MDM Trouble Report for 2012 Oct 01

Telescope: 2.4m
Observer(s): D. Milisavljevic, N. Utterback (Harvard, Dartmouth)
Instrument: TIFKAM

Problem(s) Encountered:
I like the computer upgrades. However, I did struggle with the xmis window to
control the guider probe. Entry into the window can be very sluggish. At times
I was waiting 5-10 sec to input dx/dy parameters. This may not sound like much,
but when working with TIFKAM in the NIR and doing ABBA nodding patterns all
night, this can really add up. I used to be able to do this via Prospero 
scripts, but my commands to do this no longer worked (I'm guessing because of
the new MIS?).

I lost some crucial time when the xmis window completely lost its mind. This
happened during a set of exposures at the end of the evening. Updates took
minutes to change in the window. Things were happening (i.e., finder moving in
and out; lights going on and off) but the painfully slow updates prevented
further control. I didn't have time to try and reset the window so I attempted
to nod things manually instead. Not as elegant, and certainly a lot more
cursing than usual, but I still got some data.

Finally, I noticed that my object did not always stay in the slit after nodding 
back and forth over a full pattern lasting around 1200 sec. I confirmed that 
the rotator is oriented at zero degrees (visually inspected at the base of the
telescope -> two arrows were in line). The N/S offset from my E/W slit was 
about 3 pixels - which is significant when working with a 54 micron slit. Was 
the guider probe drifting?  Conditions were fairly stable so I don't believe
the guide star itself contributed to the problem. I tested this drift later in 
the evening and the object remained positioned in the slit, suggesting this
doesn't happen all of the time (phew!) but making me wonder what is going on.


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Submitted on 2012 Oct 1 [6:21:26]