Do you use a radio during Airsoft games?

[Affliction]

Poll irrelevant now

[BC_K]

Cheapo FRS!!! Even if your not talking on it, It's great for listening to whats being broadcasted and use that to your advantage.

[Brakoo]

I used to have a cheapo FRS but we decided to move on with something better and let me tell you it's worth spending the extra bucks to get a good UHF radio. I will never go back to FRS.

[JourneyMan]

El cheapo for me, our field is only 9 or so acres.

[SockMonkey]

+1 on the UHF set up. On some you can program the GMRS/FRS chanels but have FAR better power and range.

[LUTNIT]

Well many cheap FRS radios output at 0.5 watts, the higher end GMRS ones are 2.0 watts. Get to UHF and I think I saw something like 15 watts of output. But dont you need licensing? My dad is a HAM and he said I could easily just go for my HAM license and then use almost any radio I wanted.

Personally I just picked up a pair of motorola 2.0watt GMRS radios, but I'm a poor student.

[rc_p120]

Yeah, people use radios.

[elvis_wong]

Originally Posted by Brakoo

I used to have a cheapo FRS but we decided to move on with something better and let me tell you it's worth spending the extra bucks to get a good UHF radio. I will never go back to FRS.

What is the difference? The range, the sound quality?
Since in looking to buy a pair...

[Whozat]

UHF all the way, not cheap but well worth it. Buy cheap, get cheap.
These days GMRS should be the minimum standard.
Sock, as long as the radio is programable there should be no issue with using FRS and GMRS frequencies. I currently have all FRS and GMRS channels on mine along with a few other UHF frequencies and there's still room for more.

[*ATF*Aurora]

Originally Posted by LUTNIT

Well many cheap FRS radios output at 0.5 watts, the higher end GMRS ones are 2.0 watts. Get to UHF and I think I saw something like 15 watts of output. But dont you need licensing? My dad is a HAM and he said I could easily just go for my HAM license and then use almost any radio I wanted.

Personally I just picked up a pair of motorola 2.0watt GMRS radios, but I'm a poor student.

No UHF are usually set between 2.5 - 5w. Cheap ones can be usually same price as a good FRS but as a difference of feeling like talking in telephone instead of a kid walkie-talkie. And I have to tell you that you don't actually have a GMRS but more like a FRS giving you ability to some GMRS channel wich are 1w and not 2w.

[FOX_111]

This is what I use. Most of us now use that too.
4 watts
programmable to GMRS channels.
privacy code
99 channels memory
Compatible with lots of high end accessories.
Cheaper than expensive GMRS!!!

[Identity]

Originally Posted by FOX_111

This is what I use. Most of us now use that too.
4 watts
programmable to GMRS channels.
privacy code
99 channels memory
Compatible with lots of high end accessories.
Cheaper than expensive GMRS!!!

How much money would that run you?

MOST UHF radio's do NOT permit transmitting on the FRS / GMRS frequencies by default. This is because the UHF radio transmits at 5W which is too powerful for the FCC and CRTC regulated transmit frequencies of 0.5W FRS and 2.0W GMRS. Therefore, out of the box, most UHF sets will only RECEIVE on the FRS and GMRS bands.

That being said, it's usually an easy mod to the radio (unsolder one diode) to permit TX and RX on those frequencies. Beware however that SOME radios will still drop the TX power to within CRTC limits.

A decent UHF set will run you anywhere from $200 - $400.

[Bravo One-Six]

Do vintage VHF manpacks count? hahah

[gandar]

Originally Posted by Meat

Do vintage VHF manpacks count? hahah

Dude that's so pimp.