Why don't indoor operators use an R/C system?

[FJ and G]

I use O gauge in the garden but have a lot of friends who use O gauge indoor (as well as some who do G gauge). Almost all of them use DCC or DCS or TMCC.

My question is, what are the pros and cons of using electric to rails vice an R/C system.  Is it mainly b/c everyone else is doing it? 

The whole topic got me thinking when I read June 08 GRR Jack V's column re: master modelers and his requirement to wire an indoor railroad (which he was forced to do even though he didn't have one!)

Here's a small list of pros and cons.

R/C pros:

no need to clean track

no messy wiring

can have rusty rails  (with paints etc to model little used shortlines)

 

R/C cons:

have to purchase R/C as seems most don't come equipped

signal might be bad in adjacent room or extensive below-table staging

might be difficult to load an R/C system in a tiny motorized unit 

 

Anyway, whenever I have a conversation with my friends about O gauge indoors, it always comes down to a choice between DCS, TMCC and DCC. Whenever I mention a fourth choice, namely R/C, I get ignored.

 

Maybe we should all be resigned to the fact that power thru the rails for indoor operators is here to stay? (I know that's probably the case for the real tiny scales) 

 

I'm hoping you can give me your thoughts on this. 

[cabbage]

Here in the UK we have three frequencies for surface R/C

458.525MHz to 459.475MHz
40.665MHz to 40.995MHz
26.965MHz to 27.275MHz

I can see the higher band being applicable to use with locomotives -but the 1/4 wave problem with antennae could be a rather embarrasssing problem with the lower bands... I have seen 448Mhz boards with the 1/4 wave loop antennae actually etched onto the circuit board and this is quite common at 844Mhz boards. So, I think the answer to your question David is that -the antennae will be just too big!!!

regards

ralph

[vsmith]

You can, but generally, track indoors doesnt get as dirty as outside. DCC makes better sense indoors if the layout is large enough for multi train operation, otherwise I would stick to straight DC and use traditional control blocks on a smaller layout, its just much easier if its a one train at a time layout.

[Anonymous]

Here in the UK we have three frequencies for surface R/C

458.525MHz to 459.475MHz
40.665MHz to 40.995MHz
26.965MHz to 27.275MHz

Yeah I am shooting for like 900MHz now......

Toad

[cabbage]

There are other bands for R/C, and yes, there are two at 944 and 1028 Mhz -but these are strictly for the use of Aeroplane modelers. When people take their models over to the "states" they have to sign a document which declares that the crystals they have in their posession are stricly for use in the US. This is because one of the bands used is right in the middle of the data stream band used by EU ambulances....

I have two other personae one of whom is G6-IXY and the other is G3-EJY, although I admit I have never used the G3 call sign in at least 10 years, what with HF ariels being rather on the large size!!!

regards

ralph

[FJ and G]

Tom B. sent me an email. He was having technical difficulties on the forum:

Quote:

 

You might consider the Bridgewerks wireless remote controlled power supplies/throttles in this discussion also. This only affects the DC to the track and requires no locomotive modifications. The small hand controllers (almost key fob in size) are very convenient for following your trains about without having long control cables with portable controllers, multiple plug-in points or having to run from a central command station. On the other hand, the hand controllers only give you speed, reverse, and panic stop capability. It's sort of a minimal RC system.

I have constructed an under-home (not really a basement as it has dirt floors) layout on raised decks that goes under several rooms of my home. I'm on a hillside and the lower end of my home has stand-up room under a lot of the main floor. My lower house walls are a combination of both 8-12" thick concrete with rebar and some 6" thick wood cripple walls. The little Bridgewerk transmitters seem to have a very good range and even the cement walls with rebar don't seem to stop my command signals. I can easily follow my trains from room to room with these wireless controllers. I suppose you could add a form of block control to this mix to gain some independence for multiple train operation but that would mean a lot more wiring and lots of local block switches (if walking around with your trains) or a central block switching command post which would defeat the RC portable controller advantage. I can run at least two trains at a time off one throttle if I stay alert and watch their spacing. Of course doing this means every command is copied by both trains at the same time but when just letting them run in a loop, it gives a little more interest.

[cacole]

The AirWire900 system from CVP products is a wireless, battery-powered 900 MHz system that works very well outdoors in G-scale and would probably work just as well indoors, but having to have a battery car or a locomotive with enough interior room for batteries would be a drawback for O scale; therefore, track powered DCC is a better choice.