Hi Ben,
I'll answer the questions I can.
Question #2:
Antares is "flashing" because of thermal currents in the air. When you start pushing the magnification of a scope beyond 100X, the influence of the atmosphere starts to become more noticeable. And it doesn't matter the size or quality of your scope. 200X is a rare fish, and anything over that you either have hit the lottery, or need to go to much higher up mountains.
Question #3:
Your scope is no slouch when it comes to light gathering. It is a capable instrument. Yet, the key to "seeing more" is really an experience thing. There are little techniques used to see more details, like averted vision and even giggling the scope too! I'll give you an example, last year at a star party held in Randwick (Sydney's crappie skies), we tried to tackle some galaxies on a poor night of seeing conditions. I had my 17.5" scope trained on a faint fuzzy that my 40 year old eyes could "easily" make out, but a 17 year old couldn't. My 40 year old eyes have nearly 30 years experience, the younger fellow probably had bugger all. See what I mean?
Question #5:
I would say most clubs and other star party gathering do happen on weekends,
. But if you are really keen, I might be able to host you on a night you aren't working for a couple of hours. I'm in Maroubra. Let me know through a PM.
Mental.