# Locolinc questions



## dawinter (Jan 2, 2008)

Ok. We just got back from a show during which one of our goals was to investigate RC control of engines - rail powered and/or battery.

After three hours of question we came away with only one set of brochures that seemed interesting - _and intelligible._ Locolinc.

Searching for previous discussions on this topic were less than complete so my question is (forgive me if this is old news) "How do users feel about Locolinc Tx/Rx/Sound and why did you switch to something else?

Thanks 

Dave


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## itsmcgee (Jan 4, 2008)

I had all locolinc for some time. I have been using airwire now for almost two years. My reasons are: #1 and most important is the range. #2 and almost as important to me was the fact that it is digital unlike the analog system locolinc is still using. this alows me to use phoenix p5 sound boards which are just the best and cheaper than previous boards. With a computer I can customize my sound in my loco to suit me. Locolinc makes a fine product but with old technology.


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## Bill Swindell (Jan 2, 2008)

I also started with Locolinc and Soundlinc. They do work however, i too changed to AirWire. 

I find the Locolinc transmitter to be bulky to use. Also, it is limited by the number of locomotives that it can control. The most natural sound unit to use with Locolinc is the Soundlinc however the selection of locomotive sounds is very limited. Another limiting factor is trying to install a 75 mhz antenna within the locomotive.


I like the AirWire transmitter better. You can easily use any DCC sound unit with AirWire. The AirWire easily gets much better range than the Locolinc and the receiver antenna is only about 3" long. The AirWire unit allows you to address up to 9999 different locomotives.


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## Del Tapparo (Jan 4, 2008)

I have a friend with LocoLinc. He brings it over to me on a regular basis to try and fix it. I don't want to mess with it, so he takes it to Denver and waits 6-9 months for resolution to his problem.

I gave up on AirWire due to several problems I have whinned about here before.\

I am now using my own system, which will be available to the public shortly. It uses common hobby shop 75MHZ AM radios along with my "RailBoss" board. This not only gives you the speed control functions you would suspect, but it also provides automated station stops and back 'n forth trolley operations.


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## bvdrr (Jan 3, 2008)

I've had Locoliinc in my equipment for 10 years and have never had any trouble with it. Don't really know what the range is as my layout is about 50 ft. across and I have control that far at least.I think Locolinc was the way to go when I first started and it has been good for me.I can run 2 or 3 consists at once and think hat is as many as I can handle at once.I also use Sierra Sound and the two get along well together. Just my 2cents worth.
Fred


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## dawinter (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks for the thoughts on this RC. It looks like it's good enough for anything I might need it for. I'm indoors with a layout that can handle two trains only and I use one or two locos on any train. I have Sierra sound in 4 or 5 but of course I can't get any more of those. 

I think I would wire up the battery back-up installation.

Seems like a lot of $$$$ though. Two transmitters and 8 receivers (just the right number) is well over $2K without all the taxes. Can you imagine spending that kind of money and then not being completely happy with the system.

As an aside: I started out in large scale with the basic TE and although the transmitter was ok it sure was old, old technology. Everyone else has LCD displays. I also used the AirWire during a friends installation. Loved the transmitter - hated the receiver. 

Dave


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## Richard Smith (Jan 2, 2008)

Dave, 

I've used Locolinc with Phoenix sound since 1997-8. Still using original units. Been very reliable. 

The range is about 50 feet although under certain circumstances maybe a bit farther. The transmitter is a bit bulky but still easy to handle and I've had some say they like the size and find it easier to operate with one hand. The range hasn't been a problem since I follow the trains around for operation. In the case of a large loop the engine will continue to run at its set speed even after getting out of range but adjusting it is problematic. In some cases people have claimed up to 100 feet range but I have seldom seen it this far. 

I chose the Locolinc KT-16 because you can store up to 16 loco addresses in it. The KT-32 and KT-64 can store 32 and 64 engines respectively. That means you can in most cases store your entire roster in one transmitter. I have two and have all my locos in each one so either can control everything I've got. Another handy feature is that if you let someone new run an engine you can address it in both transmitters at once. Thus if say a small child makes a mistake you can stop the engine with the second transmitter. 

Each receiver has its own unique number/address which can be assigned to any number, 01-16, in the transmitter. One to four lokies can be called up at one time to allow multiple lokies to be controlled in the same train with one transmitter. There is also an adjustment feature that allows each engine to be brought closer to the others in speed. You can't adjust engines that are widely different but it works great if the speed differences aren't too great. 

The Locolinc also has auxiliary features that allow for control of switch machines, etc. I haven't used this feature myself since all my switches are manual. 

Locolinc is good quality, long lasting and reliable. The downside is the transmitter is bulkier than some of the other brands. The range is a bit less than ideal but this problem is shared by most of the other products out there. It can be set up for automated features or complete operator control such as whistle on demand which is what I use. I understand that Airwire has greater range but I have no direct experience with Airwire so I can't vouch for that. 

