Stevert One final point: Isn't it the "system N" owners who always point out how (in their estimation) the "system D" users are sensitive to criticism? Seems we have a case of the pot calling the kettle black here...
Not at all. I just thought your use of the phrase "completely useless" when comparing shoes to DCC systems was a poor one.
And, since the OP was inquiring about the Pro Cab, and you rarely seem to pass up the opportunity to make some offhanded comment about NCE in these sorts of threads, why should I expect anything different.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
StevertI gave an analogy in which a specific shoe would be unusable for a certian percentage of the population.
Now that I have your reply re-read and digested as an analogy I owe you an apology. I thought it may have been one of those less filling/ great taste or even the old Ford vs. Chevy posts going on.
To give a little background on my DCC experience. I am a member of an HO scale club that uses Lenz. I also am a frequent operator on a large home layout that use Digitrax. I own an NCE Power Cab for my still under construction home layout. I have been into the DCC era for about 11 years now and have witnessed great advances in all the major systems. Plus some not so great. Ease of use is one advance that has been very welcome. I still remember doing some calculations just setting a long address. Now it is just a couple of key strokes of the throttle while programing. I also remember some so called HO decoders that were almost the size of the can motor. Now there are 2 amp decoders the size of a dime and almost as thin. If you wanted sound you had to have 2 decoders. I still have an old BB Athearn Funit with 3 decoders inside it. One motor, one sound and one for lighting! There was no such thing as plug and play.
Each owner will have his own preference on what system to buy. They all do the job as advertised. None are better then the other. Each has their own short comings that can be worked either from upgrades or third party fixes. The best system to own is the one you feel the most comfortable using. Does the throttle fit your hand? Can you find and press the right buttons without looking at it? Can you program without looking in the manual? These are the most important questions that need answers.
Pete
I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!
I started with nothing and still have most of it left!
Somebody starts this food fight about once every two weeks. I suspect it is often intentional.
Do what I did. Go to each manufacturer's web site and download the manuals. After reading the manuals you will be able to decide for your self which system is best for your circumstance.
I chose the Digitrax Super Chief. You may choose something different.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
Thanks, guys, for taking part of my post completely out of context. What I said was:
Stevert Well, that's sort of like asking if one shoe will fit everyone in the world. For some it will be perfect, others can take it or leave it, and I'm sure it's completely unusable for a certain percentage of the population.
Well, that's sort of like asking if one shoe will fit everyone in the world.
For some it will be perfect, others can take it or leave it, and I'm sure it's completely unusable for a certain percentage of the population.
I gave an analogy in which a specific shoe would be unusable for a certian percentage of the population.
The implication was that without knowing more about his layout, it was impossible to say if any specific DCC system would fit his needs, the same way it would be impossible to know if a given shoe would fit somone who's feet we know nothing about.
Nowhere in there did I mention any specific DCC system, let alone say that it was unusable.
Stevert For some it will be perfect, others can take it or leave it, and I'm sure it's completely unusable for a certain percentage of the population.
WOW you must be one of those D users. With a little knowledge one can come to some totally different conclusions. Of all the people I know who have purchased one of the power cabs has never found it useless. I know of a few who have relegated the Power cab to the workbench for programing and decoder testing and installations after buying a larger system. Another plus of the Power cab design is if you buy a power house pro system you can use the power cab on it. I even know a modeler that has a leading competitors system on his layout who bought a Power Cab for programing the sound equipped locos his main system has trouble doing.
The main objections of the basic Power cab system from most users is the 2 loco recall and the 2 amp limit. A simple upgrade an SB3a takes that out of the picture.
Completely unusable??? The only time a Power Cab (or any DCC system) is "completely unusable" is if it's broken. Granted, a specific DCC system may not fit someone's layout needs. However, calling one "completely unusable" - because you don't care for it - is just flat out wrong.
You'll have to supply a lot more information about yourself and your layout before anyone can begin to give you anything resembling a meaningful answer. And even then it's a personal choice, since you have your own ideas, experiences and preferences about what's "a lot of money and easy to use" and what isn't.
You mean the Powercab? The Powerhouse Pro is the more expensive one, which I've got, and it's outstanding.
The Powercab is nice also, for the price you can't beat it. And yes it very newbie user friendly.
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
hi is the nce pro cab the right dcc controller to buy without spending a lot of money and easy to use thank you