ENR CTIO Blanco 4-m 2022-10-11

There were problems with the SMC computer during afternoon calibrations.  As a consequence, we could not use the dome lamps.  During the night the SMC VNC viewer had various LabView code open so we didn't use it during the night.

During the night we experienced problems with communication between COSMOS and the TCS.  The first problem we noticed on startup is that the COSMOS Observing Monitor that shows the telemetry was not updating the COSMOS rotator value. Instead of reading 270deg as set by the TCS, the rotator telemetry stated that the rotator was at 0 deg.  ) deg was also reported in the FITS headers.  This affects the COSMOS offsets to center objects on the slit.  I rewrote the acquisition scripts that determine the offsets so we could proceed.  The second problem encountered durinng the night is that COSMOS cannot perform a Telescope Focus sequence.  Normally the telescope focus script sends a focus value to the TCS and the secondary moves to that position.  To determine the focus, we took individual images with Jackie moving the telescope focus using the TCS.  We tried to solve both problems by restarting the TCS and the COSMOS software.  There are no instructions for the operators on how to retsart the GWC router so we did not do that.  Other telemetry values UT, RA, DEC are being properly recorded in the header.

After we had basic focus and zeropoint performed, Jackie and Alberto let me know that the guider is not working properly - the image is very noisy.  They rebooted the camera but nothing improved and the pointing is lost for the guider.

With these problems, we decided to do a quick observing program by moving around the sky in Dec and RA inn 10deg motions and taking short images to check image quality and to verify that the hard points on M2 were not causing any errors.  We took images at a constant RA with the Dec channging from -80 to +20 deg in 10 deg intervals and had no error on M2.  We also took images at a constant Dec and observed at hour angles from -4 to +4. The were no errors on M2 with any of these test.

Without guiding, it made no sense to carry on with observing for the rest of the night.