5.6.3.1 AIPS

In AIPS the following can be done:

Suppose your fits file is stored in a directory, which we will call $dir (e.g. set dir=/usr/nemo/fits) and the filename is FITS.DAT (most filenames MUST be in upper case in AIPS), then the AIPS task IMLOD can be used to read the fits file (or from tape, see below):

    % setenv XX $dir        # make sure this is set for AIPS
    % aips                  # login/start up AIPS
    ...                     # (some more login stuff here)
    > TASK 'IMLOD'          # set task name
    > INFILE 'XX:FITS.DAT'  # set up input FITS filename
    > INNAME 'TEST'         # set some name for output AIPS file
    > GO                    # run the task
    > MCAT                  # check if file TEST there 
    > GETN ...              # get map number for file TEST
    > TVLOD                 # load it on tv
    > TVFIDDLE              # change contrast
    > EXIT                  # quit AIPS
    % 

Using the tape-interface is a bit more cumbersome: dump the FITS.DAT file to a tape, using dd(1) with a block size of 2880 bytes^5.18, and have IMLOD read the data from tape. This in case the disk interface will not work. Even on DEC-VMS machines the direct disk fits file may be used (this has done been successfully in the GIPSY package - see ccdfits(1NEMO)).

The reverse process can also be used to write AIPS files to disk in FITS format using the task FITTP, as show in the following example:

    % setenv XX $dir        # make sure this is set for AIPS
    % aips                  # login/start up AIPS
    ...                     # (some more stuff here)
    > MCAT                  # check directory
    > TASK 'FITTP'          # set task name
    > INNAME 'TEST'         # set name of input AIPS file
    > OUTFILE 'XX:FITS.DAT' # filename for output FITS file
    > GO                    # run the task
    > EXIT                  # quit AIPS
    % 

The file will then be in $dir/FITS.DAT, make sure that the program aips has write permission in that directory. Again, if the disk interface does not work, the file has to be dumped to tape, and read to disk using dd(1). For an example see ccdfits(1NEMO).