Detailed Engineering Data for VLA Q and K-Band Receivers

Last updated: 08mar01

Q-band:

Plots created by Bob Hayward, updated on 16feb01:
  • Average receiver temperature measured in the lab (SOIDA results) Q-ave-trx.ps, Q-ave-trx.gif

  • Comparison of worst and best receiver temperatures measured Q-comp.ps, Q-comp.gif

  • Receiver gain across the bandpass for:
    SN1 (ANT4); SN2 (ANT8), SN3 (ANT27), SN4 (ANT25) Q4-gain.ps, Q4-gain.gif
    SN5 (ANT11); SN6 (ANT14), SN7 (ANT16), SN8 (ANT3) Q8-gain.ps, Q8-gain.gif
    SN9 (ANT6); SN10 (JPL), SN11 (ANT22), SN12 (ANT13) Q12-gain.ps, Q12-gain.gif
    SN13 (ANT12); SN14 (ANT20), SN15 (ANT19), SN16 (ANT21) Q16-gain.ps, Q16-gain.gif
    SN17 (ANT18); SN18 (ANT10), SN19 (ANT24), SN20 (ANT 28) Q20-gain.ps, Q20-gain.gif
    SN21 (ANT26), SN22 (ANT17), SN23 (ANT5), SN24 (ANT23) Q24-gain.ps, Q24-gain.gif
    SN25 (ANT1), SN26 (ANT2), SN27 (not built yet), SN28 (not built yet) Q28-gain.ps, Q28-gain.gif

  • Receiver temperature across the bandpass for:
    SN1 (ANT4); SN2 (ANT8), SN3 (ANT27), SN4 (ANT25) Q4-trx.ps, Q4-trx.gif
    SN5 (ANT11); SN6 (ANT14), SN7 (ANT16), SN8 (ANT3) Q8-trx.ps, Q8-trx.gif
    SN9 (ANT6); SN10 (JPL), SN11 (ANT22), SN12 (ANT13) Q12-trx.ps, Q12-trx.gif
    SN13 (ANT12); SN14 (ANT20), SN15 (ANT19), SN16 (ANT21) Q16-trx.ps, Q16-trx.gif
    SN17 (ANT18); SN18 (ANT10), SN19 (ANT24), SN20 (ANT 28) Q20-trx.ps, Q20-trx.gif
    SN21 (ANT26), SN22 (ANT17), SN23 (ANT5), SN24 (ANT23) Q24-trx.ps, Q24-trx.gif
    SN25 (ANT1), SN26 (ANT2), SN27 (not built yet), SN28 (not built yet) Q28-trx.ps, Q28-trx.gif

  • Calibration temperature (Tcal) across the bandpass for:
    SN1 (ANT4); SN2 (ANT8), SN3 (ANT27), SN4 (ANT25) Q4-tcal.ps, Q4-tcal.gif
    SN5 (ANT11); SN6 (ANT14), SN7 (ANT16), SN8 (ANT3) Q8-tcal.ps, Q8-tcal.gif
    SN9 (ANT6); SN10 (JPL), SN11 (ANT22), SN12 (ANT13) Q12-tcal.ps, Q12-tcal.gif
    SN13 (ANT12); SN14 (ANT20), SN15 (ANT19), SN16 (ANT21) Q16-tcal.ps, Q16-tcal.gif
    SN17 (ANT18); SN18 (ANT10), SN19 (ANT24), SN20 (ANT 28) Q20-tcal.ps, Q20-tcal.gif
    SN21 (ANT26), SN22 (ANT17), SN23 (ANT5), SN24 (ANT23) Q24-tcal.ps, Q24-tcal.gif
    SN25 (ANT1), SN26 (ANT2), SN27 (not built yet), SN28 (not built yet) Q28-tcal.ps, Q28-tcal.gif

  • Actual Tcals as of Friday, 18may01, in the VLA on-line system are in this file: q.tcals.txt First column = antenna number/IF; 4th column = Tcal value for each IF.

