With the speed-step modes, the decoder has two options: 14 or 28/128. When in the 14-speed-step mode, the command station must send 14-speed-step commands. If it sends 28 or 128, the decoder will not work correctly.

Think of it as different langauges: 14 speed step is German. The decoder expects to hear German. But if you're sending 28-speed-step commands (Japanese) or 128-speed-step commands (English), the German can't understand what to do.

When the decoder is programmed for 28/128, the decoder can actually do both - it's bi-lingual. If the command station sends Japanese, it will do 28 speed steps. If the command station sends English, it will do 128 speed steps.

So the first step is to program the decoder to whichever speed step you want it to do. Next, tell the command station which langauge to speak to it. With Digitrax's systems, this is done with a procedure called Status Editing.

Status Editing allows you to have one decoder doing 14 speed steps, another doing 28 speed steps, and others doing 128 speed steps - all at the same time. This means that each address is Status Edited.

With Digitrax systems, the default is 128 speed steps - unless you change the default. This means, unless you change the default, every address will automatically be Status Edited for 128 speed steps the first time it is selected. But you can change it to anything you want - by manually Status Editing it. How you go about it depends on the throttle you use. The Genesis UT2 does it one way, older DT100s and DT200s do it a different way, and the newer DT300s and DT400s do it yet another way.

While the exact procedure is outlined in each manual for the respective throttles, generally speaking the newer DT300s and DT400s are the easiest - after selecting the address you want to Edit, you scroll through the options to select the one you want. The UT2 is the next easiest, with the original DT100s and DT200s being a little esoteric - by dialing in an arbitrary code number.

With Digitrax systems, you can make Decoder-Assisted Consisting automatic. That is, once you status edit a decoder's address to do DAC, it will be consisted via DAC any time it is consisted to a loco or consist. Without this feature, you would have to remember which decoders could be DACed, and which ones don't have that feature.

The Status Editing process is almost the same as for selecting speed steps. With a DT300 or DT400, you select the address to Edit, then scroll through the choices to make a selection. For Decoder-Assisted Consisting, speed steps include an asterisk - i.e, 128 is 128 speed steps without DAC, 128* is 128 speed steps with DAC. With the original DT100s and DT200s, the speed step code is four higher for DAC - i.e., "3" is for 128 speed steps without DAC, "7" is for 128 speed steps with DAC.

Each throttle has Status Editing capability for the system it's designed for. There is nothing else to buy or consider.

Status Editing is non-intrusive. As long as you only purchase decoders that default to 128 speed steps there is nothing that has to be done. However, if you purchase a decoder that can't do 128 speed steps you will have to do Status Editing.