Quote from: rogertra on September 13, 2013, 11:12:49 PM
Keep in mind that Bachmann DCC systems are entry level systems.  Good for what they do but they are entry level.

I guess my point was that there are other entry level systems that do allow the reading of CV's out of the box.
Having said that it's not a deal breaker for most people.

Quote from: jward on September 13, 2013, 08:15:23 AM
.....

.... buy a composition book and record the settings for each locomotive you own. this is especially true if you reset the cv,s for start voltage, acceletation, etc. if you every have to reset the decoder you will lose this info, so it is good to know what you had programmed in.

This is one unfortunate limitation with the basic Dynamis system. You can't read CV's until you upgrade to the Pro system so it it even more important to follow your advice and record any changes as they occur.

Quote from: rbryce1 on September 11, 2013, 09:12:48 AM
.....  I tried using the Bachmann 5 amp booster  and it would not work with the Dynamis and Pro Box combination, only with the EZ Command units, even though Bachmann's literature said it would. ....

I now have an NCE SuperCab controller with 2 NCE 5 amp boosters running the permanent layout, ....

I find this to be a worry because if I do expand my Dynamis with a Bachmann booster I may also have problems.
I've also been thinking of going down the NCE route as an alternative and may do as you did and run two independent tracks and get the best of both worlds as I love my Dynamis controller.

I recently bought the Dynamis system and totally happy with it. I'd agree with others that entry level sets aren't the way to go if you want the best possible layout. I believe some have steel track for starters and nickel silver is a much better option.
I purchased from a local dealer who bulk imports from The Favorite Spot and I got most of my equipment at well below retail. The Dynamis was on special and nearly half price. It pays to shop around!
Expanding the Dynamis system is comparatively expensive but you may not find it necessary and you can always wait for that "special" sale to make it easy on the wallet.

To recap. Buy what you really want and need rather than a starter set that will no doubt become redundant very quickly once you expand your layout.

Quote from: Doneldon on September 03, 2013, 06:11:23 AM

BLI are probably the most expensive US based trains you can buy ...

I must have a good local (Australian) supplier then ;-)

Quote from: Doneldon on September 02, 2013, 11:54:19 PM
..... As for the functions, few locos have more than that so it's adequate for most engineers. The ability to control 28 functions comes with a (high) price.  ....

I have two BLI Paragon 2 locos and both have 28 functions and I suspect most others, if not all in the range do as well.
As for "(high) price" I purchased them because they were very reasonably priced. A lot cheaper than some of the competition in fact.

Quote from: jward on September 02, 2013, 11:07:56 PM
being true to one manufacturer shouldn't be a consideration in this hobby. .....

That would be putting words in my mouth, I didn't say "true" but I appreciate it may have been implied.
I'm new to DCC and if I had it all to do again I probably would have chosen another control system but I am being polite here as I know mentioning other systems as a preference to Bachmann is somewhat frowned upon ;-)

However I am running a couple of BLI Paragon 2 locos in addition to Bachmann but only because I wanted a specific wheel configuration.

I'm running the basic Dynamis DCC system and have no problem running four locos on a dual track that is about 5 meters x 2 meters. The controller is its' greatest feature IMHO. My only quibble would be that it only has 20 function keys. While this isn't a show stopper, some of my locos have 28 functions available and it would be nice to have access to all of them concurrently.
I considered other systems but in the end I wanted to have everything based on one single manufacturer and chose Bachmann because of their E-Z track as I want something for non-permanent layouts.

Maybe have a look at cross-overs if I'm reading this right.
Saves money and time for parallel tracks.

Quote from: jward on August 27, 2013, 08:48:14 PM
as I had said before in the original deleted thread, if you are having derailments consistently, find the problem and correct it.....

Oh if it were only that easy.
I have some locos derail and some that don't so you would expect the problem to be the loco. Yet it happens on one particular turnout in only one direction so you would expect a faulty turnout.
Sometimes it seems the laws of physics don't apply and "s**t 'appens" :-)

Move the turnout manually in each direction and check if there is spring tension on the track to hold it in place.

I have a couple re-railers and of course the (E-Z Track) power connectors are re-railers as well but I don't really see the point of them. When something derails, 9 times out of 10 it shorts the track and I have to manually re-rail them anyway.

My 2c

Quote from: utdave on August 25, 2013, 02:29:35 PM
....  my booster dectects shortage in track  i havent had just the dynamis by itself.  ...
   

Yes the standard Dynamis detects shorts and shows "Short" on the LCD screen.

Quote from: KCLV RR on August 22, 2013, 11:02:07 PM
...  how to check the handset and how to set command station jumpers to the same channel.  And I am not sure that is even the problem. Can anyone offer any advise?

Changing jumpers (default none) is only necessary if you have more than one command station.
Undoubtedly not your problem so you can discount it straight away.

The only problem I encountered with mine acting similar to yours was batteries. They must be fully charged, all of them. Even if the controller itself says they are ok I check them individually with a meter. This solved my problem.

Quote from: Terpfan13 on August 16, 2013, 08:03:38 PM
.......
I had HO trains years ago when I was a kid and now that we are empty nesters I am just getting back into it.  I have discovered DCC and that is quite an improvement.  I am sure I will have other questions to throw out.

Thanks again!

I too had a HO train as a boy. Tri-ang if I recall correctly, early '60's. A yellow and black striped diesel.
Like you I'm getting back into HO after fiddling with Z scale and fulfilling a dream of total remote control with DCC.