Legacy Interference

https://ogrforum.com/...g=ground+plane+issue

@Gary Marsh posted:

Merry Christmas I just rewired my layout after 15yrs using the wiring described by Mike Reagan at Lionel with the bus line and the drop wires. My problem now is my lower track has some interference in the Legacy signal that Mike describes in  the video he made at Lionel titled TMCC/ Legacy Signal Basics.  The diesels move some then stop and the headlight flashes and the won't respond to any commands from the Legacy. When I talked to Mike about it he told me to watch the video which I did now I have some questions about how to run the wires that ground out to a wall plug. I'm wondering if the ground wires he suggests to run need to be run next to the track on top of the layout or can they be below the existing track. He describes the wiring as a Ground Plane at about 18:00 minutes into the video. I don't have any signal problem with my steam locomotive that use the handrail as the antenna it's just with the diesels like the Santa FE F-3's 6-14536 that use the metal antenna attached above the front motor under the shell. I'm hoping someone here has corrected this problem on their layout and can help me correct my problem. Thanks in advance for your help with this.

Gary

The ground wire is best over the engines on the lower track and not too close to the outside rails of the upper track.

If you have just a few problem diesels, consider extending the antenna, the dinky plate Lionel installs it marginal.

There are lots of threads discussing TMCC ground plane on the forum.  I find running a wire or metal tape on the underside of the upper level keeps the engines on the lower level happy.  The ground plane wire can be connected to the ground pin of an electrical plug, or to pin 5 of the DB9 serial output of the Legacy/TMCC base.