High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer     Afternoon Startup Checklist

Summary

• Check account and log in
• Check if HIRES is released
• Start up HIRES within VNC
• Verify GUI's
• Set detector and data path parameters
• Turn on sounds
• Take a test exposure
• Configure the spectrograph
• Create and verify target lists
• Check LN2 level
• Warm up iodine cell if needed
• Start exposure meter if needed

Check Account and Log In

1. Locate the Keck I observing schedule posted in the Remote Ops room (or on-line). Find the listing for today's date (note that the dates are HST, not UT dates).
2. The column headed Inst.(Acct.) of the schedule to see which log in account number you have been assigned.
3. Log into the data-taking computer (haleiwa in Remote Ops I) using the account name (lrisNN) and the password provided by your support astronomer.

Check If HIRES Is Released

1. Bring up a web browser from the haleiwa background menu and from the HIRES introduction page go to the observing page where you will find a link to HIRES status. Alternatively, you can just click here).
2. Check that there is a green line with the message K1 INSTRUMENT READY. If so, you can proceed to the next step and start up HIRES.
3. While you have a web browser up please take a few minutes to glance over the HIRES news to see if there are any recent changes you should be aware of.

Launch primary and secondary VNC viewers

1. The kvncgui will appear on the left-hand screen of haleiwa. Enter the VNC password and click on Launch Viewers. On each of the 3 screens, a pair of VNC desktops will appear, one tan and one blue.
2. Log onto pupukea (to the right of haleiwa, using your numbered HIRES account. The kvncgui window will again appear. Enter the password and click on Launch Viewers. The secondary VNC desktops will appear, one tan and one blue.

Start up HIRES

1. Start up the HIRES software.
   • In the left-most tan VNC desktop on haleiwa, press and hold the right mouse button to bring up the window manager's popup menu.
   • Move the cursor onto the item labeled HIRES Control Menu, bringing up another submenu.
   • Move the cursor onto the item labeled Start All HIRES GUIs or Start All HIRES GUIs (w/ hexpocon) (if you want the exposure meter) and release the mouse button.
2. Execute the HIRES startup script.
   • Once you select Start ALL HIRES GUIs , a window will pop up with the following message:

       Welcome to the HIRES initialization script.  You should ALWAYS run this
       script at the start of your observing run to undo any changes that the
       previous observer made to HIRES.  You may also want to run it at the
       start of observing on succeeding nights to undo any changes made by
       CARA staff during the day.
     
       Do you want to continue running the setup script? (y/n) [y]: 

   • You will next be prompted to type in the names of the observing team as you would like them stored in the header:

     Enter names of observing team members:

   • At the next prompt, your default data directory name is provided. If you accept this name just hit enter. If instead, you want to go back to some (different) already created directory, you can type in its name here.

   • At the prompt

     Enter starting image number:

     type in the number to use for the next image. You can choose any four digit number. If you pick 1, your first image will be hires0001.fits. If you pick 1001, it will be hires1001.fits, etc.

   • The final step prior to GUI's coming up involves checking that all stages have been homed and some of them are in their default positions. If not, you will be prompted whether you want to home and/or reposition them.

Verify GUI's

1. Check you have the following on the leftmost screen:
   • A CCD exposure control dashboard
   • A calibration GUI
   • A control dashboard for the exposure meter, if you chose it
2. Check you have the following on the central screen:
   • XHIRES for control of the spectrograph (note: don't move XHIRES from the top left corner of the screen)
   • Xbeeper for sounds (might be hiding under XHIRES)
   • An xshow indicating liquid nitrogen levels (might be hiding under XHIRES)
3. Check you have the following on the rightmost screen:
   • A ds9 display tool
   • The ds9 relay

Set Detector and Data Path Parameters

1. On the CCD exposure control dashboard:
   • Click on the yellow button labelled "Start Here"
     • This will pop up a SETUP/OPTIONS GUI.
     • Click on the Retrieve button to fill in your data path parameters.
     • The DATA STORAGE button allows you to toggle disk writing on/off.
     • Any changes made to Data directory, Filename, etc must be invoked by clicking the commit button.
     • Click on the dismiss button to close this GUI. Do NOT kill it by quiting vi the title bar.
     • Once you have committed changes and dismissed, the Start Here button on the dashboard will change color and be labelled User Config. This button still brings up the same SETUP/OPTIONS GUI.
   • Double left click on the brown box on the dashboard. Be careful not to click right on the words "FULL FRAME". Its a feature of the software that this spot is not active.
     • This will bring up a CCD CONTROL PANEL window.
     • Use this GUI to set detector parameters.
     • Binning is most easily set via the button labelled as such in the lower right corner. It offers a drop down menu which automatically sets all parameters correctly for a given binning choice. X is the spatial direction. Beware: 2X1 is the default and a software restart will reinstate this selection.
     • The CCD gain button similarly offers a drop down menu to choose between high and low gains. Unlike binning though, the "GO" button must be clicked after changing gain settings. Beware: low gain is the default and a software restart will reinstate this selection.
     • Do not chose anything except the B amplifier. The A amplifiers are not fully functional.
     • To our knowledge, there is no advantage to choosing any but the default (fast) readout speed mode. Other speeds have not been tested and observer should not use them.

