Radios guide

[BrightCandle]

You have two choices when it comes to radios for Airsoft purposes and they each have their pros and cons. You can either use a PMR 446 or a licensed radio such as a Baofeng.

 

PMR 446

 

Comes in two types, analogue which has 8 channels and digital which is 16 channel.

 

Most people use analogue as digital is still expensive.

 

Is unlicensed so you can just buy a radio and it will work with all other PMR 446 radios.

 

It is limited to 0.5W.

 

It is lower range and penetration than a licensed radio. In thick woodland expect below 100m sometimes you can shout further. In open ground in the best conditions it could go 1KM.

 

They have a fixed antenna so you can't change it.

 

Licensed Radio

 

Baofeng is the make that most people buy due to the costs. The UV-5R is a cheap and decent radio with a tonne of possible accessories. The UV-82 and other radios in that series from Baofeng can do two push to talk buttons for two different frequencies which is a really awesome for radio men as they can talk on either of the frequencies they have setup. The UV-5R can tune into 2 channels at once but it can't transmit on both only one of them. The UV-5R can be used at 2 power outputs, 1W and 4W. There is also a High power model which has an additional 8W mode which isn't usable with a UK simple business license.

 

You can do just about anything with a license and could get a personal frequency just for your group but it could cost thousands of pounds. However the easiest and cheapest thing to do is to buy a Simple UK business license (https://secure.ofcom.org.uk/busrad/). It is £75 for 5 years and takes about 2 weeks to come through, it requires little more than name + address. It will give you some FM, VHF and UHF frequencies for a total of 11 usable on a Baofeng UV-5R and you can hand out these to a group you play with or just some people on the same site for the day. Businesses all over the UK share the frequencies so you may have to move channel to avoid interfering but you have plenty of options.

 

The license grants up to 5W of power and the Baofeng on high uses 4W.

 

The license is for narrow band which is the same as the PMR 446 uses.

 

These penetrate through a lot more woodland and go a lot further as they are 10x more powerful.

 

They have a replaceable antenna so you can get a smaller one to fit your gear or a much bigger one to allow better reception and a bit more power.

 

The Baofeng can be tuned to receive the PMR 446 frequencies. However because it is too powerful (1W) and has a removable antenna (which can change the power output) and it can use other frequencies its not legal to use it on PMR 446 frequencies. Thus if you are using a Baofeng for this purpose you are committing a crime. It is OK to listen but you can't transmit.

 

The Baofeng radio's as far as I know all come with push to talk buttons and an ear piece in the box, the UV-5R certainly does. You can also get accessory ones from other companies like Code red headsets, Z Tactical and Baofeng themselves. The plug it uses is called a Kenwood so when looking for addons this is what you need, its widely supported. There are a vast array of options even to the point where you can get a bone conduction set for $100 or so.

[djben9]

thanks for the adivce Brightcandle, its a great help

im sure many questions will hopefully appear here in time

[ghostwalker]

A friend picked me up one of these.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nestling®-Rechargeable-Headphone-Outdoors-Survival-Black/dp/B01DEKQNBM?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_sw_r_fa_awdl_srLfxbY9B698F

 

Where do we stand on using these.

A need for a license or not?

Also I saw I. The comments that they can be 'reprogrammed to 446' not sure how easy, cheap or effective that would be.

[BrightCandle]

A friend picked me up one of these.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nestling®-Rechargeable-Headphone-Outdoors-Survival-Black/dp/B01DEKQNBM?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_sw_r_fa_awdl_srLfxbY9B698F

 

Where do we stand on using these.

A need for a license or not?

Also I saw I. The comments that they can be 'reprogrammed to 446' not sure how easy, cheap or effective that would be.

Yes you need a license its a generic programmable radio. Reprogramming and using on PMR 446 would not be legal.

[ghostwalker]

Cheers, I know the guys who have been running these weren't aware of the fact. So will advise them.

[GunmanAirsoft]

You have two choices when it comes to radios for Airsoft purposes and they each have their pros and cons. You can either use a PMR 446 or a licensed radio such as a Baofeng.

 

PMR 446

 

Comes in two types, analogue which has 8 channels and digital which is 16 channel.

 

Most people use analogue as digital is still expensive.

 

Is unlicensed so you can just buy a radio and it will work with all other PMR 446 radios.

 

It is limited to 0.5W.

