Thank you Bill!
I travelled with a small group of Russian amateur astronomers, we set up our camp in the Shaukam mountain pass (430 N 420 E). The weather is really unstable there and nights are really cold (for the July, -5 C/+23 F degrees). Nevertheless, the sky was really brilliant when it was clear - I saw M13, M33 and M8 with a naked eye; NGC6960 and NGC 6992 could be easily seen via 15x70 binoculars. About Meade LT-8 SC - yes, it is not for taking pictures, but you can take ones, if you wish. And not every telescope is so reliable - my LT-8 endured cold, rain and even snow and it nevertheless worked perfectly. No Audiostar errors at all.
Some more astropictures (M17, M20, M16, M31) made w/LT-8 SC: