Hi, I’m looking into radios to use in a photo operation at Major League Baseball ballparks as well as other sporting events. These are mainly outdoor events (we do a few domes) and the coverage area is basically the size of a stadium. This is a very loud environment so I figure earpieces or something similar will be necessary, and so I’m looking for recommendations on the perfect two-ways and accessories for this situation.
And what about the digital radios? I heard you can have 1-to-1 or group discussions on them. Will they not eventually replace UHF and VHF models?
These radios have several advantages over standard UHF models, particularly the one to one calling, eavesdrop resistance, lack of interference, and no license requirement. In my opinion, the only drawbacks are that they seem to have less range outdoors (probably because they are restricted to 1 watt of power) and there is a slight delay between transmit and receive (around a second). I expect that the market share will grow for these types of radios, but I don’t think we’ll see a big move in this direction for at least a couple of more years.
For an earpiece, I would suggest you look at the XLT EB200. It is comfortable and I believe it would work well for your situation.
For a conventional radio, a two watt UHF model would be ideal for your situation. The Motorola RDU2020 and the Kenwood TK3200 would be great candidates.
The Motorola DTR series is considerably more durable than the TriSquare’s. The features on the DTR410 are also a more advanced, and they have the ability to be setup using computer software.