# arist train engineers ... what alternatives ?



## sschaer (Jan 2, 2008)

hello all


i've been using an aristo train engineer in the past without issues. ok, i had a small 150ft loop of track with no obstacles.


3 years ago i moved to a house and laid track all around the new house. since almost all buildings in switzerland are concrete with tons of reinforcing steel it really impacts the TE signal. with other words : i can't control my trains for most of the the layout. bummer.


i tried to extend the antenna on the track receiver but just gained another few feet.


been browsing the web, searched this forum for any hints of good and reliable alternatives.


here are the conditions :
- track powered prefered (dc, pwm or even dcc)
- handheld throttle should have a working distance of 150ft minimum
- system should provide 10amps minimum. i want to be able to run 2-3 aristo dash-9
- track length approx 250ft. railjoiners and track soldered. works perfect. even at lowest speed setting of train engineer.
- minimum radius is 6.5ft
- track is level. difference between lowest and highest point is less than 2".
- no turnouts, therefore no turnout control needed.




since my n-scale empire is all digitrax dcc this might be an option. i have a dect based handheld solution integrated with digitrax dcc. range of 300ft or more. unfortunately digitrax only offers 8amp boosters. they really might be too weak.






does anyone of you have a good solution ? any help will be appreciated.






have fun
sandro




edit : fixed some typos. except for the title. couldn't correct it.


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

It is high priced but my Zimo DCC system will go over 200 feet!!
And it is in my cellar!!
Also has a 12 plus an 8 amp output for 20 amps of track power!!
Sends 24 volts to the track, not 21 volts!!


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## sschaer (Jan 2, 2008)

nice system. but the price tag ... costs an arm and a leg.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

A very trust worthy enterprise;


https://www.gscalegraphics.net/store/c12/Track_Power.html


Del is a good man and easy to get along with and has a great reputation.


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## grsman (Apr 24, 2012)

Sandro
I would like to make sure we are talking the same language. Are you using Aristocraft Train Engineer that operates on 27 or 72 MHZ or are you using Crest Train Engineer Revolution that operates on 2.4 GHZ? There is a huge difference in these systems.

Also, are you saying that the interior walls of your house are concrete and reinforcing steel?
Tom


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## sschaer (Jan 2, 2008)

i have a 27mhz aristo train engineer. 










what are the differences between aristo and crest ? thought that was the same company.




over here almost all buildings are made of steel reinforced concrete. 
g-scale trains go around the house. except for the backside of the house there's always at least one 15" thick concrete wall between handheld throttle and the receiver.


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## ddrum31 (Aug 30, 2017)

I have the same. I was just wondering...Have you tried running extra wires out further on the same loop? Or to many turnouts etc That would cause it to be impossible? 

Jason


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## grsman (Apr 24, 2012)

Sandro
That is a very old product. Aristocraft came out with the Crest Train Engineer Revolution to replace it. After Aristocraft went belly up, some people tried to continue on with the Crest product. They did for awhile. They couldn't manage to do it. The people who built the Train Engineer for them took it over. They have had it for quite awhile. I think it is a very good product. I use it. Here is a link to their web site:
http://www.revoelectronics.com/
They also have a new product for DCC. The Train Engineer has sound built in. The sound is not fancy, but it has basics like bell and a whistle or horn. It also has outputs to control other things like smoke. 

The Revolution product has 5 amp and 15 amp receivers. They may be used onboard. The DCC product has 5 amp receiver/booster. There is a 15 amp receiver/booster in the works.
I don't know if anyone could tell you for sure if it would work under your circumstance. Outdoor range is up to 400 or 500 feet. It operates on 2.4 GHZ.
The web site has a lot of information such as manuals and wiring diagrams.
I never saw where you said what the interior walls of your house were made of. You could try emailing the Tain Engineer people and see what they say. Sometimes emails just go by the wayside. It would probably be an expensive phone call.
Now that you have a name of a product, maybe you could ask around in Switzerland and see if anyone has used it.

Tom


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

Digitrax, you already have some of the parts needed. Add one or two 8 amp boosters. You now can easily add WiFi to use phones for throttles if wanted.


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## sschaer (Jan 2, 2008)

jason,


all track is soldered, no turnouts. just a simple loop around the house. approx 250-300ft. not sure how more track feeders should solve the problem.




tom,
thanks ! looks interesting. will send these guys an email.




mike,
as far as i know dcc boosters can not be combined. that means, using two 8 amp boosters one one section of track doesn't give you 16amps.






have fun
sandro


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

I use three Aristo TEs on my garden layout.

