I’m constantly amazed and sometimes perplexed at the vast array of technological advances and gizmos hitting the mainstream market today. And, it seems that this great hobby hasn’t escaped that technological surge either, with amazingly detailed advances on its own accord.
Being fairly new to the hobby, I thought that I would ‘pick the brains’ of the more seasoned veterans of the hobby in helping me to make some decisions on a new DCC starter system – something that I have no experience with (but am looking forward to).
I’m at that point where my tracklaying is now complete, and I am currently preparing myself to launch into the part of the hobby that used to intimidate me the most – the wiring! After careful reading, comparisons, research, and trying out some different DCC starter systems at the various local shows and meets, I have decided on the NCE DCC PH-Pro 5 Amp System for all of the many reasons that it appealed to me. My question is whether I should go with the wireless system or the conventional system.
My HO scale layout is roughly 38’ x 12’ in size, and is located in the basement of our home. It contains two major yards and terminals for passenger traffic, and I have already established where
If you get the Pro without radio, you can always add it later if you want to. It really is a personal preference thing. Having a throttle you can carry around means that you can walk around with your trains. If you have radio you simply walk around and that is it. All you have to worry about is battery consumption and managing rechargeable batteries. If you have a tethered system you have to make sure you have positioned panels at strategic points and then unplug and replug as you move around. My personal preference is radio, but that choice is up to you.
With the size of the layout, radio would probably be the better option. No cords to trip over and get tangled up in. With a smalelr layout where everything would be in reach of the length of the throttle cable, you could skip the wireless and add it later, but even a centrally located plug in panel would not allow you to reach your entire layotu without unplugging and plugging in elsewhere. Radio is more expensive, but more convenient. Alternately, if you hook a computer up tot he system, you can use JMRI (highly recommended) to not only program locos but also use things like the WiThrottle app (for iPod/iPhone/iPad) or ENgine Driver (for Android) to use a smartphone or tablet to control the layout wirelessly (through your wifi router).
Our club uses the 5 amp Power Pro but we wired in different places to plug in the cab and works quite well for us. We did not want to deal with issues that might pop up with wireless.
I have the 5 amp Power Pro-R system at home. My layout is about 30’X30’, and was designed so operators could esily follow their trains. Tethered cabs (like the NCE Cab 04) work fine for most jobs, but having radio capability is helpful for a couple of reasons - 1) every operator isn’t concerned about finding an open plug, which makes life easier for the guys on tethered throttles, and 2) I have a few operators who liked the NCE system enough to buy their own cabs, and they preferred radio, so having radio on my layout allows them to use their radio cabs.
I did wire a throttle bus for the whole layout, so either a tethered or radio cab can be used anywhere. If the extra cost of the radio starter system is something you can absorb, I’d get that so the option is there for when you want it. You don’t have to purchase any more radio cabs for the rest of the crew so you can save some money there initially, and NCE will upgrade the tethered cabs to radio later for the same cost as the differential between the two.
I almost skipped this thread when I saw the title.
The NCE PH-Pro 5 amp system is hardly a starter system.
I have a 25’ x 42’ layout, and it is powered by the NCE PH-Pro 5 amp system. I started out with the sysyem 8 years ago, along with two tethered throttles and too many UTP panels and connecting cables to count. Just this past summer I upgraded to wireless and bought the base station and antenna and sent in both throttles to NCE for conversion.
Do yourself a favor and go with the wireless system from the outset. In the long run, it will be cheaper than the wired system. True, my initial purchase was less expensive than had I gone wireless from the outset. But, when I add up the cost of the numerous UTP panels and cables, plus the eventual cost of the base station and antenna, and the cost of conversion of the two throttles, I would have been better off going wireless from the outset.
Besides, you will get tired fast of moving along your layout, plugging and unplugging the throttle as you move along.
