Wow, I sure do not regret asking this. There is so much information packed into the replies. For the record, I'm using the default settings. I only tweaked the settle value.
I plan to set up again tonight and try the advice offered. Thanks Hy and Doug.
I will also start a temperature vs position log. I can see how this would help seed the focus. This is a brand new RASA 8 from OPT so I suspect it doesn't suffer from the focus issues from the first batch.
I hope my gratitude shows through. I genuinely appreciate your replies.