I like Locolinc very much and am well pleased with it but Airwire wasn't available when I R/C'd my fleet so I can't give a comparison to it or to Del's new system. Also I use battery and not DCC so I can't comment on that use either.


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## Del Tapparo (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By dawinter on 10/28/2008 9:20 PM


Seems like a lot of $$$$ though. Two transmitters and 8 receivers (just the right number) is well over $2K without all the taxes. Can you imagine spending that kind of money and then not being completely happy with the system.


What if you spent only half of that amount? 2 Tx's 8 Rxs and 8 _RailBoss _boards for under $1000. And of course, you would actually only spend $140 for 1 Tx, 1 Rx and 1 _Railboss _board to see if you liked it prior to outfitting your entire fleet.


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## Rod Fearnley (Jan 2, 2008)

I have had Locolinc for about 10 years. I had some initial problems with fitting sound because of having to also install an opto isolator between the receiver and the sound card. But once that was done it ran ok. I was and am some what disappointed with the range. To have total control, I have to walk around with the locomotive. Not so much of a problem here, smaller layout, but at the last house I had a lot more track and distance to cover. The beauty of it for me at the time was, the dual power input. Battery and track. When running on track power if you have a dirty or dead section, the battery immediately takes over and continues to run the loco, without a pause. Behren Reeves is also a really nice guy to work with. He has fixed my Tx and receivers (due to my fault) on more than one occasion.
I shall continue to use what Locolinc I have until they life expire.

However, I looked at, and was very impressed with the AirWire system. So far I only have one receiver and the 9000 Tx. It's not the simplest of setups, but I got there with the help of Stan,Greg and a few other guys on this site. The Tx is just so easy to hold and the range covers my whole yard layout. Besides I no longer use track power. For me, Airwire is the way forwards.

Rod


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## billsharron (Jan 3, 2008)

I have locolinc and have no problems with it. I got into it fairly reasonably by finding some used receivers. The TX is a bit bulky but I never seem to notice it. If anyone has the two amp receivers used, let me know I could use two more. I find they are very easy to install myself, and I am not the greatest with electronics stuff. They are incredibly easy to program, it is easy to do MU consists. I also use TE onboard 75mhz and TE 27mhz in a battery car. The range is about the same for both. over 50 ft which is adequate for me. It may be further but I have never tried it further. I will definitely buy more. Airwire and RCS are very nice as well, and I have used them on friends layouts and enjoyed them. 

If you can try some of the different brands at a friends by all means give it a go before you buy, You may want to give Robby at RLD hobbies a call as he has very good prices.


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## dawinter (Jan 2, 2008)

Further to the original question: 

In the 'battery back-up' mode, Can I simply switch a battery powered train into a track powered siding (say 12 - 24 V) and have it sit there and charge up the battery?

Thanks

Dave


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## Rod Fearnley (Jan 2, 2008)

23. Can I charge batteries from the track? 
Yes, the KBC-110 Battery Charger fits inside the locomotive and can charge batteries when there is track power. The charger is unique in that it will handle input voltages from 12 to 18 volts d.c. and will charge batteries up to 20 volts. 
There you go Dave. Staright from the Locolinc web site.

Rod


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## dawinter (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Rod Fearnley on 10/29/2008 2:33 PM

23. Can I charge batteries from the track? 
Yes, the KBC-110 Battery Charger fits inside the locomotive and can charge batteries when there is track power. The charger is unique in that it will handle input voltages from 12 to 18 volts d.c. and will charge batteries up to 20 volts. 

There you go Dave. Staright from the Locolinc web site.

Rod 



Thanks Rod. I surfed around and swam right over it.

Dave


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Rod. 
Does the KBC-110 only charge Lead Acid batteries?


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## Rod Fearnley (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi tony, I just looked at a Pdf from their web site and it states, Lead acid or ni cad. I have sent you a copy of the Pdf. (won't attach, need your e-mail address)

Rod


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## dawinter (Jan 2, 2008)

I just received email from a friend who told me the Keithco August '08 brochure states: KBC-110 ($43.95) is for Lead Acid, and the KBC-550 ($99.95) is for NiCd and NiMh. 
Quite a difference in price but the difference makes sense.

Dave


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## Road Foreman (Jan 2, 2008)

Dave, 

I have very good luck with my LocoLinc system.. If you go with LocoLinc get a Black Cat antenna.. Improves the range a bunch.. Also the word I got on the battery chargers is they are very slow to charge.. They use very low current.. The problem that I have is there own sound system, not enough different sounds & very hard to hook up a different sound system.. 

