Session and Observation Specification for a Single LWA Station

DP-Based Stations

Module that contains all of the relevant class to build up a representation of a session definition file as defined in MCS0030v5. The hierarchy of classes is:

  • Project - class that holds all of the information about the project (including

    the observer) and one or more sessions. Technically, a SD file has only one session but this approach allows for the generation of multiple SD files from a single Project object.

  • Observer - class that hold the observer’s name and numeric ID

  • Session - class that holds all of the observations associated with a particular

    DP output.

  • Observations - class that hold information about a particular observation. It

    includes a variety of attributes that are used to convert human- readable inputs to SDF data values. The observation class is further subclasses into:

    • TBW - class for TBW observations

    • TBN - class for TBN observations

    • DRX - class for general DRX observation, with sub-classes: * Solar - class for solar tracking * Jovian - class for Jovian tracking

    • Stepped - class for stepped observations

  • BeamStep - class that holds the information about a particular step in a Stepped

    Observation

All of the classes, except for Stepped and BeamStep, are complete and functional. In addition, most class contain ‘validate’ attribute functions that can be used to determine if the project/session/observation are valid or not given the constraints of the DP system.

In addition to providing the means for creating session definition files from scratch, this module also includes a simple parser for SD files.

Changed in version 2.0.0: Added support for astropy.time.Time and astropy.coordinates.Angle instances

Changed in version 1.0.0: Added the get_observation_start_stop() function. Renamed parse_timeString() to parse_time() parse_time() can now accept dates/times as timezone-aware datetime instances Observations can now be initialized with durations as timedelta instances Observations can now be initialized with RA/dec/az/alt as ephem.hours and ephem.degrees instances

class lsl.common.sdf.BeamStep(c1, c2, duration, frequency1, frequency2, is_radec=True, max_snr=False, spec_delays=None, spec_gains=None)

Class for holding all of the information (pointing center, tuning frequencies, etc.)associated with a particular step.

Required Keywords:
  • pointing coordinate 1 (RA [hours] or azimuth [degrees] or ephem.hours/ephem.degrees instance)

  • pointing coordinate 2 (dec or elevation/altitude [degrees] or ephem.degrees instance)

  • observation duration (HH:MM:SS.SSS string or timedelta instance)

  • observation tuning frequency 1 (Hz)

  • observation tuning frequency 1 (Hz)

Optional Keywords:
  • is_radec - whether the coordinates are in RA/Dec or Az/El pairs (default=RA/Dec)

  • max_snr - specifies if maximum signal-to-noise beam forming is to be used

    (default = False)

  • spec_delays - 520 list of delays to apply for each antenna

  • spec_gains - 260 by 2 by 2 list of gains ([[XY, XY], [YX, YY]]) to apply for each antenna

Note

If spec_delays is specified, spec_gains must also be specified. Specifying both spec_delays and spec_gains overrides the max_snr keyword.

Changed in version 1.0.0: Added support for azimuth/altitude and RA/dec values as ephem.hours/ephem.degrees instances

property c1

Coordinate 1 - hours (J2000) if RA, degrees if azimuth.

property c2

Coordinate 2 - degrees (J2000) if dec., degrees if elevation.

property duration

Duration in seconds.

property fixed_body

Return an ephem.Body object corresponding to where the observation is pointed. None if the observation mode is either TBN or TBW.

property frequency1

Tuning 1 frequency in Hz.

property frequency2

Tuning 2 frequency in Hz.

get_beam_type()

Return a valid value for beam type based on whether maximum S/N beam forming has been requested.

update()

Update the settings.

validate(verbose=False)

Evaluate the step and return True if it is valid, False otherwise.

class lsl.common.sdf.DRX(name, target, start, duration, ra, dec, frequency1, frequency2, filter, gain=- 1, max_snr=False, comments=None)

Sub-class of Observation specifically for DRX-style observations.

