Research Group at Metsähovi: Urpo, Karlamaa, Liljeström, Mujunen
There have been negotiations with Finnish Geodetic Institute for starting geodetic VLBI observations possibly in 2002. The equipment requirements include a new receiver and a new secondary mirror, full number of BBCs (in addition to currently functional 8) and a renewed phase calibration system which needs to include the cable delay calibrator. New VLBA baseband converters have been ordered from Signatron.
The FS was updated three times within a year, the present version is 9.4.18.
The antenna control system VLBI software has been operational since the beginning of year 2000 and it is completely independent from the old MicroVAX-based system.
The small VLBI operation support group is heavily involved in other non-VLBI projects and there have been changes in the personnel. Manpower problems caused that one CMVA session in October had to be cancelled.