  The Penn State Pathfinder is a prototype warm fiber-fed Echelle spectrograph
with a Hawaii-1 NIR detector that has already demonstrated 7-10 m/s radial
velocity precision on integrated sunlight. The Pathfinder testbed was initially
setup for the Gemini PRVS design study to enable a systematic exploration of
the challenges of achieving high radial velocity precision in the
near-infrared, as well as to test possible solutions to these calibration
challenges. The current version of the Pathfinder has an R3 echelle grating,
and delivers a resolution of R~50,000 in the Y, J or H bands of the spectrum.
We will discuss the on sky-performance of the Pathfinder during an engineering
test run at the Hobby Eberly Telescope as well the results of velocity
observations of M dwarfs. We will also discuss the unique calibration
techniques we have explored, like Uranium-Neon hollow cathode lamps, notch
filter, and modal noise mitigation to enable high precision radial velocity
observation in the NIR. The Pathfinder is a prototype testbed precursor of a
cooled high-resolution NIR spectrograph capable of high radial velocity
precision and of finding low mass planets around mid-late M dwarfs.