Required Arguments:
  • observation name

  • observation target

  • observation start date/time (UTC YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS.SSS string or timezone- aware datetime instance)

  • observation duration (HH:MM:SS.SSS string or timedelta instance)

  • observation RA in hours, J2000.0 or ephem.hours instance

  • observation Dec in degrees, J2000.0 or ephem.hours instance

  • observation tuning frequency 1 (Hz)

  • observation tuning frequency 1 (Hz)

  • integer filter code

Optional Keywords:
  • max_snr - specifies if maximum signal-to-noise beam forming is to be used

    (default = False)

  • comments - comments about the observation

estimate_bytes()

Estimate the data volume for the specified type and duration of observations. For DRX:

bytes = duration * sample_rate / 4096 * 4128 bytes * 2 tunings * 2 pols.

property fixed_body

Return an ephem.Body object corresponding to where the observation is pointed. None if the observation mode is an all-sky mode.

set_beamdipole_mode(stand, beam_gain=0.04, dipole_gain=1.0, pol='X')

Convert the current observation to a ‘beam-dipole mode’ observation with the specified stand. Setting the stand to zero will disable the ‘beam-dipole mode’ for this observation’.

Keywords:
  • beam_gain - BAM gain to use for each dipole in the beam

    default: 0.04; range: 0.0 to 1.0

  • dipole_gain - BAM gain to use for the single dipole

    default: 1.0; range: 0.0 to 1.0

  • pol - Polarization to record default: “X”

property target_visibility

Return the fractional visibility of the target during the observation period.

validate(verbose=False)

Evaluate the observation and return True if it is valid, False otherwise.

class lsl.common.sdf.Jovian(name, target, start, duration, frequency1, frequency2, filter, gain=- 1, max_snr=False, comments=None)

Sub-class of DRX specifically for Jovian DRX observations. It features a reduced number of parameters needed to setup the observation.

Required Arguments:
  • observation name

  • observation target

  • observation start date/time (UTC YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS.SSS string or timezone- aware datetime instance)

  • observation duration (HH:MM:SS.SSS string or timedelta instance)

  • observation tuning frequency 1 (Hz)

  • observation tuning frequency 1 (Hz)

  • integer filter code

Optional Keywords:
  • max_snr - specifies if maximum signal-to-noise beam forming is to be used

    (default = False)

  • comments - comments about the observation

property fixed_body

Return an ephem.Body object corresponding to where the observation is pointed. None if the observation mode is either TBN or TBW.

class lsl.common.sdf.Observation(name, target, start, duration, mode, ra, dec, frequency1, frequency2, filter, gain=- 1, max_snr=False, comments=None)

Class to hold the specifics of an observations. It currently handles TBW, TBN, TRK_RADEC, TRK_SOL, TRK_JOV, and Stepped

Changed in version 1.0.0: Added support for RA/dec values as ephem.hours/ephem.degrees instances

property dec

Target dec. (J2000).

property duration

Duration in seconds.

estimate_bytes()

Place holder for functions that return the estimate size of the data set being defined by the observation.

property fixed_body

Place holder for functions that return ephem.Body objects (or None) that define the pointing center of the observation.

property frequency1

Tuning 1 frequency in Hz.

property frequency2

Tuning 2 frequency in Hz.

get_beam_type()

Return a valid value for beam type based on whether maximum S/N beam forming has been requested.

property ra

Target RA (J2000).

property start

Start time.

property target_visibility

Place holder for functions that return the fractional visibility of the target during the observation period.

update()

Update the computed parameters from the string values.

validate(verbose=False)

Place holder for functions that evaluate the observation and return True if it is valid, False otherwise.

class lsl.common.sdf.Observer(name, id, first=None, last=None)

Class to hold information about an observer.

class lsl.common.sdf.Project(observer, name, id, sessions=None, comments=None, project_office=None)

Class to hold all the information about a specific session for a project/proposal.

