Note: The Local button may be titled 'USB' depending on your SkyAlert version



Program Settings:


In order for the program to function, it will need to collect data from the SkyAlert weather module. Three different methods of data collection are provided for

this purpose: “Local”/ "USB" connection, "Ethernet" connection or “Remote” connection. Using the “Local” (or "USB") connection means the weather module is connected directly to a USB port on the computer running the program.

"Ethernet" connection is used when SkyAlert is connected to a SkyAlert-E module. 

 For “Remote” connections, the weather module is connected to a networked computer running the SkyAlert Remote program and the data is 

retrieved over a network connection. This method can be useful for connecting multiple computers to a single weather system module or as a 

failsafe backup in case a module malfunctions.

 In any case, the computer connected to the weather module will need to have the hardware drivers installed and will need to be running either 

the SkyAlert program or the SkyAlert Remote program.


Local (USB) Connection:


Connect the weather module to a free USB port on the computer, select the “Local” or "USB" radio button, select the appropriate com port from the drop down Com Port selection menu and click the “Connect” button. 


 Note: As long as there are no hardware changes, this only needs to be done the first time the program is run. On subsequent sessions, the program will automatically connect to the module when it is launched.

It is preferable to connect to a USB 2.0 port rather than a USB 3.0 as some USB 3.0 ports may not function correctly with this device.


Ethernet Connection:


Follow the instructions under the 'Connecting to module w/LAN' to use this connection method. If connecting to a SkyAlert module outside of your local network, be sure to allow port forwarding on Port 80 on the router that the SkyAlert module is connected to to allow for remote connection.


Remote Connection:


Before continuing, connect the SkyAlert module to the remote computer and launch the SkyAlert Remote program. Launch SkyAlert on the local

computer, open the Settings page and click “Remote” radio button. A navigation button adjacent to it will appear. Click on the button and navigate to the

location of the data file generated by the SkyAlert Remote program. (The default name for this file is “remotedata.txt”). Note: As long as there are no file

location/name changes, this only needs to be done once. On subsequent sessions, the program will automatically connect to the remote file.


Enable Backup SkyAlert:


Check this box if an auxiliary remote weather module is connected to another computer on the network.


Com Port:


Use this drop down to select the com port that the SkyAlert weather module is connected to then click the ‘Connect’ button to establish the connection.


Top Most Window:


Ticking the “Top Most Window” check box will keep the main menu as the top-most window when displaying other program windows concurrently.


Weather Data File Settings:


When the “Create Weather File” check box is ticked, the program will generate and save a standard one line weather data file (i.e. Boltwood II) to a specified file location. Click on the adjacent “Save to” button to select a name and file path to save the file to. While SkyAlert is running, a copy of the 

weather data file is also saved to the 'Documents>Interactiveastronomy>SkyAlert' folder.


Cloudy Offset  Setting:


The 'Cloudy Offset' setting is extremely important.

The “Cloudy Offset” setting can be adjusted to determine when the sky is cloudy. This number is the difference of the measured sky temperature

subtracted from the measured ambient temperature and will determine when the weather data file reports a cloudy condition. You may need to adjust this

setting to suit your particular climate or conditions. The default value is -17 degrees Celsius or -31 degrees Fahrenheit.

Adjust the setting until SkyAlert reports 'Light Clouds' when a lightly clouded sky is observed. Only make this adjustment at night.

Observatories at higher altitudes will most likely need to adjust this value to a lower temperature (i.e.-50) to compensate for the thinner air at higher altitudes.

If your SkyAlert is reporting Cloudy or Very Cloudy when the sky is clear, then move the adjustment to a lower value. Because this value is given as a negative 

number, that would mean changing the value from for example -20 to -30.

Conversely, if the SkyAlert is reporting Clear when the sky is cloudy, move the setting to a value closer to zero, for example from -31 to -25.

Ideally, the adjustment should show "Light Clouds" when just a few star are visible.



Safe/Unsafe Limits:


The “Wind Limit” setting determines the maximum allowable wind speed before an unsafe wind speed alert is reported in the weather data file.

The “Humidity” setting can be set to the desired maximum humidity level before an alert is set.

The “Temperature” setting threshold can be adjusted to set an alert if the ambient temperature drops below the set value.

Checking the “Dew Point” check box will set an alert if the dew point is reached.

Checking the “Daylight” check box will set an alert if daylight is detected.

Checking the “Error/Malfunction” check box will set an alert if any data or hardware malfunction should occur. (It is recommended that this check box

remains checked unless you have a specific reason to unchecked it).

Because some third-party imaging programs do not recognize the "Alert" value in the SkyAlert weather file,

 if the the Humidity value exceeds the user set limit or the Temperature falls below the user set limit, SkyAlert will change the Rain value to 

"Raining" in order to cause the an un-safe condition.


Graph Settings:


Set the name of the graphs page by typing a name in the “Graph Page Title” text field. This is the title that will appear at the top of the Graph window.

The “Graph Timeline” setting determines the length of the timeline the graph will show. This can be set from one to three days. After the timeline setting

has been reached, the oldest graph data will be overwritten as the latest data is acquired.


Ticking the “Top Most Window” check box will keep the graph page topmost over other open windows programs.


Tick the “Save Graph Image to File” check box if you would like a snapshot of the graph saved as an image file. This is necessary if you plan on uploading

an image of the graph to the web. Click on the adjacent “Save to” button to set a name and file path to save the image to. Image files can be saved as .png

or .jpg format. A new image will be generated each time the weather data is updated. If the ftp client is connected, the current graph image will be uploaded to the host.


Graph 1:


Graph 1 is designed to show the current cloud condition of the sky.


The graph is set to chart the Ambient Temperature and the Sky Temperature (the chart will fill in the area between the two graph lines with a 

color coded zone indicating the current cloud condition of the sky. (Clear-Light Blue, Cloudy-Light Gray or Very Cloudy-Dark Gray).


Graphs 2-5


Display charted values in a line type format or an area type format by ticking the appropriate check box. In addition, area type graphs can be

displayed as a solid area or a semi-transparent area allowing additional plotted data on the same graph to be visible.


Specify which weather conditions will be charted on each of the four custom graphs by checking the weather criteria check boxes and include as

many plots as desired on each graph. In addition, an external temperature sensor can be monitored and graphed by ticking an “Ext. Sensor” check box. This

function is only available when running SkyAlert with SkyAlert Remote connected to an external temperature sensor. (Available separately)

Contact support@interactiveastronomy.com for details.           


The minimum and maximum values of the Y-Axis of each graph can be set to automatically scale the adjustment by clicking the “Autoscale” radio button.

Alternatively, you can set the minimum and maximum values of the graph by selecting the Min/Max radio button and entering the desired settings in the

Min and Max text fields.


Type a name for the Y-Axis title in the Y-Axis title field which will be displayed at the left hand side of the graph. This would normally be the scale type of the graph (i.e. mph, %, etc.)


Clicking the “Graph” check box on the main menu will show the current graphs. If the graph page is hidden by un-ticking

the graph check box on the main menu, the data is still being recorded and charted in the background and can be displayed again by rechecking

the “Graph” check box.


External Sensors


Tick the 'Enable External Temp. Sensor' check box if using an optional external temperature sensor.


























Created with the Personal Edition of HelpNDoc: Effortlessly Publish Your Word Document as an eBook