Page 25 - 38. MRH13-04-Apr2013
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I did a clinic at a lot of NMRA conventions up until about 5 years
ago, entitled, "
DCC-Ready? The Good, The Bad, and The UGLY!"
In it, I dealt with the state of DCC-awareness at that time. On my
website
), I have a page
about the subject. This page has a link to the presentation from
my NMRA clinic, for a historical perspective. You may wish to
detour there before going further in this column.
First, let me state that things are getting better. A decade
ago, the terminology was very confusing as manufacturers
scrambled to be able to claim some level of DCC-awareness.
Alas, many of these locos are still on the shelves, so the watch
phrase is “caveat emptor" – buyer beware.
Terminology
I’m going to define what I feel are correct categories and then
work forward with what is on the market to fit MY criteria. This
is MY terminology, not some bureaucratic definition.
1: Blackstone HOn3 loco designed by the SoundTraxx
folks. Photo courtesy of Blackstone Models.
1
DCC Impulses Column - 2
DCC-Installed
This means that there is a DCC decoder in the loco as it comes
from the manufacturer. It may be a motor and light decoder; or
a decoder for motor, lights and sound.
Frequently, although the loco packaging sounds as if it features
a name-brand decoder, that decoder may be a downgraded
version. Some loco manufacturers order special decoders
from the well-known sound decoder manufacturers, but with
reduced features to reduce cost. Most times, the manufacturer
won’t tell you about the downgrade on the box.
Bucking that trend are the Blackstone (1) locomotives. Since
they were designed by the folks at SoundTraxx, they have
full featured Tsunami decoders in the models that are “DCC
Installed” and the box clearly says “Tsunami Installed.”
A prime example of the downgrade are the Bachmann locos
sold in the 2010 timeframe that were marketed as having
“Tsunami Technology”. Yes, the decoders were manufactured
by SoundTraxx, using “Tsunami Technology” in terms of
the sound recording quality. However, Bachmann asked
SoundTraxx to work to a budget. That required a less expensive
microprocessor and memory chip. Features were sacrificed on
the alter of price. Some folks refer to them as “Pseudonamis”.
I must, however, give credit to Bachmann. They didn’t say that
they had Tsunamis in them. The box said that the locos had
“DCC sound on-board”.
“In the world of non-sound decoders, the
manufacturers frequently don't spring for the
top of the line decoder ...”
MRH-Apr 2013