Changed in version 1.2.1: Added a new writeto() method to directly write the SDF to a file.

append(newSession)

Add a new Session to the list of sessions.

render(session=0, verbose=False)

Create a session definition file that corresponds to the specified session. Returns the SD file’s contents as a string.

update()

Update the various sessions that are part of this project.

validate(verbose=False)

Examine all of the sessions and all of their observations to check for validity. If everything is valid, return True. Otherwise, return False.

writeto(filename, session=0, verbose=False, overwrite=False)

Create a session definition file that corresponds to the specified session and write it to the provided filename.

class lsl.common.sdf.ProjectOffice(project=None, sessions=None, observations=None)

Class to hold comments from the LWA object office. This class isn’t really needed to create SD files, but it is helpful for parsing SD files.

class lsl.common.sdf.Session(name, id, observations=None, data_return_method='DRSU', comments=None, station=<LWAStation id='VL', name='LWA1', lat=34:04:08.0, long=-107:37:42.1, elev=2133.6, pressure=0.0, horizon=0:00:00.0, antennas=[...], interface=<LSLInterface backend='lsl.common.dp', mcs='lsl.common.mcs', sdf='lsl.common.sdf', metabundle='lsl.common.metabundle', sdm='lsl.common.sdm'>>)

Class to hold all of the observations in a session.

append(newObservation)

Add a new Observation to the list of observations.

set_mib_record_interval(component, interval)

Set the record interval for one of the level-1 subsystems (ASP, DP_, etc.) to a particular value in minutes. A KeyError is raised if an invalid sub-system is specified.

Special Values are:
  • -1 = use the MCS default interval

  • 0 = never record the MIB entries (the entries are still updated, however)

set_mib_update_interval(component, interval)

Set the update interval for one of the level-1 subsystems (ASP, DP_, etc.) to a particular value in minutes. A KeyError is raised if an invalid sub-system is specified.

Special Values are:
  • -1 = use the MCS default interval

  • 0 = request no updates to the MIB entries

property spectrometer_channels

Number of spectrometer channesl to output, 0 is disables.

property spectrometer_integration

Number of FFT windows per spectrometer integration, 0 to disable.

property spectrometer_metatag

Spectrometer polarization selection.

update()

Update the various observations in the session.

validate(verbose=False)

Examine all of the observations associated with the session to check for validity. If everything is valid, return True. Otherwise, return False.

class lsl.common.sdf.Solar(name, target, start, duration, frequency1, frequency2, filter, gain=- 1, max_snr=False, comments=None)

Sub-class of DRX specifically for Solar DRX observations. It features a reduced number of parameters needed to setup the observation.

Required Arguments:
  • observation name

  • observation target

  • observation start date/time (UTC YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS.SSS string or timezone- aware datetime instance)

  • observation duration (HH:MM:SS.SSS string or timedelta instance)

  • observation tuning frequency 1 (Hz)

  • observation tuning frequency 1 (Hz)

  • integer filter code

Optional Keywords:
  • max_snr - specifies if maximum signal-to-noise beam forming is to be used

    (default = False)

  • comments - comments about the observation

property fixed_body

Return an ephem.Body object corresponding to where the observation is pointed. None if the observation mode is either TBN or TBW.

class lsl.common.sdf.Stepped(name, target, start, filter, steps=None, is_radec=True, gain=- 1, comments=None)

Sub-class of Observation for dealing with STEPPED-mode observations. It features a reduced number of parameters needed to setup the observation and added support for the individual steps.

Required Arguments:
  • observation name

  • observation target

  • observation start date/time (UTC YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS.SSS string or timezone- aware datetime instance)

  • integer filter code

Optional Keywords:
  • steps - array of BeamStep objects that specify the different steps

  • comments - comments about the observation

append(newStep)

Add a new BeamStep step to the list of steps.

property duration

Parse the list of BeamStep objects to get the total observation duration as the number of seconds in that period.

estimate_bytes()

Estimate the data volume for the specified type and duration of observations. For DRX:

bytes = duration * sample_rate / 4096 * 4128 bytes * 2 tunings * 2 pols.

set_beamdipole_mode(stand, beam_gain=0.04, dipole_gain=1.0, pol='X')

Convert the current observation to a ‘beam-dipole mode’ observation with the specified stand. Setting the stand to zero will disable the ‘beam-dipole mode’ for this observation’.

