Ok now that I am committed to going to DCC I would like to see what people think of the new MRC Prodigy Advance Squared, compared with the Digitrax (Super Chief) system. The MRC is less money overall, but is it as well made? FYI I plan on having only two, tethered throttles, about 10 engines and 2 operators. I expect to use ground throws for now until I can afford Tortoise machines in the future. I am not planning on using sound, just DCC controls. What do you recommend? Many thanks,
For your requirements the PA2 should work just fine. It's well made, easy to use and economical. Micro-Mark has them for about $210. Of course you will need to add another throttle for both systems. Will you be wanting a computer interface? It's available with Digitrax but MRC doen't have one yet, but it's in the planning stage. If you want something simple and very easy to use and never want anything very complicated then MRC is a good choice. But, if you want something much more sophisticated with many options for future expansion and if you enjoy more complex electronic stuff, then Digitrax offers the best course. Just as an example, the Super Chief manual is well over 100 pages whereas the MRC manuals are 24 pages or less. I for one kind of like the more complicated stuff and don't mind reseaching a manual to learn how to do it. But I really wanted a wireless system where I could do everything with just one throttle and where I would never have to plug in everytime I wanted to acquire a new loco (like you do with Digitrax). So I picked MRC wireless and it works great. But, when Digitrax comes out with their new duplex wireless I would probably prefer that, but I didn't want to wait for it since no one seems to know just when it will be available. Jerry
I recommend that you go try them out. Make sure you like the throttle and otherwise that construction looks solid. Also, call their respective support phone numbers just to see what you get. Tell them you are kicking the tires and wanted to see what kind of support they offer and see what they say. Mainly you just want to see what the process is and how long it takes from dialing to speaking to a human that can handle a technical question. I suspect both systems will be good for what you want. Personally the lack of a computer interface is huge for me, but maybe not so much with you. If you are otherwise not keen on the Digitrax system, I would look at the similar NCE system (which now does have computer support via USB) as another alternative.
I'm a Digitrax user myself. But when these threads occur, it always seems that NCE is discussed as the best alternative to Digitrax. I was wondering why you hadn't considered NCE PowerPro.
