What would be the first thing I'd check on a diesel that is a horrible cold starter. When plugged in it's just fine, but I horse camp and don't have that luxury! It also blows alot of smoke as it's trying to turn over. Injectors? I keep the oil changed regularily and it's only got 111K miles on it.

thanks!

and the batteries have been checked, they are both fine!

Glow plugs and associated circuits... Diesels have a little heater that warms each combustion chamber/cylinder to assist the start process. That's what is happening while the "wait" light is on... Electric power is being sent to the glow plug.

When you have the engine heater plugged in, you're warming the engine... and combustion chamber/cylinder

First thing, check the glow plug relay. They go out quite often. It is located up near the fuel filter and looks a lot like an old fender mounted starter solenoid. If you have a amp meter, you should see 200 amps coming out of the rear heavy wire, it will gradually go down to about 90 amps. Also check the wiring harness where it goes into the valve cover, this is the wiring for the injectors and the glow plugs. There are two connectors on each valve cover, one at the front, and one at the rear. Make sure they are tight and that there are no burnt connectors. Next, disconnect the valve cover connectors and take a test light attached to the positive terminal of the battery, probe the foreward and the rear most wires in each valve cover connector, these are the wires for the glow plugs. If the test light lights up, the glow plug for that wire/cylinder is good, no light=bad glow plug. If it runs and starts fine when it's warm, I wouldn't worry about the injectors. Most likely the relay, as I said, they are very common.
Let us know what you find.