Tech Staff Meeting Notes March 28, 2006

Current Top Priorities are:Station Maintenance, Broadband Upgrade, NC Node


There are four levels of priority.
PrioritiesWish to try to get these done (or make progress on) before the next meeting (yeah right)
Second TierFit this in too if an opportunity arises. May be good to do instead of priorities but check with Mitch. Likely to be a priority in a previous and/or subsequent month
As Time PermitsFit these in when you can but not instead of first or second priorities
OtherStuff we hope to get to and don't want to forget about


This redistributed task list agreed to at the November meeting. Note that everyone is still needed to work on essentially all tasks. There is however, a single person who is primarily responsible for each one. Mitch of course, is ultimately responsible for everything.

First Aid Class is thursday, March 30 9-11:30 in the war room.

Greg's March ToDo List
is only partially incorporated into this rest of this page.

Priorities

BB network upgrade.
Trial run of PDF software was successful. Fixed somethings and started huddle test with 4 instruments on March 24.
Jim has trimble upgrade procedure worked out. Three are complete.
Need to track timing.
Greg found a method to use a "grand master" at the nodes to prevent any given colocated freewave from transmitting when another is trying to receive. Have everything we need to upgrade MKTA node. Need to work out what needs doing at the stations.
Need to develop a telemetry plan for the other nodes. Ideally stations won't move but they can if they have to. Ideally they'll go to a node but can go to local internet POP if necessary.

There was a discussion on whether the installation method should be modified due to reflections off the surface. Mitch spoke with Chuck and the issue was that there is a spectral null at about 30Hz due destructive interference of harmonics of the wavelength of the sensor depth. This is second order or more to thermal stability and isolation from high frequency surface noise sources. In other words, do not modify the installation method.

Note dm24's have 64MB flash. This should be about 46 hours of continuous data (100 sps * 4 bytes/sample = 400 bytes/s). We want to use FIFO mode.

GPS
Mitch neglected to include James and Bob on the meeting announcement. James provided this update.
The GPS Project needs a maintenace visit to CJTR at Camp Robinson in North Litte Rock, Arkansas. It's been a year since the last visit. The battery, enclosure seals, fans and filters, and timer battery need to be checked and/or replaced. In addition, we need updated contact info. Specifically, we need to know whom to contact regarding getting CJTR on the Internet.

Notes from previous meeting are carried along from January.
Columbia, TN permission is a wash. Still don't have an eastern hard rock station.
Need to notify James when we do the fiber isolation at the CVTN strongmo station so he can verify we didn't muck up the GPS station.
Camp Robinson needs a routine service. Contact info needs to be updated and is likely best done on site.
Need to test aerocom telemetry path at Steele. Station is at private business near airport and the plan is to telem to High School on the other side of town where we can get internet.
Piggot not yet converted to ethernet though permission is secured. IT tech is difficulty to contact.
Need a new plan for MS County Airport at East Prairie, MO.
Reelfoot needs to be converted from Solar to AC.

ETN

Reviewed plan. The map shows stations with yellow triangles being new ones.
John will bring the LRNC node to Memphis the week of April 17 for refurbish and redeployment to Mt. Mitchell.

ANSS.
Need to swap SEAR with 2g
Continued problems with mss100's losing connectivity (SMOC: simple matter of connectivity). The good news is Jim verified that the stations are still working when SMOC is lost.
SWET-3H52, ADSC-5657, and CSTN-5637 need to have the leap second corrected. SHTN-5648 and TRSC-5662 might also but need a site visit to verify.
Need to upgrade trimble firmware to avoid leap second error next time. A workable upgrade procedure doesn't yet exist. Jim, Wurth, and DTA or working on it. Done.
CVTN and ASAR optical isolation. Need to upgrade to year 3 hardware. Hardware ready. James brought back some nice pictures from CVTN to help figure out how to do it (e.g. the conduit is way too small).

Routine Maintenance. Jim knows what to do.


Second Tier Priorities

NCCU Gordana Vlahovic is getting a cmg6td to install at North Carolina Central University. John worked out a plan with her. Greg worked up a hardware cost estimate and Mitch faxed it so they can generate a PO.

SWET Upgrade This has gone no where since last time. Bran Potter sent a list of power options. Alena gave some specs for solar operation. Looks like the best way is to do a low voltage feed like TZTN. Should we use VSAT? Still need to somehow provide real-time wiggle display in the Geology building.

Steiner Brain Dump Seminar Beginning this summer, Greg will be giving a weekly non-credit seminar. It will primarily be for the tech staff and will cover all the knowledge we need to pass from Greg to other staff. Others at CERI will be welcome to participate if they wish. Preferred time is Mondays at 9. This will start sometime in mid-May. Send ideas on what to want to learn about to Greg.

3904/211 New EW and Hydra responsibilities require more space for testing and configuring computer hardware. This new space will be in 3904/211. The copier will go where the light table is and the light table will go where ever JM Chiu wants it to. Done.

Mizzou Brent Rosenblad at UofMO, Columbia will be doing surface wave analysis with a large vibroseis source in the NMSZ. Jim or Chris will meet Brent in Ridgely tuesday, April 4 at 9:30 to tour a couple stations and work out a plan.

FDL. Mitch needs to yank Paul's chain to get an account number for new laptops. He also needs to yank the chains of Steve and Paul to get a list of required software.


As Time Permits

I-40 Bridge.
This project is in O&M mode--no more development. Al will need to clean off the recorder disks every other week. We can't afford to spend anymore time improving at the expense of other projects. Hence we will attempt to keep it going as best we can. Doesn't work too bad given all the possible points of failure.


Other

NHIN.
Got the modem and internet works. Need to integrate into CERI central processing.

MPHB. Withers needs to determine current orientation so we can pull it and orient correctly. Helicorders look strange. Need to verify the data.

VBMS. Vault installation went out for bid.

Langston student projects continue. See Greg's list above.