What DCC system do you recommend?

[Anonymous]

I am very satisfied with the Digitrax Zephyr system. And it does have the capability to read back CVs, which some systens don't. It easily runs three trains at the same time, which is all my brain can keep track of. Would I buy it again? In a heartbeat!

[jeffrey-wimberly]

OK, the storm has passed.

[WCfan]

OK, I'm getting off right now. There's a thunderstorm coming through here and it's rockin' an' rollin'.

Have fun. And don't get electrocuted.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

OK, I'm getting off right now. There's a thunderstorm coming through here and it's rockin' an' rollin'.

[WCfan]

WCFan: Check your PM's.

Yea Jeff I did. Thanks. Give me some time to think about. I'll tell you in a little while what I'm going to do.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

WCFan: Check your PM's.

[Anonymous]

In defense of the Zephyr on a 4x8 comment, I personally know of at least three railroads in my area that uses them, one with a radio panel running a medium sized pike of good quality.

I personally have the Super Chief, being the sort that is hard-headed I have way too much power (Digitrax 2012 power supply) and bought the system at a good discount. For me, to upgrade to radio is a small expense easily covered any time in the future.

Yes I spent too much money, but rather I went all the way full bore watching the pyro to the summit instead of getting caught with a wimpy el-cheap peice of crap and not enough capability to do anything.

Keep in mind, DCC is a way of communicating to various devices on a network. You can always start small and sell it to seed upgrades and better systems in the future once you have a good idea of where you are.

By the way I still have the Analog Tech 4 220 power pack in the corner, I will probably die with analog in one hand and a dcc manual in the other but that is me.

I urge you to start small like the NCE or the Zephyr. Dont go all out like I did, you might not like the results.

I also strongly urge you to get ahold of a throttle in your hands. You are the one who is going to run trains for an hour or two or three. If you are happy with the twiddling then you know your hands will be fine.

[jbinkley60]

Above advice is all good. I now have the Digitrax Super Chief radio, and wish I had started there and saved a few bucks. The radio is the best toy in MY train room.

 Ditto.  I have no regrets buying the Radio Super Chief.  It has everything I need and more.

 

[tstage]

WCFan,

The Digitrax Zephyr is a very good DCC system and you would most likely end up being very happy with it.  Like others, I enjoy NCE.  However, both systems have their pros and cons; their pluses and minuses.  You really can't go wrong with either company.

And, everyone has there preferences, biases and things that they particularly like about one system over another.  As Ray stated, if possible, try out as many systems as you are able to BEFORE purchasing so that you can make the best informed choice that will be right for YOU and YOUR needs.

WCFan, if you are interested, here's my web page link to a review of the NCE Power Cab that I wrote here on the forum a couple of years ago.  It includes my initial thoughts and impressions of the Power Cab, pictures, questions and inquiries by others, discussions, issues, and some resolutions to those issues.  I think it's a pretty fair assessment.  I also have a review of the CAB-04p throttle and the NCE Smart Booster on the same web page and how they interact with one another.

Hope that's a help in some way...

Tom

[river_eagle]

look them over for the features that are important to you, grab on to the throttle for each to see how it feels in your hand, the contol layout....

what system size is right for your needs, power, throttle count, memory, radio........

no need to buy a radio super. for a 4x8, but a zephyr while expandable may not be enough for your needs.....

check to see what the local clubs are using, there's a wealth of info there, plus if you become interested in the club, your a step ahead, having the same system.

bottom line get the one that, to you, best fits your needs

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Don't buy the Bachamnn EZ Command.  Save your money and buy a more functional system such as NCE PowerCab, Prodigy Advance, or Digitrax Zephyr. 

When and/or where did I say he has to buy it? I said no such thing. If he wants to try it, I'll send it to him, absolutely free of charge! I'll even pay the postage. You can't get a better deal than that. If he decides he doesn't want it, he can send it back to me or he can give it to somebody else, I don't care which.

[tstage]

I'll disagree with Jeff.  Don't buy the Bachamnn EZ Command...The idea of buy the ultra cheap, ultra limited Bachmann system just so you can see how DCC works doesn't make sense.

Sorry, jktrains, I gotta side with Jeffrey on this one.  My first DCC system was the E-Z Command, which I bought for $53 back at the beginning of 2005.  I wanted to try out DCC but didn't want to spend a lot of money just to get me "feet wet".

Even though it does have it's limitations, I found the E-Z Command quite adequate at running 2-3 locomoitves simultaneously and operating 8 sound functions.  I used the E-Z Command for a year before purchasing the NCE Power Cab.  During that year I was able to research and determine what DCC system I wanted to upgrade to.

Was that $53 wasted?  Not to me.  I actually ended up selling the E-Z Command to a fourm member here and, thereby, recouped some of that cost.

