SkyTools Logging - Good enough for AL program submission?

[joe-khalaf]

Hello all,

I bought SkyTools 3 nearly a year ago, and now that I'm finally going to get serious about completing a few Astronomical League programs, I want to finally start using this program for planning and logging. My question is around the logging feature. If I were to go through something like the Messier program, are the print-outs of the logs from SkyTools sufficiently detailed enough and in a good format for submission to the program coordinators or do I need to copy those and provide them in the log forms you commonly find online? Anyone here just print the logs directly form SkyTools and submit them?

Joe

[stephen-jones]

I can't comment on SkyTools specifically, as I don't use it, but in my experience (I have four AL awards to date), the AL award coordinators will accept anything as long as it includes all of the information that their program requires (this varies by award). For my awards all I did was re-type my logs (my originals are always handwritten or voice-recorded!) into an Excel spreadsheet and submit that. So, as long as your SkyTools form contains every item of data required for the award, it should be acceptable.

[rene-gedaly]

I turned in my binocular messier program that way. I did export only those fields the AL program required and did a little sorting and cleanup, but in the end it looked fine and the coordinator even commented back about it. Just make sure you log the info required by the AL program. I did that by putting a comment in the list by clicking that blue arrow and selecting View/Edit List Title and Description.

[joe-khalaf]

Thanks for the replies, Stephen and Rene. I'll play around with it and see what the output is like. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to do any observing with this weather as it is.

[edward-fraini]

Here is an issue to be aware of, the ID and the alternate ID used by SkyTools does line up with the AL programs for the most part. In every Program I have gone through on SkyTools there are always some ID's that do not. I have had two programs kicked back to me asking for clarification because the submitted Id did not match the official list. So now before I do a program I build me a little translation table to line up the SkyTools ID with the AL listing. It can best be done looking at the coordinates on the miss match but then again I have had to do a little Goggling to find the linkage of some. Also I had the Double Star Coordinator kick my back because the AL list was assembled in order of RA (I think most are) and I did the dump from SkyTools and submitted my observations with the order based on constellations and this confused him. Or he was just being picky! So to avoiod any issues I now do my submissions making sure the order and Id's match the official list.

Good Luck-

Ed F.

[stephen-harris]

I bought startools and tried to download the has Texas 45 list without success. So far I have not found the program very useful (or at least I have not mastered it). Would love some pointers if anyone will be able show me tomorrow nite before or after the meeting.

[stephen-harris]

Whoops I mean skytools.

[stephen-harris]

Joe, I also need a logging system and will be starting on some of the AL challenges

[rene-gedaly]

Stephen, do you mean download the SkyTools from the website or import it into SkyTools itself? If the former, try right-clicking the file and selecting download. Once it's on your computer, you can click to open it and it should open with SkyTools. SkyTools has some good logging features but there is a but of a learning curve. The skyhound website has good video tutorials, though, and it's not a bad idea to run through those first.

[stephen-harris]

Rene
Steve g. helped me before the meeting last nite. I'm off to a good start now and agree it likes a great solution.
Thanks.