I installed a LokSoundMicro 3.5 decoder in an HO Spectrum 44 tonner and purchased what I wrongly assumed was a re-engineered “sound chassis” for a Stewart/Bowser VO-1000 with a LokSound 3.5 decoder and have the same problem with each. The engine bell and “air” sounds are O.K. but the horns are TERRIBLE! I thought it might have been my installation in the 44 tonner, given the size of the speaker and the small box I made for it but, alas, the VO-1000 is equally lame. I have written LokSound and Bowser about this but wanted to do two things here. First, I want to ask, is there something I am missing, some CV settings I can adjust? Second, I want to warn others that if this is the usual sound for LokSound decoder horns, run the other way! I paid for a “sound chassis” to get a professional installation when I could have done it myself for $100 less had I known the facts. No, I do not intend to purchase a Loksound programmer and spend another $100 plus! It may be the nature of the beast and then I’d be stuck with two bad sounding decoders and a programmer I had little use for. Help!!
Using terms like TERRIBLE and LAME doesnt help us understand what is wrong with the horns. Is the horn the wrong sound? Is the horn too quiet? Do the speakers rattle when the horn is played? What?
In terms of LokSound decoders, their major advantage is 2 fold:
They have individual sounds for their notches.
They are completely downloadable.
I personally prefer LokSound decoders because of the 2 above reasons. I also like to put my own horn sounds into the units because the horn I want isnt available with the default sound schemes.
OTOH, If you dont want your LokSound decoders, send them to me. Ill take’em
In the mean time, I suggest you find someone LOCAL who uses LokSound decoders and chat with him or her. There has to be someone…
Thanks for your reply. The horn sounds not much like an air-horn but more like a very “tinny” mechanical horn, like on a car. I will try to locate a modeler with a LokSound programmer to help me with this. Bowser also offered to re-do the decoder if I send it back. I appreciate your imput.
Take a look at the documentation and list of CVs that came with the decoder. You may be able to switch to a different horn sound simply by changing a CV, something you can do on your own layout without a separate programmer. Most of the sound decoders I own have this feature available. I don’t know if it’s a “standard” thing where the same CV is used by everyone, or if each manufacturer decides for himself which CV to use. So, read the book.
If you don’t have a CV list, there is probably one you can find on-line given the model of the decoder.
If you get the decoder re-programmed with a different horn, make sure the programmer turns up the sound of the horn. This can only be done with the LokProgrammer.
Not always - there IS an ‘alternate horn’ slot for a second horn sound. The PCM Reading T-1’s came with two whistle sounds programmed - the default one was a multi-chime passenger horn similar to what may have appeared at one time or another on T-1’s in excursion service (Rail Rambles, or AFT), the secondary horn was close to the Reading shrieking freight whistle that the T-1’s had while in revenue service. It uses a different function, naturally - so one of the first things I did was remap them so F2 played the freight whistle. And the next thing I did was adjust the volume levels - the whistle was quiet compared to the chuffs and other sounds. There are CVs to adjust this ratio - I pretty much reversed it, I think the range is 1-10, and it had the other sounds at 10 and whistle at 5 - I changed it so the other sounds were 5 and the whistle 10.
For trnj - what kind of horn sound are you expecting? One that sounds like a modern train? Both those locos most likely would have had single note honkers from Leslie or WABCO and they are not particularly pelasing - a dirty one sounds like a dying goose, and even one in top condition is far from musical like a nice 5 chime. I did once ride behind a 44-tonner that someone with an airhorn colelction bolted on a 5-chime off a Reading RS-3, but the standard horn on a 44-tonner was nothing to write home about. Check some of the air horn web sites, theyhaev samples of may different horns - listen to the single chime ones, that all you should probably expect here. But note in my previous post, you probably have to adjust the relative strngths of the engines and horn sounds to get the horn louder relative to the engine noises.
If you have the programmer you can change each part of the sound chip. In our group we have bought it and one has the knowledge. This way I’ve got the sound for my 44-ton.
