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Hello.
I am new here and I am considering buying SkyTools, but am somewhat confused of which version to get.
I have a rather unusual workflow, I’ll try to explain it here.

I do EAA. So my workflow is kind of a hybrid between visual and imaging I would say.
I have an eVscope by Unistellar, which I control with an app on the tablet. I can slew to an object in the app’s database or enter coordinates manually. When I am on the object I do “live stacking” and observe. Sometimes I take a picture of what I am seeing. I log my observations in sky safari app.  
I do this all from my highly light polluted backyard. I live in an apartment building on the ground flor, and I have an atrium which is surrounded by other buildings, so there is much obstruction. 
My biggest challenge is finding out when is what up, based on the obstructions and my solution to that was to create a custom horizon file (another app called observer.pro), which exports an overlay image to sky safari so I can see if an object I am trying to observe is obstructed or not. But that is very limiting as you can imagine. 
I watched the youtube video on using the real time observing tool and that pretty much covers my needs.

What do I need/expect:
  • Plan my session in advanced based on my location and my custom horizon
  • When planing I would like to filter by size,  by altitude in given observation interval, by brightness, and if I already observed it.
  • I should be able to see only those objects that are visible from my location in the specified observing interval based on my custom horizon
  • The plan should include a common name for an object in the results and J2000 coordinates which I need for input for the slew.
  • When observing I want to know which object in the plan is best to observe right now, i want to mark it as observed for this session and as observed globally (so I can filter out unobserved when preparing another plan)
What I don’t need:
  • Slew control (I’ll do that manually, with the app, thank you very much)
  • What eyepiece to use
  • To know when is the best time to photograph an object
  • Anything filtering out based on the weather, event if there is a light fog, or some clouds, through live stacking I can still observe the object, so I really don’t need objects filtered out based on weather or seeing conditions or similar not in planning phase nor in real time observing phase

I think SkyTools with real time observation tool would be the best fit for my workflow. Am I right?
Would I be able to do all that I listed in my expectations above?
Which version of sky tools would cover all my listed expectations or come closest to them?

I read other posts here and understand that there is an add-on in development for supporting EAA workflows.
How is that doing? Should I wait for that? If I don’t have patience to wait for that which version of sky tools should I get, so that I can later upgrade to that add-on?
Do you have any other suggestions or remarks regarding my workflow and which version of sky tools to get?

I know this was a long post, thank you for reading all this, and thank you in advance for all the answers.
Hello,

SkyTools Imaging has a workflow that isn't a good match for EAA. As you know, I am going to add EAA support to SkyTools Visual in the future. Doing that is not a major project, but there are other projects currently ahead of it.

I think it makes sense to get SkyTools 4 Visual now. It will do most of what you want it to do, and when it handles EAA it should be pretty sweet.
I am also considering the purchase of an application that can take the place of Stellarium and provide telescope control for EAA. I'm running two mount configurations, one is a CPC 1100 (Alt-Az) with ASCOM, CPWI, SharpCap, PHD2 and Stellarium, and the other is a Losmandy G11G with ASCOM, Gemini Telescope.NET, SharpCap, PHD2 and Stellarium.

I'm running the CPC 1100 via USB and Windows 10 laptop, and the G11G via a Windows 10 Pro Mini-PC and Windows Remote Desktop on the laptop.

I am satisfied with the level of detail and objects in Stellarium 0.22.2 as my planetarium application but have experienced some ASCOM related issues and an occasional dropped mount.

Can SkyTools 4 Visual Pro also serve as the planetarium app, provide telescope control and replace Stellarium?

When do you anticipate adding the EAA features to SkyTools Visual?
Hello,

Yes, SkyTools can control your mount.

The EAA features will be part of version 4.1. The release of SkyTools Imaging 4.1 is set for early next year. The Visual edition is expected some time later in 2023.
(2022-12-18, 07:21 PM)theskyhound Wrote: [ -> ]Hello,

Yes, SkyTools can control your mount.

