[neil_s_wood]

QUOTE Another question. Does a loco require more than one address reserved if sound and lights are fitted?

No but it has the advantage of having the decoder already fitted.

QUOTE Now given that I class myself as an average proprietory home hobbyist playing with transient set track layouts my largest ever home layout had 19 points, 8 signals and had 6 trains on the track at any one time. This was an exception and 10 points is more the norm.

How many addresses would I need to have this all under DCC control?

You would only need two as a bare minimum but then you would have a basic obsolete system with no room for expansion.

QUOTE OK I may have more than 10 locomotives but I would never go out and buy a chip for them all. I may have a pool of chips which I can move around depending on which locos I want to have a DCC play with.
You've obviously never fitted a decoder to a Hornby steam loco, as mentioned previously see Dougs efforts with the A3 and Brittania. You're only going to put yourself through this once. As I mentioned elsewhere to fit a decoder to a Hornby steam loco you're talking several hours as opposed to European locos where it can actually be seconds. In reality no-one is ever going to do this.

All these questions are really missing the point though. Yes you will get by with a two digit address system but it is not an international standard. It's a bit like buying a Betamax video it will work but no one else is using it. At the end of the day to a non DCC user a two digit addressing system may seem ok but once you learn about what you're doing and your limitations you probably will regret it.

 

[neil_s_wood]

QUOTE Maybe we need to look more closely at functions?
Even in this respect the Hornby Elite is still behind the market average. According to Hornbys website the Elite only has 9 functions. Newer systems like the Roco MultiMaus and the ESU ECos have 20.

QUOTE Very intresting we keep on coming back to that old chestnut conformability. Personally I couldnt careless what Hornby do. I'm not intresting in DCC on the cheap. It going to intresting to see how many Elite and Select units will be availble on Ebay and at Swap meets in the new year. An opportunity missed
At the end of the day 50 addresses would probably do you, which I'm sure is what the purpose of this thread was, to prove the Hornby DCC attempts weren't below average. The point is that it does not conform with what any one else is doing. Like 00 scale it will help cut off the UK from the rest of the modelling world. This may benefit Hornby as it means that outsiders are unlikely to want to encroach on their territory and prevent competition. But it does nothing for choice in the UK market which has led to the lack of quality that is served up by the local manufacturer.

Ultimately the Hornby DCC will likely become popular with many local modellers as they are unaware of anything else and it may well be their first introduction to the concept. Those who are more clued up will obviously buy the better systems that are available overseas. But with such a huge market there is room for many products, even those who live in "the dark ages" with analogue. So really buy what ever suits your needs. Personally I am disappointed that Hornby continuously fail to take the initiative and act in a way to preserve their market dominance to the detriment of the customer.

 

[neil_s_wood]

QUOTE There is absolutely no way going forward that we should be sniping at UK Hornby DCC users just because they are considered to have a "junior" system by the DCC elite. How does this reflect on the incumbant DCC community?
Fair enough. I'm not having a go at the user so much as Hornby but then what you have said about how much people in the UK are prepared to pay is probably correct. I'm sure Hornby have done their market research accurately and have tailored a system to the maximum people will pay.

 

[neil_s_wood]

QUOTE I presume you refering to me with the sniping. Thats a bit unfair since the point I was making BROTHERS is the specification on the Elite should have been a little sharper. I've made my point you may not agree, but thats what forums are all about.
I actually thought he was having a go at me?

I agree with what you say completely about the Elite. If you are going to have two systems one of which is a beginner system and an alleged advanced system, then it would be reasonable to expect that the advanced system should have the features typically associated with advanced systems. The Elite we have established doesn't have these so it is a mid range system and should really be considered as such.

I can see Garys arguement that these Hornby systems are essentially the DCC equivelant of McDonalds, cheap, cheerful and will suffice for the majority of newcomers to digital. It isn't aimed at people who are into DCC, it's aimed at people who aren't. So my issues are really about the way it is being overportrayed.

I might have another look at Digitrax after what you said, I had done before but discounted them, I can't remember why. Local support here in Ozz is good as it seems to be the most popular DCC system here.

 

[neil_s_wood]

QUOTE BTW Neil I don't think you can go wrong with Digitrax, it's a mature developed system that can be expanded almost indefinately. Normally there's good support and it's well suited to larger layouts.It's the support that appeals to me. The Yanks are good at customer service.