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Post by evilplan2500 on May 4, 2012 23:19:20 GMT -5
I didn't see any other threads related to my question as of yet. I am considering getting some kind of team communication device for airsoft if I can find one cheap enough, and my question is, what kind of radios are used in the field? Do they use just your run of the mill walkie talkies? Or are fancier radios needed? Its kind of ironic that I know voice procedure for two-way radios, but I don't know how the frequencies are determined. I would hate to buy a radio and headset that doesn't link up with any of the frequencies that are used by other players. Thanks in advance everyone.
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Post by X on May 4, 2012 23:25:17 GMT -5
Airsofters use the gmrs/frs frequencies (narrowband) These are what run of the mill walkie talkies use. I have two suggestions for radios. Cheap and not cheap.
Cheap (50?-60?): Motorola talkabouts
Not Cheap ($185 with programming software): iCOM icf4011
Not cheap has about triple the range but is overkill for pretty much every ao in Michigan. If you want something that looks the part and will be able to work at bigger ops like oplionclaws events go with the icoms. Otherwise pretty much everybody uses the talkabouts.
Channels are usually given prior to each event in the event thread.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using ProBoards
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Post by evilplan2500 on May 4, 2012 23:27:06 GMT -5
Thank you much, when I'm in the market for a radio when I am able to go to bigger operations I will certainly look into those.
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Post by X on May 4, 2012 23:30:38 GMT -5
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Post by Zorak on May 5, 2012 1:00:11 GMT -5
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Post by X on May 5, 2012 9:17:24 GMT -5
Yes, and using GMRS without a license is also illegal. I'm willing to bet that less than 1% of airsofters that use gmrs posses one. If I get caught you can say I told you so.
By the way, you should update your webpage the cost is $85 per five years now.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using ProBoards
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Post by shadsquatch on May 5, 2012 11:00:40 GMT -5
From my personal experience, a basic talkabout radio or midland radio works perfectly fine. Especially since they have a good channel range.
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Post by Tank on May 5, 2012 11:42:17 GMT -5
For almost all AOs that is the case, but we were told that talkabouts have an issue at the 2012 Northern Lights AO. They can't reach the length if the large building that well, and certainly can't reach the length of the AO.
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Post by Zorak on May 7, 2012 9:26:06 GMT -5
My own GMRS license expired, but then I've pretty much stopped playing, too. I mentioned the legalities because it's generally best not to advise people to do illegal stuff on a public forum.
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Post by X on May 7, 2012 13:12:15 GMT -5
My own GMRS license expired, but then I've pretty much stopped playing, too. I mentioned the legalities because it's generally best not to advise people to do illegal stuff on a public forum. This is true. In the future I will mention the legalities, at the very least.
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Post by evilplan2500 on May 8, 2012 0:11:07 GMT -5
I appreciate the advice on staying on the legal side, but don't worry everyone, I was not going to spend that much on a team radio haha.
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Post by hylerwolf on May 16, 2012 23:04:52 GMT -5
Over all FRS radios are limited and its important to know that to be completely compliant with frs rules you have to be at a power setting of 1/2 watt and the radio has to have a non-detachable attached antenna. Granted I think it would be interesting to have a team full of hams on 2 meter simplex for an event.
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Post by Zorak on May 17, 2012 15:47:57 GMT -5
I always swore that if I found a way to run an outdoor field, I'd set up at least one big ol' antenna and run a trio of GMRS repeaters. Given sufficient power and a big enough antenna, that would provide full-field coverage on two command frequencies and an organizer frequency.
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Post by Da Vinci - Да Винчи on May 17, 2012 17:55:22 GMT -5
Is there any man-potable way to boost the frequency and range of an every day Talkabout?
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Post by hylerwolf on May 17, 2012 18:53:23 GMT -5
Is there any man-potable way to boost the frequency and range of an every day Talkabout? Not with FRS it would be a violation of the rules for FRS radios. GMRS does have some advantages with the power levels that you can use but really it boils down to the fact that both FRS and GMRS radios that are UHF, and have very low gain antennas. At best they are operating at 0-1db gain, but if you wear the radio on your person its more like -5db gain. bottom line is they would be fine for a single squad operating in close proximity but as far as field wide? They are not going to do much good unless its a small field. A man portable CB rig would be possible but it would be more like carrying the older military radio backpacks. But what we need for airsoft is not overly available.
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