I have a Digitrax 5-Amp starter system. Sometime is works but most of the time it will not work. I have read that NCE operates in the 916MHZ band so it will not interfere with wireless camera systesm cordless phones, garage door openers, cell phones and wi-fi routers that all operate in the 2.4GHz band that Digitrax uses. Since I have these systems in my house, I wonder if this is my problem that my Digitrax system will not work. If it is,, will switching my system over to NCE work and solve my problem.
Couple of things to try assuming you are using Digitrax Duplex radio system. Have you tried different locations for your UR92 Receiver? Central and up above the shoulders works best. Same is true with the throttles. You don't have to hold them up high and point to the stars but belly level and pointing at other human interference can hurt performance. Same is true with NCE radio.
You mention interference from other 2.4ghz items. Have you tried changing the Duplex Group Chyannel?. Choosing one with less traffic can help. It's in the manual, btw.
NCE uses the same frequency as Digitraxd Simplex radio. My club changed to Digitrax duplex and WI/Android based throttles simply because an6y time an NCE club was in the same building, our radio sucked. We had an NCE radio club practically shut down 5 Digitrax layouts at a show several years ago. Worked fine until they turned their system on.
Martin Myers
I have a Digitrax 5 amp Super Chief system as as well. I have both 900 mHz simplex throttles, 2.4 gHz duplex throttles, and lots of 2.4 gHz 'devices' in my home(including Android smart phones running the Engine Driver app).
What kind of problems are you seeing? Here are some of the usual ones:
2.4 gHz uses multple channels - So interference is usually not too common. That is why one can see multiple devices in the same room operate with no big issues. Are you using 'wireless' Digitrax throttles?
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
My local hobby shop has both a large model railroad club and an indoor R/C car track. Every time the R?C guys were racing, the model railroaders were losing control of their trains when using the wireless Digitrax throttles.
I don't remember what exactly they did, but there was a setting on the Digitrax unit that changed the frequency / channel (?) or something that cured their interference problem. I don't have Digitrax myself, but did observe the problem at the club. I'm sure there must be something in the manual instructing you how to make this adjustment.
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
The UR92's have built in analyzers to show the usage of the various 2.4 GHz channels. You just need a Loconet interface and the software from Digitrax to access it. This will show you the relative level of signal across each channel - the Digitrax Duplex radios can use channels not ordinarily used by consumer Wifi equipment, so if you set the system to one of those channels it would work much better.
Also - have you verified that the power supply to the UR92 is good? If it's only getting power over the Loconet cable you will get poor or no operation.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Thank you for your response! Sorry I haven't responded before now.
I must tell you that I am a novice at DCC. My local hobby shop recommended NCE as he felt it was more user friendly. However, I selected Digitrax as that was the system being used by the N-Scale Club I joined.
The layout is like a big "J". The tall part is 14ft long; the bottom part is 14ft long; 7ft long on the front upward part and then 4.5ft back towards the middle of the room.
The UR92 is mounted in the facia right above where the command station is approximately the middle of the layout so there is about equal amount on either side. I have used the DT402 plugged directly into the Command Station and in the UR92 with the same results. I think I am doing all the right things to start things to work. Like I said sometimes I can get the train to work properly, like last time before this it work all around the layout on all tracks just fine. Then this last time before the start of this message it would not work. I usually hold it about the level of the UR92 and generally pointing at it.
I only mentioned interference from other 2.4GHz items as a possible cause as they mentioned in a recent MR article on DCC.
If you have the same problems with the throttle plugged in, it's not radio interference. What exactly do you mean by "sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't"?
Try testing things by wiring the system to a single piece of flex track instead of your whole layout. If you can run locos reliably there, then the problem is in your laytout, not the system.
If the locos run but stop in places with the headlight also going off, you likely have dirty track or insufficient feeders.
If a loco runs for a few seconds and then stops, and restarts if you move the throttle knob - read the section in the manual on dispatching locos when you are finished, you likely have the same address selected on both knobs of the DT402.
If the locos run but in certain sections of the layout stop, with the DCS100 beeping - does your layout have any reverse loops? You need to properly wire reverse loops to work with DCC, same as with DC.
If your DT402D throttles are not communicating with the UR92 the white LED at the top of the throttle will flash as you are trying to send commands.
There was some discussion about the UR92 range here:
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/744/t/251098.aspx
I have three UR92s, two of which are mounted near the ceiling and there are still some situations where signal strength is poor.
If you do not see the white LED flashing then there is another Loconet problem. Have you used the Loconet tester that came with your command station to check the Loconet cables?
http://www.digitrax.com/tsd/KB692/testing-loconet-cables-with-lt1-tester/
Good Luck, Ed
I'd agree that it's not an interference problem if you also have issues with the plug-in throttle.
Another thing you could do, just to ease your mind, is shut off all the other wireless stuff, including your internet router, cameras, USB toaster and so on. See how the trains run in a more electronically clean environment.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Thank you for your response Martin! Sorry it has taken me so long to respond. I have only one UR92 which is located about the middle part of the layout in the facia right above where I have the command station located under the layout.
To clarify something I said in the initial message, when I say it doesn't work, I mean the engine. I selected two engines that I know have a good decoder and have ran before on the club layout I used to belong to.
I have confirmed it is frequency interference. I only have the wireless telephone and a wi-fi router for my AT&T Un-verse internet connection.
I tried with both working, trains won't run; turn either the phones or router off but leave the other on, and the engines still won't run. However, if I turn the both off, the trains will run in either direction and over the whole layout.
No to reset the Duplex Group Channel. Hopefully that will work.
Thank you for your response Jim! Sorry it has taken me so long to respond. I have only one UR92 which is located about the middle part of the layout in the facia right above where I have the command station located under the layout. I used 16AWG stranded wire for the main power bus
Thank you for your response Mister Beasley! Sorry it has taken me so long to respond. I have only one UR92 which is located about the middle part of the layout in the facia right above where I have the command station located under the layout.
I tried with both working, trains won't run; turn either the phones or router off but leave the other on, and the engines still won't run. However, if I turn the both off systems off, the trains will run in either direction and over the whole layout.