Tech Staff Meeting Notes April 10, 2008

Current Top Priorities are: Station maintenance and TDOT wireless link.


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


The task list updated February 6, 2008. 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.


We are turning room 215E into a tech staff library. It now contains all Greg's catalogs, manuals, etc. It also has Greg's computer and printer for printing PCB transparencies, etc. Greg's old office will become the office for Deshone Marshall, the new LSP, and be for CERI computer staging and testing.

Greg's retirement lunch is on April 21 at noon in the area outside Gary's office. Chris M. is arranging all the details. Mitch and Sheila ordered the food. The menu will be the usual pork BBQ sandwiches but since its Passover, we'll also have chicken.

There is a mini-swarm going on near GRAT. I might be over by now. Jim and Bill installed 3 portables. We'll download and or pull the week of April 21.


Priorities

Station Maintenance, NMSZ

Station maintenance is the top priority.

Holly's list on 4/10/2008
Down
LFRT.EHE
BROM.EHE
LRAR.EHE
CPAR.EHE
GOBM.EHN
TNMT.EHE

Unusable
HOPT
PLAR.EHE
CHRM
MCAM.EHN

Jim noted that it isn't clear what's going on with all the single component failures. It does seem to be the east channel that has the most problems.

TIPT replacement. Mitch and Jim gave a draft MOU and drawings to the NWCC warden (Thomas Mills). He fowarded that on to legal people. All the language is fuzzy and committs nothing so hopefully there won't be a problem. Anything more firm and we have to run ours through purchasing (yes, a 0 cost contract) and UoM legal. That's doable and has positive precedent (agreement with TDOT wireless network) but does take more time and red tape. It turns out that there is a written agreement for the GPS monument so in hind sight an addendum to that might have been easier. Still might be easier if we have to do legal.

We got word that GRAT needs to move because the landfill is expanding. This site covers an important hole in the network and is near the most active part, by far, of the NMSZ. Its also extremely quiet; or at least its extremely quiet when the landfill truck traffic quits at 4:30pm. Hopefully we can find a good replacement though that area is tough.

Dual mux assembly is ready for testing.
MKTA spare air conditioner is repaired. Needs to be returned to the doghouse.
Need a remote reset at lnxt. We'll use an ADAM 6060 internet reset device. Done.
Need new RF preamps, radio align, etc, etc at MKTA.
PEBM and HENM sometimes have telemetry fades. Should reevaluate comms.
Need to knock down the jungle around the guy anchors at NMAD.

HDBT
Mud Island vertical array is operational.

HDBR
The recorder disks should be reformatted as a routine maintenance task next time access is available. The constant read/write to the fat file systems lead to fragmentation. Don't ya just love dos?
Lost contact with recorders 1, 3, and 6. Can reset all 7 recorders which implies the equipment enclosure at each node has power and that at least the reset radio and telemetry are working.

HDAR
This is the point where we hop on the TDOT wireless network. Its also a strong motion station. Unfortunately, somebody used the tower to help stop their car and AR DOT had to remove it and is going to replace it. There will be a bigger base and a barrier for the rebuilt tower which means we have to move the vault. Actually we have to remove the vault and install a new one. We might be installing 18 components at this site. Chris and Greg are meeting April 11 to figure out where the HDAR surface vault needs to be. Hopefully we'll find a spot that also works with the borehole sensors in case we are able to do that project also. Mitch and Sharam will be getting together on April 21 to review and decide on the 18-c installation.

GPS

WOOHOO!! All LCHS, etc work is completed and its working. Maybe James can get back to trying to graduate now.

Need Comms for MAIR, CJTR. Steve is working with ISP on opening a port.

ETN

Chris will schedule a trip to ET for the week of April 28.

To be installed:

LRVA - We have permission, can install any time.

WSNC - (Winespring Bald, NC) - Special use permit turned into Forest Service, waiting for their O.K.

Maryville - After performing a radio test, it was found that the cave site we had permission for will not make the radio link to Starr Mtn. We can either set up a repeat or find another site. Given the other problems with the cave site, (possible noise problem from swimming pool pump, extremely low clearance, would have to modify an S-13 to get it to fit), I think it is worth looking for another location. I have gotten several possible cave sites from cavers in the area.

Other:

CCRT - Needs a rebuild after a bad lightning strike. I have the Panda II box here and am realigning it.

PLVA - pulled, closed.

NC Node - Need to figure out how to fix GPS time drop-outs. Greg suggests moving the antenna away from the building. I will go in the spring, the Forest Service doesn't recommend I try to drive up there unless I really need to, apparantly the road is passable but not recommended. Jim suggests making sure the clock is configured correctly.

GFM - Need a crew to go back up and repair storm damage and replace presumably bad pre-amp card.

RBNC - Replace battery(s), and add another solar panel. Same deal as NC Node concerning roads though. I tried to go up last week and even though I had a key, I had to stop at the first tunnel because of ice.

CPCT - Re-work lighting and pest chaser.

WMTN - Should we consider digging it up and doing another pit (even though I swore I wouldn't do that) The existing one is eroding away and I just don't know how long it's going to last. We may have to end up having this one in sediment. This is the one Mitch and Greg helped dig the pit for, it's so steep on the side of that hill, that the top side of the pit is 10 ft. deep and the bottom side is 6 ft.

ETT Node - Need to rebuild/repair remote reset. We are still not sure if the problem is at Starr Mtn. or at the EMA office. Need to decide whether it would be better to build something in the shop and take it up or try to repair on site.