EeeH Eyee - I usually install a piece of track, wire it, test it, before going on. That way if there is an electrical problem with that one piece of track I find it right away instead of troubleshooting the whole layout all at once. Perphaps that is why it is intimidating.
To me the choice between wired and wireless is simple. Once one uses a wireless system going back to plugging and unplugging cords, hunting for a place to plug, tangling cords, tripping over other operators cords, and never having enough plugs in the right place … just seems silly. If you can afford a wireless system just do it now.
The first upgrade I propose to most people’s layouts is to go wireless.
Thanks for the welcome to the forum, and advice folks. It seems like my intial thoughts on the wireless may have been correct in that it truly does add an element of ease to the layout aisles without plugging and unplugging tethers as I move along with the trains.
Based on some other reading that I’ve done on the subject, it seems that most users of the wireless system seem quite pleased with how it works. I can’t recall exactly where I read it, but NCE has really improved the response time of the Cab Control from the first generation of PH-Pro-R’s to the second.
By comparison, the price difference between the tethered and wireless isn’t too staggering, so I think that wireless may provide me with the functions, reliability, and ease of use that I’m looking for.
Thanks for all of the advice and opinions. It sure helps when you can talk to people who know what they are doing!
I have the NCE Power Pro Radio with two throttles for my HO scale home layout, and we use the same system with five radio throttles at our large HO scale club layout.
Once you experience the freedom offered by radio throttles of not having to hunt for a place to plug in a throttle or get wires tangled up when two or more operators are in the same location and trying to use the same panel, you’d never consider tethered throttles.
I know that quite a few people I have spoken to have raved about the wireless system. I guess that with my extremely limited knowledge on radio/wireless applications, I wasn’t sure if something like that would experience problems in a basement, where sometimes signals can be rather weak on other wireless household systems. But, I guess with the base unit firmly placed in a nice central spot, the signal is going to be pretty strong.
Has anyone had to purchase extra repeaters for their system?
My layout is in the basement, and it is located beneath my family room, kitchen and the laundry room, two rooms with lots of appliances and electronics. The layout is L-shaped, measuring 25’ x 42’. Off to the side of the layout is my furnace and two water heaters.
I have no signal interference problems whatsoever. I use no repeaters, just the RB02 base station and antenna. The base station and antenna sit on the top of the layout where the L-shape is formed. I have even operated the throttle below the surface of the layout, outside of a direct line to the antenna.
One of the most frustrating things about the internet is how old information persists for so long. It has been some yearrs since NCE took corrective action for issues with radio reception. Yet here we are with existing users having to defend the current performance. If you are a Digitrax user you are more aware of this phenomena.
I went out and purchased the PH-Pro-R, and am pretty excited to see how this little marvel works. Now begins the task of wiring, which doesn’t seem to be all that difficult to do. I’ll take my time with it, and work carefully.
Thanks to everyone that answered my questions on this topic. Once again, the MR forums are a proverbial lifesaver!
I’m looking forward to seeing something other than a bunch of parked trains on my layout!!!
Don’t be in a rush and skip over steps in the instructions. If you follow them EXACTLY it absolutely will work, unless you got the unlucky one that once in a while slips past quality control. Skip a step in the wiring instructions and you may end up frustrated and chasing your tail around. It’s NOT hard, really it’s not, but there are some specifics of what needs to go where and what buttons need to be pressed.
Once going though, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do this sooner. Up until the time you accidently pull a Gomez Addams and have a cornfield meet.[:D]
The next time that you build a 38’ x 12’ layout, wire your feeders periodically instead of installing all of your track first before installing any feeders.
I fear that you are going to run into problems along the way as you now wire up that very large layout.
As Randy says, take your time, testing as you go, so that any wiring problems become apparent as the work progresses.
It has also been my experience that very few feeders will actually power the entire layout, but don’t be lulled into a false sense of complacency. Stick to your plan of wiring feeders at reasonable intervals. I have found that it makes sense to install feeders at the end of every leg of every turnout.