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Many thanks to all of you who responded to my dilemma, especially ndbprr and rrinker for the detailed explanations. I can see the advantage of having the sound generator in the locomotive or tender -- conceivably, each engine could then have its own unique sound signature, just like the prototypes. So DCC sound is probably the wave of the future. On the other hand, if both DCC control systems and PFM sound system expect AC voltage on the rails and convert it to DC or pulse power for motor and lighting control, it seems like they would not necessarily interfere with each other. The LTM has outputs to provide constant lighting, just like DCC. I guess the big problem would be if the DCC and PFM systems both used the same RF band. Does anybody know what frequencies the PFM system uses? How about DCC? The only consideration I found in the PFM system for multiple unit consists was the ability to set different whistle sounds for up to 5 locomotives. Otherwise, I guess since the sound is generated in the "Sound Generating Unit" (which is also a transistorized pulse throttle), all engines would have to sound pretty much alike, the only difference being supplied by the ability to alter the spacing and width of the exposed contact surfaces on the driver that has been painted with non-conductive paint. Of course, one of the nice things about the PFM system is that the control unit has potentiometers or rheostats on just about every sound control, so you can alter the engine sounds on the fly to satisfy your own preferences. Please don't interpret anything I say as any evidence of my expertise on this subject: I'm a retired software engineer. I've worked with enough "sparkies" (hardware engineers) to gain a basic knowledge of electronic principles and can even sort of read a wiring diagram. My whole knowledge of DCC and PFM sound systems has been gained in the past week by reading the PFM manuals and the book "DCC Made Easy" by Lionel Strang. In short, I'm still more comfortable with DC circuits and the old pulse power throttles. Thank goodness I didn't spend $700 on this PFM system -- I picked it up (new, still in original boxes) in an ebay auction for $88.50 plus shipping. So it's not the end of the world if I can't make PFM and DCC play together. Still, I kind of like the challenge of making them work together, so I may just give it try. Bill V. Central Arizona It also seems to me that both DCC and PFM sound system will be susceptible to signal loss through long track runs without additonal boosters or poor trackwork.
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