I know someone who is about to sell a PHProR (Radio equipped) With 1 radio cab and power supply for half the price. He's also considering throwing in a CAB 04e. It's about a year and a half or so old.
Springfield PA
I am also new to DCC , started my HO layout in April. I have a MRC wireless system, and love it. It is straight forward , can change address's , monentium, the starting voltage . all really ez on the programming track. I have TCS controllers (no sound) and a Proto2000 sound F3 , which works great. Actually i cannot stand the sound so i turn it off. But I do not do any fancy changing of the CV's so i do not know how that works. I know so systems allow you to program these thru your computer , but i have not had the need to do this... All and all a easy to use system and it works great
For what you describe either the NCE starter system of the Digitrax Zephyr would work just fine and be a lot cheaper. Both are expandable an can interface with JIMI. Calling Tony's would not be a bad idea.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
Well first off I am very weary of anything that has the words eBay attached to it. I would much rather deal with a reputable dealer being in person or via the internet. That being said I am by far not an expert on DCC but form what your describing the size of the layout and the number of trains and the frequency that you'll be using it Christmas only (for the time being) Both systems are overkill for what your working with. I would consider a feathered starter system such as the NCE power cab. Don't let cost be the only thing that drives you to making your decision. There are a lot of factors to consider, can I add on to the system if my need/wants increase? how user friendly is the system? does the system offer options that I want or may want in the future such as programing via your PC? How well does the system interface if at all with other systems such as decoder pro. (that should be lumped in with he previous line. And I am sure there are many more questions you may have. I have no affiliation with Tony's Train Exchange but had heard form several guys I knew that they were the go to guys when it came to dcc. So I gave them a call and their rep asked me a lot of questions regarding my wants/need etc. from my dcc system/layout.
Of course they are not the only qualified source out there. I am sure there are many qualified experts who are selling DCC systems my only advice would be to shy away from a dealer who only sells one particular system who's opinion would be some what tainted. In all honesty no one can say specifically what system is the one to buy and which one is not as there are many good systems available that all d the same thing, but there are definitely some you should stay away from.
Those are not comparable systems. The PH Pro system is a larger and more fully featured system. The point of comparison for the MRC would be the NCE PowerCab.For wireless you don't have much choice, the PowerCab is not wireless and cannot be operated alone as wireless.
The PH-Pro system though gives you a bunch more for that extra $150, like a computer interface that ISN'T proprietary so you can use JMRI and other software to program your decoders and control your layout. NCE, like pretty much everyone else EXCEPT MRC, uses an open system so there are more options for future goodies like signals and detection (although Digitrax is still the best at that).
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I am new to DCC adn am looking to buy the DCC controllers. I have been reading this forum and I am starting to get confused. First - my layout consists of a "consist" of two engines and another engine. The layout is 8x24 and is set for Christmas only (for the time being). I would like the system to be wireless. The two systems I am looking at are: NCE & MRC. I have been reading the forum and it seems the MRC is the less desirable of the two. BUT and this is a big BUT - the MRC comes all in one package and is is at least $150 cheaper. I am looking at the MRC Prodigy Advance Wireless DCC System #1410 vs NEC DCC PH-PRO-R 524 - 2. This is E Bay and both are brand new NIB with all the manufacturerres warranty. I knoew the NEC needsa power supply for an extra $50. know teh MRC is 3.5 amps vs 5 amps for teh NEC. But is it worth at least $150 price differential