Conditions for the next summer period

As every year, we plan to carry out extensive technical work during the summer period. Besides the usual maintenance of the antennas we plan this year to complete the northern track extension and start testing of N46, the new station at the end of the northern track. We hope to make it ready in time for the next winter period. At the same time, and if possible, we plan to proceed also with work on extending the eastern track, which, according to plans, should become available for the winter 2006/2007 scheduling period.

In parallel to these activities, we plan to carry out regular scientific observations during the whole period with the five element array. Taking these considerations into account, we are confident to be able to schedule about 20 to 30 projects.

We plan to start the maintenance before the end of May and to schedule the C and D configurations between June and October. For observations at high-angular resolution, we tentatively plan a move to the more extended B configuration and the switch back to the six element array for the end of October, i.e. before the end of the scheduling period.

We strongly encourage observers to submit proposals that can be executed during summer operating conditions. To keep the procedure as simple as possible, we ask to focus on:

$\circ$

observations requesting the use of the 3mm receivers

$\circ$

circumpolar sources or sources transiting at night between June and September,

$\circ$

observations that qualify for the C and D configurations with 5 antennas.

For this call for proposals, note also the following aspects.