SoundBytes XXXIII

Here we are with the first SoundBytes for 2011. It has been a while, but we hope everyone had a Happy New Year! In this edition, we will discuss the impending arrival of the Blackstone Tank cars, talk a bit about the tradeshow season and upcoming trips, and finish with new products coming from SoundTraxx. For our Tech Tip, we will show our Decoder Selector’s Newest Feature, the Application Notes.

Blackstone News!
The Tank cars are here! We received these much-anticipated models this week. These models are all sold out at the factory, but many of our dealers may still have stock available for purchase. Please check with them for availability.

Shipping will start next week to the dealers.

Trade Show Season
This month has flown by us. We just got back from a busy Amherst show this past weekend. We thank the many who braved the cold temperatures and snow to come out and see us. We talked with many of you and we always appreciate feedback from our customers.
George is on his way to visit the Great Scale Model Train Show in Timonium MD.

He will be showing some samples of the C-19, Passenger Coach and the Tank Car. Listen for announcements during the show to hear which booths he will be at, so you can come by and ask questions and see some of the new products and see demonstrations. While there, he is planning on visiting the B&O Railroad Museum. We’ll report back on his trip in a later installment.

Available Soon!
We have started to build the TSU-1000 decoders for the EMD SD70ACe and the GE GEVO locomotives. These have authentic recordings of these specific locomotives.

These will be shipping soon, so be sure to order these from your favorite dealer!


Now Shipping!
We have released the first few of the SoundTraxx Mobile Decoders! These are equipped with the fine motor control you have come to expect from the Tsunami, but without sound. All Tsunami motor control features are there, including the F11 brake acting as a brake, just without the sound! These can help make speed matching more convenient without having to read through different manufacturer’s manuals trying to get it close. Retail price starts at $19.95, so get yours today! More information can be found here: http://www.soundtraxx.com/MotorDecoders/MotorDecoders.php

Tech Tip:
We have posted a decoder selector to help with your decoder selection. We now have a new feature included with the selector, Application Notes. These are documents that will give a full step-by-step installation of a decoder into the specific models. These will have a list of tools, supplies and which decoder and speaker to use. These are also rated by skill level, so you may not want to try a skill level 5 on your first decoder install.
The decoder selector can be accessed here: http://www.soundtraxx.com/choose/step1.php
When you find your model, click on the model’s highlighted name and it will then open up a .pdf for you to read through and use as a guide!
If anyone wants to participate in helping get some of these documents done, please contact George at georgeb@soundtraxx.com for details and to inquire as to whether we have a given model in progress or not. Also, be sure the photos are clean (on a white or grey backdrop, no messy workbenches please) and in focus. We will give full recognition to you for your submissions.