Airsoft And Radios
Radios are a requirement for playing airsoft games and are used by teams and commanders as a way to communicate, but which radio should your choose?
Before choosing a radio, it is important to recognize all the requirements such as are you playing in areas with a lot of buildings, indoors, outdoors in open areas or all of the above? Will you use the radio at long ranges (i.e., for command purposes) or within a small unit? What sort of headset will you require? It is important to consider all these questions and more when choosing your radio.
An important factor when deciding the effectiveness of a radio is the radio band. Personal radios use one of three bands that are each designed for different areas.
Personal Mobile Radio or PMR and Family Radio Service or FRS are two of the most reasonably priced types of radios on the market. They tend to be more compact, have small antennas, lower power, and can operate on– channels of the FM service. In addition, they are compatible with many types of microphones and headsets and do not need a license to operate.
However, because they have low powered signals and small antennas, they have difficulty piercing dense forest and buildings so their range is significantly reduced compared to what they are quoted as capable of. For airsoft, PMR and FRS radios work great within a unit, but they are not effective for command because of their limited range.
MURS or Multi User Radio Service radios are a higher power alternative to PMR and FRS radios and use the FM service with 5 channels. They are able to connect to external antennas and have signals capable of traversing over hills, they make a popular choice for climbers and hikers and no license is required.
Of course, MURS radios are more costly than their lower power counterparts and do not support the wide range of headsets or mics. In addition, although they have stronger signals, their signals also do not penetrate buildings and forests and they are generally not a great choice to use in airsoft.
GMRS or General Mobile Radio Service radios are high performance personal radios that operate on very high power (up to fifty watts) and use up to sixteen duplex channels. They also utilize repeaters and are better at piercing buildings and dense forests.
However, this high performance does come with a hefty price tag. GMRS radios are expensive and often bulky and you must have a license to use them.
Therefore, which type should you buy? Budget will more than likely be a factor, so be sure to first narrow down the radios you can afford and then revisit your requirements. If you are purchasing radios for everyone on your team then your budget will probably be stricter and you should go with the FRS or PMR radios. However, if you are commanding a team or group of teams, you will probably want a GMRS radio in order to communicate efficiently.
As with anything, the final decision is your choice. Be sure to research and review your options ahead of time to avoid any issues later.
