I am getting ready to build my layout and orginally I was going to do just DC for a while and then upgrade to DCC. But after looking at the Zepher system it seems like a nice starting system and it would make wiring a whole lot easier from the onset. I figure that the headaches and $$$ spent on DPDT toggles, wiring, time spent sodering for each block wiring could be avoided. Has anybody bought the system and then wish they had upgraded to the super chief or empire builder. I have about 20 locos but all won’t be run at once. 4-6 at most at any one time. I just hate to spend money twice once for the Zepher and then once for the Empire Builder or Super chief. The $149.99 seems like a good price to start verus the $250 or more plus power supplies for the empire builder.
Is it just as easily as it seems just put attach the feeder wires every couple of feet or so and a reversing unit if necessary for reverse loops?..
The Zephyr is a great starter system. It shares many of the features of the Chief for a lot less money. In some respects it is more advanced than the Empire Builder. It has more functions and also has the CV program track with read back capability. I started with a Zephyr and it is still an integral part of my DCC system even though I have expanded it. This ability to build the system as your needs evolve without having to throw away what you started with is great. The Zephyr will easily run 4-8 locos with no problem, even those with sound decoders. It is a fixed console design, but for an extra $64.00 you can add a UT4 throttle and get yourself a walk around plug in throttle with additional function support. If in the end you want to add radio, more power, singalling etc. these modules are all compatible witht he Zephyr and can be purchased and simply plugged in. I have also added a PC interface and use the Decoder pro application for programming decoders.
Ihaven’t expanded, but I can vouch for the 4-6 locos. I’ve run 5 on my layout, but then again I only have a 5x8. On the club president’s layout we had 10 running on his Zephyr, and 3 to 4 were sound.
Forget the Empire Builder, you can’t read CV’s and even if you don’t know what that is, you will want to do it.
I did NOT start with radio, and it cost me to up grade. Should have started there. IR did NOT work.
I started with the Superchif and am not sorry, but there are many guys who have the Zephyr and like it. The best addition was the UT4r throttle. It is the one the grandkids argue over and I will sooner or latter have to get another one.
Keep us posted. If I would have asked better questions, I would have got better answers and would have gone radio DCC 2 years ealier and save a couple hundred bucks.
Apparently the Zepher only accesses function F0 - F8.
Some decoders use F12 to mute sound and some use F9 to shut down the sound. By adding a UT4 or DT400 throttle to the Zepher do you then have access to F0 - F12?
This would be important as many of us don’t like to run sound on more than one or two locos at the same time as it can be very annoying.
Can you upgrade to radio using the Zepher, assuming you only need the 2.5 amps? What components would you need to add?
If you eventually want 5 amps, do you pay extra for upgrading to radio when you start with the just the Zepher?
I guess I’m trying to figure out if there is anyway to upgrade to radio without paying a penalty?
I also bought the Zephyr and I love it. No problems running 5 locomotives and an additional feature I liked was that I could hook up 2 other DC power packs for additional power. Programming the engines to run using their assigned numbers was also easy. Good luck.
You are correct. Adding either a UT4 or DT400 gives you access to the other functions
You need to add a UR91 radio receiver, just plug it into the loconet, and a radio equipped throttle either a UT4r or a DT400r. Digitrax will upgrade the non radio UT and DT throttles for $50 a piece.
The booster is independent of the radio. If you want later to up your layout to 5 amps then add a DB150 booster.
As for the cost penalty.
A new Super Chief Radio set will cost you about $450.00 (includes 5A booster, UR91 and DT400r)
A Zephyr $149.00, UR91 $114.00, UT4r Throttle $100.00 for a total of $363.00 or $441 if you got the DT400r instead of the UT.
If you then want to add more power then a DB150 will set you back another $150.00 but of course you then end up with an extra 2.5A booster and throttle in the form of the Zephyr console to power another district (As I have done).
There’s no ‘penalty’ if you grow beyond the Zephyr, because even in a larger system you can still use the Zephyr as an extra 2.5 amp booster AND a throttle.
There’s even no cost penalty if you buy a DT400 throttle and later want to upgrade it to radio - Digitrax charges exactly the price difference between the DT400 and DT400R to upgrade the throttle to radio.