BulletBob


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## Paul Norton (Jan 8, 2008)

Dave if you are considering Locolink, you should contact John Burden of the Winona Garden Railway in Guelph. John sells and uses Locolink. In a recent telephone conversation he mentioned he had found a way to dramatically increase Locolink radio range


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## docwatsonva (Jan 2, 2008)

Paul,

Is there any way you could relate John's Locolinc range solutions to this forum? Perhaps through you? It would be greatly appreciated.

Doc


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## Paul Norton (Jan 8, 2008)

I will e-mail John and make him aware of this thread. Perhaps he can post something directly as I might omit or misunderstand something.


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## dawinter (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi all

I'm pulling this forward again to find out more about the Locolink sound board.

I run all USAT engines. NW2's (SW1200rs) GP9's, F3's (F7's) and GP38-2 (W) and an SD40-2. Their web site suggests that these engines are all covered by a sound card I could be happy with. I should be able to get away with 7 the same for the 1'st generation engines and 2 of the 2nd generation engines. I have three or four Soundtraxx cards that I really like but I would probably take them out just to keep my inventory simple.

How do the diesel sounds compare to the other after market options. Yes. I know it's very subjective but would anyone say outright that the Locolink cards are 'bad'? 
Thanks

Dave


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## Richard Smith (Jan 2, 2008)

Dave, 

I've have no experience whatever with Locolinc's sound cards (I use Phoenix) although I am still using their R/C with great success. The only thing I can say is to choose carefully whatever sound you buy and don't let price be the criteria. No sound at all is better than poor sound especially in the confined acoustics of indoors. Racket becomes intolerable real fast. If possible spend a few hours with any system you are contemplating before buying more than one. 

Hopefully a friend that uses the system will invite you over to get an earfull.


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## rrkrzy (Jan 4, 2008)

Hi Dave,

I have been using Locolinc for at least fifteen years now and still find the system works extremely well. For the sound units, I have four different sound units and they work well with reasonably good qualiy and luodness. The big advantage is the ease of installation to the controllers. Also the ease of operation with the handheld makes them a good solution for my battery outdoor operations. I have also intergrated phoenix sound with the locolinc for the sound profiles not available from locolinc. In terms of range of operation with the handheld and the locolinc system is in the range of 100 ft. My Airwire system is the only one that exceeds that range. Hope this helps.


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## dawinter (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Mike

Great help. I'm going to dive in and give it a try. You only live once.

Dave


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Dave, I would second Paul's post to call John Burden at Winona Garden Railways. You probably have his # but...









519 763-9477. 

[email protected]


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## Paul Burch (Jan 2, 2008)

I used Locolinc for about 10 years before switching to Airwire. It is a good system but has never really been updated and in my opinion is outdated.


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## dawinter (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Paul Burch on 01 Sep 2009 08:46 AM 
I used Locolinc for about 10 years before switching to Airwire. It is a good system but has never really been updated and in my opinion is outdated.


I'm outdated too - but I can't be replaced!









For trains, I need a system that makes the locomotives go forward, backward, fast or slow. I need directional lights, a horn, a bell and perhaps an appropriate engine and brake sound. Sometimes I need to run two engines together. Locolinc will give me that WITHOUT the extra buttons and computer interface that make it capable of engineering a manned voyage to Saturn - and return. 

To that end, I found a low cost entry into the system and if for some reason I'm really not pleased with it after a year or two I haven't invested $3000.00 on a bad idea. 
We'll see.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Just a question, not trying to bash Locolinc, but what system are YOU trying to bash that costs $3,000? 

I use a system that does everything you want, and does not cost $3,000 and I have not been to Saturn yet. 

Regards, Greg


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## ConrailRay (Jan 2, 2008)

Dave, 
Look for used equipment as well. When Airwire first started getting popular, there were a lot of other used products being listed as users switched. NCE recently came out with a new wireless throttle for qsi decoders (probably works with airwire as well). Once the small kinks are worked out on this and qsi decoders, I plan on switching as I personally don't see a much better wireless system/decoder/sound combo then this becoming available for a while, except getting rid of the 8 channel thing (which is possible and I may try) and lowering the price on the Gwire board (I'll eventually make my own when the time comes). 

A few freinds and I have used loco linc for a while as well, and only had a few range problems with it, usually due to poor installs. Overall works greats, but like was said previously, is fairly outdated to what's now available, so simply depends on the complexity you want to get into. 

-Ray


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Golding has a locolink in one of his engines. I've run it, but don't know anything about it. Seemed to me it was easy to accidentally switch loco numbers, other than that, it was quite workable. The remote seemed big and clunky, but then, I use TE's so I have a lot of room to talk about clunky remotes.


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## dawinter (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Greg Elmassian on 01 Sep 2009 02:59 PM 
Just a question, not trying to bash Locolinc, but what system are YOU trying to bash that costs $3,000? 

I use a system that does everything you want, and does not cost $3,000 and I have not been to Saturn yet. 

