Bear "It's all about having fun."
YOu might want to consider the Chief, 5 amps of power and a DT 400 throttle. There is a kind of smoothness to the engine's response to the throttle knob of the DT400 which I find better than that of the Zephyr. I may have an oppertunity to verify this sometime in July.
Whatever system you consider, try to physically operate it somewhere before you commit to buying. You are going to be either loving it or hating it for a very long time.
pilot wrote:snip I agree Digitrax wireless is less than ideal. It eats batteries and is one way only. You short out on a turnout and you have to go and plug in to re-aquire the locomotive, right?
I agree Digitrax wireless is less than ideal. It eats batteries and is one way only. You short out on a turnout and you have to go and plug in to re-aquire the locomotive, right?
Nope. Once you clear the short, everything resumes operating normally, both tethered and radio- there's no need to plug the throttle back in.
The only time you need to plug a throttle in is to select a new locomotive on the throttle or to "dispatch" one off of it.
I'm curious about your statement that Digitrax radio throttles eating batteries. We run five-hour operating sessions with ours, and only have to replace batteries every five or six sessions. If you use the UT4R throttles which don't have displays, the batteries can last even longer, since they only use power when transmitting commands.
-Fritz Milhaupt, Publications Editor, Pere Marquette Historical Society, Inc.http://www.pmhistsoc.org
We totally got out of the Retail battery market in College. We bought three Recharging stations from Rayovac and a bunch of AA, AAA etc and kept a box full ready to go. Other than replacing a failed battery (Overuse) once in a while we literally saved hundreds against the old throw away batteries.
We estimate out of the box we have about 60 pairs of each type ready to go and it will take us a very long time to run them down if ever.
david.provost wrote: ...which brand is the best value. as soon as there is a "value" in the question it get complicated. Best value for me might not be best value for you.
david.provost wrote: ...which brand is the best value.
I don't expect to run more than four trains at a time, plus accessories and switch machines.I know you didn't ask but I unless you are doing routing control I don't recommend using DCC for the switch machines. Do a search and read some recent threads posted here on that topic.
I don't expect to run more than four trains at a time, plus accessories and switch machines.
Now for a little poll. Would you please let me know what your favorite system is and if, in your view it will serve my needs.1. My favorite system - CVP Easy DCC. Why - panel mounted master control unit with two embedded throttles. Add two throttles and it would definitely work for your layout.2. 2nd favorite - Digitrax Zephyr. Why - panel mounted master control unit, with one throttle. It is self contained and easily expandable to any other Digitrax products. I don't like how flimsy the construction is. I don't like the Digitrax Wireless solution. Add three throttles and it would definitely work for your layout.3. 3rd favorite - Lenz. Why - best mix of easy to use and functionality. I have expanded mine using the CVP wireless throttles. Add three throttles and it will easily work for your layout. 4. 4th favorite - NCE Pro. Why - excellent support, high quality DCC signal to the track. I use primarily NCE decoders in my locomotives. I don't like the hammer-head master control unit. At the club we joke about being able to spot those with NCE. They have the large muscles in their left arm from holding the thing. Add three utility throttles and it would be great for your layout, add four and one wouldn't have to lug around the big guy.
Now for a little poll. Would you please let me know what your favorite system is and if, in your view it will serve my needs.
I cannot comment on the Zimo, Roco, higher end Digitrax, MRC Prodigy, Atlas Commander, or Bachman systems because I have not used them. So their position in a list is unknown.
Notes.
1. My primary system is a Lenz, I also have a Zephyr, and some old MRC 2000s.
2. Above I say, "add x number of throttles" because I personally hate hunting through a stack for a locomotive. If I have a train running I want a throttle connected to it at all times. Switching the throttle back and forth between channels is more like playing a video game than running trains.
Gandy Dancer wrote:4. 4th favorite - NCE Pro...I don't like the hammer-head master control unit. At the club we joke about being able to spot those with NCE. They have the large muscles in their left arm from holding the thing. Add three utility throttles and it would be great for your layout, add four and one wouldn't have to lug around the big guy.
Gandy,
I don't know about the NCE throttle you used. My Power Cab throttle (same outer dimensions as the ProCab) is very comfortable to hold and not heavy at all. I don't even lift weights either.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Gandy Dancer wrote: I don't like the hammer-head master control unit. At the club we joke about being able to spot those with NCE. They have the large muscles in their left arm from holding the thing.
I don't like the hammer-head master control unit. At the club we joke about being able to spot those with NCE. They have the large muscles in their left arm from holding the thing.
That thin rocky mountain air must'a sapped you boys' strength! My radio NCE hammerhead weighs less than 10 ounces with batteries and antenna. I hope none of you club members heft any full soda cans -- might be too much for the poor dears.
david.provost wrote: Well after many months of thinking dreaming and planning, I'm now building. I want to go with a DCC system but after reading all the literature I'm as confused as ever about which brand is the best value. It seems that the magazines and their respective publishing companies are hedging their bets by not rank ordering the various systems out there for fear of losing ad revenue - understandable. But, that leaves me a bit in the dark.I am building a smallish N Scale system with less than 150 feet of track. I don't expect to run more than four trains at a time, plus accessories and switch machines. Now for a little poll. Would you please let me know what your favorite system is and if, in your view it will serve my needs. Any and all inputs will be greatly parachutedThanks,David
Well after many months of thinking dreaming and planning, I'm now building. I want to go with a DCC system but after reading all the literature I'm as confused as ever about which brand is the best value. It seems that the magazines and their respective publishing companies are hedging their bets by not rank ordering the various systems out there for fear of losing ad revenue - understandable. But, that leaves me a bit in the dark.
I am building a smallish N Scale system with less than 150 feet of track. I don't expect to run more than four trains at a time, plus accessories and switch machines.
Now for a little poll. Would you please let me know what your favorite system is and if, in your view it will serve my needs. Any and all inputs will be greatly parachuted
Thanks,
David
I just got an MRC Prodigy Advance and am extremely pleased with it. Your layout sounds more or less like the one my son and I are using this on.
And fwiw, after looking at various systems manuals before I purchased this one, I'd give the MRC manual an easy "win" in the best written, easy to understand catagory.
For a small layout or even a medium sized, The old Atlas Commander (aka Lenz Compact) is a good choice with out a hard learning curve. That's what I started with then moved to the Lenz Set-90. But from what I've heard the Commander is not available anymore I'm not sure about the Compact.. So your next best pick would be a DigiTrax Zypher. The down side of it is a steaper learning curve..