The accuracy with which coordinates of radio telescopes can be estimated using VLBI observations

Methods for external estimation of the accuracy of geodetic parameters (the coordinates of radio telescopes) based on VLBI observations are discussed. Time series of the distances between radio telescopes (baselines) provide the observational material for the analysis. It is shown that the generally accepted model for estimating the accuracy of geodetic results is based on unjustified assumptions, and does not adequately describe the results of geodetic observations. A more flexible parametrical model is proposed, which takes into account the non-uniformity in the accuracies with which geodetic parameters for different stations can be estimated, and more adequately describes the observational data. The evolution of the Svetloe-Badary and Zelenchuk-Badary baselines in 2007–2012 is analyzed in detail. The Badary VLBI station located near Irkutsk is moving away from the other two stations, located in the European part of Russia, at a rate of 3–4 mm/year.