The 1982 return of comet D'Arrest was not as favourable as that of 1976. However it was still favourable enough that the comet became very easily visible in binoculars.
My first observation was on October 7, when the comet appeared as a very diffuse object of magnitude 8.5. The comet peaked at magnitude 8.4 about a week later and then started to fade. However on November 7, the comet was noticeably brighter than my previous observation of October 28. Clearly the comet had had some sort of minor flare. Although R. Bouma of the Dutch Comet Section subsequently made quite ridiculous and outlandish comments in his denial of this, the reality of the observations was confirmed independently by other observers. Unfortunately, some people will go to any length to deny what they choose not to believe.
After this date, the comet faded steadily, with my final successful observation being on January 4, 1983, when the comet was just visible in a 10" telescope as a diffuse object of magnitude 11.3. At no stage was any tail visible.