Hi, I am new to 'N' Scale and have a few questions on DCC operation etc.. maybe someone can answer, these may seem pretty basic to you seasoned DCC'ers. ha! In a nutshell and in laymans language... Is this system 'radio control'? Are the tracks 'live' with full current and loco's with receivers are waiting for a 'command' from a transmitter? If so, then I can reason the loco's can independently travel in any direction they are commanded to and at their preset speed etc.. ?? How small are the receivers that fit into the loco's?? I have a Kato SD90 MAC I just purchased and was interested in installing a DCC unit in it and all future engines I acquire. Just some simple informative answers would greatly be appreciated and maybe some lings where I can read up on 'N' Scale RR operations that are using them now, also what brand etc. would you recommend that would be a system I could not outgrow soon. I presently have a fairly large (436 feet) 'G' scale railroad in my yard that I use the Aristo TE on which uses a trackside receiver or an onboard receiver which is larger than the 'N' scale I am setting up in the house for those wet, or windy or too hot days outside.. Any comment would be appreciated Thanks Norm Paquette
Most have radio options. For a sampling of systems and comparisons, etc. go to Tony's Train Exchange at http://www.ttx-dcc.com Yes, power is always available to the tracks. The decoders inside the locomotives are awaiting the digital information from the command station that is addressed to only that locomotive. Locomotives can therefore move in any direction at anytime without regard to the analog "block" limitations. Most locomotives in N over the past few years are made with the option of purchasing it with or without a decoder installed (Atlas) or are "DCC ready" (Kato) which means an easily installed "plug and play" decoder can replace the analog board at any time. Even Atlas analog locomotives are DCC-ready so analog can be converted to digital easily. Digitrax currently sells the widest variety of plug and play decoders. The one that fits your SD80 is the DN 141K2. I purchase my decoders at Southern Digital www.digitalcommandcontrol.com/ and I purchased my NCE system ( easy to set up and operate plus expandable with new options (like the recently available radio control) at Tony's Train Exchange. Trainboard is a great place to ask questions, also Yahoo Groups has lists that focus on most systems, Digitrax, NCE, MRC, etc. [ 23 March 2002, 07:30: Message edited by: mc ]
Hi Norm. Radio throttles are available with some manufacturers. Yes, track is always "live". On a better system like Zimo You can set Your track voltage between 12 and 24 Volts. So You could use the same system on Your G-scale as well. Locos will independently travel in any direction they are commanded to and at their preset speed. Zimo makes pretty tiny N-scale decoders: .55x.35x.12in. Yet they still have all the advanced features we are used to from bigger scales, like: fully adjustable back-emf, up to 32 kHz frequency!, 4 function output, up to 5 digit addressing, signal controlled speed setting, train number recognition and location etc. This system You can't outgrow! You can check it out here: mrsonline or get the April issue of the Railroad Model Craftdsman and read their articel about Zimo. Have fun, Art
