Choosing a DCC System


A note about IR throttles. If you have a small layout, i.e. 4x8 or a bit larger, IR will prolly be OK, but when ya have mote than a few steps in either direction ya have to point the throttle. RF doesn't have to be pointed.
Once again, go cheap, be dissappointed.
Is one of the reasons I don’t like my set up, that has been a problem. Pro Box comes with a receiver, ordered another, Box and receiver was $70, will give me 3 receivers around the layout. Like I said, learn with this set up, figure what I want, be awhile before any real operations will be running on the layout…
 
Is one of the reasons I don’t like my set up, that has been a problem. Pro Box comes with a receiver, ordered another, Box and receiver was $70, will give me 3 receivers around the layout. Like I said, learn with this set up, figure what I want, be awhile before any real operations will be running on the layout…
Post some photo's of your layout, maybe one of us may spot something, even if we don't, always nice to see someone else's.
 
Post some photo's of your layout, maybe one of us may spot something, even if we don't, always nice to see someone else's.
Like I said, a mess… Swing gate assembly holding me up, in the meantime I keep redesigning how I want to use that peninsula. As it is here will be removed for about the 12th time, I like idea #7 better lol Work in progress, but I am enjoying it 😉
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Like I said, a mess… Swing gate assembly holding me up, in the meantime I keep redesigning how I want to use that peninsula. As it is here will be removed for about the 12th time, I like idea #7 better lol Work in progress, but I am enjoying it 😉View attachment 139031View attachment 139032View attachment 139033View attachment 139034
Looking good as far as I can see. Rome wasn't built in a day, You thinking Industrial/Switch/Stock yard? And the problem with the swing gate (I assume you mean a flap) is?
 
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Looking good as far as I can see. Rome wasn't built in a day, You thinking Industrial/Switch/Stock yard? And the problem with the swing gate (I assume you mean a flap) is?
Did have it set up as a switching location, but it looked so crammed in was kinda ugly and pointless…. Biggest problem is time. Got the gate designed on paper and the material to get it done, but wife decided she wanted some things done in the kitchen, takes priority…. Gives me time to consider the layout and how I want it to progress, but difficult not to be up there making it happen. Kitchen looks good though lol
 
Did have it set up as a switching location, but it looked so crammed in was kinda ugly and pointless…. Biggest problem is time. Got the gate designed on paper and the material to get it done, but wife decided she wanted some things done in the kitchen, takes priority…. Gives me time to consider the layout and how I want it to progress, but difficult not to be up there making it happen. Kitchen looks good though lol
Oh yeah, spousal priorities always comes first, luckily I dont have that problem any more. There is an old saying "Less is More", just put a few tracks down, your still in the planning stage, so nothing to lose, see how it looks, doesn't need to be a main hub like Grand Central does it?
 
I just looked at which handheld I liked best,
That was going to be my comment. I looked at the throttles and choose the one I would want to walk around with for hours holding it in my hand. A throttle that I didn't have to look at every time I wanted to change directions or speed or honk the horn.

Originally I rejected NCE because of the big heavy hammer head thing figured my arm would be dead after 20 minutes with that thing. (but now they have come out with smaller throttles.)
I choose the CVP wireless DHT1300s which just happened to work with the Lenz system that the club was using so it became a no brainer.

Since then I had acquired several DCC systems through the years: MRC 2000 (x2), Easy-DCC, Lenz (x2), NCE PROcabR, Digitax Zephyr (x2), and umm umm ... missing one here. Anyway I have picked most of them up for cheap on e-bay. Other than the MRC-2000s (which are primitive and have been delegated to Christmas tree duty), all the systems are good. The Easy-DCC is the dangerous one to buy used as their older models don't upgrade cheaply to latest versions. Basically CVP just wants you to buy a new unit every time they upgrade (groan). We did loose the wonderful Lenz America support we once had, which has tainted that brand a bit.

The museum uses the NCE PROcabR system. And it is not nearly as bad lugging around that hammer head in all day operations that I thought it would be at first.
 
The popularity of operating systems depends on the marketing plan. Long ago America On Line (AOL) had a great marketing plan to get their ISP package out to the masses. Their technique was to flood the market with their free disc to load their system. They had an accompanying radio message that swayed the computer illiterate and pretty much became a household name for internet access.
Digitrax jumped on the DCC opportunity to become a namestay with a fairly easy to opperate system despite having limitations and dirt cheap work arounds. They went heavy on promoting Digitrax and it paid off. It's one of the most popular systems out there while Zero One is hardly heard of. Zero One is a very capable system but lacks the popularity for user to user support. NCE is a popular system and is gaining market share but has a visibility problem. Yeah, we know people who operate with it but it's second place to the ubiquitous Digitrax. LokSound ESU is big in the European market as I mentioned before, it suits their operating style. A very capable system within itself and combined with a top of the line signal software package, it is just about unbeatable. But as noted by another poster, ya have to read a lot of stuff to get going. It's not a system for the casual operator or for the kiddies.
Digitrax offers the suite of equipment to just run a few trains or go with a full signaled system on a full basement empire.
I use Digitrax for my empire. It utilzes a command station and two boosters. I use three repeaters to isolate the boosters from the rest of the equipment. The empire has three power districts each with a PM42, BDL168 and SE8Cs along with numerous DS64s. The signals are controlled by TrainController Silver along with some simple dwafts that run through the Tortoise machine contacts or slide switches. I run UR91 and UR92 for radio along with a WiFi module for train apps on smart phones. I also have UP5s all around the layout for non'RF throttles of visiting operators. In addition to operating stuff, I use JMRI and the ESU LokProgrammer on a dedicated computer for programming decoders along with a PTB100 for the extra kick for sound decoders.
Lots of stuff there but it's all built around the Digitrax system.
Just a few prominent anomalies ya need to put up with in the Digitrax system which is minor once ya understand it.
 
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Researched, then did some more research, final decision is Digitrax EVOX Evolution, will be purchased mid February, don’t tell my wife…
Awesome! You won't be disappointed..... Where are purchasing from? yankeedabbler.com or other? I am actually upgrading to EVOXD from my old DCS50 and DT402D.

 
You might want to ask your vendor if the throttle has all the updates. It's kinda tricky but not rocket science to download and install the updates yourself. You'll need to interface your internet with the command station.
 
YDabbler has the best price, but only a few in stock, has me a little worried I will go to order and it will be back ordered…
 



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