Thanks for hosting this forum. Great resource. I was looking at your radios and accessories and had some questions.
I coordinate some recreational paintball events out in the woods with friends (up to 30 ppl at times) and am interested in introducing radios into the dynamics of the games. The idea would be to have two or more teams each with sets of radios. There are so many options I’m hoping you’ll have some ideas and suggestions:
Range: Playing fields are not huge. We might eventually have scenario games that are a couple miles but probably not bigger than that.
Features:
Security: What are the options for having private channels for each team?
Push-To-Talk vs. VOX: Having to move a hand away from the paintball marker to press a switch would not be good. A finger switch for PTT or reliable voice activation would be good. I think PTT would be better because sometimes you need to say things like “I’m out” that should not be communicated to the team. Any thoughts on PTT vs. VOX?
Wires: the fewer wires the better. Running around in the woods with a lot of other gear, the simpler the better. I saw your RocketScience Ghost M6 Pro Earphone kit that looks really cool. Spendy but looks like the features are along the lines of what I’m looking for. How well does it work? Is it far better than the BodyGuard-M6?
Probably have to be somewhat rugged.
Additional Comments/Questions:
I think I’d like to standardize on Motorola and keep all the gear compatible.
Do different sets and brands have proprietary pins/connectors? What should I look out for there. Do all motorola sets use the same?
Do you have any suggestions on good, better, best models of radio and ear and ptt options?
Do you have price breaks for 10-30+ radio and earpiece sets?
Most likely, the best radio for you is going to be the Motorola T9500XLR (also available in camo as the T9550XLR). This is the most powerful consumer radio from Motorola, and will typically deliver 1-2 miles of range depending on terrain. I’m recommending this model because it sounds as if you need the most range possible if you could have players a couple of miles apart.
These radios, I believe, are the best buy for the money but there are a couple of drawbacks that apply to any GMRS radio. First of all, they all support the same 22 channels and have a channel scan feature which can’t be disabled. This provides the potential that one team could use the scan feature to listen to the conversation of the other team. Secondly, these are GMRS radios which use UHF frequencies. Since you will be using the radios outdoors exclusively, a VHF radio would offer better range.
The Motorola XV2100 is a more ideal radio, but unfortunately it is much more expensive. It is a VHF radio that only has one channel, but this channel can be programmed to any one of 27 frequencies. This would allow you to have a set of radios for each team that wouldn’t allow eavesdropping.
As far as a headset, we’ve got a new piece coming in next week that is going to be perfect for you if you can wait for it. It’s a throat mic with a finger PTT button and surveillance style earpiece. We are starting to stock this piece specifically because paintballer’s have been asking for them. The price is not set yet, but will likely be around $35.
I think you’re on the right track with PTT over VOX. VOX can be problematic because of unwanted transmissions and delays.
For connectors, most brands have a proprietary connector. Even Motorola business radios use a different connector than Talkabout series radios. If you go with a Motorola (Talkabout or business) you will have the widest variety of accessories simply because there are so many aftermarket options available.
We do offer price breaks on quantity orders (although typically not on business radios). Contact us by phone or email before you place your order and we can provide you with a quote which will allow you to get the best price.
Hope this was helpful. Let us know if you have any other questions.
Yeah, I’m in no rush. I’m exploring the options and then will float the idea to everyone. Maybe get a couple to try out before we go all out. I’m very interested in hearing more about the throat mic you have coming in. Should I keep browsing your store from time to time or can you ping me when they are available?
I’ll try to remember to post to this thread when they arrive. I was pretty impressed with the sample that I received, especially considering the price point. We did some shopping around and I’m really happy with what we decided on. We’re going to carry this model with 3 connectors available: Motorola Talkabout, Motorola Business, and Kenwood. I’ll try to take a pic of our sample and post it here in the next day or so.
Here’s a quick pic of the throat mic sample that I tested. It’s not a professional quality image by any means, but it should give you an idea of what we’re looking at.
XLT is new, I’m sure you haven’t heard of them. I have not tried products from IASUS or Fire Fox, so I can’t give you an honest comparison.
I can tell you that I personally tested all of the XLT products and found them all to be as-good-as or better than the genuine Motorola or Kenwood part that they compete with, or the RocketScience aftermarket earpiece that they are similar to.
The only exception was the speaker mic’s. As far as quality and durability, they seem just as good. The volume, however, is slightly lower than the genuine Motorola/Kenwood part. This difference is barely noticeable, however, and at half the price I think they are the best choice in all but the highest noise environments.