The key is to know what you are buying and what your needs are and will be.  My needs were to find an inexpensive DCC system to determine if indeed I wanted to pursue that technology.  I didn't have anyone around that I knew that had a DCC system to check out/ask questions about, so this was the cheapest (i.e. least expensive) alternative for me.  For Jeffrey, his funds are limited so this was his opportunity to try out DCC at a price he could afford.

What happens when you decide you need more?  Now you've spent $65 - $80 on the Bachmann and need to spend an additional $150 for a real system.  Now your total outlay is over $215.  Use the extra $65 to buy an additional throttle or other components.

My personal preference is towards NCE.  As others have stated, the user interface is easy to understand and use.

jktrains

Let me put the shoe on a different foot.  What would happen if I were interested in DCC, bought a more expensive system and then discovered that I didn't either care for the technology or that it didn't really buy me any advantage?  Okay, now I'm out $150 when I could have spent only $60 to determine that.  If you think I'm giving an absurd example, just talk to Larry (BRAKIE) here on the forum.

And, to the contrary, the Bachmann E-Z Command is a real DCC system.  It's just limited.  The Toyota Echo is a real car.  It just doesn't have all the nicities that the Camry or Lexus has.  It is, however, STILL a car though.  Be careful not to bash another system just because it might not fit your needs.  It might fit someone else's just fine.

jktrains, I will agree with you on the NCE systems.  One of the selling points for me was that the Power Cab/ProCab throttle was very intuitive.

Tom

[Anonymous]

2.5 to 5 amps is plenty, more than enough actually.

Beware of cheap systems that dont give you the capabilities you want.

These forums are creaking under the weight of many DCC posts and threads, search them and you will find several camps, several negative things and several positive things. Alot of reading to do.

[SunsetLimited]

Im going to have to throw in another one for NCE, great handhelds, easy to use, 100% true wireless. Love NCE and would never switch.

[jktrains]

I'll disagree with Jeff.  Don't buy the Bachamnn EZ Command.  Save your money and buy a more functional system such as NCE PowerCab, Prodigy Advance, or Digitrax Zephyr.  This what you will use to control alomst everything on your layout - don't cheap out on it!  Look at as an investment; something you will use (and have to use to run your trains) for years.  The idea of buy the ultra cheap, ultra limited Bachmann system just so you can see how DCC works doesn't make sense.  What happens when you decide you need more?  Now you've spent $65 - $80 on the Bachmann and need to spend an additional $150 for a real system.  Now your total outlay is over $215.  Use the extra $65 to buy an additional throttle or other components. 

My personal preference is towards NCE.  As others have stated, the user interface is easy to understand and use.

jktrains

[ARTHILL]

Above advice is all good. I now have the Digitrax Super Chief radio, and wish I had started there and saved a few bucks. The radio is the best toy in MY train room.

[orsonroy]

I strongly recommend using several DCC systems before you make a choice. All of the systems will essentially do the same things, but they don't all FEEL the same. Some are handheld, some are fixed systems, some have lots of easy to decipher buttons, some have a few cryptic buttons that do lots of things.

Personally, I like NCE. It's full-featured, expandable, reliable, and best of all, VERY intuitive. Most of my DCC experience has been with Digitrax, which really isn't all that easy to understand. I recently used a NCE system for the first time, and it was a lot easier for me to figure everything out just by staring at the handheld. I've now scrapped my plans for an Empire Builder and am saving up for an expanded Power Cab.

[JoeinPA]

I agree with Jeffrey.  I started with an MRC Command 2000 set (No longer available) and got my feet wet. I recently upgraded to a Digitrax Zephyr and I love it.  However, my experience would not have been so good had I not familiarized myself with simple DCC previously.

Joe

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Personally, I think you need to get your feet wet first. Get a Bachmann EZ Command system to try out first. It's easy to set up, easy to learn and easy to use. Later, when you're more comfortable with DCC, you can move up to a more complex system. Let me know if you'd let to give the EZ Command a try. I have several of them and can send you one.

[Don Z]

You're opening a nasty can of worms with your question....you're going to get a lot of differing opinions; each brand has their loyal following and think the other brands inferior....

I use the NCE Powerhouse Pro system and love it. I like the simplicity of the user interface and the ease of programming.

My suggestion to you: find users of as many different types of sytems as possible and get the throttles in your hand for a test drive and see which one you like the best. You're the one that will have to use the product you decide on.

Don Z.

[WCfan]

Hi all, I would like to upgrade my layout in the future to DCC. Now I'm not sure what one to get. I'm serisoly thinking about getting the Digtrak Zepher system. But is there a better brand. I only have a 4 by 8 and mybe only run 2-3 locomotives at a time(I would also like to have sound). Plus this will be my first time with DCC. What system do you guys think would be best?