Personalizing and Maintaining the ARTIST-4 computer

by Ivan A. Galkin
U MASS Lowell Center for Atmospheric Research

 

Last modified : 07/15/2002
 

1. Personalizing ARMENU

1.1. Background

ARMENU is a setting file containing station and system specific constants for operation of Digisondes. The contents of ARMENU is read and modified by various pieces of Digisonde and remote software, and a special effort is made to propagate the changes to all relevant programs.

There are differences between some ARMENU settings for Digisonde 256 and DPS models that concern specification of the system-specific parameters.

 

Digisonde 256

DPS

ARMENU name

ARMENU.ONL

ARMENU.DPS

Typical file location

D:\DPSMAIN\Artist3\

D:\DPSMAIN\DPSOPER\

Software reading ARMENU

DARTIST, Dispatcher, Artist4

DPSCntl, Dispatcher, Artist4

Software changing ARMENU

Edmenu, Edar

Edmenu, Edar

Remote updates of ARMENU

Via modem connections to Artist-3 and FTP to Artist-4

Via FTP to Artist-4

1.2. ARMENU for DPS

1.2.1. Station ID

DPS Station ID is a question in the ARMENU.DPS settings file (see below). Ideally, it matches the suggested SIDs for the Digisonde network (see here). In case of a conflict, please contact us.

1.2.2. ARMENU Settings to Personalize for DPS

 Question number of ARMENU

Contents

Program

Description

942

Station ID. (See section 1.1)

DPSCntl

All Digisonde data files are tagged with the Station ID stored in the Preface section

101

Geographic Latitude (North)

Artist-4

Used to drive prediction models. Written to SAO files.

102

Geographic Longitude (East)

Artist-4

Used to drive prediction models. Written to SAO files.

301-303, 306, 308

WMO Ids

Artist-4

For creation of IHT, IOS and TEC messages delivered to USAF

307

URSI Station ID

Artist-4 Dispatcher

Artist-4 writes this ID to SAO files. Dispatcher uses this ID for all filenames.

104

Gyrofrequency

Artist-4

Used for ionogram autoscaling. Written to SAO files.

105

Dip Angle

Artist-4

Used to calculate density profile. Written to SAO files.

011

Sunspot number

 

Not used; the value in D:\SAR32\SUNSPT.ASC is taken instead

086

Rx Antenna Pattern

Artist-4

Used for correct decoding of DGS-256 status information, content n/a for DPS data

800

Tape Size

Dispatcher

For ARTIST-4 systems with tape drive only, calculates % of free space

801

Tape Volume Name

Dispatcher

For ARTIST-4 systems with tape drive only, the volume name is written to the tapes

032

System Model

Artist-4

Identifies the Digisonde model for unpacking the data

945

System Model

DPSCntl

Identifies the Digisonde model for processing of 4 channels of data

946

Restricted Frequencies

DPSCntl

Blocks transmission on restricted frequencies

941

Zenith

DPSCntl

Theta angle of the oblique beam, used for classification of echoes as oblique

082

Hi Noise

DPSCntl

Reduces tuner and receiver gains for high noise locations. This setting is not stored in the data.

 

1.3. ARMENU for Digisonde 256

1.3.1. Station ID

Diogisonde 256 Station ID is a part of the firmware stored in the system PROM. Ideally, it matches the suggested SIDs for the Digisonde network (see here). In case of a conflict, please contact us.

1.3.2. ARMENU Settings to Personalize for Digisonde 256

 Question number of ARMENU

Contents

Program

Description

304, 305

Printer Headers

DARTIST

Used for printouts from Artist3 computer

101

Geographic Latitude (North)

Artist-4

Used to drive prediction models. Written to SAO files.

102

Geographic Longitude (East)

Artist-4

Used to drive prediction models. Written to SAO files.

301-303, 306, 308

WMO Ids

Artist-4

For creation of IHT, IOS and TEC messages delivered to USAF

307

URSI Station ID

Artist-4 Dispatcher

Artist-4 writes this ID to SAO files. Dispatcher uses this ID for all filenames.

104

Gyrofrequency

Artist-4

Used for ionogram autoscaling. Written to SAO files.

105

Dip Angle

Artist-4

Used to calculate density profile. Written to SAO files.

011

Sunspot number

 

Not used; the value in D:\SAR32\SUNSPT.ASC is taken instead

086

Rx Antenna Pattern

Artist-4

Used for correct decoding of DGS-256 status information

800

Tape Size

Dispatcher

For ARTIST-4 systems with tape drive only, calculates % of free space

801

Tape Volume Name

Dispatcher

For ARTIST-4 systems with tape drive only, the volume name is written to the tapes

032

System Model

Artist-4

Identifies the Digisonde model for unpacking the data

961, 973

Restricted Frequencies

Dartist

Blocks transmission on restricted frequencies

921, 933

Autodrift restricted Frequencies

Dartist

Avoids restricted frequencies during the automatic selection of frequency for autodrift

 

2. Specification of the Sunspot number

It is important to maintain the sunspot number current. For off-line processing, ARTIST-4 uses an internal database of sunspot numbers, but for the real-time operation the value from ARMENU is taken.

3. View2GIF Station UDD File

The Station UDD file is required for the View2GIF program producing the GIF pictures for the WWW pages to correctly unpack the contents of the ionogram files and place the name and coordinates of the Digisonde location on the pictures. The UDD file is placed to D:\Dispatch\UDD\ folder together with UDD files for many other locations. This was done to unify the View2GIF reading routines with other Digisonde data analysis tools that typically work with data from many stations.

 

The UDD filename is NNN.udd where NNN is the Station ID three digit number.

UDD file settings to personalize:

304

Station Name

101

Geographic Latitude (North)

102

Geographic Longitude (East)

104

Gyrofrequency

105

Dip Angle

011

Sunspot number

086

Rx Antenna Pattern

085

Antenna Rotation 

032

System Model

 

4. Personalizing WWW Page

Front page is designed individually for each station. Ionogram Survey page contains the title header and calculated LT that have to be specified in DISPATCH.UDD file in D:\Dispatch\ folder.

 

     TITLE FOR WEB DISPLAYS

*130 < Digisonde Data at Millstone Hill, MA >

 

     LOCAL TIME OFFSET FROM GMT

     without daylight savings

*133 < -9 >

 

     LOCAL TIME ACRONYM

     LT would be typical

*134 < LT >

 

     DAYLIGHT SAVINGS

     used for homepage displays only

     0 - don't apply daylight savings

     1 - First Sunday in April and last Sunday in October (USA)

     2 - Last Sunday in March and last Sunday in September (Europe)

     3 - March 30 and October 26

*135 < 1 >

 

     LOCAL TIME OFFSET FROM GMT, DAYLIGHT SAVINGS

     when daylight savings active

     activate daylight savings in *134

*136 < -8 >

 

     LOCAL TIME ACRONYM, DAYLIGHT SAVINGS

     when daylight savings active

     activate daylight savings in *134

*137 < LT >   

5. Personalizing Real-Time Drift display

Under construction.