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team comm's.... what are the thoughts on a 6 person team comm set?
- Thread starter hunter1959
- Start date
Protecting the virginity of the Mayor's nephew.
field communication among team members.. quiet comms, needs sensitivity in mics and hearing devices... want insertable ear pods, not range mufflers... should be able to communicate at least 1000 yards in covered and obstructed terrain... weather proof, temperature proof
Gonna be hard to beat a baofeng with remote mike. Grab an after market ear bud as baofeng’s is too cheap.
is there any option for mostly hands free operation in any of the choices available from manufacturers?
1) do not buy a baofeng....they are cheap Chinese shit.....if you need a radio, buy a real fucking radio. Kenwood, Yeasu, ICOM will serve you well.
2) 1000yds in dense woods or obstructed terrain is going to be hard for ANY radio...radios work on line of sight, essentially if you cant see the person you are talking to, you are going to have a harder time communicating with them.
i can tell you in dense new england woods, we struggle to get much more than a hundred yards or so out of a Handheld radio.
if you want 1000yds of clear communication in dense woods, you need to build a portable repeater station, preferably with an antenna that clears the tree line.
3) if you have cell service....just use a fucking cell phone.
2) 1000yds in dense woods or obstructed terrain is going to be hard for ANY radio...radios work on line of sight, essentially if you cant see the person you are talking to, you are going to have a harder time communicating with them.
i can tell you in dense new england woods, we struggle to get much more than a hundred yards or so out of a Handheld radio.
if you want 1000yds of clear communication in dense woods, you need to build a portable repeater station, preferably with an antenna that clears the tree line.
3) if you have cell service....just use a fucking cell phone.
How many wires are you willing to buy, manage on your kit, and maintain? It looks cool in the movies but beyond an ear bud you quickly loose bang for the buck in 99% of applications.
Define hands free? You mean using a PTT?
Baofeng UV5R
QHM-22 mic
3.5mm audio cable
Ear pro with 3.5mm audio jack
there’s your comms. Then everyone else buys same thing.
Baofeng UV5R
QHM-22 mic
3.5mm audio cable
Ear pro with 3.5mm audio jack
there’s your comms. Then everyone else buys same thing.
part of the planning of future needs is based on the likelihood that cell service will be down and out.. this is strictly for tactical preparedness among a small group of defensive minded individuals.. earbuds for silence, sensitivity for low volume speaking or whispering... even click coding if necessary on a handset device
I getting too old for this shit
You're going to run into problems between what radios you can get that are/are not shit, what frequencies they can transmit on and what PTT/headphones they work with. None of the big comm companies seem to want to make anything that resembles a 'standard' or anything that works with anything else. It's fucking obnoxious.
There's a workaround for all of it, but its tricky.
For example, Baofeng's are shit, but they work and they're cheap. If you plan to use them for 'hard use' they're not going to last at all. The PRO is that they are UHF/VHF and with a program like CHIRP you can get basically any frequency range in them you want. They also now make aftermarket Kenwood connectors for PTT for them which then connect to a Peltor Comtac or anything with a U94 plug. The CON is they will break, have shitty reception/transmission and are not water resistant nor can they run any kind of encryption; so if your guys are out there and so are we, while running a dedicated scanner or scan function on any of our units, we'll find/hear you easily.
Secondly, is this just squad comms or are you needing a 'home base' plus squad level comms?
For squad level we use the ICOM F1100D with digital encryption. They're quite a bit more than Baofengs. They have channels for digital (open), digital (encrypted) and analog in them. The downside is, you have to choose either VHF or UHF. The upside is that when encrypted, noone is going to hear anything from us at all. Meanwhile, we can still constantly scan the FRS/MURS frequencies that most people use.
If you want to really get into this, you can always have a 'radio guy' with dual comms. One with the squad level radios and a second radio that is UHF/VHF/triband that can scan/listen for traffic as well as have access to a giant range of frequencies for when you're in contact with other elements who are not on your encryption or band.
But be careful as far as what radio will work with what PTT and headset. ICOM/Motorola/etc all use different plugs and some are amplified/non amplified which you need to figure out for your PTT/headset mix as well.
There's a workaround for all of it, but its tricky.
