I have the 3.5 version in a PCM Y6b. The only such whistle that I have found is when I tap F6 and get three quick hoots for reverse. Otherwise, F2 plays the whistle for as long as you depress the button.
Unfortunately, at the moment I found the F6 feature, the whistle resorted to a non-playable and only toots for a short blast....don't know what I did, but I suppose I can reset the decoder.
Bapou wrote:Do LokSound decoders have a playable horn/whistle? If yes what analog channel does it play on?
I have the PCM Y6b and some of the PCM Big Boys, but they are not playable. They do have a short whistle to use in conjunction with the longer loop whistle.
The PCM Big Boy needed to have corrected sound downloaded to correct the whistle, bell and turbo generator and chuff. The first Loksound on the Trix Big Boy had the correct whistle, but it would continue to whistle about seven times each time you pushed F2. The Trix Loksound used a single chuff also instead of an articulated chuff.
The LOksound for the original PCM Big Boy uses a whistle that is unknown to US railroads and the bell was like a school bell.
Two out of two incorrect. Not bad since that is most of the sounds.
Based on the content of several responses, many people don't understand what a playable whistle is.
First, you must have a DCC system with a touch-sensitive whistle button that can vary the whistle's tone and volume based on how hard you press the button, to simulate pulling harder on a whistle cord. Secondly, you must have a DCC sound decoder that can be programmed with a playable whistle. The Digitrax SoundFX is the only one I know that has a playable whistle. The NCE ProCab has a playable whistle. Some of the newer Digitrax hand held and wireless controllers should have a playable whistle, but I have no experience with them. I think the MRC Prodigy Advance 2 has a playable whistle button, but their decoders don't.
I have no experience at all with LokSound. Tsunami does not have a playable whistle.
cacole wrote: Based on the content of several responses, many people don't understand what a playable whistle is. First, you must have a DCC system with a touch-sensitive whistle button that can vary the whistle's tone and volume based on how hard you press the button, to simulate pulling harder on a whistle cord. Secondly, you must have a DCC sound decoder that can be programmed with a playable whistle. The Digitrax SoundFX is the only one I know that has a playable whistle. The NCE ProCab has a playable whistle. Some of the newer Digitrax hand held and wireless controllers should have a playable whistle, but I have no experience with them. I think the MRC Prodigy Advance 2 has a playable whistle button, but their decoders don't.I have no experience at all with LokSound. Tsunami does not have a playable whistle.
I believe, the PCM America is a playable whistle, 2 quick in steam, but I may be mistaken. I've only run her once
-Morgan
cacole wrote: Based on the content of several responses, many people don't understand what a playable whistle is.
I guess that applies to me, Chuck. And if so, none of the QSI's that I own can play a whistle.
Perhaps we hobbiests need another descriptor for what I described. For example, my early version Trix Mike with the 3.2 LokSound had one whistle and that was it...depress F2 and get what it offered. The QSI's allow the whistle to sound as long as F2 is held down. So, you can "play" the two longs, a short, and a long for a crossing blow. The Tsunami has two options as I describe, and the only way to blow a crossing is to press F2 twice, F3 once, and F2 a last time.
So, if Type non-playable A is merely a toot of a given length, and no other, and Type non-playable B comprises a long or a short toot, and no other, and Type Playable allows for tonal changes depending on how far one depresses the F2 key, how do we label these?
-Crandell
I can't believe how many of today's sound decoders don't even have a doppler feature, let alone a playable whistle. I thought by now it would be standard. I guess I was spoiled by my BLI N&W A and PRR K4,M1 and T1, most of the newer stuff is disappointing. For example, my Trix Mikado has a GREAT chuff. It's almost dead silent until you open the throttle, and it sounds like something is really blowing out the stack, with no electronic static between chuffs, but the whistle only plays one "tune"(WOOOoooOOP-WOOOoooOOP), and the whistle and bell cannot play simultaneously. And the PCM Y6b sounds like a skipping CD when it gets past 30 mph.
Dave
Just be glad you don't have to press "2" for English.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ_ALEdDUB8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hqFS1GZL4s
http://s73.photobucket.com/user/steemtrayn/media/MovingcoalontheDCM.mp4.html?sort=3&o=27
cacole wrote:Based on the content of several responses, many people don't understand what a playable whistle is. First, you must have a DCC system with a touch-sensitive whistle button that can vary the whistle's tone and volume based on how hard you press the button, to simulate pulling harder on a whistle cord. Secondly, you must have a DCC sound decoder that can be programmed with a playable whistle. The Digitrax SoundFX is the only one I know that has a playable whistle. The NCE ProCab has a playable whistle. Some of the newer Digitrax hand held and wireless controllers should have a playable whistle, but I have no experience with them. I think the MRC Prodigy Advance 2 has a playable whistle button, but their decoders don't.I have no experience at all with LokSound. Tsunami does not have a playable whistle.
It is thw PowerCab that has the playable whistle and you have to hold F2 and scroll the thumbwheel to play the whistle. Also Tsunami does have a playable whistle as myPowerCab manual says it has.
steemtrayn wrote:I can't believe how many of today's sound decoders don't even have a doppler feature, let alone a playable whistle.
