My "N" Athearn Challenger sits on the track and makes idle sounds. I tried CV125=1 to reset and also tried to enter the address again. It will take the address programming on the main, but does not move. Just sits. I haven't run the loco in a while and it has been sitting on an isolated siding where it gets no power. Any suggestions? Fixes (not involving sledge hammers)? I am beginning to believe "stay cool, run steam" is an oxymoron ...
I reprogramed an address of a Kato SD70 with a digitrax decoder after I couldn't get the Challenger to function and it took the 4 digit address OK. So is this something I should do anyway?
CV 29 is not changed automaticly all the time when programming address and needs to be set for the right address size, if it is set to 6 for two digit addresses, loco will not respond to the programmed 4 digit address, cv 29 need to be set to 38 for four digit addresses
I just went through this on an HO Challenger and Bigboy. See the link below: http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=90003 It took setting CV 29 so that the Analog function of the decoder was turned off to keep the decoder crash from repeatedly happening.
Having tried everything suggested, and researched, I am ready to send the unit back to Athearn. Why should we have to try and fix what I have come to believe is a defect product. The MRC decoder has not been reliable for several members of this group and others posting elsewhere. So I'll let Athearn fix the problem. To much $$$ spent on the locomotive to waste my time tinkering with.
It's not a decoder issue, it is a programing issue. Been there done that, sent the HO unit's back twice each thinking the decoder died. Sending them back didn't solve the problem. Don't waste your cash shipping it back. All they will do is set it on a DC track, use the remote to reset it and send it back to you. Try setting the loco on a DC track. If it works in DC, the decoder is fine. Use the remote to access the DC reset function. Program the address you want and then set CV29 accordingly. After much headache and time wasted, this seems to be the fix for the problem. I have the data sheets from MRC on the decoder and CV125 doesn't do anything. There is no master reset CV, straight from MRC. You have to manually reprogram each CV back to factory one at a time in DCC. The DC remote reset is much quicker and does reset all the CV's back to factory.
That's great no master reset I knew there was something funny about them decoders. When I first got my HO Challenger I had some of the same problems but found out that I could only reset the decoder on DC so I found out way back when. So this confirms what I thought, anyway if you don't mind parting with a copy of those CV's I would greatly appreciate it.
