Joint Astronomy Centre
James Clerk Maxwell Telescope
660 N. A'ohoku Place
Hilo, Hawaii  96720  USA
06 January 2003

Dear Colleague,

As Director JCMT, I write to congratulate you on the award of telescope
time. I recognise that the allocation of time to your project is the
result of considerable effort on your part, not only in preparing and
writing the proposal, but also in the perception and development of the
scientific rationale. For my part, I am delighted to make the facilities
available which will enable your observations to be made; I echo the
goal of my predecessor to ensure that only the weather should mitigate
against a successful and productive observing run.

This letter contains information that is important for you, as Principal
Investigator, to enable your observations to be undertaken successfully.
Please read it carefully and act on the instructions provided. Please
also note that there are some significant changes for semester 03A, in
part due to the continuing development of the Observation Management
Project (OMP), and in part due to the recent change of Director.

PLEASE NOTE THAT IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AS PI TO ENSURE THAT YOUR
COLLABORATORS ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THESE NOTES,
SINCE THIS LETTER IS NOT BEING COPIED TO THEM.


1. Time Allocation

1.1. Schedule

The schedule for semester 03A is now available on our website:

  http://www.jach.hawaii.edu/JCMT/Observing_info/Schedule/schedule.html

At the time of writing, the schedule is nearly complete. Once the
schedule is frozen, no changes will be made to your run without your
prior agreement.

1.2. Flexible scheduling

The national TAGs have agreed that wherever possible, each country's
allocations should be concatenated into blocks of shifts with individual
projects flexibly arranged within each block. Programmes requiring
exceptional weather are often paired with those less demanding upon
weather conditions: in this way both may be successfully completed
within the one block. International projects may also be similarly
"blocked" with projects from the partner countries.

Possible arrangements of observers and programmes include:

1. When two or more programmes are scheduled together into a national
   block, the PI of the most highly rated programme should normally
   come to the telescope and carry out the observations for the entire
   block. The observations to be carried out at any particular time will
   be governed primarily by the prevailing weather conditions. There
   are, however, many variations on this theme. You should contact the
   JCMT Scheduler, Gerald Moriarty-Schieven, about the particular
   arrangements in your case.

2. If your shifts are followed on the schedule by 'Flex' shifts, then
   you will be the observer for the entire period. Your programme will
   use suitable weather as it occurs, until you have exhausted your
   allocation. The remainder of the block will be used for observing
   other approved programmes that can tolerate (typically) poorer
   weather.

3. Programmes 'approved but not scheduled' will be observed in service
   mode during the 'Flex' shifts described above. In this case, your
   presence is not required at the telescope. Observations made for you
   during 'flex' time will be undertaken either by a colleague (usually
   from the same partner country) or by the TSS.

4. Programmes approved with 'fallback' status may be observed in service
   mode at any time when weather conditions prevent the execution of the
   scheduled programme. In this case, your presence is not required at
   the telescope. Fallback observations will be undertaken either by a
   colleague (usually from the same partner country) or by the TSS.

Your programme is one of the first two types. The rest of this letter
assumes that you will be coming to the telescope.

1.3. THUMPER commissioning

THUMPER is a 200um imaging photometer being developed for the JCMT by
the University of Wales, Cardiff. Atmospheric models indicate that
ground-based observations at this wavelength should become possible from
Mauna Kea under extremely dry conditions. THUMPER will be delivered,
integrated and commissioned during semester 03A, and (assuming
commissioning is successfully completed) will become a common-user
instrument thereafter.

The current THUMPER schedule indicates delivery to the JCMT by the end
of February, daytime integration during March, and nighttime
commissioning during the remainder of the semester. A total of 12 shifts
have been scheduled for this purpose. Because THUMPER absolutely
requires grade 1 weather, its E&C time will be flexibly scheduled
against PATT-approved observations. This will optimise the prospects of
having the instrument successfully commissioned during semester 03A.

