Subject: DISTOOLS v3beta for use with DISII

From: Gordon Richards

Submitted: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 17:30:46 -0500 (EST)

Message number: 90 (previous: 89, next: 91 up: Index)

All,

An "emergency release" version of my DISTOOLS package for reducing DIS
data with the new CCDs is now available.  It will have to be updated
again when the optics, etc. change, but this should tide you over
until then.

If you are unfamiliar with DISTOOLS, it is a series of IRAF "wrappers"
that are hardcoded with DIS-specific parameters in order to make the
reduction of DIS data somewhat easier and faster.  The author claims
that an experienced user can produce publishable, vacuum heliocentric
wavelength, flux calibrated, telluric corrected spectra from raw data
in less than 300s from the end of the exposure.  Thus, if you have not
used it yet, you may find it useful.

You can find the package in

/home/visitor1/distools/distools_v3beta.tar.gz
on tycho.apo.nmsu.edu

To install, just

gzip -d distools_v3beta.tar.gz
tar -xvf distools_v3beta.tar

This will unpack all the .cl files in the
current directory.  There is also a "doc"
directory with the help files.

Then follow the instructions in the README file.  See also the "release
notes" below.

Gordon

######


Selected release notes for DISTOOLS v3beta

1. All output files are now *.fits instead of *.fit, since DISII
outputs *.fits.  I prefer *.fit, but it isn't up to me.

2. Some things have changed in editHeaders.  In particular, DISPAXIS
is now in the header, so we don't need to add it.  Also, we currently
have to overwrite the OBSERVAT parameter since the current header
gives the whole name instead of the abbreviation.  I will take this
out in the next release if Craig changes the header.  [Already fixed
by Craig.]

3. Some changes need to be made to your loginuser.cl file since the
date and exposure keywords have changed.  Note that the headers are
still in a state of flux.  If you want something added, let Craig
know.  If you want something changed, I would appreciate it if you
would let me know before you ask to have it changed, so that I can
tell you whether or not it will break DISTOOLS.

4. Various APALL parameters have been changed in doBlue.cl and
doRed.cl

5. In practice, I find that the resolution of the blue and red CCDs is
about the same; for "Setup 1", I choose to fix it to 3.15A/pixel.  The
default wavelength ranges will almost certainly change with the final
release after things have settled down.

6. I have included PS files with the HeNeAr lines labelled.  The files
are blueHeNeAr.ps and redHeNeAr.ps.  Not that the lines are given in
*vacuum* wavelengths.

7. I have not updated *all* of the CL and HLP files.  If the help file
says Mar02, then I have updated it.  If not, I may or may not have
made changes.  In any case *everything* will need to have more changes
once the new optics are in and the default gratings (and tilts) have
been chosen.

8. Various other un-documented changes and lack of changes.  User
beware!



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