For example, Baofeng's are shit, but they work and they're cheap. If you plan to use them for 'hard use' they're not going to last at all. The PRO is that they are UHF/VHF and with a program like CHIRP you can get basically any frequency range in them you want. They also now make aftermarket Kenwood connectors for PTT for them which then connect to a Peltor Comtac or anything with a U94 plug. The CON is they will break, have shitty reception/transmission and are not water resistant nor can they run any kind of encryption; so if your guys are out there and so are we, while running a dedicated scanner or scan function on any of our units, we'll find/hear you easily.
Secondly, is this just squad comms or are you needing a 'home base' plus squad level comms?
For squad level we use the ICOM F1100D with digital encryption. They're quite a bit more than Baofengs. They have channels for digital (open), digital (encrypted) and analog in them. The downside is, you have to choose either VHF or UHF. The upside is that when encrypted, noone is going to hear anything from us at all. Meanwhile, we can still constantly scan the FRS/MURS frequencies that most people use.
If you want to really get into this, you can always have a 'radio guy' with dual comms. One with the squad level radios and a second radio that is UHF/VHF/triband that can scan/listen for traffic as well as have access to a giant range of frequencies for when you're in contact with other elements who are not on your encryption or band.
But be careful as far as what radio will work with what PTT and headset. ICOM/Motorola/etc all use different plugs and some are amplified/non amplified which you need to figure out for your PTT/headset mix as well.
Waiting on the more conspicuous questions you could also just look up yourself which are sure to follow.
Good info. I thought the feng gang radios were fragile as well, but a video impressed me for a $35 radio.
Dude soaked it with a hose, ran it over with his truck, kicked it around, lit on fire until it melted and it still worked. Sure, performance was probably not as good, but interesting to see. I’m getting a Yaesu next and the feng will be a secondary.
Had 2 guys go overboard and submurged the Fengs in the river for a few seconds. They didnt survive. In general they work well for what they are, in my limited experience durable until you get them wet...moist is ok...hehe. i wouldn't trust them with my life or others.
Short answer is no. At least not the man portable kind, or anything cool looking. Once you start trunking radios you can do some cool stuff. But, if you go down that road, it would just be cheaper to get your HAM test passed and buy a Bentley to celebrate.
Do some reading here.... This guy is the real deal.
Hobo
Hobo
Encrypted radios aren’t that expensive... ask your local fire department. It’s not like we’re talking pano night vision with thermal projectors here.
Baofengs are cool when you need a cheap, capable radio and you don’t care about clean transmission or durability. I will point anyone who asks to my pile of dead baofengs and snapped antennae. If you can’t talk to your buddies, they aren’t your buddies. Buy good radios.
Baofengs are cool when you need a cheap, capable radio and you don’t care about clean transmission or durability. I will point anyone who asks to my pile of dead baofengs and snapped antennae. If you can’t talk to your buddies, they aren’t your buddies. Buy good radios.
Does anyone have any experience with these:
www.retevis.com
I can't tell if it is just a rebranded B-Feng, or if it is actually a step up from those? I realize it's not on the level of a Motoroa or ICOM.
Thanks.
RT87 IP67 Dual Band Business Two Way Radios
Retevis RT87 IP67 Dual Band Business Two Way Radios, IP67 Waterproof, Rugged and Durable Body, Up to 128 channels, Functional Keypad, DTMF and MSK
I can't tell if it is just a rebranded B-Feng, or if it is actually a step up from those? I realize it's not on the level of a Motoroa or ICOM.
Thanks.
Rebranded Baofeng... Pofung... ChiCom...Does anyone have any experience with these:
RT87 IP67 Dual Band Business Two Way Radios
Retevis RT87 IP67 Dual Band Business Two Way Radios, IP67 Waterproof, Rugged and Durable Body, Up to 128 channels, Functional Keypad, DTMF and MSK
I can't tell if it is just a rebranded B-Feng, or if it is actually a step up from those? I realize it's not on the level of a Motoroa or ICOM.
Thanks.
I use walker razors with the walkie talkies attachment. You can basically have as many as you want (at least as far as I know). With push to talk they work perfectly. I find the autotalk feature to be essentially useless if around loud noises like ATVs etc.
That's what I thought. The ICOM looks like the best value for getting setup with digital encryption.
