While I had atrocious misfortune with the Piko digital setup, I am truly impressed with the Piko remote control analogue system that I purchased at the same time. I couple a six amp LGB power pack to the controller and use the Navigator handpiece for remote operation. The radio range is fantastic and it never misses a beat. One niggly point is that the marked positions either side of centre off do not produce the same throttle voltage output. Thus position '10' (of the 14 speed steps) on the Navigator could have 2 volts difference between forward and reverse direction for the same selected throttle position.
It does however have two strange anomalies. If the controller is wired to the rails when power is applied then a burst of power is sent to the rails causing any locomotive on the track to take off for about twelve inches (even with the Navigator remote turned off). One has to disconnect a track wire if power is removed even if only momentarily.
Second anomaly concerns the Navigator. After a period of inactivity the handpiece will shutdown to conserve battery power. However, if the analogue controller is now used then the controller remembers the last throttle input when the Navigator auto shut down. When the analogue rotary throttle knob is turned back to '0' (null) position, the loco will auto accel to the last selected throttle position and direction of the Navigator remote (even though the Navigator is turned off).
Even with its faults it is still a worthwhile purchase. Same cannot be said for the digital controller though (unfortunately).
It does however have two strange anomalies. If the controller is wired to the rails when power is applied then a burst of power is sent to the rails causing any locomotive on the track to take off for about twelve inches (even with the Navigator remote turned off). One has to disconnect a track wire if power is removed even if only momentarily.
Second anomaly concerns the Navigator. After a period of inactivity the handpiece will shutdown to conserve battery power. However, if the analogue controller is now used then the controller remembers the last throttle input when the Navigator auto shut down. When the analogue rotary throttle knob is turned back to '0' (null) position, the loco will auto accel to the last selected throttle position and direction of the Navigator remote (even though the Navigator is turned off).
Even with its faults it is still a worthwhile purchase. Same cannot be said for the digital controller though (unfortunately).
