Having followed the posts here & asked a number of questions I have come to some conclusions that I will put forward for others to demolish & perhaps even to help beginners as confused as me!
I should start by saying that whilst price is not the main factor like most people my resources are finite & this could be a factor. I do however think that all DCC systems are expensive & when spending £200+ I would find it silly not to buy what I like. I want a handset type controller.
I decided that feedback loops were irrelevant as I do not anticipate computer control.
Here are my thought having tried the different systems.
1. Gaugemaster/ MRC. I liked this system considerably & really it did most things that I would want. It had a slightly lower rated output than the others but overall I was very impressed. It was initially much the cheapest & did what I wanted it to do. I would consider importing this myself as the UK price is higher than the world price.
2. Lenz 90 & 100. Lets get rid of the 90 first. It did not tell me what was going on - no screen - & just did not appeal compared to the 100. Again it did what I wanted but felt "light" & insubstantial with no backlight to the display. It did not seem to do anything for me that the Gaugemaster did not do & yet cost more in the UK. Lenz may be the brand leader but they did not appeal to me. At the import price of about £170 rather than the UK price of £240 it makes much more sense. The telephone remote idea is ingenious but there is absolutely no indication on the telephone handset which loco you are controlling etc which reduces its value considerably.
3. Digitrax. Again did what I wanted & I loved the remote feature. Being infra red it is fairly line of sight but would I think work for me. Why on earth they have not made the lead removable from the handset when it is used as a remote I cannot imagine! Didn't like the feel of the handset as much as the Gaugemaster or NCE but not that significant. For me this is a two handed control which is unhelpful when shunting etc. World & UK prices very similar.
4, Zimo. Wow! Price just too high for me.
5. NCE. This is the one I liked best. The handset felt lovely and was very easy to use single handed. Seemed very logical & well thought out. The backlit display is nice for when I want to run trains in the semi light so that I can see my lighting effect & overall it just had a quality feel. Unfortunately the remote version is both a lot more money & illegal for use in the UK. World & UK prices very similar.
6. The new NCC budget system. This is potentially a real bargain. For £95 you get the full NCE handset & functionality and a complete system that is rated at 1.5 amps. For an extra £40 you can make this three amps which I think is probably enough for me & most others. I could easily be tempted by this.
7. Bachmann. A bargain if you want very little but far too limited for me.
I would be interested to hear what others think of my observations.
Chris
I should start by saying that whilst price is not the main factor like most people my resources are finite & this could be a factor. I do however think that all DCC systems are expensive & when spending £200+ I would find it silly not to buy what I like. I want a handset type controller.
I decided that feedback loops were irrelevant as I do not anticipate computer control.
Here are my thought having tried the different systems.
1. Gaugemaster/ MRC. I liked this system considerably & really it did most things that I would want. It had a slightly lower rated output than the others but overall I was very impressed. It was initially much the cheapest & did what I wanted it to do. I would consider importing this myself as the UK price is higher than the world price.
2. Lenz 90 & 100. Lets get rid of the 90 first. It did not tell me what was going on - no screen - & just did not appeal compared to the 100. Again it did what I wanted but felt "light" & insubstantial with no backlight to the display. It did not seem to do anything for me that the Gaugemaster did not do & yet cost more in the UK. Lenz may be the brand leader but they did not appeal to me. At the import price of about £170 rather than the UK price of £240 it makes much more sense. The telephone remote idea is ingenious but there is absolutely no indication on the telephone handset which loco you are controlling etc which reduces its value considerably.
3. Digitrax. Again did what I wanted & I loved the remote feature. Being infra red it is fairly line of sight but would I think work for me. Why on earth they have not made the lead removable from the handset when it is used as a remote I cannot imagine! Didn't like the feel of the handset as much as the Gaugemaster or NCE but not that significant. For me this is a two handed control which is unhelpful when shunting etc. World & UK prices very similar.
4, Zimo. Wow! Price just too high for me.
5. NCE. This is the one I liked best. The handset felt lovely and was very easy to use single handed. Seemed very logical & well thought out. The backlit display is nice for when I want to run trains in the semi light so that I can see my lighting effect & overall it just had a quality feel. Unfortunately the remote version is both a lot more money & illegal for use in the UK. World & UK prices very similar.
6. The new NCC budget system. This is potentially a real bargain. For £95 you get the full NCE handset & functionality and a complete system that is rated at 1.5 amps. For an extra £40 you can make this three amps which I think is probably enough for me & most others. I could easily be tempted by this.
7. Bachmann. A bargain if you want very little but far too limited for me.
I would be interested to hear what others think of my observations.
Chris