Settled on the ICOM F1100d
Any recommendations on where to buy? I thought I saw them for under 200 the other night, but now it’s looking like closer to 300.
Thanks
Any recommendations on where to buy? I thought I saw them for under 200 the other night, but now it’s looking like closer to 300.
Thanks
Yeah... probably. I was left wondering what you’d seen when I read that. Maybe a refurb?
Should be able to find them for a little under $300. I’d probably call a couple of the larger vendors and tell them you want to buy six at once (if I got that right from your OP...) and see what they’d do for you.
Edit to add: $298 each, $293 for 6 or more, $270 each for multi-pack of 10 including programming cable and software. You may also want to see if you can find a vendor closing out NOS of its predecessor, the F1000D... see what they'd do for you on 6 of that model.
PPS: You do understand these are business band and will require licensing, frequency coordination, et al. ...? FCC Business Band Licensing That is unless you're planning on operating on MURS (VHF) frequencies, in which case you're looking at a whole other set of variables (2 watt max transmit power, Part 90 radio certification versus Part 95, et al.) Not trying to play radio police here... just suggesting you develop a clear understanding of what you intend to do, versus what is officially permitted, and decide accordingly. To the very-best of my knowledge Digital Voice is not permitted on MURS.
(my sincere apologies in advance if you already know all of this
)
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We ended up getting 6 used Icom F3101d radios used. Going to use them on MURS frequencies.
I’d like to try different antennas to see if we can get better range out of them. Any recommendations for use on those frequencies?
Also, I’m lost on how to spec out the right parts for earbuds and microphone. I have an old Motorola set from a talkabout radio that fits and works. But no part number on it so I can buy another? Are there any standard or common names for these connections that I can use to be sure I get something that works? I thought about buying one each of a few different products to see what works. But I can’t tell them apart online. I really don’t want to buy 5 that have the same connection.
Thanks
I’d like to try different antennas to see if we can get better range out of them. Any recommendations for use on those frequencies?
Also, I’m lost on how to spec out the right parts for earbuds and microphone. I have an old Motorola set from a talkabout radio that fits and works. But no part number on it so I can buy another? Are there any standard or common names for these connections that I can use to be sure I get something that works? I thought about buying one each of a few different products to see what works. But I can’t tell them apart online. I really don’t want to buy 5 that have the same connection.
Thanks
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I’m aware of all the rules. For where we plan to use these for hunting, I don’t think anyone else is going to pick up our signal. But you never know who is listening where.
I’m also thinking about taking the HAM test. I don’t see where I would use it just to talk to people I don’t know far away. But I think I’d learn a lot of useful information in the process.
For now, I just wish there were better standards or naming conventions for the mic and speaker connections.
I’m also thinking about taking the HAM test. I don’t see where I would use it just to talk to people I don’t know far away. But I think I’d learn a lot of useful information in the process.
For now, I just wish there were better standards or naming conventions for the mic and speaker connections.
NACRE QUIETPRO TACTICAL HEADSET SINGLE NSN#5965-25-152-2482 | eBay
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If you don’t need high end encryption, the Icom 41 is solid. Great range in forest for a 5 watt
and relatively cheap. If you want discrete encrypted channels and lots of other fruit,
it’s going to get pricey. Need to decide who you are hiding your comms from.
and relatively cheap. If you want discrete encrypted channels and lots of other fruit,
it’s going to get pricey. Need to decide who you are hiding your comms from.
Second this.
Pros:
- Good ear pro.
- No comms, ptt, vox, or open mic capability including a what they call whisper mode to allow for sensitive mic pickup
- Rugged / mil spec (mid -2000s)
However, there are cons:
- Ear tips can be hard to find for them. Once you find them, recommend you buy the 200 set box.
- You still need a radio
- Cable to attach to radio is hard to find. Kit comes with XTS/MTS radio cable (I believe) but you will have to get another cable to work with other radios. That may be hard to find.
- Extra headset cables can be hard to find. Reason why I say this is that I have one wired into my kit and another for normal range use.
Neutral / Varying Opinion
- Cable management. I find mine work pretty well and stay in place, even running with a sling, but others seem to mind.
- They use g-code attachments. You will need a few receivers especially if you want to move them around.
Overall I love mine. Just need to make sure you go in knowing what you are getting into.
