Headsets

Keggers

I'm sure I saw a thread like this somewhere but tried to find it with no avail so does anyone know a website where I could get my hands on a good headset?

Spetzcong

For what Radio?

I recommend the Cavalvy Headsets, available on RSOV and Ehobby (and probably other sites too) great headset and it really looks the business, there's a few different models available to fit different types of radios.

Keggers

Bearing in mind I'm working off a budget of -40 euro

CrazyRabbit

Keggers wrote: »

Bearing in mind I'm working off a budget of -40 euro

This perhaps?
http://www.kinderplanet.com/walktalk.htm

I'm in a strange mood today...

Lemming

CrazyRabbit wrote: »

I'm in a strange mood today...

/looks at Rabbit's name. Looks at statement.

Nothing new there so :pac:

Keggers

CrazyRabbit wrote: »

This perhaps?
http://www.kinderplanet.com/walktalk.htm

I'm in a strange mood today...

Nice +1

Rew

Need to know what radio it is to start off with.

Keggers

I'm still in a twist with that could you suggest any?

Rew

Motorola XTN is a solid decent radio.

JohnReisman

Expensive for a starter radio or a new gamer. Its a good to think along the lines of a budget for a package for radios at different stages. Where you could get a radio to start with for maybe €40-50 when you upgrade to a more expensive radio you could spent that amount or more on a headset alone.

horgan_p

whatever you do dont go to maplins.
had a look int here on saturday and bought a quad pack with 4 headsets for around 200 euro. was back within a half hour explaining to the nice chap that the headset plug was completely different to the socket on the walkie.
he wouldnt let me check instore cause i would have to open the pack , yet refunded me straight away on an open pack !

i think i'll save the bobs a while and get a motorola set

Tactical

Rew wrote: »

Motorola XTN is a solid decent radio.

Any of this series of set will require a license in Ireland.

NakedDex

No they won't, they're 446MHz UHF band with a Tx power of less than 1W. All of which fall outside requirements of licencsed radios.

Boston

What Dex said. The xtn is a PMR 446 radio, See reference here.

Rew

He's right and worng there are a few differant XTN units some would require a licence but the XTN446 wouldn't.

JohnReisman wrote: »

Expensive for a starter radio or a new gamer. Its a good to think along the lines of a budget for a package for radios at different stages. Where you could get a radio to start with for maybe €40-50 when you upgrade to a more expensive radio you could spent that amount or more on a headset alone.

I disagree I have had loads of differant makes and models of radio and a decent one makes alot more difference the an expensive headset.

NakedDex

The XTN series itself is a 446 but there are US versions of the XTN which fall under a different name (despite them appearing as the XTN446 whenever they're searched for in Google or Ebay).
The US versions are anywhere from .5W to 3W (I believe they also now have a 5W model now) and are all VHF. The simple fact that they are VHF is enough to make them license only radios in this country as VHF transmissions of any power are strictly controlled. UHF and HF transmissions on certain frequencies are unlicensed. The main ones being 80Mhz and 446Mhz.

As such, please be careful if purchasing a radio from Ebay. Units from the US are almost always VHF.

Rew

There's a UHF 2 watt version as well as far as I know

NakedDex

It's not available commerically in Ireland though as far as I know, it's an import model from the continent.

Rew

NakedDex wrote: »

It's not available commerically in Ireland though as far as I know, it's an import model from the continent.

Comercial avalability here has never really been a limiting factor for anyone though

Goes to show though your dead right about having to be extra carefull buying radios.

JohnReisman

Rew wrote: »

He's right and worng there are a few differant XTN units some would require a licence but the XTN446 wouldn't.



I disagree I have had loads of different makes and models of radio and a decent one makes a lot more difference the an expensive headset.

I think you took me up the wrong way Rew. What I meant was: If the gamer is new then a €30 radio and a €10 ear piece will do fine. The budget for the radio and headset should increase proportionally.

Tactical

NakedDex wrote: »

The XTN series itself is a 446 but there are US versions of the XTN which fall under a different name (despite them appearing as the XTN446 whenever they're searched for in Google or Ebay).
The US versions are anywhere from .5W to 3W (I believe they also now have a 5W model now) and are all VHF. The simple fact that they are VHF is enough to make them license only radios in this country as VHF transmissions of any power are strictly controlled. UHF and HF transmissions on certain frequencies are unlicensed. The main ones being 80Mhz and 446Mhz.

As such, please be careful if purchasing a radio from Ebay. Units from the US are almost always VHF.

ALL transmitters in Ireland require a license, except for those specifically exempted by Comreg. Not just VHF. There are no license exempt devices in the 80MHz portion of spectrum other than the iPod type transmitters.

