Imagine how much your paintball game would improve if you could read your team mates minds. Picture being to able know where they see the enemy positions or if they need help.  You can. This Italian guy, Guglielmo Marconi (curiously enough, not a paintball player) made it possible in 1895 when he invented…      wait for it…    you guessed it… the radio.

Before you drop the big money on that fully auto, super-modified, monster gun with the holographic night vision scope, drop $20-$50 or more on a two-way radio (walkie talkie).  With this simple “upgrade” you can improve your game ten fold. Every top pro will tell you communication is the key to developing a winning team. Why use hand signals when you can simply and clearly tell your teammates exactly what you want them to know. Remember the human eye is attracted by motion, so the same hand signal that you could be trying to semaphore your team with, could be drawing the eye of your enemy.

Here are some key points to effective radio communication…

• Use common  points of reference - you may not always be facing the same way as your team mates, so saying that someone is to your “12 o’clock” may be worthless to someone who can’t see you behind that bush to know that you are facing 90 degrees to them. Before the game, determine which direction is the “field 12 o’clock” (the enemy fort for example) and use that your reference point. You can also use quadrants or common markers such as “Delta base” or “sniper tower” to reference positions.
• Be clear and identify yourself - Nothing will create confusion faster than poor directions or vague communication (”I have someone over here” is not as effective as “Tango1 here: I have two targets 20 yards 3 o’clock of Alpha base in the dirt bunker”)
• Use codes - remember, your opponents can scan the frequencies, even encrypted frequencies, so simple codes can communicate quickly and effectively. Keep it simple and make sure everyone is up to speed on the codes. Example - “This is Tango1. I’m 86, repeat 86″ (My gun is hosed up!) ”86 confirmed”  (Message received, we’ll cover for you.)  “This is Tango1. I’m 69″ (Gun fixed.)
• Keep chatter to a minimum - unless you have information to give your team, or need to communicate, silence is better. No one needs a bunch of noise in their ear while they are trying to focus on their surroundings or give you information. There is no reason to say every ten minutes “Tango1 here: Nothing going on here.” That is assumed unless you say otherwise.
• Split the cost with a teammate - nobody needs 2 radios. Do the math.
• Get a headset and boom microphone (or throat mike) - you want the earpiece to keep the radio quiet to not give away your position and the boom mike so you  don’t have to unfasten and refasten the radio to your gear. Fox makes two qualities of throat mike. The more expensive one may be worth the money, but the cheaper one is not in my opinion.
• Use Push-To-Talk, NOT VOX- VOX (or Voice activated transmission) broadcasts every sound you make, generating a bunch of unneeded noise, Push To Talk (or PTT) usually involves a simple button on the mike wire usually somewhere near your throat or wrist depending on your set-up to make activating it easy and convenient. You reach your hand up to your wire, push on the button when you want to talk. You don’t want to use VOX, because you may be drowning out something important a teammate is saying with your heavy breathing.
• Call Button- one of the most annoying things about team radios is someone is ALWAYS accidentally hitting the Call button which puts an annoying ringing in your team’s ears. Use your Lock mode to try and prevent this. If someone calls out to ask whoever keeps hitting Call, check your radio. Don’t assume it’s not you. If you can’t hear it, it probably is you.
• Test your team radios - the day before and an hour before the game, test your radios to make sure everyone can read and transmit to everyone else on the frequencies you intend to use. Frustration is having to take the critical first ten minutes of the game going “Check one-two-three. Can you hear me?”
• Set up an Alternate Frequency - Have an alternate frequency planned such as “17 dcs 8″ in case the other team is using your frequency or runs across it. Also code word the frequency so you don’thave to say over the air “Go to channel 17 dcs 8″. Use “Go to channel 2.” (or your second choice) This will also misdirect the other team to look for you on Channel 2. This also comes in handy if you are in a big scenario game and your “army” is using channel 10, your squad can use your alternate channel for private communication or squad missions. It also keeps the Army channel clear. If your squad uses an alternate frequency pre-assign one member of your squad to keep an ear on the Army frequency to coordinate with your main forces.

Key features to look for in radio gear

• PTT- push to talk, a button to activate the microphone. it may have Velcro on the back to fasten to your uniform or gear. Make sure it will work with your gloves on. Consider fingerless gloves if not.
• Privacy Codes - this is not super critical until your team is getting serious, but this enables your team to select an encrypted frequency that the other team may be able to hear, but unable to speak on unless they find your exact encryption frequency. There are two basic types: CTCSS and DCS. Ask your team what they have on their radios. CTCSS can be in levels of 1-38 and DCS can be in levels 1-83). Your team might use Channel 10 (7) or Channel 10 DCS 7.
• Compatible jack with earpiece/mike and radio - some radios have a two prong jacks (one for the mike and one for the ear piece, usually a single cord) and some have single prong jacks. make sure which you have before you buy headsets, unless your radio comes with them.
• Range - most radios say they can broadcast and receive from 5-25 miles. Actually, that is only in certain conditions. The good news is, most paintball activity will be within the same few acres, so range is not a major consideration.
• Locking mode - make sure your radio can ‘lock’ so that when put in a belt pouch or pocket, that is does not accidentally change frequencies or broadcast live from  the inside of your pants.
• VOX - you do NOT need VOX (or voice activated) unless you are getting a throat mike. VOX is actually a bad thing because you can accidentally be squelching over important communication with your background noise.

 Some advanced (probably unnecessary) features:

• Scan- find your enemies frequencies and listen in. Great in theory, but unless you are in a really long scenario a game, taking the time to scan for their frequency is time consuming to fiddle with your radio in the middle of a game. Plus, if they are using codes to communicate, you wasted your time. Better to stay on your team’s frequency and focus on your game.
• Vibra-Talk - fancy way for saying it can vibrate silently
• Batteries or Chargers - most radios are rechargeable. See if it will use regular batteries in case your rechargeable batteries die.
• Backlit LCD screen- for night games if you do a lot of that sort of thing

Finally, there is one thing good ole Guglielmo could have not planned on when inventing the radio over a hundred years ago… how Navy-Seal-scary you will look to the newbies, when your team walks up pre-game with your throat mikes and ear pieces. To the mid-level players this will mean you take your game seriously and to the experienced teams, they wil know that you understand the value of communication and give you a little respect before you have even fired a shot. All that is a bargain for $25.

Links for radios:

• Motorola 2 way radios
• Ebay 2 way radios
• Cobra 2 way Radios
• Midland two way radios
• Bass Pro Shops two way radios
• Ebay radio headsets

Local Stores:

• Bass Pro Shops