I personally do not want a Doppler effect in my sound decoders unless I can turn it off or not use it. As I am sure you are aware, the Doppler effect is a change in the frequency of sound caused by a sound producing object moving relative to the object listening to the sound. With modern layout design, the idea is that you walk along and follow your train. Thus you would never experience the Doppler effect as you and your train are not moving relative to each other because you and your train are moving together.
Still, though, Eric, it would be useful for someone who would wish to make a nice video presentation of their layout. Place the camera near a level crossing, lights flashing, and pan the video-cam as the streamer or diesel flashes past, including the doppler effect. I think it could be very nice. Similarly, a young child might press her face to the fascia and watch the same thing...a coming and going, not desiring to move but to imagine herself actually there. She would be intrigued, at least, by the effect if it were done well.
Don't you think?
selector wrote: Still, though, Eric, it would be useful for someone who would wish to make a nice video presentation of their layout. Place the camera near a level crossing, lights flashing, and pan the video-cam as the streamer or diesel flashes past, including the doppler effect. I think it could be very nice. Similarly, a young child might press her face to the fascia and watch the same thing...a coming and going, not desiring to move but to imagine herself actually there. She would be intrigued, at least, by the effect if it were done well.Don't you think?-Crandell
And if you don't like it, nobody's making you use it.
selector wrote:The Tsunamis that I have (one light, one medium steam) only allow for two whistle blow types. One is a long blast using F2, the other is a toot using F3.
Same for the D&RGW K-Klass one that kame with my K-27.
Jake1210 wrote: selector wrote:The Tsunamis that I have (one light, one medium steam) only allow for two whistle blow types. One is a long blast using F2, the other is a toot using F3.Same for the D&RGW K-Klass one that kame with my K-27.
The Tsunami has an option for a playable whistle, but is must be enabled by CV 47 and you have to use a controller that has an analog function to use this feature. CV 47 is the Playable Whistla Control and must be set up. The Digitrak 400 has the analog function to use this feature. The information below is from the Tsunami manual availble on line.
Whistle Selection and Control
Tsunami uses three CVs to adjust and control the whistle:
CV 115, Whistle Select
CV 129, Whistle Volume
CV 47, Playable Whistle Control
As set from the factory,
Tsunami uses Function F2 to
control the primary whistle and
Function F3 to control a shorter
signal whistle. Each Tsunami
decoder comes with up to
eight* whistles pre-installed.
To select a particular whistle,
simply program CV 115 with
any value between 0 and 7 as
indicated in Table K. Refer to
the SoundTraxx website for a
detailed list of which whistles
are contained in your particular
decoder.
selector wrote: cacole wrote: Based on the content of several responses, many people don't understand what a playable whistle is. I guess that applies to me, Chuck. And if so, none of the QSI's that I own can play a whistle.Perhaps we hobbiests need another descriptor for what I described. For example, my early version Trix Mike with the 3.2 LokSound had one whistle and that was it...depress F2 and get what it offered. The QSI's allow the whistle to sound as long as F2 is held down. So, you can "play" the two longs, a short, and a long for a crossing blow. The Tsunami has two options as I describe, and the only way to blow a crossing is to press F2 twice, F3 once, and F2 a last time.So, if Type non-playable A is merely a toot of a given length, and no other, and Type non-playable B comprises a long or a short toot, and no other, and Type Playable allows for tonal changes depending on how far one depresses the F2 key, how do we label these?-Crandell
The Playable whistle is not length, but the ability to taper off the sound and vary the intensity much like real locomotive whistles. The engineers used to blow for a crossing and then hang a long and taper off the end by not releasing the cord all the way. This can be done with an analog channel since it varies amount of tone also.
Some of the older QSI's would add a tail to a long whistle at certain times, but it was an added tail and not Playable. My PRR T1 will add a tail and two short tails on its own under certain conditions and sounds like a playable, but it is not. This condition is triggered when you are in the Dopler mode and blow the whistle for some length of time at speed. It does sound fairly good and the first time I heard it, I was surprised.
selector wrote:Okay, but my question is still needy. If the earlier LokSound Mike can only give us the one whistle (twooot...twooot), and most of the others only allow the short long, with some variance on how they're activated (Tsunami with two F buttons, QSI with the one), and then a Digitrax with the actual playable whistle, that leaves three distinct sound sequences and their enablement. My question is, how are we to classify them so that we don't confuse terms?
The Playable whistle term is used for a function that uses an analog channel into the amplifier and the sound can be varied in length and volume, much like a real whistle.
Most function 2 whistle sounds simply play a loop of the whistle and they have a beginning and an end if the are programmed correctly. The early or first Loksound function 2 played a sequence that was pre-programmed. I purchased one of the first Trix Big Boys and the function 2 switch played a seven sequence sound each time it was pressed. I sold the engine quickly.
A playable fuction if I can explain it correctly is a varible length and volume function and has to be an analog input to the amplifier, which many of the present sound modules do not offer that option.
Just being able to blow a long and a short on the same function like QSI operates is not Playable but it is nice.
Hope this helps.