Falls Valley RR wrote:Message:Toss that MRC in garbage. BUY a good decoder.Even better... BUY a plug equippted analog unit WITHOUT MRC decoder and buy a GOOD decoder.
Message:
Toss that MRC in garbage. BUY a good decoder.
Even better... BUY a plug equippted analog unit WITHOUT MRC decoder and buy a GOOD decoder.
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If enough MRC sales drop, Athearn may just cancel that crappy product and install something BETTER in thier unit and save us all the pain and the heartbreak.
That's why the last Genesis F units I bought were straight DC units. I will install sound decoders at some future date. I have been very pleased with the sound and performance on my Intermountain F units. I'm still running DC, in case anyone is wondering. Maybe DCC will happen after Christmas.
Brad
EMD - Every Model Different
ALCO - Always Leaking Coolant and Oil
CSX - Coal Spilling eXperts
Kevin,
I've had my Athearn Genesis F9's for about a year, and they've been running on my DC layout reasonably well. Only recently though, I got tired enough with the fact that their sound was only workable with the silly little remote, -and the fact they didn't play with the Quantum Engineer like my other locos did, that today I bought and installed the NCE Power Cab. It works great with all my other locos (P2K and BLI), but guess what?! -Yep, the Genesis F9A&B both exhibit EXACTLY THE SAME SYMPTOMS you mentioned on the start of this forum thread.
Since it is LONG past the time to return the locos under any warranty, I'm wondering, what did you finally do to resolve your loco issues? (I'd rather not rip out the MRC circuits, but I will if I have to...)
Russ
I reciently purchased a set of Athearn Genisis F3's. Of the 3 units (ABB) one B unit
had no sound in DC or DCC. Resetting defaults had no effect. Removing the shell and
adjusting the sound pot had no effect. I exchanged it at the store and all works now.
The units did take a bunch of adjusting to get the sound to sound decent. I am not
impressed with these units. ( great shell and paint) The Atlas, Brodway and the Proto 2000's
that I own run and sound MUCH better. They do cost more. I guess you get what you pay for.
I did buy a Genisis Challenger and a Big Boy and they seem to run and sound a bit better.
ChugChug
Gandy Dancer wrote: ondrek wrote:It is DCC equiped with sound.I am sorry.We have to get everyone to stop buying Athearn Genesis until they fix this problem. And I just ordered one this PM. My timing in life has not been good, but looking on the bright side maybe mine will be from a batch that works.Bob
ondrek wrote:It is DCC equiped with sound.
We have to get everyone to stop buying Athearn Genesis until they fix this problem.
And I just ordered one this PM. My timing in life has not been good, but looking on the bright side maybe mine will be from a batch that works.
Bob
Don't Ever Give Up
Is this something anyone has experienced? is it an easy fix or does it need to go back to Atearn?
ondrek wrote: I did that, a few times. no change. I do beleive I need to send it in. I was able to get some reactions when i took a small philips screw driver to that volume pot. but it wasnt permenant and most of the time it just resulted with static. I then took it off the programing track and put it on the DC layout, and vala the sound works fine, took it back off and put it back on the programing track with the DCC and bam, no sound. Kevin
I did that, a few times. no change. I do beleive I need to send it in.
I was able to get some reactions when i took a small philips screw driver to that volume pot. but it wasnt permenant and most of the time it just resulted with static. I then took it off the programing track and put it on the DC layout, and vala the sound works fine, took it back off and put it back on the programing track with the DCC and bam, no sound.
Kevin
Most DCC systems limit the current available on the programming track to the point that the loco will not run and such that the sound system "may not" work. Did you try the unit on the "operations" track?
Falls Valley RR wrote:At first I thought it might be the speaker. My case was a BLI F7 with QSI that behaved properly in everyway but no sound. The speaker was bad in my case.If you ran the unit on dc power and it ran and sounded proper to you, my suggestion is to do a reset on your program track via CV. I dont know the exact CV to set for your engine but usually a DCC decoder responds to a reset done by CV's and returns to default values.