Keywords:
  • beam_gain - BAM gain to use for each dipole in the beam

    default: 0.04; range: 0.0 to 1.0

  • dipole_gain - BAM gain to use for the single dipole

    default: 1.0; range: 0.0 to 1.0

  • pol - Polarization to record default: “X”

property target_visibility

Return the fractional visibility of the target during the observation period.

update()

Update the computed parameters from the string values.

validate(verbose=False)

Evaluate the observation and return True if it is valid, False otherwise.

class lsl.common.sdf.TBN(name, target, start, duration, frequency, filter, gain=- 1, comments=None)

Sub-class of Observation specifically for TBN observations. It features a reduced number of parameters needed to setup the observation.

Required Arguments:
  • observation name

  • observation target

  • observation start date/time (UTC YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS.SSS string or timezone- aware datetime instance)

  • observation duration (HH:MM:SS.SSS string or timedelta instance)

  • observation frequency (Hz)

  • integer filter code

Optional Keywords:
  • comments - comments about the observation

estimate_bytes()

Estimate the data volume for the specified type and duration of observations. For TBN:

bytes = duration * sample_rate / 512 * 1048 bytes * 260 stands * 2 pols.

validate(verbose=False)

Evaluate the observation and return True if it is valid, False otherwise.

..note::

This version of sdf allows for TBN tuning between 5 and 93 MHz.

class lsl.common.sdf.TBW(name, target, start, samples, bits=12, comments=None)

Sub-class of Observation specifically for TBW observations. It features a reduced number of parameters needed to setup the observation and provides extra information about the number of data bits and the number of samples.

Note

TBW read-out times in ms are calculated using (samples/196000+1)*5000 per MCS

Required Arguments:
  • observation name

  • observation target

  • observation start date/time (UTC YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS.SSS string)

  • integer number of samples

Optional Keywords:
  • bits - number of data bits (4 or 12)

  • comments - comments about the observation

estimate_bytes()

Estimate the data volume for the specified type and duration of observations. For TBW:

bytes = samples / samplesPerFrame * 1224 bytes * 260 stands

validate(verbose=False)

Evaluate the observation and return True if it is valid, False otherwise.

lsl.common.sdf.get_observation_start_stop(obs)

Given an observation, get the start and stop times (returned as a two- element tuple of UTC datetime instances).

New in version 1.0.0.

lsl.common.sdf.is_valid(filename, verbose=False)

Given a filename, see if it is valid SDF file or not.

New in version 1.2.0.

lsl.common.sdf.parse_sdf(filename, verbose=False)

Given a filename, read the file’s contents into the SDM instance and return that instance.

ADP-Based Stations

Module that contains all of the relevant class to build up a representation of a session definition file as defined in MCS0030v5 and updated for LWA-SV. The hierarchy of classes is:

  • Project - class that holds all of the information about the project (including

    the observer) and one or more sessions. Technically, a SD file has only one session but this approach allows for the generation of multiple SD files from a single Project object.

  • Observer - class that hold the observer’s name and numeric ID

  • Session - class that holds all of the observations associated with a particular

    ADP output.

  • Observations - class that hold information about a particular observation. It

    includes a variety of attributes that are used to convert human- readable inputs to SDF data values. The observation class is further subclasses into:

    • TBF - class for TBF observations

    • TBN - class for TBN observations

    • DRX - class for general DRX observation, with sub-classes: * Solar - class for solar tracking * Jovian - class for Jovian tracking

    • Stepped - class for stepped observations

  • BeamStep - class that holds the information about a particular step in a Stepped

    Observation

All of the classes, except for Stepped and BeamStep, are complete and functional. In addition, most class contain ‘validate’ attribute functions that can be used to determine if the project/session/observation are valid or not given the constraints of the ADP system.

In addition to providing the means for creating session definition files from scratch, this module also includes a simple parser for SD files.

