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I have had DCS on my layout up north for about 10 years or so. Not sure what version TIU but i do remember that the set came with Software verssion 3.0 installed and that has been updated to the current version. I use the variable channel, voltage set to about 17. Home runs are used back to a terminal board and I have a lamp hooked to the input on the board. I am noticing that I am now getting check track messages at certain points on the layout. So I decided to do a signal test and need to make some improvements. 

 

On one section which is somewhat long and probably the furthest from the terminal board electrically i get 8's and 9's near where the connection is made and further out mostly the same but some 5's and 4's mixed in with better signal  . I noticed that of I bridged this section with the adjacent section using a lionel madison car, i could improve the signal and as soon as i removed the car . had a check track message. I was thinking of trying to jumper from the connection point and connect to both far ends of the section' Also thinking about running a jumper between the long section and the better performing adjacent section essentially replicating what i did electrically with the madison car.

 

Some other observations. Mostly 8's and 9's around most of the layout with a few sevens. Occasionally I saw it drop to about 5 when the engine seemed to be over a track joint. Using Gargraves flex track

 

I have a short section of track maybe 6 feet that has its own pair and the signal strength is like 5's and 6's .Its adjacent to the long section described above.Not sure why this is happenning as it seens wired properly.

 

Also noticed that if the engine is standing still, I can get signal readings of 7, 8,and 9 in the same spot. The section will generally give a 9 when train is moving in the section.

 

Using 14 gauge stranded wire and i put a twist into the home run pairs

 

I was considering buying a REV L TIU as I believe communication and signal are improved with this version. I have a REV L version on the layout down south  . Only temporary wiring with jumpers and one connection pair to the TIU and the one engine I have there seems to respond to all commands with no error or check track messages. Also the conventional variable channel works well. 

 

Open to your comments and suggestions and ideas to improve the DCS signal 

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I hope you have both ground rails wired together.  Did you take the black off the center rail?  How close are your drops?  How long are your blocks and do you have only one drop per block?  

 

Have you placed a locomotive on the section of the layout that has the worst signal and  take a light bulb with wired leads and go around the track touching the rails to find a sweet spot that boosts signal?  

Thanks for your response Marty. You have some good suggestions to try and I will work on them tommorrow.

 

I do not have the ground rails tied together. I will try that.

 

Did not take the blackenning off the center rail surface. Trains have run on it for longer than i have the DCS so wondering if all the wear from rollers might have done that over the years. Certainly worth a try.

 

Blocksa are created naturally between the Gargraves switches. The twisted pair home run is generally wired to the center of the section . Most blocks are 6-8 sections of Gargraves . I have one block that is about 12 sections long and strength is 9s and 8s in that one except at one end where i saw a 6. Where there are short sections such as at crossovers, i have jumpered these together and treated the group as one block.

 

with the last suggestion, I am asuming that the placement of the lamp where it gives max signal strenght to the locomotive, ie the sweet spot is a location where a lamp should be added permanently. Is that correct?

 

Thanks for your ideas, I will try them out and see how we do.

Do not remove any blackening on Gargraves track. It has absolutely no effect on the DCS signal. My layout is all Gargraves with no DCS signal issues.

 

The only caveat with Gargraves or Ross trackage is to remove the oily protective coating that's on the track when its new.

 

On the other hand, dirt on the track will adversely affect the DCS signal. Clean the track and see if things improve.

I have a short section of track maybe 6 feet that has its own pair and the signal strength is like 5's and 6's .Its adjacent to the long section described above.Not sure why this is happenning as it seens wired properly.

 

That's a good question,, It seems sometimes longer blocks are better than  a number off short ones,  I'd bet money (if I had any) that if you removed the one Hot track feeder from the short block at the terminal strips and jumpered the insulated joint with alligator clips the signal would improve. On the other hand both blocks might go south  . You never know until you try it.    Easy to try.

Gregg,

    In reality it is not the length of the track that matters so much, it's the track joins that really degrade the DCS signal, I use the 36" long FasTrack pieces to help eliminate signal drop.  If you use the 12 track join rule, and use Marty's magic light trick in isolated areas, you can have 10's thru out your layout, even on multi-levels.

PCRR/Dave

 

Originally Posted by Pine Creek Railroad:

Gregg,

    In reality it is not the length of the track that matters so much, it's the track joins that really degrade the DCS signal, I use the 36" long FasTrack pieces to help eliminate signal drop.  If you use the 12 track join rule, and use Marty's magic light trick in isolated areas, you can have 10's thru out your layout, even on multi-levels.

PCRR/Dave

 

 Hi Dave. I hear you and it's  probably a good place to start. However I can give you an example,, 3 short blocks about 10 feet long yield a dcs signal of 4s 5s 6s . Make 1 30 foot block (now more track joints) and get a perfect dcs signal of 10. Yes there were other blocks on the same channel with a good signal.  Go figure.

Marty,

 

What you've done is remove the oily protective coating that comes on new Gargraves and Ross track. When you took off the blackening, you took off the coating. It's the coating that destroys the DCS signal by covering the pickup rollers.

 

My layout is all Gargraves with blackened center rail,. It operates just great with DCS, because I wiped the coating off every piece of new track I used to build it.

Barry, you know some of the big layout guys I do work for.  I have made it happen many times by removing the coating.  On smaller layouts, anything goes.  In the early days, we had to learn all the tricks and learn them well.  Any layout with at least 100 feet of track on a run,  you will see a difference.  The layout of Eliot Weisman in your state with many hundreds of feet of track for one.  After I rewired it the right way, on the far distances we were getting 8 and sometimes a 9.  I cleaned the center rail and everything jumped to 10.  It has held 10 for many years and does today.  Al Peters layout in my area, the same.  Tens are easy to achieve on shorter runs.  To get them far out, all the tricks need to be put into action.  I did not hear this somewhere, I was hands on involved.  On my own layout, you are familiar with all the Ross switches that feed my south station yard with 23 tracks.  I was dropping down to 9 on the switch feeds.  Cleaned the center rails and then all went to 10.  

Robert,

Precisely what material composes the blackening?

I haven't a clue, however, it's benign as regards the DCS signal.

 

However, the blackening on both Atlas O track and MTH RealTrax (older product, MTH no longer uses center rail blackening, I believe), should be completely removed for use with DCS as it can interfere with the DCS signal.

Guys. Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. I had some eye surgery this morning and as soon as my Vision gets back to normal , I am going to try the rack cleaning suggestions followed by the jumpering of the common rails and a strategic light bulb placement and see how that works out. As for the short section with poorer signal, I think iam going to try and combine it with the longer section behind it which is giving 9's .

 

Any thoughts about upgrading the tiu with a rev L as a means to enhance the signal strength ?

 

Thanks guys you are the best.

Last edited by LIRR Steamer

Back in the early days when  DCS was released I stumbled across the lightbulb trick.  Having been involved with the guys who were building big layouts many bulb tricks were used to obtain perfect DCS signal.  Here is my favorite one I made and used often.  It is an 18 volt lightbulb mounted on a truck with a pickup roller.  As mentioned earlier, stop your locomotive on the spot on your track that is giving you the lowest signal reading.  With the locomotive under signal test, roll the truck with the bulb slowly around your track.  When you hit the (you will) sweet spot that kicks your signal strength to 10, that is the spot you want to attach a bulb to your track.  On tubular track a lighted lockon works great.  I hope this helps.

 

 

Ralph and lightbulb 003

Ralph and lightbulb 014

Ralph and lightbulb 011

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Last edited by Marty Fitzhenry

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