  • Solar cal temperature (Scal) across the bandpass. So far, we only have a solar cal on a single Q band receiver (built feb01) :
    SN24 (ANT23) Q24-scal.ps, Q24-scal.gif

  • Images of Q band receivers provided by Greg Chavez:
    Side view inside the dewar assembly. QDsc00001.jpg
    Side view inside the dewar assembly, close up. QDsc00002.jpg
    Front view inside the dewar assembly. QDsc00004.jpg
    Front view inside the dewar assembly, close up. QDsc00005.jpg
    Top view inside dewar. QDsc00008.jpg
    Another top view inside dewar. QDsc00009.jpg
    Rear electronics panel. QDsc00003.jpg
    Under the dewar. QDsc00006.jpg
    Side view. QDsc00007.jpg
    More images:
    1. QDsc00010.jpg
    2. QDsc00011.jpg
    3. QDsc00012.jpg
    4. QDsc00013.jpg
    5. QDsc00014.jpg
    6. QDsc00015.jpg
    7. QDsc00016.jpg
    8. QDsc00017.jpg
    9. QDsc00019.jpg
    10. QDsc00020.jpg

    K-band:

    Plots created by Darrell Hicks, updated on 27apr01:
  • Receiver temperature (TRCVR), Calibration temperature (TCAL), and Receiver Gain for each new K band receiver:
    • Receiver K-1 (ANT 9) -- new as of 9apr01: kbandRCVR1newset.jpg , kbandRCVR1newset.ps
    Receiver K-2 (ANT 16): kbandRCVR2set.jpg , kbandRCVR2set.ps
    Receiver K-3 (ANT 23): kbandRCVR3set.jpg , kbandRCVR3set.ps
    Receiver K-4 (ANT 28): kbandRCVR4set.jpg , kbandRCVR4set.ps
    Receiver K-5 (ANT 18): kbandRCVR5set.jpg , kbandRCVR5set.ps
    Receiver K-6 (ANT 19): kbandRCVR6set.jpg , kbandRCVR6set.ps
    Receiver K-7 (ANT 21): kbandRCVR7set.jpg , kbandRCVR7set.ps
    Receiver K-8 (ANT 10): kbandRCVR8set.jpg , kbandRCVR8set.ps
    Receiver K-9 (ANT 26): kbandRCVR9set.jpg , kbandRCVR9set.ps
    Receiver K-10 (ANT 24): kbandRCVR10set.jpg , kbandRCVR10set.ps
    Receiver K-11 (ANT 17): kbandRCVR11set.jpg , kbandRCVR11set.ps
    Receiver K-12 (ANT 20): kbandRCVR12set.jpg , kbandRCVR12set.ps
    Receiver K-13 (ANT 1): kbandRCVR13set.jpg , kbandRCVR13set.ps
    Receiver K-14 (ANT 11): kbandRCVR14set.jpg , kbandRCVR14set.ps
    Receiver K-15 (ANT 25): kbandRCVR15set.jpg , kbandRCVR15set.ps
    Receiver K-16 (ANT 2): kbandRCVR16set.jpg , kbandRCVR16set.ps

  • Actual Tcals as of Friday, 18may01, in the VLA on-line system are in this file: k.tcals.txt First column = antenna number/IF; 4th column = Tcal value for each IF.

  • Summary plots of receiver performance provided by Darrell:
    • K Band average receiver gain: kbandavgrcvgain.jpg , kbandavgrcvgain.ps
    K Band average receiver temperature: kbandavgrcvtmp.jpg , kbandavgrcvtmp.ps
    K Band average receiver calibration temperature: kbandavgtcal.jpg , kbandavgtcal.ps
    K Band average receiver coefficient of variation: kbandrcvrCV.jpg , kbandrcvrCV.ps
  • --- NOTE: The coefficient of variation figures are derived from the Soida measurements across the entire 18 - 26.5 GHz band. Each point on the C.V. chart is calculated by dividing the standard deviation for a set of measurements (all TCALs from 18 - 26.5 GHz, etc.) by the mean of the same set of measurements. For example, the 86 TCAL measurements for a receiver are averaged, the sample standard deviation is calculated, then the standard deviation is divided by the mean. This is done just to represent the standard deviation as a percentage of the mean so direct comparisons of the overall variation within a set of measurements can be made.

  • Images of new K band receivers provided by Brent Willoughby:
    • Front view of the dewar with attached electronics box and cryo pump. KDsc00004.jpg
    Inside the dewar assembly. KDewFront1.jpg
    The new K-band Water Vapor Radiometer (WVR) assembly on the side electronics panel. K5IfWvr.jpg
    Testing of the WVR design and performance is currently underway. Prototype WVRs are on K-band receivers on antennas 26 and 28.
    Mantained by: Debra Shepherd (dshepher@aoc.nrao.edu)