Changed in version 2.0.0: Added support for astropy.time.Time and astropy.coordinates.Angle instances

Changed in version 1.0.0: Added the get_observation_start_stop() function. Renamed parse_timeString() to parse_time() parse_time() can now accept dates/times as timezone-aware datetime instances Observations can now be initialized with durations as timedelta instances Observations can now be initialized with RA/dec/az/alt as ephem.hours and ephem.degrees instances

class lsl.common.sdfADP.BeamStep(c1, c2, duration, frequency1, frequency2, is_radec=True, max_snr=False, spec_delays=None, spec_gains=None)

Class for holding all of the information (pointing center, tuning frequencies, etc.)associated with a particular step.

Required Keywords:
  • pointing coordinate 1 (RA [hours] or azimuth [degrees] or ephem.hours/ephem.degrees instance)

  • pointing coordinate 2 (dec or elevation/altitude [degrees] or ephem.degrees instance)

  • observation duration (HH:MM:SS.SSS string or timedelta instance)

  • observation tuning frequency 1 (Hz)

  • observation tuning frequency 1 (Hz)

Optional Keywords:
  • is_radec - whether the coordinates are in RA/Dec or Az/El pairs (default=RA/Dec)

  • max_snr - specifies if maximum signal-to-noise beam forming is to be used

    (default = False)

  • spec_delays - 520 list of delays to apply for each antenna

  • spec_gains - 260 by 2 by 2 list of gains ([[XY, XY], [YX, YY]]) to apply for each antenna

Note

If spec_delays is specified, spec_gains must also be specified. Specifying both spec_delays and spec_gains overrides the max_snr keyword.

Changed in version 1.0.0: Added support for azimuth/altitude and RA/dec values as ephem.hours/ephem.degrees instances

property c1

Coordinate 1 - hours (J2000) if RA, degrees if azimuth.

property c2

Coordinate 2 - degrees (J2000) if dec., degrees if elevation.

property duration

Duration in seconds.

property fixed_body

Return an ephem.Body object corresponding to where the observation is pointed. None if the observation mode is either TBN or TBW.

property frequency1

Tuning 1 frequency in Hz.

property frequency2

Tuning 2 frequency in Hz.

get_beam_type()

Return a valid value for beam type based on whether maximum S/N beam forming has been requested.

update()

Update the settings.

validate(verbose=False)

Evaluate the step and return True if it is valid, False otherwise.

class lsl.common.sdfADP.DRX(name, target, start, duration, ra, dec, frequency1, frequency2, filter, gain=- 1, max_snr=False, comments=None)

Sub-class of Observation specifically for DRX-style observations.

Required Arguments:
  • observation name

  • observation target

  • observation start date/time (UTC YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS.SSS string or timezone- aware datetime instance)

  • observation duration (HH:MM:SS.SSS string or timedelta instance)

  • observation RA in hours, J2000.0 or ephem.hours instance

  • observation Dec in degrees, J2000.0 or ephem.hours instance

  • observation tuning frequency 1 (Hz)

  • observation tuning frequency 1 (Hz)

  • integer filter code

Optional Keywords:
  • max_snr - specifies if maximum signal-to-noise beam forming is to be used

    (default = False)

  • comments - comments about the observation

estimate_bytes()

Estimate the data volume for the specified type and duration of observations. For DRX:

bytes = duration * sample_rate / 4096 * 4128 bytes * 2 tunings * 2 pols.

property fixed_body

Return an ephem.Body object corresponding to where the observation is pointed. None if the observation mode is an all-sky mode.

set_beamdipole_mode(stand, beam_gain=0.04, dipole_gain=1.0, pol='X')

Convert the current observation to a ‘beam-dipole mode’ observation with the specified stand. Setting the stand to zero will disable the ‘beam-dipole mode’ for this observation’.

Keywords:
  • beam_gain - BAM gain to use for each dipole in the beam

    default: 0.04; range: 0.0 to 1.0

  • dipole_gain - BAM gain to use for the single dipole

    default: 1.0; range: 0.0 to 1.0

  • pol - Polarization to record default: “X”

property target_visibility

Return the fractional visibility of the target during the observation period.

validate(verbose=False)

Evaluate the observation and return True if it is valid, False otherwise.

class lsl.common.sdfADP.Jovian(name, target, start, duration, frequency1, frequency2, filter, gain=- 1, max_snr=False, comments=None)

Sub-class of DRX specifically for Jovian DRX observations. It features a reduced number of parameters needed to setup the observation.

