Long Range Radio/ Walkie Talkie

[mcduff1979]

hi all,

 

i am looking for a good long range walkie talkie / 2 way radio set that had a good long range and is clear, i have a license from ofcom valid for 5 years, so looking for a long range headset to accompany said license.

 

i have a set of cobra mt645's but range drops out at about 500m in wooded areas, of which there are many in the sites local to me.

 

i have not found any so far, hope someone can help

[Samurai]

Baofeng 888s if on a budget. Baofeng uv-5r if not from ebay or radiogearpro or 409shop.

For the 888s you need a programming cable. For the uv5-r you don't need it, but is useful.

[cyrexx]

Samurai beat me to it, but yeah the baofeng uv-5r plus radios are cheap and reliable with a 4 watt output, plus if you want even more range you can change the antenna for something like a Nagoya NA-701 or Nagoya NA-771.

[mcduff1979]

my budget is about £100 per headset and i need 4, also looking for an option like the bowman headset that's compatible with any radio i buy.

 

problem with the baofeng uv-5r i have read that they are a pain to program, even using a stand alone ease-of-use program called chirps

 

any advice is greatly appreciated, as im trying to get a full uk loadout, but i really want a good long range radio with the option for the bowman style headset

[cyrexx]

When I first got hold of a baofeng UV-5R I just watched a youtube video on how to programme manually as everybody says they are hard to programme but it's actually really easy.

 

The Z Tactical Bowman Evo III Headsets are about £20 from ebay, you'll need a PTT to go with them with which is about £16 from ebay.

 

 

Here are the links to everything I would recommend from ebay.

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Z-Tactical-Bowman-Evo-III-Headset-Airsoft-Mic-Radio-Boom-3-Black-zTactical-Z029-/141442153810?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item20ee9bfd52

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Z-Tactical-U94-Style-PTT-Push-To-Talk-Headset-Adapter-1-2-Pin-Radio-Airsoft-UK-/141204041535?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item20e06aaf3f

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UV-5R-BAOFENG-Dual-Band-UHF-VHF-Radio-dual-display-free-one-ear-loop-earpiece-/140960682752?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item20d1e95300

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nagoya-NA701-Dual-band-antenna-for-Baofeng-UV3r-UV5r-series-radios-/321711441358?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4ae77f05ce

[mcduff1979]

@ cyrexx with the PTT adaptor what pin set do i pick...?

 

options are : kenwood (2 pin), motorola talkabout (1 pin), midland (2 pin) and icom (2 pin)

[Baz JJ]

Its Kenwood on the Baofeng.

 

You dont have much supplier choice with Bowman (Z Tac or Element).

 

I have a bone conduction headset on order from a US company and will see how that performs.

[Samurai]

Cheap airsoft bowman headsets are pretty crap. The wire breaks very easily in just a few uses and you can't fix it. Go for the bit more expensive ones.

[mcduff1979]

@ samurai who make the more expensive bowmans, and where do i get them?

[Baz JJ]

The problem is that you either buy cheap Z Tacs and they often break or you spend a lot of money on the real thing.

People cant always afford the real thing just for Airsoft.

 

Its a pity nobody makes a mid range product.

 

There is a guy in Chelmsford who converts real Bowmans but never used him.

[mcduff1979]

real bowmans seem very hard to find, there must be some surplus ones somewhere

[Baz JJ]

they arent hard to find, but they wont work with Baofengs without modification

[Samurai]

Sorry I don't know if there are any not cheap ones. I had a cheap one, it broke, and it also impeded my hearing that side so I went to find a solution that works better for me and my sweaty ears.

[Baz JJ]

Try this guy

 

 

http://www.nev-comms.com/

[mcduff1979]

Ah ok no problem, I am worried the baofengs are going to be cheaply made etc specially as there going for 25 quid off ebay. Then I guess I am going to have to find a pouch to fit my osprey mk4 rig

[Baz JJ]

No Baofengs are brilliant radios. Ive got three. Of course, if you lay on them or fall on them, they will break.

You dont need them exposed - just make sure you can access the volume knob.

 

Anyway at that price, they are sacrificial in game.

[mcduff1979]

Ok thanks very much, will upgrade to baofengs from cobra

[Baz JJ]

We use them for our Okto Eight milsims and one of the players has even built his into a base station cabinet for visual realism !

[mcduff1979]

Does the PTT set have a button that can be on a weapon or is it somewhere else

[mcduff1979]

Ah cool, I'll order them once I get answer to another thread about l85a2

[Baz JJ]

You buy the PTT separately. Its a product of whichever headset you use.

Generally its hard wired and sits on your chest somewhere. Thats how the British Army use Bowmans anyway..

[mcduff1979]

Ah ok thanks

[Baz JJ]

If you look at the NEV site I linked to, he suppliesreal recon Bowmans and a PTT to link to a Kenwood connection for the Baofeng. Not cheap but better than keep replacing Z Tacs.

[mcduff1979]

Yeah I gotta order 5 for my group so will use him, then 5 baofengs. Then whatever cost my l85a2 is gonna cost after upgrading it

[cyrexx]

Set of 4 real bowman head set

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bowman-Headsets-Set-Of-4-/301581275511?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4637a51177

 

You can get them cheap but they are always heavily used and require modification to get them to work. (see link below)

 

http://www.airsoftohio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9775