Has anyone tried to extend the range of a lionchief system. Just got a LCplus hudson and the range is not as good as i need. considering adding antennas to the engine and remote. I don't see how the meandering receiver antenna can work well inside the cast shell.
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It may not be so much the engine as the control system. My Lionel CAB1-L with the new components has a range of over 300 feet.
I do not own a lion chief plus system, so I'm not certain how the LC+ implements an antenna inside a cast metal shell. But I can tell you that of the lion chief systems I do own, they use an antenna that is etched onto the circuit board in the engine, and there does not appear to be any option for an external antenna. My guess would be that your transmitter or receiver boards may have an issue. Have you tried using a universal remote? Does it perform the same/better? The receiver board in the engine is not very expensive, but availability could be an issue. FWIW, my LC (only) engines function well at about 25ft - that's as far as I have tested them.
George
The LC+ and CAB1L are two totally different control systems and range issues would be totally different as well.
The limiting factor with LC+ is the anemic transmitter in the remote as well as the quality of the receiver. I've also found that the different LC remotes vary all over the map. I have a LC+ Camelback, and the included remote had decent range, but the LC+ Universal Remote has very limited range to the same locomotive.
@GeoPeg posted:I do not own a lion chief plus system, so I'm not certain how the LC+ implements an antenna inside a cast metal shell. But I can tell you that of the lion chief systems I do own, they use an antenna that is etched onto the circuit board in the engine, and there does not appear to be any option for an external antenna. My guess would be that your transmitter or receiver boards may have an issue. Have you tried using a universal remote? Does it perform the same/better? The receiver board in the engine is not very expensive, but availability could be an issue. FWIW, my LC (only) engines function well at about 25ft - that's as far as I have tested them.
George
The LC systems I have are probably working as they are supposed to. I need more distance for my layout and my club layout. So far I have tried adding an external antenna to a receiver to get it out of the cast shell, but I don't think it made any difference.
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