Hornby select and bachmann class 20 digital sound problem

Hi Mark,

Good advice from Peter !

I suggest you phone the Hornby Service Helpline on 01843 235525 & ask about sending the unit directly to them for sorting out - at least you will have a fully functioning Select to sell if you go for Lenz or Digitrax. Hornby's Service Department is usually pretty good.

Don't forget if you send it back to enclose a list off all the faults.

There should be no "out of warranty" issues as the Select has only been available for a matter of months.

The only other thing I could suggest (& I don't know if it's possible on the Select anyway) is to try a factory reset - often works with all manner of things digital (not just model railways !).

Please keep us informed.

Make sure its the market price difference not the retail price difference however that is a very good idea that Doug has come up with. Hornby should offer discount trade in vouchers with all the sets to give an incentive to those who have outgrown the Select to trade up to an Elite.

QUOTE Trade in your Select with the voucher and get £40 off the price of an Elite

Sounds good to me!

Don't know how it would sound to Hornby!

Happy modelling
Gary

Seeing as you can pick up a secondhand or split from train-set Select for £28 to £38, I doubt if the trade in allowance would be more than £20 to £25.

Anyway, Hornby aren't going to be interested in such a trade in scheme. They'd say, "use your old Select as an additional throttle/controller with your Elite".

QUOTE (markw @ 6 Mar 2007, 14:34) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>You're probably right , but i like the idea and if you don't ask you definately won't get.....................
In your case absolutely right. Give it a try.

I was commenting on Gary's suggestion of a trade in scheme.

Clearly there is a problem with your Select. It seems that early Select units may have had this fault - at least Model Rail's unit did, and it's been suggested that the first Selects produced went into the sets and that those sold separately may be better.

I'd contact Hornby directly . Regardless of warranties, F5-8 should work and if they don't they you have some recourse. Added to which I get the strong impression much of the Hornby dealer network hasn't got a clue about DCC. My own local shop has been sellling the sets despite the fact that neither the proprietor nor his 2 regular assistants have ever handled any kind of DCC equipment themselves. If you approach Hornby directly , at least you'll be dealing with someone familiar with DCC and the Select

It's worth saying that the Select (and Elite) are designed to be Xpressnet systems , so in principle it should be possible to use the Select as an extra controller with a full Lenz system (not the Compact? but presumably including the Roco Multimaus) Mind you , in principle F5-8 on the Select work .

However a Select definitely cannot be used in connection with a system from Gaugemaster, NCE, or Digitrax (although for the record it should in theory be possible to link it to a ZTC system), and presumably the same will apply to Bachmann's Dynamis

Toys R Us and Argos and others no doubt will be selling digital sets. Would you expect their staff to be trained in DCC?

In Germany do Marklin and Fleischmann have a presense in the equivalent German outlets?

Hornby have an established dealer service center network to support servicing and this list is included with every set. Not every Hornby outlet is a service centre. Non service centre outlets either contact their local service centre or Hornby directly who may refer them to their local service centre.

Thats how it works in the UK which seems a reasonable approach and no doubt a similar approach is utilised in Germany.

How many other DCC manufacturers can offer such a comprehensive network of service centres to support the hundreds of thousands of annual sales made?

We should remember that this is the market that Hornby, Marklin, Fleischmann, etc are in.

Happy modelling
Gary

Everybody has huge question marks about DCC!

The only way to have those huge questions answered is to go out and buy a DCC set up and try it for yourself.

Thats what markw did!

We can talk about DCC until the cows come home but until you try it in your own time you are never going to know!

Its simple really. If you believe the Hornby Select is not for you then look elsewhere!

If you believe that it is then fine!

markw was drawn in by the value offered by one of the Hornby digital sets and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this way of thinking.

We can sometimes focus too much on what something does not do and loose sight of the fact that it does actually do something!

Happy modelling
Gary