[Greg Bock (Greg Bock)]

HI guys,
imaged SN2011ei last night from home, see attached. This was taken with a bright moon very nearby, so the background is affected by scattered moonlight.

I measure its brightness at 16.8V, using SkyX and CCDSoft. so, Ron, I'm not surprised that you had difficulty seeing it in your 16".
Keep an eye out though, particularly after the bright moon disappears from the sky. It may brighten further.