Chris1 I can't recall exactly where I read it, but NCE has really improved the response time of the Cab Control from the first generation of PH-Pro-R's to the second.
I can't recall exactly where I read it, but NCE has really improved the response time of the Cab Control from the first generation of PH-Pro-R's to the second.
Chris, the response time is immediate. No perceivable difference between tethered and wireless.
Rich
Alton Junction
Yes, go wireless.
Just do it and get it out of the way then you can just concentrate on the fun of walking with the train.
Ken G Price My N-Scale Layout
Digitrax Super Empire Builder Radio System. South Valley Texas Railroad. SVTRR
N-Scale out west. 1996-1998 or so! UP, SP, Missouri Pacific, C&NW.
Thanks for the welcome to the forum, and advice folks. It seems like my intial thoughts on the wireless may have been correct in that it truly does add an element of ease to the layout aisles without plugging and unplugging tethers as I move along with the trains.
Based on some other reading that I've done on the subject, it seems that most users of the wireless system seem quite pleased with how it works. I can't recall exactly where I read it, but NCE has really improved the response time of the Cab Control from the first generation of PH-Pro-R's to the second.
By comparison, the price difference between the tethered and wireless isn't too staggering, so I think that wireless may provide me with the functions, reliability, and ease of use that I'm looking for.
Thanks for all of the advice and opinions. It sure helps when you can talk to people who know what they are doing!
Chris
Chris1 I’m at that point where my tracklaying is now complete, and I am currently preparing myself to launch into the part of the hobby that used to intimidate me the most – the wiring!
My question is whether I should go with the wireless system or the conventional system. To me the choice between wired and wireless is simple. Once one uses a wireless system going back to plugging and unplugging cords, hunting for a place to plug, tangling cords, tripping over other operators cords, and never having enough plugs in the right place ... just seems silly. If you can afford a wireless system just do it now.
My question is whether I should go with the wireless system or the conventional system.
The first upgrade I propose to most people's layouts is to go wireless.
Chris,
I almost skipped this thread when I saw the title.
The NCE PH-Pro 5 amp system is hardly a starter system.
I have a 25' x 42' layout, and it is powered by the NCE PH-Pro 5 amp system. I started out with the sysyem 8 years ago, along with two tethered throttles and too many UTP panels and connecting cables to count. Just this past summer I upgraded to wireless and bought the base station and antenna and sent in both throttles to NCE for conversion.
Do yourself a favor and go with the wireless system from the outset. In the long run, it will be cheaper than the wired system. True, my initial purchase was less expensive than had I gone wireless from the outset. But, when I add up the cost of the numerous UTP panels and cables, plus the eventual cost of the base station and antenna, and the cost of conversion of the two throttles, I would have been better off going wireless from the outset.
Besides, you will get tired fast of moving along your layout, plugging and unplugging the throttle as you move along.
I have the 5 amp Power Pro-R system at home. My layout is about 30'X30', and was designed so operators could esily follow their trains. Tethered cabs (like the NCE Cab 04) work fine for most jobs, but having radio capability is helpful for a couple of reasons - 1) every operator isn't concerned about finding an open plug, which makes life easier for the guys on tethered throttles, and 2) I have a few operators who liked the NCE system enough to buy their own cabs, and they preferred radio, so having radio on my layout allows them to use their radio cabs.
I did wire a throttle bus for the whole layout, so either a tethered or radio cab can be used anywhere. If the extra cost of the radio starter system is something you can absorb, I'd get that so the option is there for when you want it. You don't have to purchase any more radio cabs for the rest of the crew so you can save some money there initially, and NCE will upgrade the tethered cabs to radio later for the same cost as the differential between the two.
Rob Spangler
Our club uses the 5 amp Power Pro but we wired in different places to plug in the cab and works quite well for us. We did not want to deal with issues that might pop up with wireless.
RIch
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
With the size of the layout, radio would probably be the better option. No cords to trip over and get tangled up in. With a smalelr layout where everything would be in reach of the length of the throttle cable, you could skip the wireless and add it later, but even a centrally located plug in panel would not allow you to reach your entire layotu without unplugging and plugging in elsewhere. Radio is more expensive, but more convenient. Alternately, if you hook a computer up tot he system, you can use JMRI (highly recommended) to not only program locos but also use things like the WiThrottle app (for iPod/iPhone/iPad) or ENgine Driver (for Android) to use a smartphone or tablet to control the layout wirelessly (through your wifi router).
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
If you get the Pro without radio, you can always add it later if you want to. It really is a personal preference thing. Having a throttle you can carry around means that you can walk around with your trains. If you have radio you simply walk around and that is it. All you have to worry about is battery consumption and managing rechargeable batteries. If you have a tethered system you have to make sure you have positioned panels at strategic points and then unplug and replug as you move around. My personal preference is radio, but that choice is up to you.
Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum
Chris - Welcome to Trains.com!
Darren (BLHS & CRRM Lifetime Member)
Delaware and Hudson Virtual Museum (DHVM), Railroad Adventures (RRAdventures)
My Blog
Hi Folks,
I’m constantly amazed and sometimes perplexed at the vast array of technological advances and gizmos hitting the mainstream market today. And, it seems that this great hobby hasn’t escaped that technological surge either, with amazingly detailed advances on its own accord.
Being fairly new to the hobby, I thought that I would ‘pick the brains’ of the more seasoned veterans of the hobby in helping me to make some decisions on a new DCC starter system – something that I have no experience with (but am looking forward to).
I’m at that point where my tracklaying is now complete, and I am currently preparing myself to launch into the part of the hobby that used to intimidate me the most – the wiring! After careful reading, comparisons, research, and trying out some different DCC starter systems at the various local shows and meets, I have decided on the NCE DCC PH-Pro 5 Amp System for all of the many reasons that it appealed to me. My question is whether I should go with the wireless system or the conventional system.
My HO scale layout is roughly 38’ x 12’ in size, and is located in the basement of our home. It contains two major yards and terminals for passenger traffic, and I have already established where my power districts will be. But yet again, the lingering question remains as to whether or not the NCE PH-Pro or the NCE PH-Pro-R is the right system for me. I’m hoping that some of you may be able to lend your opinions, thoughts, expertise, and experiences with either system (pros or cons) that may be able to assist in steering me to one over the other.
Thanks for your thoughts and feedback.