Meetings

Eighth IVS Technical Operations Workshop May 4–7, 2015 Haystack Observatory, Westford, MA, USA

Objectives

The intended audience for this meeting is the technical staff of the stations. The meeting will be oriented towards hands-on training and problem resolution in VLBI operations. We hope that all VLBI stations will be able to send technical representatives. This meeting represents a rare opportunity for both training and communication with personnel from other stations, the coordinating center, and the correlators.

Attendance at the TOW will be limited to two people from each station. If you can send two people, we recommend that the best pair of people would be an experienced station operator plus a new operator. If your station would like to send more than two people, please have the additional people also fill out the registration form. Then, send a message to the with the priority order of the people from your station. Attendance for only two people per station is guaranteed. The limit of two will be raised only if it does not cause the meeting and classes to become too large.

Location

The workshop will be held at Haystack Observatory in Westford, Massachusetts, USA.

Registration

Everyone who plans to attend must register. Registration consists of two parts: (1) pre-registration and (2) final class sign-up. Pre-registration deadline was March 15, 2015. Pre-registration is closed. Contact if you missed the deadline and want to attend the meeting.

The registration fee is $325 (note reduced amount, now confirmed). This will cover morning refreshments, coffee breaks, lunches, and two dinners during the meeting, and course materials. The fee will be collected at the registration desk at the meeting. The preferred payment option is by credit card (Visa or Mastercard); check and cash payment can be accommodated on request and prior notice.

Class Sign-up

Everyone who pre-registered must sign up for classes to complete the registration process. To do so please fill out the class sign-up form with the aid of the list of class descriptions. The deadline for signing up for classes was April 12, 2015. Class sign-up is closed. If you did not sign up for classes and still need to do so, please contact .

Program

We will have an icebreaker reception in the Radisson hotel on Sunday May 3, 2015 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. There will be hors d'oeuvres as well as a dessert station with coffee and tea.

The draft class assignments are ready. Class assignments have been made based on the class selection forms. In the following tables please find a link to your individual form as well as schedules of all classes.

Note that changes are still possible due to the draft status. If you want to add or change any classes, please contact .

Program Committee

The Program Committee is responsible for deciding on the topics to be covered at the workshop and setting up the sessions. Please send comments or requests for classes to the TOW Program Committee.

Members of the program committee are:

Invitations

Although IVS cannot provide financial support for attendance at the workshop, we will send a letter of invitation to attend the meeting. If this would be of assistance for your travel plans, please contact the to request a letter.

Visa

Depending on your country of origin you may need a Visa to enter the United States or you may be eligible to participate in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Please check the eligibility rules to find out if you are eligible for a Visa Waiver. If you need a Visa, please contact the U.S. Embassy/Consulate in your country in order to inquire about the necessary paperwork. If you can take advantage of the Visa Waiver Program, please obtain an approved travel authorization prior to your travel to the United States. For this purpose, use the so-called Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). Please make sure that you obtain your authorization on time.

Transportation

Haystack Observatory is about equally distant from two airports: Boston, MA and Manchester, NH. Boston airport is a major international hub, whereas Manchester airport is a regional airport. Local traffic from Manchester to Westford is usually lighter than from Boston.

• Boston Logan Airport (BOS)
• Manchester, NH Airport (MHT)

There are several choices for ground transportation to Westford from Boston and Manchester airports. In addition to renting a car, you can take advantage of airport shuttle services. Use the phone numbers below to reserve a seat on an airport shuttle.

Lodging

The meeting hotel is the Radisson Hotel and Suites in Chelmsford, MA.

Participants are requested to make their own reservations if possible. Please contact the hotel using the information given below and peruse the hotel's PDF promotion flyer. Rooms will be released from the block after April 11, 2015; please make your reservations before then. A credit card is required to guarantee your room.

Radisson Hotel and Suites Chelmsford-Lowell
10 Independence Drive	Phone:	+1-978-256-0800
Chelmsford, MA 01824	Fax:	+1-978-250-5887
United States	Map and Directions
Rates: Studio Suite $104.00 + tax Deluxe Room $94.00 + tax	Hotel amenities include: Indoor Heated Pool & Fitness Center, Independence Bar and Grill, Local shuttle service and free parking, Free wireless Internet access.
Booking code:    MITHAY

If you need assistance with your reservations, please contact and/or .

Local Information

To reach Haystack Observatory, please follow the map and text based driving directions.

Weather in early May in the northeastern US is usually wonderful. Participants can check the local weather conditions before leaving home.

Other links to local information:

• Pheasant Lane shopping mall
• Westford area restaurants
• Nashua area restaurants
• Nashua, NH info
• Boston Online
• Lincoln Labs visitor info
• MIT visitor info

Local Organizing Committee

Members of the local organizing committee are:

Please feel free to contact any of the committee members with any questions.

Evaluation

Evaluation forms were filled out by meeting attendees. A summary of the comments and ratings is available at the link below. After the meeting, the teachers met to share their experiences and evaluate the meeting and their teaching. Notes from this meeting are are available at the link below.

• TOW Evaluation Form Summary
• TOW Teacher Notes

Notebook

The notebook material that was distributed at the meeting on the flashdrive plus a few updates has been compiled into the following notebook table. All files were converted to PDF format.

Much of the Mark 5 and Mark 6 documentation is updated frequently on the Haystack Web site. For the latest Mark 5 and Mark 6 documents, please visit the Web site at http://www.haystack.edu/tech/vlbi/mark5/ and http://www.haystack.edu/tech/vlbi/mark6/.

Pictures

Several people took pictures during the meeting and made them freely available. Please use the following links to pages with thumbnails. Some thumbnail pages allow downloading of the full size pictures by clicking on them.

• Dirk Behrend
• Alexander Neidhardt
• Mike Poirier

You can also browse and download picture files on the ftp server.

• Dirk Behrend
• Alexander Neidhardt
• Mike Poirier