Required Arguments:
  • observation name

  • observation target

  • observation start date/time (UTC YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS.SSS string or timezone- aware datetime instance)

  • observation duration (HH:MM:SS.SSS string or timedelta instance)

  • observation tuning frequency 1 (Hz)

  • observation tuning frequency 1 (Hz)

  • integer filter code

Optional Keywords:
  • max_snr - specifies if maximum signal-to-noise beam forming is to be used

    (default = False)

  • comments - comments about the observation

property fixed_body

Return an ephem.Body object corresponding to where the observation is pointed. None if the observation mode is either TBN or TBW.

class lsl.common.sdfADP.Observation(name, target, start, duration, mode, ra, dec, frequency1, frequency2, filter, gain=- 1, max_snr=False, comments=None)

Class to hold the specifics of an observations. It currently handles TBW, TBN, TRK_RADEC, TRK_SOL, TRK_JOV, and Stepped

Changed in version 1.0.0: Added support for RA/dec values as ephem.hours/ephem.degrees instances

property dec

Target dec. (J2000).

property duration

Duration in seconds.

estimate_bytes()

Place holder for functions that return the estimate size of the data set being defined by the observation.

property fixed_body

Place holder for functions that return ephem.Body objects (or None) that define the pointing center of the observation.

property frequency1

Tuning 1 frequency in Hz.

property frequency2

Tuning 2 frequency in Hz.

get_beam_type()

Return a valid value for beam type based on whether maximum S/N beam forming has been requested.

property ra

Target RA (J2000).

property start

Start time.

property target_visibility

Place holder for functions that return the fractional visibility of the target during the observation period.

update()

Update the computed parameters from the string values.

validate(verbose=False)

Place holder for functions that evaluate the observation and return True if it is valid, False otherwise.

class lsl.common.sdfADP.Observer(name, id, first=None, last=None)

Class to hold information about an observer.

class lsl.common.sdfADP.Project(observer, name, id, sessions=None, comments=None, project_office=None)

Class to hold all the information about a specific session for a project/proposal.

Changed in version 1.2.1: Added a new writeto() method to directly write the SDF to a file.

render(session=0, verbose=False)

Create a session definition file that corresponds to the specified session. Returns the SD file’s contents as a string.

class lsl.common.sdfADP.ProjectOffice(project=None, sessions=None, observations=None)

Class to hold comments from the LWA object office. This class isn’t really needed to create SD files, but it is helpful for parsing SD files.

class lsl.common.sdfADP.Session(name, id, observations=None, data_return_method='DRSU', comments=None, station=<LWAStation id='SV', name='LWASV', lat=34:20:54.1, long=-106:53:08.8, elev=1477.8, pressure=0.0, horizon=0:00:00.0, antennas=[...], interface=<LSLInterface backend='lsl.common.adp', mcs='lsl.common.mcsADP', sdf='lsl.common.sdfADP', metabundle='lsl.common.metabundleADP', sdm='lsl.common.sdmADP'>>)

Class to hold all of the observations in a session.

validate(verbose=False)

Examine all of the observations associated with the session to check for validity. If everything is valid, return True. Otherwise, return False.

class lsl.common.sdfADP.Solar(name, target, start, duration, frequency1, frequency2, filter, gain=- 1, max_snr=False, comments=None)

Sub-class of DRX specifically for Solar DRX observations. It features a reduced number of parameters needed to setup the observation.

