Everything on model trains, model railroads, model railways, locomotives, model train layouts, scenery, wiring, DCC and more. Enjoy the world's best hobby... model railroading!

background buildings model trains

Sound Decoder Question For Kato SD90/43MAC Loco

Liam writes”

“I got a Kato HO SD90/43MAC on eBay (#176-5611) and want to fit a sounder decoder. Stupid question I know, but does a sound decoder also have a regular DCC decoder? Which one should I get and will the speaker, which I presume comes with it, fit ok?

5 Responses to Sound Decoder Question For Kato SD90/43MAC Loco

  • Murray Russell says:

    HI. Good question. Most decoders sold today are DCC with sound, but I believe Soundtrax & Digitrax do still sell separate sound decoders (usually with a speaker) which you can attach to your existing decoder. I’m not familiar with the Kato SD90/43MAC (out of my era) but if it is anything like the SD40-2’s they are notoriously tight for room to the point of having to mount it in the fuel tank which required milling. There are much smaller speakers available today that may fit. Out a ball of Silly Putty on top of the rear weight and remount the body. The resulting thickness of the putty will indicate how deep of a speaker you can put in

  • Dan Potgieter says:

    Liam, take a look at the TCS decoder website. They explain installation of a sound decoder specifically for your loco in great detail. All sound decoders from TCS, Digitrax etc are dual function and some specifically made for your loco.

  • Kim Ervin Fokken says:

    For the Kato sd90/43 mac, All I needed for my GP 60M was the Loksound decoder and speaker with speaker box. So it should not be much different for yours, Just the DCC decoder and sound and that’s it.. My GP 60M was dcc ready so I just contacted Fox Valley for reference for my model of locomotive and I was fitted with the exact model of loksound decoder and speaker.

  • Kim Ervin Fokken says:

    Is that kato Mac loco HO scale?

  • Richard Landreth says:

    Check out duford motor works on facebook. He does outstaning dcc w/sound installs using loksound equipment.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Add a photo or image related to your comment (JPEG only)

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION

scale model building stores
scale model building yard freight office
low relief yard railways
scale model building tall background

Download Your Free Catalog

wild west town model

Use Tiny Railroad Micro Controllers

scale model building house

Model Train Help Ebook

Model Railroading Blog Archive

Reader Poll

Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.