Weak signal for TMCC control on my upgraded Dockside, HELP!

[Anonymous]

I just installed the dockside 0-6-0 switcher upgrade from TAS. I've got a couple of issues. First the reception of the signal appears to be weak on the switcher. I have a Boston&Albany Hudson that has no problems with the signal at all. If I put my hand over the switcher the front light stops flickering showing it's getting a better signal. I've checked all the wiring and the antenna, it's not touching any part of the shell on the switcher. All solder connections are good. Is there anyway I can boost the signal or is there something I can do to get the docksider to receive better? It seems the antenna just doesn't receive as good as it should. The second issue is I can't get the smoke unit to come on. I know it works because it did before I did the conversion. I've done the reset per the directions and then tried to turn on the smoke unit from the CAB-1 but nothing. Here is the sequence I used to program the dockside.... I pressed the following buttons in this order......
ENG then 2 (the number I selected for this engine)then SET then AUX-1 then 8 . I tried doing this sequence ending with just the 8 and I tried it with ending the squence pushing the SET button again but neither way will get the smoke unit to come on. I command the engine to go and it does, the lights work front and rear, and then when I push AUX-1 then 9 to turn on the smoke unit it won't come on. The switch is in the on position as well and it is wired correctly. Any help would be appreciated.

George

[Anonymous]

George,
My 1st thought is have you checked the batteries in the CAB-1? Sometime weak a signal is due to weak batteries (especially if this engine has never been operated on your TMCC System). 2nd thought is to check the connection of the command base (these connections can come lose if the power plant has been moved around). 3rd thought you may have a defective engine if the rest of your fleet operates correctly.
Noel

[Anonymous]

I thought the CAB-1 sends the signal to the command base and the command base in turn sends the signal to the engine through the rail. I did check the command base single wire to be sure it is connected tight.

[Roger Bielen]

Check that all the connections to the board are tight, they sometimes loosen in handling. If the antenna is a strip of alum., try increasing its area by putting a piece of metalic duct tape under or over it, make sure there is contact. You could also use a thin piece of brass sheet with dbl. back tape. I've had this problem and this has helped.

For the smoke unit problem you could try a complete engine reset if no loose wires. I'd guess that the procedure and codes are in the TAS manual, if not, try their website, or e-mail them. I've found TAS to be great in responding to problems.

[trigtrax]

Putting your hand near the engine and getting better reception indicates the problem is in your antenna and/or front end of the receiver. I'm not familiar with that train or the antenna arrangement but loosening and slightly moving it and then retightening or resoldering may help. Since your other engine works fine you can discount a problem with your cab-1 or base station.

[Anonymous]

UPDATE, the smoke unit is now working. I'm not sure how I got it to work but I did find an extra wire that I did not connect but it was an extra ground wire. It is located directly next to the one I used so I don't know why it made a difference but it seem to. In any event, the issue still remains about the antenna. TAS uses a silver covered copper wire that replaces the hand rails on the boiler. That is the antenna. I've tried lengthening and shortening the black wire that comes from the board to the antenna rail and it makes no difference. Is there another type of antenna I can install inside the boiler possibly that could work? I don't want some wire or something just sticking out of the cab or off the boiler looking like an RC car or something. I do appreciate your help. One problem solved and one to go. It is cool to watch the switcher engine chase my freight line around the track puffing away. :-)

[wrmcclellan]

1862,

Have you made sure your new handrail antenna is completely (electriclally) isolated from the cast boiler shell?

Since the docksider shell is a metal casting, it acts as a shield to any internal antennas. Thus adding internal antennas may not work any better than the handrail style.

Do you have both handrails converted to antennas?

Regards,
Roy

[Anonymous]

The upgrade kit has you remove the two long rails along the FAT of the boiler and take the wire they provide and insert it in as one piece through the plastic rail stantions thus isolating it from the boiler metal. I've made sure there is no contact at the end and the soldered lead end. The new rail now is a one long piece that crosses the front of the boiler and continues down the other side instead of two seperate rail pieces. If I place my hand near the engine the light stops blinking. I even took the command base single wire and directly connected it to the rail in front of the engine and it continues to flicker. It does respond to signals from the CAB-1 but sometimes it's jerky doing so. I hope this all makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Your hand over the loco acts as a ground plane and forces the rf signal from the track back down onto the loco's antenna. See if the antenna lead going into the board is OK. The antenna is probably coated stranded wire. If only a few starnds are actually attaching to the board it might account for the weak radio reception. I tend to "tin" the ends of stranded wires with a very light touch of solder (no blobs, just a thin film) to prevent breakage on screw down or crimping style connectors.

Your other option would be to float the entire casting and make it a super antenna. This may not be possible if there are electrical components attached to the shell that use the shell as a "ground". I've gotten away with floating die cast tenders but these generally don't have smoke units or lights.

[wrmcclellan]

1862,

Another thing that can cause this problem is poor "grounding" within the loco. This means the quality of all common connections to the loco frame and thus the driver axles and drivers to the outer rails of the layout.

BTW - you make sense. I have had this problem several times and it can be frustrating to resolve.

I should also ask whether you are running this on a simple loop for testing vs a complicated layout where TMCC interference due to elevated lines can occur. Some TMCC locos perform better than others in the TMCC self-interference environment (doubly frustrating).

[Anonymous]

I contacted TAS, they are sending me another receiver board. They said that sometimes the boards just aren't sensitive enough. Being as the engine is basically new I don't think there is a gound problem but I will check that as well. The layout is not an elaborate layout at all. No elevated sections. I'm hoping the new board helps.
I'll let you know when it arrives. As for the antenna wire, I resoldered the wire to be sure it had a good.