Required Arguments:
  • observation name

  • observation target

  • observation start date/time (UTC YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS.SSS string or timezone- aware datetime instance)

  • observation duration (HH:MM:SS.SSS string or timedelta instance)

  • observation tuning frequency 1 (Hz)

  • observation tuning frequency 1 (Hz)

  • integer filter code

Optional Keywords:
  • max_snr - specifies if maximum signal-to-noise beam forming is to be used

    (default = False)

  • comments - comments about the observation

property fixed_body

Return an ephem.Body object corresponding to where the observation is pointed. None if the observation mode is either TBN or TBW.

class lsl.common.sdfADP.Stepped(name, target, start, filter, steps=None, is_radec=True, gain=- 1, comments=None)

Sub-class of Observation for dealing with STEPPED-mode observations. It features a reduced number of parameters needed to setup the observation and added support for the individual steps.

Required Arguments:
  • observation name

  • observation target

  • observation start date/time (UTC YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS.SSS string or timezone- aware datetime instance)

  • integer filter code

Optional Keywords:
  • steps - array of BeamStep objects that specify the different steps

  • comments - comments about the observation

append(newStep)

Add a new BeamStep step to the list of steps.

property duration

Parse the list of BeamStep objects to get the total observation duration as the number of seconds in that period.

estimate_bytes()

Estimate the data volume for the specified type and duration of observations. For DRX:

bytes = duration * sample_rate / 4096 * 4128 bytes * 2 tunings * 2 pols.

set_beamdipole_mode(stand, beam_gain=0.04, dipole_gain=1.0, pol='X')

Convert the current observation to a ‘beam-dipole mode’ observation with the specified stand. Setting the stand to zero will disable the ‘beam-dipole mode’ for this observation’.

Keywords:
  • beam_gain - BAM gain to use for each dipole in the beam

    default: 0.04; range: 0.0 to 1.0

  • dipole_gain - BAM gain to use for the single dipole

    default: 1.0; range: 0.0 to 1.0

  • pol - Polarization to record default: “X”

property target_visibility

Return the fractional visibility of the target during the observation period.

update()

Update the computed parameters from the string values.

validate(verbose=False)

Evaluate the observation and return True if it is valid, False otherwise.

class lsl.common.sdfADP.TBF(name, target, start, frequency1, frequency2, filter, samples, comments=None)

Sub-class of Observation specifically for TBF observations. It features a reduced number of parameters needed to setup the observation and provides extra information about the number of number of samples.

Note

TBF read-out times in ms are calculated using (samples / 196000 + 1) * 150 per MCS

Required Arguments:
  • observation name

  • observation target

  • observation start date/time (UTC YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS.SSS string)

  • observation frequency (Hz) - 1

  • observation frequency (Hz) - 2

  • integer filter code

  • integer number of samples

Optional Keywords:
  • comments - comments about the observation

estimate_bytes()

Estimate the data volume for the specified type and duration of observations. For TBF:

bytes = samples / samplesPerFrame * 1224 bytes

update()

Update the computed parameters from the string values.

validate(verbose=False)

Evaluate the observation and return True if it is valid, False otherwise.

class lsl.common.sdfADP.TBN(name, target, start, duration, frequency, filter, gain=- 1, comments=None)

Sub-class of Observation specifically for TBN observations. It features a reduced number of parameters needed to setup the observation.

Required Arguments:
  • observation name

  • observation target

  • observation start date/time (UTC YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS.SSS string or timezone- aware datetime instance)

  • observation duration (HH:MM:SS.SSS string or timedelta instance)

  • observation frequency (Hz)

  • integer filter code

Optional Keywords:
  • comments - comments about the observation

estimate_bytes()

Estimate the data volume for the specified type and duration of observations. For TBN:

bytes = duration * sample_rate / 512 * 1048 bytes * 260 stands * 2 pols.

validate(verbose=False)

Evaluate the observation and return True if it is valid, False otherwise.

..note::

This version of sdf allows for TBN tuning between 5 and 93 MHz.

lsl.common.sdfADP.get_observation_start_stop(obs)

Given an observation, get the start and stop times (returned as a two- element tuple of UTC datetime instances).

New in version 1.0.0.

lsl.common.sdfADP.is_valid(filename, verbose=False)

Given a filename, see if it is valid SDF file or not.

New in version 1.2.0.

lsl.common.sdfADP.parse_sdf(filename, verbose=False)

Given a filename, read the file’s contents into the SDM instance and return that instance.