GMG - E-W is bad, need to check out. Need battery box solar reg mounting plate and need to fuse the battery.

SWET - Chris found the freewave enclosure full of water, we need to design a rain shield for all the aluminum Hoffman boxes, they are leaking at the hinged side because the weather-stripping isn't making good contact with the frame. He put some good tape on it. The battery box was in good shape. (wasn't the problem the orientation of the box?).

BHT - I have never heard anything from the FAA about moving the station to their site on Black Mtn. to improve access and get stuff out of a tree. Right now everything is in a new tree and working great, so there is no rush until that tree dies and falls over.

MVKY - Wait until construction is done and assist Bob Wurth in repairing/rebuilding it. Mitch will call Wurth and get the lowdown.

NCCU - John has the sensor back and is ready to install. Turns out it had something to do with a weird DSP state it gets in if you tilt it while powered up. A power reset fixes it. Greg knows the details.

C1SC and C2SC - The lantronix boxes are in non air conditioned rooms and routinely (especially C2SC) fail in the summer. I've found that if you pull the mss 100 out, wait for 1/2 hour and put them back in, they work fine until it heats up again. Can I modify a box with a cooling fan? Is there another device that deals with the heat of Charleston in the summer?
Jim said we have no spare MSS100's except for the oldest type. But those seem to cause more problems and we don't have anymore of the newer ones. It appears everyone is moving to the Xport terminal servers (also from Lantronix). So we need some spares but aren't sure whether to get MSS100's or Xports. Mitch found that gcf2ew had a lot of resets connecting to the Xport causing bursty data. Seattle has no problems. Sent two to Wurth and We'll need to give Bob a week or two and then will find out if he was able to get them working well. Then we can purchase either more spare MSS100's or a few Xports.

MYNC - NSN station that has never worked well and doesn't work at all now. USGS is debating on what to do with it. Need to contact them and ask them to make a decision because we are relying on it to plug a hole in our network. If they abandon it, what will we do? Short period at BBG?

Network Completion

The map shows stations with yellow triangles being new ones.
stationman-daysstatus
MGNC8done
CCNC8done
WSSR8new
TVNC8done
LRVA8new
Maryville8new
VHTN8done
RBNC4done
TRYN4done
GFM4done
SMNC4done (see note above)
PLVA2abandon
BHT8move (eventually)

Routine Maintenance Kudzu, battery check, etc, etc.

Need to swap out the old node computers at NHIN, GNAR, and AZTN. Steve needs to go to NHIN (but Steve isn't allowed to do anything else until the ew 7.2 upgrade is complete).


Second Tier Priorities

ANSS.
CVTN optical isolation. Need to upgrade to year 3 hardware. Hardware ready.

Steve spoke with Dean Kemp at NWS. They are willing to let us piggyback on their cable internet (not .nws.noaa.gov). Dean is looking into the possibility of a static IP. This would get NAIT online. Bill called him Dean and didn't have answers to some questions. He'll call him back armed with the IT fact sheet for the mss100's.

There are a bunch of GX-1's and monitors in the attic that need to be surplused. There are also a bunch of boxes used for storing paper seismic records that need to be recycled.

Lenox Agreement. Mitch spoke with Ron Martens, EMF Broadcasting. There is a desire for some sort of MOU and a visit to CERI.

FDL. This is the FDL Policy. .


As Time Permits

3876 Power The power for the new lighting on the east side of the general parking lot to the west of CERI is coming from 3876. Chris will check it out to assess the added lightning hazard and see if anything can be done about it. Might be hard to do without the wiring diagram. Chris will make one if needed as time permits.

3890 Power Chris is going to make a diagram for 3890. Good luck son.

Inventory Installing new smeagol broke mysql. Sid is helping get the tables hooked back into mysqld.
Jim has all the broadband sensors defined and is working on additional equipment (e.g. isis) and the connections. Mitch will install Bill's account in mysql and inv so he can start building stations. Mitch needs to sit down with Jim and figure out what we need to have ISTI help us with. Sid will be available after about mid-May to finish up anything we need his help to take care of. Apparently the downloaded docs from guralp for the cmg5td's have the old +-4g contants. Mitch has paper documentation with the correct +-2g constants.


Other

Need new doors on the USGS shed. A small child with a plastic screwdrive could get in. This topic fueled a discussion on security because Chris caught two guys red handed stealing his trailer. The got away without the trailer. Chris is in discussion with UoM Police for and additional call box. Several ideas were given to improve security but it seems the most cost effective is to make sure things are locked, and restricted from open view where possible.

Withers needs to determine current orientation for MPHB so we can pull it and orient correctly.

Need to teach someone (our hazmat dude?) to neutralize etchant and clean the etching tanks. Along those same lines, Greg has a ton of drawings that play only with the "Eagle" software on his computer. Mitch is unaware of a way to convert to a more generic format. Also require a printer that does negative (the one on Greg's serial port does, others do not). Mitch knew this dependence on vendor specific software would bite us one day. That day is soon.

Pink Palace hardware needs to be rebuilt. New construction on the lot on the northeast corner of Central and Highland will likely block the analog transmission to the Pink Palace. Its probably time for a digital display anyway (or perhaps an IRIS AS-1 seismometer). Mitch will ask Gary about it.

John needs a spectrum analyzer. On order.

Evaluate computer room power. Steve will be the keeper of the spreadsheet post-Steiner.

Build more battery charge controllers.

Jim will switch the FCC licenses from Greg's name to Mitch.