My budget has taken a severe hit so I am looking for the least expensive decoder that will still give reasonable performance. All of the previous negative comments seem to be a year old so I am wondering if MRC finallly improved the product. I am looking at the Micro Mark offering of the 1657/1800 for $67.50.
I have not heard anything to indicate that MRC has improved its decoders.
If you can wait a while, Digitrax has announce a couple of new decoders, sound and motor in the $50 MSRP range. They appear in an ad in MR, but they're not available for sale yet and they aren't featured on the Digitrax web site. Since nobody has seen (or heard) these yet, we can't comment on how good they are.
UPDATE: I pinged Digitrax on this, and they said the new decoders should be released sometime in the next few weeks.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
If you can live without sound....there are scads of decoders from TCS and NCE between $20 and $25. All of which preform much better the the MRC decoders.
Nick
Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/
nbrodar If you can live without sound....there are scads of decoders from TCS and NCE between $20 and $25. All of which preform much better the the MRC decoders. Nick
NCE D13SR decoders can be had for $12 each in lots of 10 from Empire Northern Models in Webster, New York. Paying between $20 and $25 for a simple TCS or NCE decoder? I think you're shopping at the wrong place.
You are correct...however, the Atlas board replacements I use run about 20.
According to MRC advertising, their decoders now include CV readback and several other enhancements.
Since MRC has yet to acknowledge the reliability of their earlier decoders is not up to par, whether the new production is any better in terms or reliability is an open question.
just my thoughts
Fred W
I agree about the Digitrax. While I wasn't a big fan of the DH15x/soundbug combo, I would surely rather have that than the MRC I tested and then returned for a refund, especially if the Digitrax is less.
The only other issue may be with the sound set, if you are ok with "generic", or more correctly a GP/38-2 sound in everything, or they may have more sounds when it goes on sale.
1948PRR The only other issue may be with the sound set, if you are ok with "generic", or more correctly a GP/38-2 sound in everything, or they may have more sounds when it goes on sale.
The new ones are listed in the ad as SFX decoders, so I assume they will be user-downloadable like the other SFX decoders. While they may not be the best sound sets in the industry, they do allow for easy user-customization with little effort, or more extensive customization if you want to put in a lot of time.
I bought one a month ago that had an 8 pin NMRA plug that I figured I could drop into the sound/light board in the tender of a Bachmann 4-6-0. What a disappointment! None of the various whistle sounds were realistic and the volume was so low that the whistle could hardly be heard above the chuff sounds. After fiddling with various CVs I was able to get the locomotive to operate in a more prototypical manner- but after one week the decoder decided not to operate the headlight and one day later decided not to allow the engine to move. All the sounds are there. Advance the throttle and the chuffs increase but that's it. I have tried resetting to default settings but nothing helps. Guess which company I'll never buy a decoder from again!!
Without going into the usual long trashing of MRC which by the way is completely warranted. Search the forums and see how many other post you find trashing Digitrax, NCE, TCS etc. etc. decoders Your not because in every other case except MRC you get what yo pay for. It has to tell you something when so many people have the same opinion of the product. That being said as Mr. B said if you can wait a few weeks Digitrax's two new decoders SD144PS and the SDH164D will be out both with an MSRP of around $50 but many places are already advertising it for $39.95. Beleive me I know all the words to this crappy economy song and your much better off waiting then wasting your money on an MRC. Your not the first person to be lured in by a cheap price.