For observers with runs scheduled after 1 April 2003, the flexible
scheduling priorities will be as follows:

* PATT-approved programmes which require grade 1 weather will have
  priority over THUMPER E&C.
* THUMPER E&C will have priority over PATT-approved programmes which
  require grade 2 or poorer weather.

Observers visiting the telescope after 1 April 2003 should therefore be
aware that THUMPER commissioning may take priority over their own run.
This does not, of course, mean that the observing time is lost; your
time will be recovered through the flexible scheduling mechanism. I ask
observers who find themselves in this situation to cooperate with our
efforts to commission this new and exciting instrument which will make
possible an entirely new mode of observation with the JCMT.

2. Observing Plans

Regardless of which observing mode is assigned to your project, it is
mandatory that an observing plan be completed and submitted. The
deadlines for submission of observing plans are as follows:

  Heterodyne programmes scheduled before 15 March 2003:    15 Jan 2003
  SCUBA programmes scheduled for February 2003:            31 Jan 2003
  All other programmes                                     28 Feb 2003

Any programmes for which observing plans have not been received by the
corresponding deadline may lose their allocated time. Please note also
that observing plans may be revised at any time.

Despite the fact that your project has been explicitly scheduled, there
remains a possibility (due to weather, THUMPER commissioning, etc.) that
your programme will be carried out at a time when you are not present at
the telescope. The observing plan must be completed with sufficient
accuracy and detail that the observations can be conducted without direct
consultation with you or with any of your collaborators. We will attempt,
but cannot guarantee, to make available remote eavesdropping during
serviced observations if required. You will be alerted at the end of the
shift when data are taken for you, and the data will be available to you
within 24 hours.

2.1. SCUBA

All SCUBA observations must be prepared and submitted using our
observation preparation tool, the JCMT-OT, as in the previous semester.
You will receive instructions on downloading the software and preparing
your observations via email by January 15th. Several enhancements and
bug fixes have been introduced since the previous release.

2.2. Heterodyne

In semester 03A we will commission our observation preparation tool,
the JCMT-OT, for heterodyne observing. The strategy, however, will be
somewhat different from the SCUBA release in the last semester.
Initially, observers must submit their programmes as templates, as in
the past. The templates may be obtained from our website at:

  http://www.jach.hawaii.edu/JCMT/Apply_time/Templates/line_template.txt

and instructions on their completion may be found at:

  http://www.jach.hawaii.edu/JCMT/Apply_time/Templates/guidelines.html

Our support scientists will then convert the submitted templates to
JCMT-OT science programmes. Thus the change will be transparent to the
user at this stage. If you come to the telescope as an observer, however,
you will be expected to use the JCMT-OT. You are therefore strongly urged
to spend at least half a day in Hilo with your support scientist in order
to familiarise yourself with the new software before heading up the
mountain.

3. Logistics

3.1. Support staff

If you are to be present at the telescope during your observations, then
you will be assigned a staff scientist to provide you with necessary
support. The staff scientist will be your primary point of contact with
the JAC before, during and after your observing run and you should
contact them in the first instance for any support requirements. The
staff scientist will normally be at the telescope only for your first
shift, but will be available by telephone for consultation for the whole
of your allocation. I encourage you to make full use of your staff
scientist throughout the planning, observing and data analysis phases of
your programme: they are a valuable resource and available to help you,
the observer, realise your scientific goals.

3.2. Travel, accommodation and medical disclaimer

Essential information for visitors may be found at our website:

  http://www.jach.hawaii.edu/homepage/visinfo.html

You should arrange your travel to match the observing schedule. Please
arrange to arrive at the JAC at least one working day before the start of
your observations in order to consult with your support scientist, and to
allow for adequate acclimatisation at HP. Please also arrange to arrive
at the JAC on a weekday if at all possible; this makes the logistics very
much easier at our end.

