11 Team work on installing read/write electronics, checking out formatter and BBCs, and on field system interface.

April 12 Gino, Chopo and Ralph leave for Shanghai, Gino flies to Urumqi.

April 13 Ralph and Chopo give talks at Shanghai Observatory, rest of team work on recorder interconnections and testing.

April 14 Ralph returns to Seshan for fringe test. Fringe test in pm, team returns to Shanghai for visit to Circus, Gino continues to work on system at Urumqi. April 15 Day off in Hangzhou, Gino still at Urumqi.

April 16 All return home.

4) Summary:

1. Interconnection problems throughout
2. Formatter wouldn't talk at Urumqi at first
3. Some video convertors have poor sideband rejection at Urumqi
4. Urumqi recorder successfully converted form MkIIIB to MkIV
5. Formatter installed at Shanghai
6. Write connection problems at Shanghai - some tracks missing
7. Shanghai took part in fringe test, but jumps in formatter
8. Formatter working at Urumqi but tape problems prevented fringe test

5) To be done:

1. fix video convertors at Urumqi
2. more fringe tests at Urumqi
3. rework connectors at Shanghai,
4. reconnect to VLBA recorder temporarily
5. Shanghai - what about VLBA formatter reconnection?

Thanks to Ed, Michael, Les, Chopo, Gino, Hong, Hongbo, and all the staff in China