OK, recently bought a whole bunch of MRC stuff…had bad experience before but thought since their RC charger still going ok, I’ll gie them another try een though didn’t quite like the tech support…
Anyway, will post more details later depends how they handle this latest incident! [:-^]
And the latest incident would be? 
MRC makes good power packs. They should stick to making good power packs.
Ive gotten lucky with thier 4-4-0 sound/DCC so far. *Knock on wood.
The rest of it I dont trust. I did buy a very expensive RC boat that did not work and that was like 20+ years ago. I think the durn thing is still rotting away in my old home.
My MRC “Ampack” is still working great, powering my test track. I think it is 45 years old. It still looks very handsome too with its copper body.
Dave Nelson
Congratulations. This thread has to take the prize for the most unfounded slam of a manufacturer yet and followed by 20+ year event substantiation. I, however, am very well pleased with the Prodigy Express, upgraded to Advance, and the Symphony77. Don
The only consistently negative comments on MRC products I’ve read are for their DCC decoders. Lots of reported problems.
The Prodigy DCC systems, however, score high with folks and their various sound systems (312, Synchro Sound, City and Country) are excellent little units, especially for for small layouts.
Don: I’ve seen the Symphony77 in ads, but haven’t seen one live. The ads seem to imply that the sound is in stereo or seems to move around the room. Any truth to that? Any neat features that the earlier units didn’t have?
Mike Tennent
Iceman,
Can you please tell us specifically what MRC items you are having trouble with? There has been negative feedback regarding their DCC/Sound decoders (of which I have posted), however as mentioned, MRC DC powerpacks are excellent performers, especially the newer Tech series.
Just a friendly suggestion, but if you’re going to slam a company on a thread then at least list the reason you are doing so with some details.
Peace[swg]
Are you referring to the MDC 4-4-0 (Model Die Casting/Roundhouse)?? Only MRC (Model Rectifier Corporation) loco’s I’m aware of are diesels…which going by their website I’m guessing they’re discontinuing, since they seem to have a firesale going on them.
They’ve got bad raps? Are their rhymes weak? Do they not lay down a good beat?
I’ve got two Tech II power packs, one of the expansion throttles and another copper skinned powerpack of theirs and I love them all.
I thought their engines were just Athearn with some tweak?
MRC gets bad reps?[%-)] They make THE BEST power packs- bar none. I will say some of the Tech 4 260s have been defective- they would constantly overload, no matter what. I sent mine in, and once I got it back it workd GREAT. I’m planning to get another Tech 4 as my budget allows.
Which is why Im sticking to my position that MRC makes powerpacks.
Digitrax may have the weight in the home but there is always a Tech pack or two ready for use.
MTennant. it is the division of sounds between the two speakers and the overlay with background random sounds which give the illusion of a surround sound or stereo production. This is on a small layout basis. Doubt if larger layouts would experience the same level. The Dolby effect by merely turning the volume knob is great. The selection from several horn and whistle sounds allows a variable for my freelanced railroad as does the separation of diesel and steam. It is perhaps the best $60. I’ve spent lately. Don
Thanks for the follow-up, Don.
I’ll have to get my hands on one and play with it.
Mike Tennent
I have 1 TechII that is 31 years old and still works!!
Yo, I’m Da MRC and I’m here to say
I gotz da voltage yo, and I’m here to stay
I got the power to the throttle as you can see
And the AC juice for your accessories
I rock da layout, I 'm da freshest pack
I ain’t no Digitraxx, yo that be wack
I be givin’ up the power to all da locos
I even get props from all my HOs…cale trains.
[(-D]
I love your rap, and I hate rap music for the most part, but yours was was great!
As for issues with MRC products, as everyone here has stated, they make a great power pack, I’ve got 2 Tech2’s, one 25 years old, the other 20 and both work great. I also run a Prodigy Express system on my layout as my choice of DCC and for my small layout it works perfectly. I’ve even had semi decent luck with their 1650 basic decoder, although I’ve had more of those fail than any other vendor/model. In general I use Digitrax decoders but for train control systems, MRC has always been my choice of system.
OK, couple of years back, bought a RC charger, top of the line at the time. It has dual output but came with a tiny power supply and keeps tripping protection even with small charging current and then the charger just goes crazy and became non-responding…I live outside the US and they want me to send it all the way back to them despite clearly a faulty product…bought a 20A power supply myself and that solved the problem…kept away from MRC for 2 years…
Then I got into trains and was tossing up either a MRC Advance or a Digitrax system. Called both tech support asking some questions and when I called MRC, I thought ‘hmmm, this guy is not a happy guy, what happens if I have problem in the future if I buy MRC?’. Then how stupid of me picking the MRC Advanced despite my fears. I mean the product is goood, simple to use but silly me didn’t notice it doesn’t have a read back feature to read decode programming feedback. Then I also bought a whole bunch of the switching machine dcoders. 1 out of 4 is faulty. Called the tech guy an he wanted me to send it back despite it will cost me more than half of what I paid for the decoder plus at least 3 weeks turn-around time. I can understand they want the old one back but it’s a clearly faulty product again and such high return expense for me.
I mean if I have problem with ANY Atlas, Precision Craft or LokSound, NO QUESTONS ASKED, they just send me a new one if they determine over the phone that it’s faulty. Even Walthers, replacing faulty and wrong items without a question. Guess who’s products I am going to buy from now on?!
Anyway, wish I had purchased Digitrax or NCE because I just can’t be bothered ringing MRC if I have a problem or question because it’s just a waste of time and money especially whre I am, it’s 12 hours time difference with the US EST.
I only post the problem now because I actualy got onto the so-called Customer Service
Sorry, I was just going to wait to see i they respond favourablly before I post negative feedbacks…but it looks like they left me no choice…please see above…
Did you like it?
I also bought one and thought it was very ordinary…in fact, it sound worse than my Precision Crat E7A’s with built-in sound decoder…I thought…especially if you run a consist with 2 of them and then now we ae rocking! LOL I’ll post the new video in my other threas ‘Conclusion about sound in N’.
BTW, their stationary decoder instruction also bad too!
It tells you to programme it with an accessory address with their MRC DCC’s then in the Prodigy manual, it say the stationary decoder uses loco address and turn out cannot be programmed using accessory address because incompatibility with their own decoder. So the manaul and the system’s ‘route’ completely rendered useless with their own stationary decoder so lucky I only got them for my yard…you can still try to do it but only with universal consist with loco addresses but then that’s kind of cumbersome because everytime thee is a short or reboot, the system sort of all ‘runs back to mamma’ and stwitch on all the universal consist of the switc-outs all at the same time despite clearing the universal consists prior and muck up all my routes…and then trains just start flying everywhere…