Still handy, Ken

The load kicks up the current on the programming track, making it easier for the programmer to see the "acknowledgement" response from the decoder.

I do all my programming on the main, so I don't use this technique and have never had an issue.

I see you are planning on using a Zephyr. I hear that for sound decoders (no pun intended), putting it into Blast mode can provide the extra oopmh that sound decoder capacitors need. Blast mode can be turned on by closing OpSwitch 7. Never tried it. Just passing it on.

Thanks

So it's only useful to read a value, but programing still works without it, right?  Maybe that's why I've rarely had good luck reading CVs back.

Thanks, Paul.  I use Blast mode often enough to have written down how to do it in the back of the Zephyr manual.  I have to be careful with it, though - don't want to reprogram the entire railroad!

In our club we have found

In our club we have found that Bachmann DCC on Board locos such as the GE 44 ton model need a resistor across the rails to program. We use decoder pro running through an older digitrax system. The other decoders seem to be just fine, the only ones so far we have found are the non sound Bachmann decoders. There may be others that have not been tried by us that need this as well.

Rob in Texas

Dummies

If you have any decoder-equipped dummies, that can be another reason to have the resistor, since they don't offer enough resistance themselves.  However, you can get around that by simply placing a powered locomotive on the programming track at the same time.  You'd later have to reprogram the powered model, but for me, that's been an easy solution.