 

It is lower range and penetration than a licensed radio. In thick woodland expect below 100m sometimes you can shout further. In open ground in the best conditions it could go 1KM.

 

They have a fixed antenna so you can't change it.

 

Licensed Radio

 

Baofeng is the make that most people buy due to the costs. The UV-5R is a cheap and decent radio with a tonne of possible accessories. The UV-82 and other radios in that series from Baofeng can do two push to talk buttons for two different frequencies which is a really awesome for radio men as they can talk on either of the frequencies they have setup. The UV-5R can tune into 2 channels at once but it can't transmit on both only one of them. The UV-5R can be used at 2 power outputs, 1W and 4W. There is also a High power model which has an additional 8W mode which isn't usable with a UK simple business license.

 

You can do just about anything with a license and could get a personal frequency just for your group but it could cost thousands of pounds. However the easiest and cheapest thing to do is to buy a Simple UK business license (https://secure.ofcom.org.uk/busrad/). It is £75 for 5 years and takes about 2 weeks to come through, it requires little more than name + address. It will give you some FM, VHF and UHF frequencies for a total of 11 usable on a Baofeng UV-5R and you can hand out these to a group you play with or just some people on the same site for the day. Businesses all over the UK share the frequencies so you may have to move channel to avoid interfering but you have plenty of options.

 

The license grants up to 5W of power and the Baofeng on high uses 4W.

 

The license is for narrow band which is the same as the PMR 446 uses.

 

These penetrate through a lot more woodland and go a lot further as they are 10x more powerful.

 

They have a replaceable antenna so you can get a smaller one to fit your gear or a much bigger one to allow better reception and a bit more power.

 

The Baofeng can be tuned to receive the PMR 446 frequencies. However because it is too powerful (1W) and has a removable antenna (which can change the power output) and it can use other frequencies its not legal to use it on PMR 446 frequencies. Thus if you are using a Baofeng for this purpose you are committing a crime. It is OK to listen but you can't transmit.

 

The Baofeng radio's as far as I know all come with push to talk buttons and an ear piece in the box, the UV-5R certainly does. You can also get accessory ones from other companies like Code red headsets, Z Tactical and Baofeng themselves. The plug it uses is called a Kenwood so when looking for addons this is what you need, its widely supported. There are a vast array of options even to the point where you can get a bone conduction set for $100 or so.

Great guide, much needed.

 

Might be worth mentioning that many sites use one or more of the UK Business Simple frequencies for marshal/safety comms so people should check with any site they attend whether there are any frequencies to avoid.

 

Is there a technical guide to setting up radios on here anywhere to help people avoid mistakes like leaving Baofeng set to the default 25Khz bandwidth?

[Seany.exe]

Yes you need a license its a generic programmable radio. Reprogramming and using on PMR 446 would not be legal.

 

Hmm can't actually see any power rating on that page, just a frequency range. Could you tell us why reprogramming this one would be illegal? Or maybe give us a link to a good bang for buck PMR 446 radio?

 

Thanks for the guide though looking to getting one myself

[Samurai]

1-5W for this baofeng. They are good but not in the UK.

You have to have license and if you do, you can't use it to communicate with the rest of the team, they have their own license with an other frequency. You have your fireteam on the same frequency, but for that you don't need the power because you are already very close to them, so PMR is perfectly enough.

[GunmanAirsoft]

1-5W for this baofeng. They are good but not in the UK.

You have to have license and if you do, you can't use it to communicate with the rest of the team, they have their own license with an other frequency. You have your fireteam on the same frequency, but for that you don't need the power because you are already very close to them, so PMR is perfectly enough.

One standard licence covers your whole team's use of the frequencies as long as you are there being responsible for the use.

 

The simple business licence has standard frequencies which can be used anywhere in the UK and they all use the same frequencies so you have to coordinate with anyone else using them.

 

It's like the Pmr446 but you pay for it and you can use higher powers and more frequencies.

[GunmanAirsoft]

 

Hmm can't actually see any power rating on that page, just a frequency range. Could you tell us why reprogramming this one would be illegal? Or maybe give us a link to a good bang for buck PMR 446 radio?

 

Thanks for the guide though looking to getting one myself

The only radio equipment which is legal to use on PMR446 frequencies must be type approved. Type approval requires that it have such features as 0.5W maximum ERP, fixed antenna, be incapable of being reprogrammed etc.

