QUOTE (Gordon H @ 30 Nov 2006, 00:44)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Thanks for that. I realise it is difficult in such a situation to discern the 'worth' (for want of a better term) of any postings, hence my reluctant inclusion of a bit of background.
Hopefully we will be able to persuade the manufacturers that production of relevant specification material (not just salesman's hype) is a worthwhile pursuit. As in most industries, I suspect that the people who write the stuff we get to see are salesmen rather than engineers. What we really need to see are the back pages of the user guides, not glossy brochures!
If the intention is merely to get people talking about the kit to raise awareness, it seems to backfire very badly once the ill-informed speculation starts. That's not to say it is all bad information, intentionally or otherwise - it's just unsubstantiated. All this could be avoided by providing a few of the relevant facts up front, and there seems to be no obvious reason why this couldn't be done.
The lack of information is what is really fueling the speculation. If more information from the manufacturer was forthcoming it would put an end to it. Unfortunately the tendency is for people to bridge the information gap with their suspicions or bias rather than hard facts.
Most manufacturers you'd have thought would go out of their way to publicise what their system can do. The Ecos and new Viessmann products are highly spec'ed and have quite a bit of information on their spec's and capabilities. If a manufacturer is going quiet you know there is something wrong.
As Doug said if you look at the previous threads on the Hornby Select you can see why any DCC thread is closed down immediately. I would ignore the "self appointed experts" comment as the individual who made this remark will not accept any source of information other then Hornby as factual and gets incredibly defensive where Hornby are concerned. Don't take it personally. Anyone who disagrees with him falls into this category.
QUOTE As in most industries, I suspect that the people who write the stuff we get to see are salesmen rather than engineers
You got that right. My suspicion in this case is that they had a say in the design too.
QUOTE Just for the record then, my active involvement with DCC started back in 1998 when I designed my own Command Station from scratch, just using the NMRA Standards and RP documents. Come and see me using it on the MERG stand at Warley if you like, this weekend.
Having gone through the process myself of deciding which of the available features to include in my system, I respectfully suggest that I am in a rather better position than most to interpret what other manufacturers have implemented - if only they'd tell us!
In my opinion that would make you an expert. I'd be interested to hear your views on some of the current DCC command stations available?
Any views or preferences you'd like to share with us?