On the 446MHz allocation the ERP (effective Radiated Power) is limited to 0.5 Watts

NakedDex

iPod transmitters are not on the 80MHz band. That's clearly stated by the fact that they fall into the commercial broadcast radio band of 88MHz to 108MHz. Not much point in having them on 80MHz if car radios can't tune into that frequency.
The upper threshold as set out by comreg is .5W, equivalent to approximately 3km broadcast range on a 446MHz unit. If all transmitters, including these, required licences, then every radio Maplin, Argos and even Smyths Toys sell are contravening law as the majority of these are .5W or over. Including the rather large number of XTN and XTX (both .5W) series radios I've purchased over the years from various stores in Ireland who have all advertised the item as being a licence free radio and advised me as such when purchasing said unit.

Rew

PMR 446 is licence exempt (as opposed to licence free if your being pedantic) once you stick within the power limits. Comreg may regualte it but the PRM standard came down from the EU.

Tactial im not where your going with all this other them being argumentative, your certainly not contrubuting anything to the discussion.

NakedDex

It's all gone rather off topic anyway, the OP wished to know about headsets, not licence regulations.

Beast ASI

The Motorola XTN446 is fantastic combined with a Cavalry headset.

I'd recommend the combination of both, although it didn't seem to work well with my Iasus throat mic.

Tactical

Sorry, my mistake. I misread 80MHz. You are indeed quite correct.

However I can find no exemption for devices at 80MHz. What devices are you aware of that are available at 80MHz?

Regarding all other transmitters, anything not license exempt requires a license in Ireland. This is governed by the 1926 Wireless Telegraphy Act and its subsequent ammandments.

Maplin do sell radio that require a license to be in possession of. Unfortunately their sale and supply is not regulated at all, but a person in possesion of a valid license is quite entitled to purchase such a set.

The other outlets mentioned I'm not sure of exactly what devices they are selling.

Rew

NakedDex wrote: »

It's all gone rather off topic anyway, the OP wished to know about headsets, not licence regulations.

He wants to know about radios as well and the type of radios that got get bought by airsofters can have licence implications which they dont understand. I've already come across people at skermish radios who have bought US radios that are illeagle over here.

Tactical

Sorry if I've caused any upset on this topic guys.

This is an area I'm professionally qualified in and just thought I'd try and help out with my answer. It was not my intention to go off topic of upset anyone. Sorry guys.

Rew

Tactical wrote: »

Maplin do sell radio that require a license to be in possession of. Unfortunately their sale and supply is not regulated at all, but a person in possesion of a valid license is quite entitled to purchase such a set.

The other outlets mentioned I'm not sure of exactly what devices they are selling.

Far as I know the only licence radios maplin sell are marine VFH units. Other then that everything being talked about here is PMR446.

NakedDex

Beast ASI wrote: »

The Motorola XTN446 is fantastic combined with a Cavalry headset.

I'd recommend the combination of both, although it didn't seem to work well with my Iasus throat mic.

Really? I was using an XTN with an Iasus throat mic for a long time (until my XTN was comically run over by a Land Rover). It still works rather well with my back up XTX though. I have been meaning to invest in a Cavalry one for some time now though.

Tactical wrote: »

Sorry if I've caused any upset on this topic guys.

This is an area I'm professionally qualified in and just thought I'd try and help out with my answer. It was not my intention to go off topic of upset anyone. Sorry guys.

My fault, I didn't see the question regarding radios, I shouldn't have called it as off topic.
I have qualifications in this area too, though less so on the legal side and more on the practical side. The 80MHz band is something I have never used personally but I remember using it quite a bit a few years back on base station radios similar to CB radios.

Beast ASI

NakedDex wrote: »

Really? I was using an XTN with an Iasus throat mic for a long time (until my XTN was comically run over by a Land Rover). It still works rather well with my back up XTX though. I have been meaning to invest in a Cavalry one for some time now though.

Yeah, it just wouldn't pick me up at all, so in the end sold it and switched to the Cavalry one which I can't fault so far

NakedDex

How do you find the speaker on the Cavalry unit? I've been intrigued to find out just how good it is. Does it restrict much of the ambient noise you can hear when not in use?

Spetzcong

NakedDex wrote: »

How do you find the speaker on the Cavalry unit? I've been intrigued to find out just how good it is. Does it restrict much of the ambient noise you can hear when not in use?

Nope, you can hear pretty much perfectly through them. They're nice and comfortable (on me anyway, I suppose it might depend on the shape of your ears/head) and the sound quality is very good even on a cheaper radio, although with a better radio their performance improves significantly.

NakedDex

I may get one for testing. It'll see use somehow, even if it doesn't replace my trusty throat mic.

Rew

I got the Iasus throat mike, Cavalry Elite II and a remote speaker mike to cover all bases. Waiting on the Cavalry ATM. Supply seems to be drying up alot of sites are now out of stock.

NakedDex

Yeah the Iasus throat mic is what I'm using too. It'll be hard to shift that off my unit of choice, it's pretty much exactly what I want. I love how unrestrictive it is.

Keggers

I need a head radio/headset that is compatible with a very very tight budget

NakedDex

To get something in any way decent you're going to have to spend the bones of about 80-100 euro. Cheap radios aren't worth a damn. Half of them couldn't pick up from one side of the safe zone to the other.