I couldn't get reception from the other end of the layout so I increased their range by adding a CB antenna and now it is no problem. They operate in the same frequency range.

But I don't think that I can get 150 feet away.


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

You need more that 8 amps in one section of track?

What are you running for locomotives?


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## sschaer (Jan 2, 2008)

mike

2-3 aristo dash-9 coupled together. guess they draw more than 8 amps


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

I have 4 tracks that are all tied to the same DCC power source. With my Zimo system I do not need isolated track sections as I have plenty of power to run lit passenger cars and many engines with multiple motors.


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

Hi Sandro:
If you want to dispose of your Train engeneer I am looking for one, it would save me paying customs. I will be in Switzerland next week at EIWI, and other clubs. It is the last version which I am looking for. I don't care for sound and it woks fine in my environments near Paris, Although the trains do go through a concrete wall to get from the indoor terminus to the outdoor line but mine is smaller 50 meters of double track. And it is far more reliable than DCS which I tried for a couple of years and a lot less hastle too.


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## wvlemay (Dec 27, 2007)

This may be a case of missed diagnosis. I'm a radio engineer that works construction in Germany. If your layout is all in one room and you are always in the same room as the track controller, the rebar may not be the issue.

Get the radio system checked (local radio shop or amateur radio operator) as the transmitter or receiver is probably defective (replace the antenna on the hand unit - that's the most vulnerable - if you have a spare...)


Other than that you got good advice. I would try to find a replacement system that is NMRA approved as it will give you a solution that is more maintainable. It is also prudent to move from 27 MHz as it is interference prone.

Warren


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

wvlemay said:


> This may be a case of missed diagnosis. I'm a radio engineer that works construction in Germany. If your layout is all in one room and you are always in the same room as the track controller, the rebar may not be the issue.
> 
> Get the radio system checked (local radio shop or amateur radio operator) as the transmitter or receiver is probably defective (replace the antenna on the hand unit - that's the most vulnerable - if you have a spare...)
> 
> ...





I read that his track is all Around his house ... outside.


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## Cataptrra (Mar 16, 2015)

sschaer said:


> i have a 27mhz aristo train engineer.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I still use this same system. What I did to get more range, and if possible, is mount the TE Receiver on a board mounted to a stake and then mount that so it extends above your roof line. 



I did this with one and it worked out great, was able to run my train from 2-3 houses away watching it through my neighbors security system on his smart phone to see if it was getting to the train.


If you can give it some height and just let the antenna dangle, it should work. Just a suggestion for you.. Good Luck.


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

I doubled the length of the antenna wire and got better results.
Better yet, get a 27mhz firestick antenna (these are wire wound units and I beleive are quarter wave).


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## sschaer (Jan 2, 2008)

sorry for not getting back to you earlier.


as mentioned my layout runs around the house. 


i also tried to use a longer antenna on the receiver. doubled the length, 4x the length. did not help.


mounting the receiver above the roof line would mean to mount it 15ft above the tracks. exposed to wind and rain. probably not a really nice place for electronics.
btw, roof size is 38x80ft ....


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Double the antenna length and run it up from the receiver, do not let it hang down. Also increase the ground plane by mounting the receivers on a metal pan. When using the transmitter, touch a metal pole with its antenna, you will be surprised at what can happen. some of this can defy logic!!


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

I have a set up where the original Aristo train engeneer's receiver antena just goes through the cat trap which the trains use to get outdoors from the indoor terminal, and it works both indoors and outdoors pretty well. But it doesn't go around the house though.


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## Cataptrra (Mar 16, 2015)

sschaer said:


> sorry for not getting back to you earlier.
> 
> 
> as mentioned my layout runs around the house.
> ...



I actually mounted mine inside an old telephone wiring box that I got for free when they changed over to newer boxes in my neighborhood. Got quite a few of them for free since they were just going to take them and throw them away. 



I sanded out the interior, let the antenna wire dangle, as well as the power and accessory wires leave our from the covered openings where the wire and cables went into the box. 



The boxes are weatherproof, but the signal still gets to the RX'er inside with no failure rate. The wind or rain hasn't bothered mine and it's been out there for going on 6 years now.


So you can make it a bit more weatherproof and still function fine mounting it above a roof line with a little thicker wood and zip ties.


Mine has withstood 2 hurricanes and still functions great.


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