Well, the topic has come up again, this time on the Atlas HO Forum. (Look for the topic "Where is the NMRA on the RCC protocol?")
In the first post, the writer makes the case for why is now the time for the NMRA--the body that sets standards for the hobby--to start working with radio control manufacturers and get them to agree on common standards for radio control interoperability (as it did with DCC).
Says he: "The NMRA Working Group MUST wake up and some alive on this new front NOW while it is in its infancy! The work on this new protocol will not only ensure the new RCC systems play well together (and give these companies a combined collective boost by expanding their markets), but it will also ensure that the manufacturers remember to include a device in their system that connects to the now 'ancient' DCC command station and thus allows you to still interact with your 'legacy' DCC fleet using the same controller you use to interact with the RCC fleet."
It's a fascinating discussion about what might just be the future of the hobby--and just after you finally broke down and invested in DCC!
When I broke into electronics 30 yrs ago, I looked at the way HO was done ---and drew back for a while studying things out..... Conclusion through all the jittering starts and stops yielded; battery powered units with radio control throttles fwd/bkwds/horn or whistle and several channels add on modules/hand-held controller. The final results were ni-cad or lithium batteries with very long life, jitter-free operation, realism, no extra miles of wire, no soldering nightmares/discontinuities/testing, So --- everybody be assured that we are now headed in what appears to be a better direction. "All Aboard!?"
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