Turn On Sounds

1. Look for the Xbeeper GUI on the central screen
   • Push the Start button on this GUI. You should here samples of the default sounds.
   • Different sounds can be chosen to alert you to the end of exposures and the end of readout.
   • Pick different sounds via the drop down menus, and change the volume via the slider.
   • The Apply button must be pushed after making any changes to sound selection or volume.

Take a Test Exposure

1. Disable writing to disk (if desired):
   • Click on User Config button.
   • Clicking on the Enable/Disable Disk Write button toggles in the sense of the button labelling.
   • If you disable disk writing, don't forget to re-enable it!
2. Set exposure type and time.
   • The brown box on the exposure control dashboard has four exposure type and time menu boxes:
     • The top row shows the current values and can not be edited.
     • Clicking in the bottom right box allows you to change the exposure time (in seconds).
     • Clicking in the bottom left box brings up a drop down menu to change the exposure type.
     • Whenever the bottom row of boxes differs from the top row, the Update CCD button will light up. Pushing this button will change the current values to your desired values.
     • Change the exposure type to dark and the exposure time to 1 sec.
3. Press the Expose button to take your test exposure:
   • Notice that the brown box on the exposure control dashboard changes colour to indicate what is happening.
   • Check that your 1 second dark exposure looks like a bias and has something like 1000 counts for low gain.
   • Check that an image has appeared in your data directory. If you chose to disable disk write, it will have appeared as backup.fits.

Configure the Spectrograph

1. Open the covers:
   • Left click on the ETC button in the top left corner of XHIRES.
   • Select OPEN RED or OPEN BLUE depending on which cross disperser you are using.
   • Dismiss the pop-up after the covers are open. If any of them report a status other than open, inform you support astronomer.
2. Set desired grating angles:
   • Click on the A buttons near the pictographs of the gratings.
   • Each button produces a pop-up that tells you whether you have selected the echelle or cross-disperser and allows you to set its angle.
   • Beware if you are choosing your grating angles using the old echelle format simulator (not the web based version). There is a sign error in the echelle grating angle it advises.
   • Occasionally the cross-disperser will not go to the commanded position. Instead it will drift back and forth between its limits. If you see this occurring:
     • Go to the background menu and follow the HIRES Control Menu link to Stop Cross-disperser Oscillation.
     • Release the mouse on this option. It takes some time to run and may have to be invoked more than once.
     • If the cross-disperser stubbornly refuses to stop, contact your support astronomer.
3. Select desired slit and filter:
   • Click on the D button near the pictograph of the slit to select a slit/decker plate. Do not be concerned that just below this button is it says 14.08. This is the adjustable slit. Wide open is 14.08.
   • Just to the right of the slit pictograph are two F buttons to select filters.
   • The collimator automatically moves to adjust spectrograph focus for your choice of decker and filters.

Create and Verify Target Lists

1. Create and format your target list (``starlist'') as described here). Either create the list external to Keck and import it or use a text editor on your numbered account to create it. Be careful to use a local window to edit your file and put it in your numbered account home directory. Do NOT use the HIRES host machine for this.
2. Validate and install your starlists by selecting the item Instrument Utilities > Install Starlist from the window manager's pulldown menu. This script will check the syntax of your starlist and copy it into the appropriate directory.

Check HIRES Liquid Nitrogen level

1. Check to see that you have enough liquid nitrogen in the HIRES detector to comfortably get you through the night. There are two ways to do this. Look on the xshow on your middle screen. The quantity DWRN2LV tells you the dewar level in percent. You can get the same information by typing LN2 in the lehoula xterm you should have on your left most screen.
2. HIRES will fill itself if the level gets to 10 percent, but you do not want this to happen during the night, or in the morning when you are trying to take data. Assume that HIRES will consume liquid nitrogen at a rate of about 6 or 7 percent per hour. If you are unsure whether you need to refill ask your support astronomer for advice.
3. If you need to refill, there is a background menu item that will perform this task for you. It is found under the HIRES Control Menu and is labelled Initiate HIRES Dewar Fill. This will pop up an xterm and ask you to confirm this is what you want to do and then pop up some xshows so you can monitor its progress. It will shut off automatically when the dewar reaches 100 percent.

Warm up iodine cell (if needed)

1. Start warming up the iodine cell if necessary for your observations. It is recommended that one allow 45 minutes for the cell to achieve its nominal temperature. To start warming the cell, from the HIRES Control Menu, Start iodine cell. This will pop up an xshow display with temiod1 and tempiod2. Tempiod2 should be maintained at 50 C.

Start exposure meter (if needed)

1. If being used and just before going on sky (i.e. afternoon calibrations are complete), press the START button on the HIRES exposure meter GUI. Allow 5 minutes for the PMT to warm up.

Contacts at Keck for HIRES are     (primary),     (secondary).