I think the OP is wondering whether DCC will replace DC in the future (i.e. DVDs replacing VHS tape for good), or will it just be a popular upgraded option (i.e. Blu-Ray Discs and DVDs)?
Geared Steam,
I said in my opening post six pages ago that most new modelers would choose DCC.
I agree that technology marches on. Actually I have a 365 HP, 360 lb ft torque, 3.5 liter, twin turbo V6 that gets 26 mpg in my FORD FLEX - it is very nice and very fast. Almost as fast as my 1963 Chevy Nova SS, 283 cid, 4 speed, which actually got 20 mpg, but a lot faster than my 1968 Checker wagon with a 230 cid in line 6 that got 25 mpg.
Personally, I'm going to hold out for good direct radio or just stay with what I have.
I want something BETTER than DCC before I bother to install little brains in my locos.
And I will repeat again for all those not listening - if I wanted sound, or if anyone does, they need DCC in the smaller scales.
Sheldon
ATLANTIC CENTRAL 365 HP, 360 lb ft torque, 3.5 liter, twin turbo V6 that gets 26 mpg in my FORD FLEX
Was the Checker a GM 230 6 or?
I know the old Ford 289 got pretty good mileage in the smaller vehicles like the Fairlane and Falcon.
But to keep on topic about trains, uhhhh, mmmm I Like Steamers!
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
Rick Mugele While the DC vs DCC debates go on, some DCC manufacturers are going wireless for garden railway applications. CVP has had the Airwire 900 for some years, and NCE has a GWire ProCab that runs the QSI reciever/decoders. Efforts are being made to work to NMRA DCC standards for compatibility. Wireless battery power is already established in the garden railway world. With CVP and NCE involved, it is only a matter of time before their direct radio DCC systems are scaled down for HO.
While the DC vs DCC debates go on, some DCC manufacturers are going wireless for garden railway applications. CVP has had the Airwire 900 for some years, and NCE has a GWire ProCab that runs the QSI reciever/decoders. Efforts are being made to work to NMRA DCC standards for compatibility.
Wireless battery power is already established in the garden railway world. With CVP and NCE involved, it is only a matter of time before their direct radio DCC systems are scaled down for HO.
Many seem to understand is that DCC is a "system", when really, it is a data protocol. It defines the signal on the railhead.
There is no reason you can't create a hybrid unit which has a radio receiver and DCC decoder in one package. What needs to happen in that application is a standardized networking protocol that allows the transmitters to interact with the receivers, either directly or via a hub. Wtih a common communications protocol for the wireless side, receivers and transmitters can interact regardless of who made them. That is the strength of DCC right there.
That would allow for a hybrid wireless receiver/decoder, or even a receiver that can function as a booster and be connected to any DCC decoder. The handhelds could be command stations in their own right, or just throttles communicating with a command station that combines both receiver and transmitter. That could even be done using WiFi technology and a computer.
Geared Steam ATLANTIC CENTRAL 365 HP, 360 lb ft torque, 3.5 liter, twin turbo V6 that gets 26 mpg in my FORD FLEX Was the Checker a GM 230 6 or? I know the old Ford 289 got pretty good mileage in the smaller vehicles like the Fairlane and Falcon. But to keep on topic about trains, uhhhh, mmmm I Like Steamers!
Yes it was, with a GM four speed I installed.
And the 283 in the Nova had 327 Vette heads and cam.
Joe Staten Island West