Good decoders for RTR Athearns


B

bigB

Active Member
Can anyone recommend their favorite decoders for HO RTR "DCC Quick Plugged" type Athearn engines?

Thanks
 
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If these are the ones that have 8 pin plugs, I recommend anything that has the 8-pin plug from Lenz or NCE. I have tried Digitrax, NCE, and Lenz, and I like the latter two the best.
 
If these are the newest ones with an active 8 pin plug, any good decoder will do, as for the older type with only the 9pin plug usable, I'd suggest the NCE D13SRJ as its a 4 function decoder for a good price.
 
ThoroughBreed said:
If these are the newest ones with an active 8 pin plug, any good decoder will do, as for the older type with only the 9pin plug usable, I'd suggest the NCE D13SRJ as its a 4 function decoder for a good price.
Click to expand...

All the Athearns I have bought have been purchased in the last 2 years. All of them say that they take a jst 9 pin plug. I know the old bluebox ones take the solderless hookup types like the digitrax 123AT. Looks like the newer Genesis models take an Atlas type replacement board.
 
I have Digitrax in 90% of my locos. Never a problem with any of them. I wish the SoundTraxx was as easy to program as Digitrax.
 
I'm not too fond of my digitrax, they seem to be a bit rougher with the control. My Lenz'd and NCE'd locos run better.

If you like Digitrax, more power to you. You willing to trade 2 decoders for 2 decoders?
 
I got one of the newest Genesis releases, a BNSF H3 SD70MAC #8987, in the blue and gold box, and it came with both the 9 pin and 8 pin sockets usable, but the board was setup differently in that it has the ditch lights already seperated out to F2 and F3 decoder functions. With just a little reading in the NCE D13 manual, it was a sinch to setup F2 (horn blowing for crossing) to control both of them, but the problem with that is that BNSF doesnt have flashing ditch lights, they are steady if I remember correctly.
But anyways, the new Genesis line in the blue/gold trimmed boxes are sweet! No details at all to add, none. That is also the way the newest athearn rtrs are coming now, complete with factory installed mu hoses, coupler lift bars, installed grab irons, everything just about. The new rtr line has been upgraded.:cool:
 
My new RTR has both 8 & 9 pins too. I used a DH163P wich work fine
ad feature easy ditch light setup
 
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i was thinking to go with NCE but as far as i can see no model offers BEMF compensation. i don't know why (and perhaps i'm mistaken) but for some reason that seems like very important feature .

thanks for the comparison matrix!
 
For everyday, just get it running, no special effects decoders (most of my fleet has them) is the TCS T1. They're two function, have back EMF, and are about or cheaper than Digitrax (and are restocked quicker).

For Life-Like/P2K, I get the Digitrax DH165L0, which is drop in.

For sound, the Soundtraxx -1000GN ones, which replace the board in Athearn RTR and Genesis models.

For Atlas (non-sound), I've gotten the TCS A4X. For the Trainman locos, I've gotten the DH123 that comes with a 8 pin plug, but will eventually change them out with a board type, like the A4X, if I don't add sound to them first.
 
Does anyone have any opinions/experience with QSI's sound equipped decoders?

I was thinking of going with those for a couple of my Genesis locos bc ive heard they are smaller than Soundtraxx, req no programming track, and are very high quality.
 
I have two Atlas Gold locos with factory installed QSI (SOU MP15DC and SOU B23-7). I'm saving up for the Atlas Gold GP38 and GP40 that are coming out later this year.

I still needed a programming track to enter in the 4 digit address. After that, any other programming can be done anywhere else via ops mode (Digitrax DCC system).

The sound is very nice, but I think the Soundtraxx is better. Both will have a place on my layout.
 
I used to buy digitrax decoders to match the command station down at the club (brand loyalty I guess), but now my goal is to have sound in everything that I plan to run so I stopped buying basic decoders. The only basic decoder installations would be in engines that I will never get a sound decoder for because they are electric locomotives, or because they are too old for my modelling era, but would be kept in a corner to run for show sometimes (like my GG1)

Soundtraxx Tsunami wins hand down for all EMD sounds. Quantum Revolution wins with their digitally manipulated GE sounds. The Tsunami GE sound decoder is great, but the problem is that the sounds from the decoder are genuine sounds that cannot physically be reproduced with a speaker that fits in an HO scale engine.

Example:
What it sounds like in an HO Scale loco:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGSxcyNtkvQ
Not so good huh?

What it sounsd like if connected to loudspeakers and subwoofer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDwUuw67_lM
Amazing :D

QSI has gotten around the laws of physics by digitally manipulating the prime mover sounds on the GE prime movers so that it tricks our ears and brains to make us beleive that we are hearing the really low toned chugs.

QSI sound decoders in the Atlas Gold Series are NOT a good example to compare QSI to Soundtraxx. The Atlas Gold engines feature an older model of the QSI decoder and not the Quantum Revolution. The Quantum Revolution has user-editable sound files that can be changed with the Quantum Programmer. The older QSI decoders do not support this feature without a chip upgrade.

The Atlas Gold EMD 645 prime mover doesn't sound right because all you hear is the turbocharger whine and nothing else. It sounds more like a squeal than a whine. The 567s aren't really correct either.

Although the GE FDL prime mover sounds pretty good on the older QSI models, it's not quite correct either.

Quantum Revolution solves all of those problems.
 
Good information, amazing vids. That guy has a train running through his living room!

I have plan for my flagship ABA set of F units: When money permits, I would like the trio to have sound. What I have right now is a pair of NCE D13SR's programmed to the same address, as the locos are drawbar'd. The B unit is a dummy, and will house the future sound decoder. I have not eactly decided on that yet, but I am liking Tsunami's more and more. Thing is, I am really going to mess with the old heads at clubs by having 710 orime mover sounds emanating from the chip, not 567 sounds. This is my way of making them my own...

(the real story is that the Eastern Pacific Brass wanted a set of F units to run in daily service, but wanted parts interchangability with the current commuter service fleet of F59PHI locomotives that are based out of the same terminal, which coincidentally happens to be the president's home base for the system tours.)

=P
 
Thanks, diburning. I didn't realize that the Revolution was that much better than what Atlas Gold has.
 
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