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* Setting Up ESI *						14 Oct 2001
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A.  Assorted Facts  
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1.  Never quit (i.e. use the left mouse button) on any of the ESI GUIs.  If
    you do, they'll be gone for good.  Always you the "dismiss" button.

2.  When dithering along the slit:

	ECHELLE MODE:         dither in guider Y
	LOW DISPERSION MODE:  dither in guider X

    Or, get your OA to make the move.

3.  It's helpful to double click on the Figdisp top bar so that it fills the
    screen.  This actually matches the dimensions of the read-out pretty well.

4.  ALWAYS USE THE CANNED SETUP SCRIPTS FOR CHANGING BETWEEN OBSERVING MODES.
    Effect this by clicking on "Load..." --> "Named Setup..." on the upper right 
    portion of the dashboard, then select the mode you want.  E.g.,

  		echelle1.0  =  high disperion mode with 1.0" slit
  		Rimage      =  R-band imaging (say, for MAlign)

5.  Focusing the TELESCOPE.

	Spectroscopy?  Do a MAlign, followed by autofoc.
	Imaging?  Just a MAlign is fine.

6.  CCD readout mode:  fast is fine.  Slow and Normal don't offer advantages.

		

 
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B.  Instrument Set-up
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Basically, you should follow the setup guide in the web-based notes.
I'm not adding much with the the following...

1.  Login with your assigned user name.

2.  Start up the ESI software with (right mouse) 

	ESI Control Menu --> Start ESI Observing Software .

    Click "Start Here", which will be lit up on the DashBoard.  Then
    follow the prompt to initialize.  (Initialization may take longer
    than the promised 3 minutes.)

3.  Load your canned setups.

    You're alway going to want to use canned setups.  There are two 
    reasons for this:  (a) this way you don't screw up some part of a
    desired configuration when you get all punchy at 3 in the morning,
    and (b) each configuration has its own focus value, which will automatically
    update when you load the canned setup.  See note above.

4.  Before taking any test exposures, verify with the OA that the
    telescope has been initialized and that the dome is dark.
    Otherwise, the flexure compenstation system (FCS) will freak out.
    Also, you might want to take the telescope to an elevation comparable
    to that of your observations (at least above 15 degrees!). 
    The FCS should take care of this anyway, but this will help make
    your start-of-the-night calibrations more trustworthy.

5.  You're basically ready to go now.  Change the instrument configuration
    by going to the Setups button, then "load" and the "move" the setup
    of choice.

6.  At some point, you'll want to bring up a guider eavesdrop (right
    click for Guider Eavesdropping --> Master to Current screen) and
    a hand paddle (ask your OA, I think).


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C.  Target Acquisition
----------------------

Here's how we acquired targets for our echelle spectroscopy of super
faint drop-out galaxies.  

1.  Before you even get to da damn 'scope, you need to find a setup 
    star near to your target.  Get the position of the target and the 
    setup star, then determine the offset between them.  You 
    could even use:

	http://astron.berkeley.edu/~sdawson/code/longstat.txt

    Figure all this out and then mark it on your finder.  Also, pick
    a PA.

2.  At the telescope, ask the OA to go to your target.  Identify the
    field in the guide camera, and find your setup star.  The OA will
    move the setup star to the center of the desired slitlet.  You
    can star guiding now.  Ask the OA to make the small move from 
    the setup star to the target (which you won't see).  The guider
    will track throughout this small move.

3.  Start your long-ass integration.  When it reads out, make a small
    dither with the hand paddle, then start again.