Progress on H$_{\alpha}$ at MCX

The Maryland Centrifugal eXperiment uses a seven-chord H$_{\alpha}$ measurement system to measure absolute intensity levels of the Hydrogen Balmer-alpha line in a rotating plasma with mirror magnetic geometry. Recently, new mirror insulators were designed and implemented, resulting in suppressed O-mode operation. We present comparisons between H$_{\alpha}$ signals before and after the implementation of the new insulator. We also present progress in modeling neutral density for a rotating mirror geometry as well as relevant comparisons to experimental measurements on MCX. Lastly, we discuss upgrading the H$_{\alpha}$ measurement system to include a 16-chord mid-plane array.