Keggers

Damn we (the Wolves) may have to do without for the time being. Well I have heard that you can get some decent radios/walkie takies (less the head sets) for pretty cheap

zero19

Any link to a decent radio that won't cost the earth guys?

NakedDex

Keggers wrote: »

Damn we (the Wolves) may have to do without for the time being. Well I have heard that you can get some decent radios/walkie takies (less the head sets) for pretty cheap

When I said 80-100 I meant without headsets. That's for a pair of radios that will last you. Those 50 buck jobs from Argos or Maplin are a waste of time and money. And don't even think you'll get a headset for them later because they're not compatible with anything out there.


For the price of these, you can't go far wrong for a starter unit. They're about the 65 mark here.
Cobra MT800
Then get this and you can use any of these or these.

Keggers

Damn, you 100% sure because even as a team we're all skint you'd be amazed how fast your money disappears when your starting airsoft

NakedDex

No, I know exactly how skint airsoft leaves you. And I hate to burst the bubble but it doesn't get any cheaper or easier as you go along.

Try the links I put in my edited post above. Had a quick hunt for you and found those going cheaper than I remember. They're a decent radio for the price over short range. I've linked in an adaptor and the headsets compatible with it via the adaptor too.

horgan_p

NakedDex wrote: »

When I said 80-100 I meant without headsets. That's for a pair of radios that will last you. Those 50 buck jobs from Argos or Maplin are a waste of time and money. And don't even think you'll get a headset for them later because they're not compatible with anything out there.


For the price of these, you can't go far wrong for a starter unit. They're about the 65 mark here.
Cobra MT800
Then get this and you can use any of these or these.

dex , are you sure ? these are a dead match for what i tried in maplin on saturday except it was a quad pack.they didnt work and i had to get a refund.

NakedDex

Without sounding slanderous, Maplins staff haven't a dogs notion what they're on about most of the time. And that's coming from a former employee. It shocked me a lot of the time how easily they'd hire people with zero knowledge of anything in the store.

They stock 3 different adaptors, one has a 2.5mm jack, the other two have 3.5mm jacks. The two with 3.5mm jacks have alternate wiring, one crossover, one straight through. As far as I recall, it's one of these two.
If they tell you they can't open the pack, it's rubbish, the packs actually split open at the back, they're not sealed at all (I've done it dozens of times for customers back in the day). My advice with Maplin is a) don't listen to them unless they have some sort of qualification and b) go to the Blanch store, not the Jervis St one. Blanch at least has a few lads that know what they're talking about.

That said, I was in there a couple of weeks back and the staff (four of them) were trying to figure out whether or not lead was an element...

JohnReisman

Keggers wrote: »

Damn we (the Wolves) may have to do without for the time being. Well I have heard that you can get some decent radios/walkie takies (less the head sets) for pretty cheap

If these radios are in your budget then they aren't too bad. http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=30001&partNumber=5530434
They don't provide you with much discretion as they don't support headsets well. As some of the lads here have mentioned. But for the price they ain't too bad. More rugged design than some radios that are twice as fancy and twice as expensive. I have used these radios in Old HRTA. It was a small area so listening to your radio did more to inform your enemy that the guy using it.

Now here is a little tip that I think some people would be very happy if you weren't told. Practice your movement in the field without a radio and perfect it before you become dependent on technology. Either use the internet to find some standard hand signals or make up your own. When you can communicate in true silence when others around yell or reach for a radio then you already have half the battle won. Don't forget half of airsoft is all about men taking the opportunity to play with toys. So the radios you see any player use in the field is as much a toy as it is an essential tool to affect a win within a skirmish.

:cool:

Keggers

Thanks for the advice that was a very poetic way of putting it truly beautiful the only smiley to express would be this :pac:

Tactical

Keggers wrote: »

I need a head radio/headset that is compatible with a very very tight budget

Did you see the ones Lidl were selling a week or so ago? They were selling as a motorbiking intercom

They were a rechargable 446MHz set with helmet mount speaker and mic.

Around €35 I think. They may still have a few sets left in some stores.

Tactical

JohnReisman wrote: »

Now here is a little tip that I think some people would be very happy if you weren't told. Practice your movement in the field without a radio and perfect it before you become dependent on technology. Either use the internet to find some standard hand signals or make up your own. When you can communicate in true silence when others around yell or reach for a radio then you already have half the battle won. Don't forget half of airsoft is all about men taking the opportunity to play with toys. So the radios you see any player use in the field is as much a toy as it is an essential tool to affect a win within a skirmish.

:cool:

I'd agree 100% with that statement.

Technology can also let you down and if its your sole method of communication you could find things very different.

Remember that technology can also be used against you ....;)

Keggers

Tactical wrote: »

Did you see the ones Lidl were selling a week or so ago? They were selling as a motorbiking intercom

They were a rechargable 446MHz set with helmet mount speaker and mic.

Around €35 I think. They may still have a few sets left in some stores.

Were they only for motor bike helmets?

Tactical

I guess so, but you had to fit them to a helmet yourself so I don't see why they couldn't fit a helmet like those used for Airsoft.