VLA/VHF Program Update 2004 Nov 15 Recent and Upcoming Event Oct. 10 Visit by NRL receiver engineer B. Hicks to the SAO Receiver Lab for technical discussion of VLA systems and logistical/management considerations. Nov. 17/18 Visit by R. Kimberk and S. Leiker to the VLA for a technical tour of the antennas and electronics and for discussions with NRAO engineers. Nov. 10 Melbourne technical and management meeting of partner institutions for future low frequency arrays proposed for Western Australia in this decade. Greenhill gives a short presentation describing the VLA/VHF system. cfa-www.harvard.edu/~lincoln/eor/vla.vhf.melbourne.04nov10.ppt Jan. 5-8 URSI meeting, Boulder. Dedicated session about proposed low frequency arrays. Greenhill will speak about the VLA/VHF system. Recent Developments With an eye to production of a "proto-prototype" receiver that would be ready for deployment _as soon as_ NRAO accepts the proposed program, Kimberk has begun construction of system elements, including a balun. The proto-prototype will enable early RFI, beam pattern, efficiency, and bandpass testing with a single antenna. Follow-up prototypes will support 4 element interferometry. RFI monitoring continues. Kathy Stone is producing an animation of the growing time series of monitor plots to help us better characterize transient and persistent emitters. Robert Ridgeway (NRAO) has commented on possible intermittent broadband jamming activity from White Sands. Follow-up is in progress. If jamming also affects VLA/EVLA bands, then we may expect active assistance from NRAO. To help us anticipate the effects of linearly polarized galactic foregrounds on calibration and any potential ramifications for design, David Barnes (UMelbourne) has offered code that will simulate intrinsic beam polarization and different levels of polarization leakage in the receiving system. A model sky image may be obtained from Bryan Gaensler's group. The draft NRAO policy for User-Supplied Observing and Test Instruments has been received. Chris Carilli has drafted a section on legacy science for our anticipated submission. See cfa-www.harvard.edu/~lincoln/eor/nrao.policy.draft.txt