At first I thought it might be the speaker. My case was a BLI F7 with QSI that behaved properly in everyway but no sound. The speaker was bad in my case.
If you ran the unit on dc power and it ran and sounded proper to you, my suggestion is to do a reset on your program track via CV. I dont know the exact CV to set for your engine but usually a DCC decoder responds to a reset done by CV's and returns to default values.
ondrek wrote:No offense Joe-Daddy, but its not the speaker in my case. I know this because the sound works perfectly when I run it with DC. Also I mentioned that I found the sensitive area on the DCC board so I will call them tomorrow and let them know and find out what they want to do with it. Kevin
No offense Joe-Daddy, but its not the speaker in my case. I know this because the sound works perfectly when I run it with DC.
Also I mentioned that I found the sensitive area on the DCC board so I will call them tomorrow and let them know and find out what they want to do with it.
None taken! My speaker was intermittent and seemed to react when I touched the DCC board too. I had a QSI system in an RS15 that acted same way and it was the same kind of speaker, one of those mylar, plastic cone types.
Good luck!
Joe
tstage wrote:Kevin, Did you try pressing "8" (F8) on your Power Cab keypad? That's the mute button. (Press it once and the sound mutes, press it again, the sound returns.) Your Power Cab only shows functions 1-6 on the second line of the LCD screen. The mute maybe on but you have no way of knowing that unless you press "8". Tom
Did you try pressing "8" (F8) on your Power Cab keypad? That's the mute button. (Press it once and the sound mutes, press it again, the sound returns.) Your Power Cab only shows functions 1-6 on the second line of the LCD screen. The mute maybe on but you have no way of knowing that unless you press "8".
Tom
No, no, no fellows, MRC chose not to use F8 as mute. MRC like MTH, have chosen to ignore the typical Function Key assignments. For MRC, mute is F0 which and this is the really confusing part, also controls the head lights. (MTH uses Function F3 and F6 to mute).
FWIW, I had the same problems with my F7 B unit, cause was a bad speaker.
Well, it has to go back to Athearn. I played with it last night, on the DCC board, there is a mini pot to adjust the volume, i pressed on it with my finger, and it caused the speaker to emit some static. After a bit of tapping and slidding of my finger, the sound worked fine. But, it didnt last long. So, there is something definatly wrong with it.
I will have to pack it up and send it in.
thanks for your inputs.
I may be completely off base on this suggestion but on my Athearn Genesis F3 I was having a problem. I don't recall if it was exactly the same as your situation but I found that the speed steps were set to 14. When I changed it to 28 everything worked fine.
Also, on my F3, it can be muted with the F12 key or a double press of the 0 key. With my Lenz system, when I power up, all of my sound units start up (except QSI that I have previously shut down). Even if I mute them before shutting down the system, they all start sounding on start up.
Jerry
Rio Grande vs. Santa Fe.....the battle is over but the glory remains!
I was aware of the mute, I dont believe i had the sound muted.
I will bring the engine home tomorrow from work as i left it there today. I will try it all again.
on a positive note, i did get my loksound chip to work well in my son's soon to be birthday pressent, a Amtrak AMD 103 phase V. i was having some issues but i seem to have solved them all.
now to get this F3 to work...
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Ok, I got my first ever Genesis yesterday. It is DCC equiped with sound.
I put it on the layout and ran it with normal DC first. the engine ran well and had sound as it should. I tried the little remote control to operate the extra sounds, but it didnt do anything.
I then hooked up my NCE powercab.
The engine runs but no sound, none at all, what gives?
Now, if the engine is on the tracks before I power up the power cab, it will have a split second of sound as the power cab starts up, but then goes silent. when the power can is powered off, it gives the same split second sound then too. otherwise, silent.
thanks