Regards, Greg Ok. I may have used 'artistic licence' on that number but lets work this out....

Based on the my railway and the Locolinc price list I got last October:

Transmitters - KT-16 @ $239.95 x 2 = $479.90

Receivers - KLR-106 @ $172.95 x 9 = $1556.55

Sound - KSL - ??? @ $235.95 x 9 = $2123.55

Total = $4160.00 + all the appropriate taxes and shipping costs. 
Math ok?


Hold the phone! Those are MSRP and I was expecting to 'look around' out there for a deal or two. I wound up buying a better transmitter, 2 receivers and more than two sound cards for 10% of that figure. 
This is an investment I can afford to toss away if after a year or so I really don't like it. Fact is, I expect to like it and keep an eye out for the rest of my wants/needs after Christmas. I know people who believe they have 'moved up' but I can't recall hearing anyone who was seriously disappointed in it. Me? I'm running a single MRC20 and have done for 8 years. Easily satisfied I guess.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks for the explanation Dave, I thought you were contrasting another system. Yes, your math matches mine too... It's not a low cost system, which statement is meant as neither a positive or negative. 

We have a club member here in San Diego who uses Locolinc for operating sessions, and I have attended some. The system is relatively simple to operate, and has pluses and minuses. 

Regards, Greg


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## dawinter (Jan 2, 2008)

>>>We have a club member here in San Diego who uses Locolinc for operating sessions, and I have attended some. The system is relatively simple to operate, and has pluses and minuses.


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## benshell (Oct 1, 2008)

Can I add my perspective? I don't yet own any of these systems but I've used most of them over the years. I have the most experience with Locolinc, and I wouldn't ever consider buying it for myself. I've found it to be unresponsive to commands (you have to press the buttons again and again), the horn/whistle controls provide limited control, it won't work with modern DCC sound boards like the Phoenix P5, the wireless range is very very poor, and in a USA GP9 it overheats quickly (at least on grades). 

Locolinc may have been state of the art in 1993 when I first learned about it, but I think it'd be a huge mistake to start a new investment in such an outdated system now.


I'm waiting the for QSI boards for USA Trains to start converting my equipment. But regular DCC or the Aristocraft TE Revolution would also be much better choices than Locolinc. Again, I don't have nearly as much personal experience as others here, but I just thought I'd put in my 2 cents.


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## dawinter (Jan 2, 2008)

...and don't underestimate the value of your 2 cents. I really appreciate your insight on this.

As above, the NCE/QSI is/was my first choice but I could have been waiting forever for a USAT plug in - or even a very simple wire in system. My investment isn't much. Perhaps the cost of a SD70 and a dinner out. So we will experiment with a couple of NW2's (my SW1200rs) under a small 8 car load using the 2 Amp receivers. If I really like using the control, and it's responsive in this enviroment, I will try a 6 amp receiver in my pair of F3's. Should the system not be what I like, well, no biggy.

As I said. my old DC power pack is still there


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Dave, to wire in a qsi into a USAT is two steps, the basic motor and sound is a snap, can be done in 5 minutes after you get the shell open. I'd be happy to talk you through it on the phone should you want to do it, and the conversion can be made without cutting or soldering any wires on the USAT side. You can pull a couple of connectors and revert back to stock wiring in 10 seconds. 

The second part is the reason I am waiting, it is the goofy wiring of lighting in USAT, where there are two different types of connectors used and two different voltages, and the "common" between lights is usually wrong for DCC. 

That takes a bit more effort. The cool thing is how QSI will plug and play with no mods to the lighting. 

I talked to Tony yesterday and said get these things on the market. Email and/or call him and it should speed up the process. 

Sorry for the derailment, but you've made several references to QSI in USAT, and it's not a huge deal to put the current hardware in, and this is where I can be helpful... if you are interested, email me, or start a new thread and we can share information and ideas. 


Regards, Greg


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## dawinter (Jan 2, 2008)

Wow! WTG. 

Sound simple enough for even me to do. 

The world is looking better every day. I will definitely express my enthusiasm to the folks at QSI and USAT to get this done. Soon. As I said, I haven't invested a lot in Locolinc and I'll play around with it until the newer technology is proven. Truth is, I expect that NCE/QSI to be regarded as the standard within the next few years. 

Save that thread until after Christmas.... 

Dave


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## benshell (Oct 1, 2008)

Just FYI, I emailed Tony yesterday about the QSI board for USA Trains and he said, "Expect in 8-12 weeks." Of course, who knows if it'll actually ship then, as it's been delayed quite a bit already.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Yep, keep the pressure on, part of any business venture is the concern about the "risk", the more confident he is that there is this pent-up demand, the sooner I can get the 20 or so units I need! ha ha! 

Seriously, more people emailing and requesting will accelerate the process. 

Regards, Greg


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