Hydra CLI - The Setup Field Command

In order to simplify the instrumental configuration, we have created user commands which step the astronomer through the configuration process.

The first of these configures the fibers. To execute, either type "setup field" or click on the setup field button in the graphics display. A dialog box as the one showed below will come up.

Enter the name of the configuration file you are planning to use in the text entry labeled "Name of hydra file". You can use a complete path or just the name. In this last case the Configuration Tool will search for the requested file at the fields directory. You can also browse to find the configuration file by pressing the button with a folder on it. A file open dialog box will came up and let you select your configuration file.

Press the button labeled "Load Field" to load the configuration file. If the file is not designed for the currently selected fiber cable, a warning message will be given and you will have the opportunity to switch to the cable that your field is designed for. NOTE: This only changes a software flag of cable type. You must still verify that the Bench Spectrograph has the appropriate cable installed. (The cable installed on the Bench Spectrograph should be displayed in the HYDRA-GRAPHICS display.)

Here you will be given the opportunity to modify how long you plan to observe the field in this configuration and what the anticipated midpoint sidereal time will be. Both of these values will be used to fine tune the atmospheric refraction component of the astrometry. If you are rerunning a setup due to a button problem, make sure that you answer these questions in an identical manner as before or the positioner may end up tweaking each and every fiber instead of picking up where it had left off.

You have the option to either park all unused fibers or leave unused fibers where they are as long as they don't interfere with fiber placement by clicking on the check box labeled "Park unused fibers". Leaving them where they are allows such fibers to be flagged as random sky positions and also decreases the configuration overhead since the positioner doesn't have to spend time moving them.

The program will then check certain aspects of the instrument status (plate flat, comps off, rotator at zero degrees), compute the new astrometry, and proceed to move the fibers.

When all fibers have been positioned, the .iraf file will be generated and fiber information will be passed to the CCD for inclusion in the data headers.

NOTE: The instrument is not yet ready to take the observations. You MUST execute the setup observe command.

You can always abort the configuration precedure by pressing the abort button or by typing ^C at the command line.

Last modified: November 27, 1998