Back from Harrietville! First few nights didn't appear much better than at home, due to a very bright moon. A week alter, wow! Have enjoyed not only Orion nebula in far greater clarity, but also was able to peep at a few Messiers nearby, M41 I think it was, clearly showed the gas clouds. (I should have made notes - guess I'll get organised eventually) Also was able to dive into the Jewel Box - fantastic! and Pliedes. Looked for a few galaxies too but not sure whether I have enough mags to really discern these. Just thought I saw diffuse spots. Have to look for another eyepiece and Barlow.
Anyway, very happy with scope and its portability. Doesn't take more than 10 minutes to have it set up ready to go. The dew-heater I made worked well against the rather cool nights and I also used a sheet of cardboard held around the front end with a rubber band as a shield. Had no problems at all in that regard.
Don't much like the finder scope. Annoyingly it doesn't reposition on re-installation and needs to re-aligned each time. Also at times, tend to see 2 red spots and 2 images of the star I'm focussing on. There must be a better way.
I did have difficulty finding the right angle to view through the ep of the scope, particularly at high azimuth positions. Guess I'll learn the technique in time. My glasses sure are a bother and without them my astigmatism is a @#$%^&*( ! Eps with a good eye relief are going to be a must.
Anyway, time to go outside.
Robert
All set up, ready to fly. 
itll come around 