If you want to add an extra 5 amps AND radio - this is the place for the Super Empire Builder with Radio. You get the DB150 booster, a DT400R throttle, and the UR91 radio receiver. The total cost is less than buying each part seperately. Same dealif you want to upgrade withotu radio - this is the place of the SEB set. I do not recommend anyoen get the SEB as their only set - the lack of CV readback and no dedicate dprogramming tracl make it a less than ideal choice. Both the Zephyr adn Super Chief have more features than the SEB.
I went all out in 1998 and bought the Super Chief Radio. Eight years later and I couldn’t be happier. I upgraded to a DT-400R throttle but have not had to spend another dime on the system. And as you mentioned, your gonna spend as much on wiring with conventional DC and not have near the expandibility or versatility! How big of a layout are you talking about, physical size & # of locos, cars, scale, etc.? Tweet.
And not just the wiring. The operation is soooooooo much easier and better.
I have the system and can’t be more happy; however, it is not my primary system. That falls to a Lenz LZV100, with CVP wireless throttles.
I didn’t see anyone else answer this, so it is the main reason I am posting. For the most part YES. It depends on how big the layout really is, but for the most part it is two wires from the Zephyr to the track and go. A reversing loop is also just as easy; two wires from the auto reverser to the reversing section of track, and two wires to the DCC system and it is good to go.
are you sure about the higher number functions? i ask because i have an old chief set and even with a dt400 i can’t get the higher functions. digitrax do an upgrade to the DCS100 to give you the extra functions so it is not throttle related. i am wondering whether the zephyr has the higher functions built in or not?
thanks for that, do you think that an older DB150 that does not have the higher functions built in, could act as a booster to the higher function signals from a zephyr? would it know what the signal was/is?
I also have a DB150 as a booster with the Zephyr as the command station. Make sure the DB is configured as a booster, hook it to its own power district (Gaped from the Zephyr District) and link the Zephyr command station to the DB 150 with a loconet cable and you are away. One thing to look out for is that my DB 150 had its Track A and B outputs reversed with respect to the Zephyr. When a loco crossed from one district to the other bad things happened. It took me a while to figure out but all I had to do was reverse the A/B wires from the DB. All commands are available regardless of the power district that the loco is in.
Is it true that you have to dial in the loco on the digitrax wireless throttles and then plug them into the layout before you can control a loco wirelessly? Is it the same procedure if i want to switch locos on the fly? If thats the case its not true wireless, do they have an alternative that is true wireless?
It is “true” wireless, it’s just simplex (one-way) instead of duplex (two-way). With the FCC rules being what they are here in the U.S., simplex allows Digitrax to use a higher-power radio signal. And if you want evidence of what that higher-power signal buys you, just peruse both the Digitrax Yahoo! group, where there’s an occasional UR91 placement question, and the “System N” Yahoo! group, where there’s quite often threads on repeaters, “Radio Fixes” that apparently don’t fix anything, etc.
I really like much about the Digitrax systems but if wireless is a high priority I wonder if the better choice might not be Lenz with CVP radio throttles?
I’ve always been concerned about throttle response lag with radio. CVP mentions a possible 3 second lag when selecting locos. Does this really happen? This doesn’t sound like much but I know with my Lenz cordless phone setup I can switch back and forth between any of my locos much faster than this. When I’m running 2 or 3 trains at the same time this switching back and forth is important to me.
I would like to hear from someone with experience in this to say whether or not this is a legitimate concern. What about Digitrax throttle response? And maybe NCE radio outshines both Digitrax and Lenz/CVP??
I’m still thinking of going with the CVP radio but they’re expensive (Receiver $99 plus either $119 or $219 per throttle). I like the $219 throttle as it has an LCD display, shows speed steps and has an encoder speeed knob. But my cordless phone works so well I’m not sure it’s worth this cost just to get a knob and display???
I have had my Digitrax Zephyr for several years now without any problems. It will run 7-8 powered locos on my layout without problem. As many as 4 or 5 of them might have sound.
I started with the Zephyr and two MRC 1300 Power packs, from a predecessor layout, attached to the ‘jump’ ports. A total of 3-throttles.
Later on I added a DT400 to give me portable throttles and for the programming options. Recently I added a LocoBuffer-USB and the DecoderPro software to program with my P.C. and I sometimes use PanelPro to run the trains with the computer.
The Zephyr has performed flawlessly through all of the above. As my BRVRR layout is small and I have no need for radio throttles, I can’t speak to their reliability, versatility or cost.
You can’t go wrong with the Zephyr. It is expandable, reliable, and reasonably priced IMHO. There are pictures of my installation on my website. Go to the “Layout” page and scroll down.