<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
</head>
<body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">
<div>
<div>Hi all</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>As many of you will be aware, a small group of people, including Paul Demorest, Scott Ransom, Willem van Straten and me, have defined and implemented a standard for pulsar data files known as PSRFITS over the past decade or so. As the name suggests, it
is based on the FITS file standard and includes parameters and tables needed for pulsar data recording and analysis. It accommodates both "fold-mode" (mean pulse profile) data, in both raw and processed form, and streamed or "search-mode" data. It is already
widely used at centres and observatories around the world and is compatible with the pulsar data analysis systems PSRCHIVE, DSPSR and PRESTO. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Improved documentation for the PSRFITS standard is now available at: <a href="http://www.atnf.csiro.au/research/pulsar/index.html?n=Main.Psrfits">http://www.atnf.csiro.au/research/pulsar/index.html?n=Main.Psrfits</a>. This also gives access to the current
(V5.3) template definition and a complete version history. Please have a look at these web pages and let me know of any way(s) they could be further improved. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>An email distribution list for people interested in PSRFITS has been kindly set up by Mike Keith. If you would like to join this, please sign up at <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium; "><a href="http://lists.pulsarastronomy.net/">http://lists.pulsarastronomy.net</a>. </span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium; "><br>
</span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium; ">Finally, please pass this message on to anyone else who may be interested, especially to developers of pulsar observation and/or data analysis systems. There are many advantages
to having a widely used and versatile standard for pulsar data storage and we hope that PSRFITS will continue to grow and fulfil this role. </span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium; "><br>
</span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium; ">Regards</span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium; "> Dick</span></div>
</div>
</body>
</html>