I’m getting to the point where I might convert some locomotives to DCC…my first question is: why would anyone want to use a DCC system with the plug-in controllers vs. the remotes?
I suspect there has to be some reason for tethering yourself to the layout when you could freely walk around, but I don’t know what it would be.
I think I must be missing something. Can someone enlighten me as to the advantages of cords vs. remote if there are any?
Tethered throttles are cheaper and don’t need batteries and if they have batteries don’t drain them so fast. Movement is restricted, but in most cases you can unplug move around the layout and plug back in at another location and resume control
Wireless offers more freedom of movement, costs quite a bit more and uses batteries.
My layout uses a tethered DCC system, because at the time I bought it I simply didn’t think the wireless option was worth the added expense. That was probably 8 or 10 years ago, and my opinion hasn’t changed.
Probably the reason it hasn’t is because I’ve also operated on layouts with both wired and wireless DCC systems of various brands, and to be perfectly honest, whether or not I have to plug in has never really made any difference as to how enjoyable any of those layouts were.
Oh, and with the cord that comes with my throttles is long enough that I can “freely walk around” that part of the layout where the train is. Yes, I have to unplug and replug every so often as the train progresses through the layout, but unless for some reason I had to keep running back and forth from one end of the layout to the other, it’s really not an issue.
So yeah, every so often tell myself I “should” go wireless, but when I give it a realistic spot on my list of priorities, it always ends up near the bottom.
I started out with tethered. I have upgraded to Duplex wireless and wouldn’t go back.
Depends on how you operate, and how big your layout is. Mine’s just not big enough right now to justify the expense of radio, from a single plug in I can reach nearly the entire thing. With two plug in panels I definitely could reach any location on the layout from one or the other. Someday, when I have a bigger layout room, then I’ll go wireless.
–Randy
Our club uses both tethered and radio throttles for the portable modules. At one show there were nine different layouts inside one gymnasium. Our radio throttles were going nuts with interference from other radio signals. The not so wise FCC has limited frequencies for use by DCC manufactures. They also cross talk with some cordless phones and key fobs. Lenz has a device that hooks into the throttle buss that allows a cordless phone to be used as a throttle. One op session on a friends radio Digitrax system had a funky thing happen that we traced to his wife’s key fob. When she locked her car the horn started blowing on a loco that was running.
IR throttles need line of site to work like your TV remote.
Tethered throttles have no issues like that.
Pete