I have owned both ends of the "Digitrax" spectrum : radio "Super Chief" w/DT402 throttle, and "Zephyr". I now own an "NCE" PowerCab. Nothing but frustration with "Digitrax", nothing but FUN with the PowerCab!! I'm sure Digitrax is great for those that have a skill for electronics, and patience enough to tough it through the manual, but I had neither.
Well I ended up picking up a lightly used Super Chief Radio Version for a pretty good deal. Planning on sending it in for the updates and will still save some money. Thanks for all the help guys.
What problem have you been having reading Atlas Lenz decoders? I have a Zephyr and don't recall having difficulty. There is a way to use now your Zephyr as an additional component of your Super Chief.
While I may not be as "seasoned" as everyone else here, I use and NCE Power Cab and setting up and MU and speed matching was super simple with Decoder Pro. I think I set up the consist and using the power cab had both engines running with a space between them. Then using Decoder pro and programming on the main in real time, I altered the speed curve by selecting the individual engine in decoder pro and running the engines in both directions until the space between them stayed constant. For what you want to do, I think a computer interface would certainly help a lot.
I do like Decoderpro for speed matching, but if you know the CV's (2,6, then 5) then it becomes a quick fix you can do on the fly from the Powercab throttle. One thing on the Powercab that I always thought was a great advantage was the momentum button for easy changes on the fly. This is great for one loco, but if you take the time to match momentum and braking effects like you do when speed matching then the use of the momentum button should be avoided. You may be surprised how your momentum values will differ on each and every unit to make them run seamlessly together.
