I'm getting into the (amazing!) world of DCC for the first time, and need some advice. I have purchased and installed the NCE starter kit, and I have several locos, one of which has DCC and sound. It's the Athearn Genesis MP15 with a Tsunami decoder - and it sounds great. My question is - does it get better than this? Can I set it up with different sounds? Are there more "goodies" under the hood that I'm just not aware of?
I also have the Atlas Silver Series Dash 8-40CW, and I installed a tiny NCE DCC decoder in it, and it seems to be running fine. It has no sound, so I'm looking for recommendations on which decoder / sound setup to go with. I'd like to keep things plug-and-play if possible - I do have decent soldering skills, but as I'm new to this I'd prefer to keep things simple.
I also have a Kato AC4400W which is DCC ready, and an Atlas Silver GP40 that is ready too. Is there a website or other online resource that can show me what sound decoders are compatible and / or recommended for these locos?
Just to complicate things, I also have an Overland / Ajin MP15DC on it's way to me, and I'm pretty sure that one's going to have to get mailed off to some expert for the DCC install, but we'll get into that later.
So far I'm extremely impressed with DCC, and hearing the locos come to life is a major enhancement in this hobby.
Thanks!
Drew
Drew,
Try the Soundtraxx website for Tsunami information and decoder to locomotive matchups.Other than that you can try your LHS or other online hobby shops. The ones I see most recommended are Litchfield Station and Tony's Train Exchange. There's also a Soundtraxx specific group on Yahoo. Good Luck!
Emman
Because Atlas engines are so popular, most decoder manufacturers (including sound ones) make "drop-in" board replacement decoders that are designed to replace the Atlas light board. One advantage of a lightboard replacement decoder is it takes up the same room the lightboard had occupied, so you only need to find room for the speaker.
Soundtraxx (IIRC) makes a drop-in decoder for your Kato AC4400, which includes a wired 1" speaker. Newer AC4400s have a space below the fuel tank for the speaker, so it's a pretty easy conversion. I did a similar conversion for my Kato SD-38 and it turned out well.
The Atlas Gold Loco's use QSI sound. They would probably be a better match for the Silver loco.
Springfield PA
There are different manufacturers that make sound and power decoders. (Sound and power in the same package) I like the Soundtraxx Tsunami's because they allow you to select different bell rates, different horns, plus other features from your DCC system. Some of the other manufacturers only allow you to change sounds by purchasing a special programmer. QSI and LOK Sound fall into this category. The sound quality between LOK Sound, QSI, and the Tsunami are very close and very good.
So when researching for a sound decoder, be sure to do your homework on the features that each manufacturer offers in its decoders.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.