For your convenience, an accommodation request form is also available at
our website:

  http://www.jach.hawaii.edu/homepage/accommodation_form.html

Please complete and submit the form at least 3 weeks prior to your
arrival.  Requests which are received later than this will be
processed on a best-efforts basis only.

If you have not already done so, you must submit a signed medical
disclaimer form before your run. Please note that high-altitude effects
can be severe and vary widely from person to person; observers are
strongly advised to read the information on the disclaimer form and to
follow up as necessary before coming to Hawaii. The form can be
downloaded from our website:


http://www.jach.hawaii.edu/JCMT/Apply_time/Forms_safety/forms_safety.html

Finally, please note that the JAC provides only manual (standard)
transmission vehicles for transportation between the JAC and HP, and
between HP and the summit. Those who cannot drive a manual transmission
vehicle will need to be driven up/down by the TSS, and will consequently
lose an hour of observing time. Observers in this situation should
contact their support scientist in advance to seek alternative
arrangements.


4. Miscellany

4.1. Upon arrival at the JAC

When you arrive at the JAC, please register with the receptionist and
complete the necessary paperwork. You should then consult with your
assigned staff scientist and review your observing programme.

All observers must receive a safety briefing before proceeding to the
summit. This is mandatory and will take place on each visit, even for
experienced observers.

4.2. Observer's reports

We require the formal completion of an observing report for each shift
of telescope use. This provides valuable information to the JAC staff
regarding the use of time and problems unearthed, and alerts the PI of
any project for which you observe that data have been acquired for them.
(Similarly, you will be alerted whenever data are acquired for your
project, and the data will be made available to you within 24 hours.)
Your support scientist will be able to provide the latest instructions
and news on the submission of nightly reports.

4.3. Observing shifts and TSSs

The JCMT operates a 16-hour observing night, from 1730 to 0930. One
Telescope System Specialist (TSS) will provide coverage from 1730 to
2130, and another from 2130 to 0930. There may be the occasion
(especially at the weekend) when an observer on second shift is
required to stay for an additional half hour after the end of observing
so that the TSS can fill the cold loads on the instruments before going
down to HP.

During observing, the TSS is responsible for the safety of the facility
and the observers, and has complete authority in this respect.

The TSS will be familiar with all aspects of the operations of the
telescope and its instrumentation. In the spirit of raising awareness
and motivation, it would be good practice to give the TSS(s) an overview
of the science you are hoping to do and to discuss with them the modes
of observation you will be undertaking - such as spectral scanning, line
mapping, continuum mapping etc. This will also help them as they develop
their skills at undertaking serviced observing.

4.4. Extended observing

Because of staffing constraints, the JCMT has only a limited capability
to support extended observing. In some circumstances, extended observing
can only happen with the agreement of the TSS on a volunteer (i.e.,
unpaid) basis. Please consult your staff scientist in advance if you
anticipate a pressing need to observe before 1730 or after 0930 so that
the appropriate arrangements can be made.

4.5. Observer seminars

Beginning in semester 03A, all visiting observers are requested to make
a short presentation at the JAC before ascending to HP. Rather than a
full-blown colloqium or seminar (although these are certainly welcome,
as in the past), each visiting observer is asked to make a brief (e.g.,
15-minute) presentation on their observing project: scientific rationale,
previous work, observing strategy, etc. The benefits to both observer and
JAC staff are considerable. You will be contacted by your assigned staff
scientist before your arrival to confirm arrangements for this.

4.6. Exit interviews

All visiting observers are welcome, at the conclusion of their observing
runs, to see me at the JAC before leaving the island. I would like to
hear how your run went and how we can improve the operation of the
facility.


If you are unsure of any aspect of observing at the JCMT, please do not
hesitate to contact your assigned staff scientist. You may also find the
information you seek on our website

  http://www.jach.hawaii.edu/JCMT/


I wish you all the very best with your observing.

Kindest Regards,

Professor Gary Davis
Director, James Clerk Maxwell Telescope