diff --git a/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/integration_test/default/statistics/test_writer_sst.py b/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/integration_test/default/statistics/test_writer_sst.py
index d8932263df5079790e14cdd988f73c3224e8c53a..c52ac447223c079359aae4655346031862ac175a 100644
--- a/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/integration_test/default/statistics/test_writer_sst.py
+++ b/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/integration_test/default/statistics/test_writer_sst.py
@@ -143,9 +143,9 @@ class TestStatisticsWriterSST(BaseIntegrationTestCase):
                 self.assertIsNotNone(stat)
                 self.assertEqual(121, stat.data_id_signal_input_index)
                 # Test RECV attributes      
-                self.assertEqual(stat.rcu_attenuator_dB.tolist(), None)
-                self.assertEqual(stat.rcu_band_select.tolist(), None)
-                self.assertEqual(stat.rcu_dth_on.tolist(), None) 
+                self.assertEqual(stat.rcu_attenuator_dB, None)
+                self.assertEqual(stat.rcu_band_select, None)
+                self.assertEqual(stat.rcu_dth_on, None)
             
     def test_SST_statistics_with_device_in_off(self):     
         self.setup_recv_proxy()
@@ -183,6 +183,6 @@ class TestStatisticsWriterSST(BaseIntegrationTestCase):
                 self.assertIsNotNone(stat)
                 self.assertEqual(121, stat.data_id_signal_input_index)
                 # Test RECV attributes      
-                self.assertEqual(stat.rcu_attenuator_dB.tolist(), None)
-                self.assertEqual(stat.rcu_band_select.tolist(), None)
-                self.assertEqual(stat.rcu_dth_on.tolist(), None)
+                self.assertEqual(stat.rcu_attenuator_dB, None)
+                self.assertEqual(stat.rcu_band_select, None)
+                self.assertEqual(stat.rcu_dth_on, None)
diff --git a/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/statistics/reader.py b/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/statistics/reader.py
index 72660cb7dcad42d5a8df16c221249a2825090473..ef065ab8016ce9ca42de910c1c6d4438376245c3 100644
--- a/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/statistics/reader.py
+++ b/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/statistics/reader.py
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ class statistics_data:
                 "source_info_fsub_type", "source_info_beam_repositioning_flag", "source_info_antenna_band_index", "source_info__raw",
                 "observation_id", "nof_statistics_per_packet", "nof_signal_inputs", "nof_bytes_per_statistic", "marker", "integration_interval_raw",
                 "integration_interval", "data_id__raw", "block_serial_number", "block_period_raw", "block_period", "data_id_signal_input_index",
-                "data_id_subband_index", "data_id_first_baseline", "data_id_beamlet_index", "nof_valid_payloads", "nof_payload_errors", "values", 
+                "data_id_subband_index", "data_id_first_baseline", "data_id_beamlet_index", "nof_valid_payloads", "nof_payload_errors", "values",
                 "rcu_attenuator_dB", "rcu_band_select", "rcu_dth_on")
 
     def __init__(self, file, group_key):
@@ -198,10 +198,30 @@ class statistics_data:
 
         # get SST specific stuff
         if self.marker == "S":
+            logger.debug(f"rcu_attenuator_dB: {file.get(f'{group_key}/rcu_attenuator_dB')}")
+            logger.debug(f"rcu_band_select: {file.get(f'{group_key}/rcu_band_select')}")
+            logger.debug(f"rcu_dth_on is: {file.get(f'{group_key}/rcu_dth_on')}")
+
+            if file.get(f'{group_key}/rcu_attenuator_dB').shape is None:
+                self.rcu_attenuator_dB = None
+            else:
+                self.rcu_attenuator_dB = numpy.array(file.get(f"{group_key}/rcu_attenuator_dB"))
+
+            if file.get(f'{group_key}/rcu_band_select').shape is None:
+                self.rcu_band_select = None
+            else:
+                self.rcu_band_select = numpy.array(file.get(f"{group_key}/rcu_band_select"))
+
+            if file.get(f'{group_key}/rcu_dth_on').shape is None:
+                self.rcu_dth_on = None
+            else:
+                self.rcu_dth_on = numpy.array(file.get(f"{group_key}/rcu_dth_on"))
+
+
             self.data_id_signal_input_index = file[group_key].attrs["data_id_signal_input_index"]
-            self.rcu_attenuator_dB = numpy.array(file.get(f"{group_key}/rcu_attenuator_dB"))
-            self.rcu_band_select = numpy.array(file.get(f"{group_key}/rcu_band_select"))
-            self.rcu_dth_on = numpy.array(file.get(f"{group_key}/rcu_dth_on"))
+            # self.rcu_attenuator_dB = numpy.array(file.get(f"{group_key}/rcu_attenuator_dB"))
+            # self.rcu_band_select = numpy.array(file.get(f"{group_key}/rcu_band_select"))
+            # self.rcu_dth_on = numpy.array(file.get(f"{group_key}/rcu_dth_on"))
 
         # get XST specific stuff
         if self.marker == "X":
diff --git a/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/statistics/writer/hdf5.py b/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/statistics/writer/hdf5.py
index 382abfd5acbd08e127993e6a03e1cde11b4d4607..a59a3841866be9b994d6d65875eb62c21336ba48 100644
--- a/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/statistics/writer/hdf5.py
+++ b/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/statistics/writer/hdf5.py
@@ -321,9 +321,7 @@ class SstHdf5Writer(HDF5Writer):
             logger.debug("set rcu_attenuator_dB_data to None")
             current_group.create_dataset(
                 name="rcu_attenuator_dB",
-                data=None,
-                shape=(1,),
-                compression="gzip",
+                data=h5py.Empty("f"),
             )
 
         try:
@@ -336,9 +334,7 @@ class SstHdf5Writer(HDF5Writer):
             logger.debug("set rcu_band_select_data to None")
             current_group.create_dataset(
                 name="rcu_band_select",
-                data=None,
-                shape=(1,),
-                compression="gzip",
+                data=h5py.Empty("f"),
             )
 
         try:
@@ -351,12 +347,11 @@ class SstHdf5Writer(HDF5Writer):
             logger.debug("set rcu_dth_on to None")
             current_group.create_dataset(
                 name="rcu_dth_on",
-                data=None,
-                shape=(1,),
-                compression="gzip",
+                data=h5py.Empty("f"),
             )
 
 
+
 class BstHdf5Writer(HDF5Writer):
     def __init__(
         self, new_file_time_interval, file_location, decimation_factor