mcduff1979 Posted April 17, 2015 Posted April 17, 2015 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
Supporters Samurai Posted April 17, 2015 Supporters Posted April 17, 2015 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 Posted April 17, 2015 Posted April 17, 2015 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 Posted April 17, 2015 Author Posted April 17, 2015 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 Posted April 17, 2015 Posted April 17, 2015 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 Posted April 17, 2015 Author Posted April 17, 2015 @ 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 Posted April 17, 2015 Posted April 17, 2015 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.
Supporters Samurai Posted April 17, 2015 Supporters Posted April 17, 2015 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 Posted April 17, 2015 Author Posted April 17, 2015 @ samurai who make the more expensive bowmans, and where do i get them?
Baz JJ Posted April 17, 2015 Posted April 17, 2015 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 Posted April 17, 2015 Author Posted April 17, 2015 real bowmans seem very hard to find, there must be some surplus ones somewhere
Baz JJ Posted April 17, 2015 Posted April 17, 2015 they arent hard to find, but they wont work with Baofengs without modification
Supporters Samurai Posted April 17, 2015 Supporters Posted April 17, 2015 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.
mcduff1979 Posted April 17, 2015 Author Posted April 17, 2015 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 Posted April 17, 2015 Posted April 17, 2015 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 Posted April 17, 2015 Author Posted April 17, 2015 Ok thanks very much, will upgrade to baofengs from cobra
Baz JJ Posted April 17, 2015 Posted April 17, 2015 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 Posted April 17, 2015 Author Posted April 17, 2015 Does the PTT set have a button that can be on a weapon or is it somewhere else
mcduff1979 Posted April 17, 2015 Author Posted April 17, 2015 Ah cool, I'll order them once I get answer to another thread about l85a2
Baz JJ Posted April 17, 2015 Posted April 17, 2015 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..
Baz JJ Posted April 17, 2015 Posted April 17, 2015 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 Posted April 17, 2015 Author Posted April 17, 2015 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 Posted April 17, 2015 Posted April 17, 2015 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
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