Suggestions on beginning DCC starter set

[hon30critter]

Hi Terry!

I would suggest that you consider the NCE Power Cab starter system.

I have had some experience with both NCE and Digitrax. I have the NCE Power Cab starter system at home and my club uses Digitrax with a Zephyr Command station and several different Digitrax throttles.

Here is my  worth:

The NCE system is easy to use and intuitive. The buttons are easy to identify and the screen is easy to read.

My experience with Digitrax is exactly the opposite. The buttons all look exactly the same and the labels are hard to read. The displays on the bigger Digitrax throttles are also hard to read.

NCE's commands are easy to understand and follow. Digitrax commands are often not easy to follow. Quite often the Digitrax commands require that you have to press button sequences that are hard to memorize. They are not user friendly.

I will readily admit that I am a computor dinosaur, and I am all thumbs, so this is the strongest way I can make my point. When I first set up my NCE Power cab I was running locomotives within a few minutes and I was doing basic programming within less than 1/2 hr. After 2 years with the club's Digitrax system I still don't know what I'm doing. It just doesn't seem to come naturally to me.

If you can play a guitar then I suspect that Digitrax will be easy for you. I have tried to learn how to play a guitar but I failed miserably.

Dave

[dry_heat]

I don't think you can go wrong with NCE or Digitrax.  I am not a MRC fan, I didn't think much of the way they dealt with DCC early on.  They may be doing a great job now, but with two eexcellent options to choose from I'm not interested.

[OldEngineman]

Do you have any of these:

- iPhone

- Android phone

- iPad

- Android tablet ??

If so, try downloading the Roco z21 app (from either the Apple App Store or google play on Android).

It runs in demo mode so you can see how it works.

Also, check some z21 videos on YouTube for how the hardware goes together.

The white "z21 start" can be found on ebay for less than $100 (ordered from European sources, but should be easy using PayPal). You can get the companion TP Link modem from sources here in the US for about $40.

Very easy to get set up and running, programming engine numbers and CVs is a snap.

[MacTrom]

maybe time for me to bite the bullet. I don’t have a large roster of locos, and half of them will need some repair or cleaning to get running efficiently again. They’ve been in storage due to several moves over the years. Also, I don’t expect to build anything like a large layout. 

So the basic reason for not looking into DCC has been the cost of conversion. I now have a new DC/DCC engine, and replacing my roster one by one might not be as prohibitive as I had thought. 

With that in mind, what are some of the options for beginner entry into DCC command? 

Terry