 

As a basic rule of thumb, if you can remove your antenna or program it to different frequencies then it is not legal for use on PMR446 frequencies.

 

The 'purpose of document' paragraph at the start of this document makes it quite clear:

 

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/spectrum/spectrum-policy-area/spectrum-management/licence-exempt-radio-use/licence-exempt-devices/Analogue_and_Digital_PMR4461.pdf&ved=0ahUKEwi6rrvxxL3MAhViIsAKHcZlDRsQFggbMAA&usg=AFQjCNELfpw4NlItAD2huol8mwFTh9Gh9A&sig2=HWY6EmztD2VyoHSvbvFDHA

[proffrink]

Specifically, Seany, the UV-5R has a detachable antenna and a minimum ERP of 1W - twice the allowed amount for PMR 446.

[jcheeseright]

Great post, needs to be sticky!

 

Just to chuck in my 2p;

Using a dual monitor radio to man 2 separate frequencies at the same time isn't going to do you any favours, 2 frequencies need 2 radios and 2 earpieces/speakers/whatever. Having 2 different conversations being piped into the same ear just means you can't hear either!

[djben9]

ok so radio sorted thanks guys, just gotta order off Amazon soon

 

now accessories!

 

could we expand the first post like the other guides with some links to basic stuff, like below?....saves me and others hassling you all! .......newbies guide to radios

 

PMR type Radio

Baofeng

Helmet type mount

 

not sure on PTTs, other mouth pieces, headsets and so on, I get a bit lost with so many to chose from

[proffrink]

Look on eBay - far cheaper for most things. That T81 is cheaper on there for sure.

[djben9]

cheers Prof, i have a few 'watched', just gotta hold off a week or she'll kill me!

[proffrink]

Yup. That link there is exactly where I got mine from - delivered quickly, fully boxed and sealed as you'd expect so seemed pretty good. Cheapest I could find brand new.

[ghostwalker]

Odd question and less related to the legality side.

But with the previous radios we were using, we found that only people with the same boefang radios could communicate. Now this was probably due to them not being pmr446 radios?

If I was to get one of the radios in the link above, would that be OK to communicate with anyone else on a 446 type radio?

[Baz JJ]

There is no reason why one type of BaoFeng shouldnt communicate with another if they have the same frequencies. It was probably either a set up issue or your radios were of the programmed kind, with (different) preset frequencies. PMR446 uses 8 frequencies so any PMR446 should be able to talk to any other.

 

 

Odd question and less related to the legality side.
But with the previous radios we were using, we found that only people with the same boefang radios could communicate. Now this was probably due to them not being pmr446 radios?
If I was to get one of the radios in the link above, would that be OK to communicate with anyone else on a 446 type radio?

[ghostwalker]

I had thought that might be the case. A friend picked up my radio and as I have now found out, it's the license fee version of radios where you can programme in the channels.

[proffrink]

Programming the UV-5R to PMR 446 is easy, but for the reasons already given in this thread it's illegal to transmit on PMR 446 with a UV-5R regardless off license or anything else because of its ERP and antenna. It's fine to listen on them though - I used mine to test out my headset: http://phillipcooper.co.uk/2014/06/programming-a-baofeng-uv-5r-for-uk-pmr446-channels/

 

The key step people miss sometimes is changing the 'step' amount to 6.25K.

 

Ultimately the UV-5R isn't worth it unless you play at a site with a license or have one for yourself/your team

[GiantKiwi]

 

not sure on PTTs, other mouth pieces, headsets and so on, I get a bit lost with so many to chose from

 

Baofeng's are Kenwood dual pin for PTT's.

[Jason8]

I'm thinking of getting some T81's myself. Does anyone know of a particularly well fitting MTP pouch for these?

[proffrink]

Yep. I bought one of these (but in tan): http://www.patrolbase.co.uk/airsoft-pouches/8fields-tactical-gps-radio-pouch-multicam.htm

 

Fitted perfectly.

[Jason8]

Nice one Proffrink

Blimey they're cheap too.

Thanks.

[djben9]

just an update for anyone interested

 

I just set up a Simple UK business license (https://secure.ofcom.org.uk/busrad/)

 

took under 10mins to do online and the frequencies are emailed to you so no need to wait the 2 weeks now

 

just gotta wait for the other radio to arrive and program in