Is it just me, or does MTH ignore you?


M

mikeb2008

Member
Look, I understand they are busy making models and all that, but so far my impression of this company is that they just don't care too much about their customers. I have $1000 worth of MTH product on order, awaiting release this month, and I am trying to get an answer from MTH as to whether they are on schedule. They did not respond to multiple emails. I can't say I would recommend MTH to anyone at this point, because I've only experienced the pre-sale. Have not yet seen their goods up close. Am hoping they live up to the good reputation I've heard. Is this just a fluke? I would think that in this economy, they would want to attract someone like me, not scare me away.
 
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No, Mike, you're not the only one with this complaint. The owner of MTH is a total butthead and it's reflected in his customer service. They make some nice looking models but they insist on trying to shove down our throats their proprietary DCS system rather than the NMRA standard DCC system. Their sound systems are not integrated into a DCC motor controller and getting a DCC decoder to play nice with their sound decoder has driven many modelers to drink. They are also chronically months behind schedule, even when they tell you it'll be in stock this month. Do a search here on MTH and you'll find many horror stories. There are a lot better companies to buy from.
 
There is basically NO compatability with any DCC, or even for that matter, DC system. They are pushing a 'Stand Alone' system that is proprietary for that reason---it is stand alone.
 
Revised:

Let me make sure I understand. To what degree are their DCS locos INCOMPATIBLE with my Prodigy Advance2?

Please help me to understand what it will be like, using these with my Prodigy Advance2. The forum's input on this will be GREATLY appreciated, especially if saves me lots of $$$ and headaches! :)
 
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Let's back the trolley up a bit here...MTH's DCS is indeed largely incompatible with DCC, but they advertise that you can operate and manage many of the lower range of functions using your current DCC system. What you can't do is manipulate/programme all the functions and many of the CV's. You can ring the bell, sound the horn, and a few other things, but you won't be able to adjust inertia or momentum to my knowledge. You won't be able to input speed table adjustments, and so on. I suspect that MUing will be impossible.

MTH engines take a significantly greater voltage to get them underway. This was noted in a test a couple of years ago by Model Railroader magazine when they finally marketed their K4s 4-6-2.
 
In addition to my last question, I'm wondering if anyone here has MTH and can comment on what specific settings/features I would be missing by using only a DCC (prodigy advance2) controller, and what else they might expect me to buy in order to access those settings/features, or if there are any workarounds. Thanks again.
 
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Yes, I can comment. Based on my reading, and on the literature published by MTH themselves, you must purchase their DCS system in order to access all the features that their decoders offer the user. The reason is that they want to corner the market with their proprietary DCS system.

Bottom line: you want to play it all, you have to have the DCS controllers.

-Crandell
 
I am going to speak with one of MTH's techs shortly, and find out what specifically I will lose by not having DCS. They do not yet have documentation for the Diesels on their site. The documentation for the steam locos makes it look like I would not lose much at all, and one would expect there to be bias in their own docs. Heck, it even has programmable CV's via DCC. So maybe there is hope. Any feedback from people that actually own an MTH loco?
 
I don't know that I would want to buy anything that is NON standard.

What if they go out of business tomorrow? If they were the only place to get it, you would be SOL.

At least with DCC, you can go anywhere and get decoders that work with your system.

I have an MRC Prodigy system and any decoder will work with it.
 
I plan to re-wire and replace the installed decoder with DCC (Tsunami) whenever those SD70ACe's finally hit.
 
Personally, I would not buy MTH products. I have friends that have them and have sold them on eBay just to unload them. They are not all that great, although the detail is tremendous, the service, and proprietary nature of their product leaves much to be desired.

I'd cancel your order.

Bob
 
I was thankful that a tech in one of my local hobby shops talked me out of plopping down $500 for a new O Scale locomotive because my TMCC system would not run it.

They do have some nice O Scale freight cars that I like.
 
I could write a novel on why I will not buy anything that HAS to be DCS or be from MTH. Only they would take a model of a rigid frame loco, and then to make it go around a tighter curve, articulate the frame! (Definite toy train solution!)

Suffice to say that after reading all the horror stories over on the O gaugers forum about multiple DCS problems, some of which were, system could not recognise a loco, software version incompatibility, wiring problems, (one of which was solved by using a trick from the 1950's and wiring in multiple automobile light bulbs along with a solid state short protector), (http://ogaugerr.infopop.cc/eve/forums) and etc. Having the "ability" to use all the extra DCS functions makes me wonder if the system is really worth the trouble.

If by some weird chance I ever do get a MTH loco, like Josh, I would rip out anything having to do with DCS and replace it.
 
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jbaakko said:
I plan to re-wire and replace the installed decoder with DCC (Tsunami) whenever those SD70ACe's finally hit.
Click to expand...

Or you can wait for Athearn to make them from the Tower 55 tooling. Then you wouldn't need to pay $250 for a loco that you're going to rewire.

The wiring for the DCS decoder and for DCC is not the same. Also, if you do manage to put a Tsunami in there, it will probably get fried due to the high voltage draw from the motor.
 
ANY news on when Athearn might make the SD70ACe?

How does Protosound 3.0 compare to Athearn's sound, in terms of realism?


Once upon a time, I had an order in for the Tower55 ones too, and we all know what happened with those. I'm sort of an instant-gratification buyer with this stuff. My enthusiasm is starting to wane, after waiting about 18 months for ACe's...... some $50 bachmann spectrums of some 60's era loco are starting to look REALLY practical right about now! ;)
 
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