Ok folks so we have been playing for about 5 years and fancy being able to talk to each other. We wear fast helmets and are looking for a suitable headset, not the in or over ear type, I have been looking at Comtac with Ztac helmet mounts etc but are there any other options. I think I know enough about radios now to know what I want, does anyone on here use the hand held ham radios that officially require an Ofcom licence. I don't have a problem paying the £75 fee but looked at the form, do I need to have a company name etc.
Advice on Comms/Headsets etc
- Thread starter lasbrisas
- Start date
karl_liverpool
Members
- Sep 10, 2016
- 129
- 4
No need for company name. And the one to apply for i found out is the business lite UK license. Doesn't require you to get grid references.
- Thread starter
- #4
Ok so just put name and address on the licence application then I guess ! You can get external mounts that fit onto the side rails of the helmet, it does mean taking the headset apart to a degree so will have to think about that one.
- Thread starter
- #5
Yes that's the one I have been told to get as you can use it anywhere, I assume they give you a range of frequencies to use and a max of 5W power. I assume that if you are a group of say 4 that they can all use it under the one licence.
karl_liverpool
Members
- Sep 10, 2016
- 129
- 4
Yes you all can. The UK covers comms between mobile stations. There is a list of frequencies u can tune to and use. Various bands depending what your radio uses. I have the bf888s set they are in 400mhz ranges.
Baz JJ
Members
- May 23, 2013
- 2,349
- 502
Yes regarding licence.
If you mount on helmet rails, it restricts you to comtacs etc. They are fine if you go for the real thing, but be wary of the replica ones as most are poorly bad and allegedly have quality issues.
If you mount on helmet rails, it restricts you to comtacs etc. They are fine if you go for the real thing, but be wary of the replica ones as most are poorly bad and allegedly have quality issues.
jcheeseright
Supporters
- Jun 14, 2012
- 4,280
- 2,261
Comms are sort of my thing, so I can probably help here a bit.
Radio wise; get a baofeng, don't fuck about with anything else. Baofeng UV5-R is without doubt the best radio possible for the cost.
Headsets is where it gets more complex, if wearing a comtac/sordin type headset with a helmet you're going to want to put them on arc rail mounts (the headband is SO UNCOMFORTABLE). You'll also need to consider what headset you want, real comtac/sordin headsets with attached microphones are made for military users and the microphones will require an amplified PTT switch to work with a Baofeng radio. This will add on another £100 just for the PTT, add that on to the £200+ for the headset and £50 for the arc rail adapters and it becomes an expensive prospect.
On the other hand though replica headsets are normally quite fragile and provide absolutely NO hearing protection, I had a couple of them go tits up before biting the bullet and going for a real headset.
Most economical option is to have a comtac XP headset without a microphone (much cheaper than the Comtac 2/3 military headsets). Then get a baofeng radio with a fist mic that has an earpiece plug and use a cable to connect your headset to the fist mic. You'll then have comms wired directly into your ears in super clarity and have a microphone that definitely works with your radio. Only downside is not having the mic immediately in front of your mouth all the time.
Do it that way and you'll save probably £200 for a high quality real steel headset that provides solid hearing protection and extraordinary audio quality, along with a decent radio and compatible microphone.
Radio wise; get a baofeng, don't fuck about with anything else. Baofeng UV5-R is without doubt the best radio possible for the cost.
Headsets is where it gets more complex, if wearing a comtac/sordin type headset with a helmet you're going to want to put them on arc rail mounts (the headband is SO UNCOMFORTABLE). You'll also need to consider what headset you want, real comtac/sordin headsets with attached microphones are made for military users and the microphones will require an amplified PTT switch to work with a Baofeng radio. This will add on another £100 just for the PTT, add that on to the £200+ for the headset and £50 for the arc rail adapters and it becomes an expensive prospect.
On the other hand though replica headsets are normally quite fragile and provide absolutely NO hearing protection, I had a couple of them go tits up before biting the bullet and going for a real headset.
Most economical option is to have a comtac XP headset without a microphone (much cheaper than the Comtac 2/3 military headsets). Then get a baofeng radio with a fist mic that has an earpiece plug and use a cable to connect your headset to the fist mic. You'll then have comms wired directly into your ears in super clarity and have a microphone that definitely works with your radio. Only downside is not having the mic immediately in front of your mouth all the time.
Do it that way and you'll save probably £200 for a high quality real steel headset that provides solid hearing protection and extraordinary audio quality, along with a decent radio and compatible microphone.
- Thread starter
- #9
Thanks for your advice, much appreciated. My youngest son who is 18 wants over ear rather than in ear hence the steer towards the comtac type of headset but this MAy be a show stopper. On the other hand looking into this has kind of got me interested in Ham radio !
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