The EAA features will be part of version 4.1. The release of SkyTools Imaging 4.1 is set for early next year. The Visual edition is expected some time later in 2023.

Thank you for the information. For EAA use, can SkyTools replace a planetarium application (i.e., Stellarium)?

And when you release SkyTools 4.1 Visual Pro with EAA enhancements, will it be a free upgrade from 4.0?
(2022-12-20, 05:50 PM)MarMax Wrote: [ -> ]
(2022-12-18, 07:21 PM)theskyhound Wrote: [ -> ]Hello,

Yes, SkyTools can control your mount.

The EAA features will be part of version 4.1. The release of SkyTools Imaging 4.1 is set for early next year. The Visual edition is expected some time later in 2023.

Thank you for the information. For EAA use, can SkyTools replace a planetarium application (i.e., Stellarium)?

And when you release SkyTools 4.1 Visual Pro with EAA enhancements, will it be a free upgrade from 4.0?

It is difficult to answer your question without knowing what you mean by "Planetarium Application." I think SkyTools provides the most useful charts of any software when it comes to observing. Does that mean you can drive all over the sky dynamically with a realistic view and see views from other planets like many planetarium programs? No. The charts are designed to help you find things in the sky and although you can time step and drag the views around, the primary purpose is to find a target that you already know you want to observe without having to spend a lot of time manipulating the view. Finder charts approximate the orientation of the camera and finding devices, plot their field of view, and accurately displays the stars that will be visible in the camera, just as it already does for Visual observations. The EAA addition to SkyTools Visual will help you select appropriate targets, calculate how easy it will be to detect a target with the camera, suggest camera settings, plot the FOV on charts, and to drive an ASCOM controlled mount.

The upgrade to 4.1 will be paid, but the price has not been set yet. It will likely be below $50 USD to give you a general idea. Upgrades will be separate for the Visual and Imaging products, but those who own the bundle will only have to pay for one upgrade.
Thank you for the detailed response Greg, it's much appreciated. I usually operate in two modes when doing EAA. The first is a planned night where I have an object list and pretty much know exactly what I'm going to do. The second is the unplanned night where I have a general idea where to start and use the planetarium application to go from there.

It sounds like SkyTools 4 Visual Pro is well suited to the first approach and it can be used with a planetarium application for the second approach, with SkyTools providing the telescope control for both methods. Reliable telescope control is a must when running an EAA session and I'm looking to improve on what Stellarium provides with telescope control. I'm running two different mount configurations, one with Gemini Telescope.NET and the other with CPWI. Both mounts run with  ASCOM, mount control (Gemini Telescope.NET or CPWI), SharpCap, PHD2 and ASTAP.

It sounds like you will be adding some of the features from SkyTools Imaging to the  4.1 Visual update. I've scanned through the features of SkyTools Imaging and although some are way beyond what is necessary for EAA, there are some very applicable features. I would be very interested in a more detailed summary of the "EAA" features for the 4.1 Visual update when they become available. Do you plan on adding a SkyHound Forum discussion topic for the EAA aspects of the 4.1 Visual update?
I think you will find that I have overstated the difference between the charts and a planetarium app. I observe without a plan using SkyTools, and never feel the need for a planetarium app, so be sure to give it a chance.
Hello Greg.
How is the development of those EAA features going?
Would glad to volunteer for a beta test.
Any estimates on when we can expect those EAA features?
(2023-05-10, 09:46 PM)markoz81 Wrote: [ -> ]Hello Greg.
How is the development of those EAA features going?
Would glad to volunteer for a beta test.
Any estimates on when we can expect those EAA features?

Hello,

I'm currently working on an update to version 4.1 of SkyTools Imaging, and we are about to start beta testing. Once that is finished, I will begin work on version 4.1 of SkyTools Visual, and EAA has become the central feature. I bought a camera so I can do my own EAA over the summer.

I hate making predictions because I am always wrong, but I would love to see it ready to test by the end of August.
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