Legacy remote-to-base range for Base3 better than 990 or base 1L?

Thanks, John.  This is the simple 6 dB gain antenna from Amazon seller: https://controlbyweb.com/x401/...lular-module-9-28vdc

Now that I know the gain issue is only a regulatory one, with no close neighbors to worry about bothering, I will use the remote 12 dB I already have in use with my 990 with good results, and move it to the Base3.  That is the same one you recommended some time ago, I believe you said you were using it.  Using channel 9, it seems unlikely to cause issues with anything within our house.

I do have a different technical question.  The Base3 information shows more than nine “channels” and the Hz range for channels including 9 is not the same as the Hz range for ch 9 on the older Legacy/TMCC info.  Should I set Base3 to ch 9, or choose the one that has the range closest to the ch 9 setting for my remotes, which as I recall would be ch 11 or 12.  There is no precise range match.  Thanks for comments on that question.

AFAIK, the only channels to connect to the older CAB1L or CAB2 is channels 1-9.  That's all the older remotes are capable of connecting to.

If you look on the Lionel Command-Control WEB, the only channels they mention are 1-9 for the existing remotes.

Cab2 Remote with the Base3

So, the listed frequency range doesn’t matter in this case, or should I reset my remotes to match their new channel’s Hz range to Base3 ch 9 range even if the remote is now on ch 7 or such?  A bit confusing.

Keep it simple... the Base and Remote Channels *must match*.

Dennis has it, set the base to one of the channels between 1 & 9, and then match the remote to it.  Over the years, I have found that channel 9 has been the best in many cases as the lower channels have more equipment that may also be using those frequencies.  For the CAB2, you just let it scan for the base.  For the CAB1L, you hold SET and poke the channel number from #1 to #9.

I understand what both of you are saying, to just choose a channel (9 in my case) and use that everywhere.  I just don’t understand the mismatch in listed frequency ranges for channels 1-9 in previous Legacy-TMCC info versus the Base3 documentation list of ranges by channel.

So I finally got my base 3 out at a train show and in my experience that where I have the most trouble with Cab-2 to base range. Our modular layout is roughly 25X15 and even with a different antenna I would still have signal issues with the cab-2 and 991 base most of the time is when the base was behind me but I’m still not more than 10-12 feet from it.

the new base 3 didn’t seam to do much better with the stock antenna. I always thought this was probably due to the large number of radio devices IE everyone with a cellphone and other wireless DCC remotes (I don’t know what those run on) we are typically the only 3 rail layout but at max we’ve been around 3 other bases in the same building. This time it was just us.

what throws me off is during the show we took a Cab-1L and started walking to see how far its range was and it easily went 60-70 feet away from the base.

as I think about it most of the time when the cab2 is having problems is when it’s trying to pull information from the base like switching from one engine to another or to a train/track the cab-2 pulls that information from the base so is my problem really with the base or the older design of the cab-2? We had two different cab-2’s of different vintage.