During airsoft games, radios are a great way for commanders and teams to communicate, but which radio should your team choose for the terrain being played on?
It is essential to understand all the requirements before choosing a radio, such as will there be a lot of build up in the terrain you are playing in, will you be indoors or outdoors of a combination of the above? Will your radios need to be long range or used within a small team? What type of headset will you need? All of these considerations are important and should be figured out when deciding which radio to use.
One of the major factors determining a radio’s effectiveness is the band. Personal radios can use one of three bands; and each band performs better or worse in different terrains.
Family Radio Service (FRS) or Personal Mobile Radio (PMR) radios are the cheapest radios available. They tend to be compact with small antennas and low powers, and operate on an FM service of– channels. They allow a range of microphones from lapel mics to headsets and do not require a license to use.
However, as their signals are low powered and have small antennas, they often have difficulty penetrating forest and buildings and their effective range can be significantly shorter than quoted. In airsoft, FRS and PMR radios work well within a unit, but with their limited range they are not suitable for command.
Multi User Radio Service (MURS) radios are higher powered alternatives to FRS and PMR radios and use an FM service with five channels. As they can connect to external antennas and their signals are capable of bending over hills, they are a popular choice for hikers and climbers and do not require a license to use.
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.
General Mobile Radio Service or GMRS are higher performance radios that operate at an effective 50 watts of power and can use 16 duplex channels. In addition, they use repeaters and are much better at penetrating buildings and forests.
However, this performance does come at a cost. GMRS radios can be very bulky and expensive and licenses are required to use them.
So, which radio should you purchase? Your budget will determine your starting point and narrow down the options that are affordable. If you are buying the radios for your entire team than your budget will become even smaller per radio and you will probably need to stick with the PMR or FRS radios. However, if you are the commander of a team and only required to purchase your radio, then you might be able to purchase a GMRS radio so you can communicate more effectively.
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.
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