MP3s vs PMR Radio

hoplite

A few of the lads I play airsoft with remember their first game in HRTA. It was the old site. They were loaned some walkie talkies and midgame someone managed to broadcast some cool war tunes for all the team to enjoy.

Anybody know how you would plumb a walkie talkie to do this. I suspect maplin might have a few bits and bobs that would help.

And yes its not very tactical but its certainly tacticool

I have a pair of Motorola XTR446 radios.

NakedDex

Well with the XTR you're onto a winner already. They use a 2-pin 2.5mm jack socket for the input (mic) so realistically all you'll need is a 3.5mm mono jack to 2.5mm mono jack cable and you're good to go. It must be mono since the input connection is only two pole. Using a stereo connection will clip off the left channel from the music output.

Normally I'd say avoid Maplin because they'll fleece you, but since all you'll need are the two jack plugs and a bit of cable, you'll get them fairly handy in there. Single core screened audio cable, 3.5mm mono jack, 2.5mm mono jack and a bit of solder and you're good to go.
For a slight pricier alternative, but one that requires no building really, get a 3.5mm mono to 3.5mm mono cable and a 3.5mm mono to 2.5mm mono step-down adaptor. It'll do the same job with no building or fiddling, but it'll mean the smallest cable you'll be able to get is about 26-27 inches long.


Edit: Actually, I should mention, the input on these may be reversed. I can't remember which of the XT series they reversed the poles on, but a quick google check will give you that diagram fairly sharpish. It should still be the 2.5mm, but the core may be the common (negative) rather than the positive. If it is, go for two core rather than single core shielded, it'll make it handier to terminate.

Craigsy

Dex, does this mean if it works you'll have the radio channels flooded with avril lavinge

NakedDex

You clearly haven't seen the speaker system I rigged into one of my chest harnesses. Nothing like leaving your iPod on shuffle walking into a fire fight with "Requiem for a Tower" playing, only to have it finish and move on to "Girlfriend" just as things get iffy.
Great for your morale, and it confuses the living hell out of the enemy. Most of you have figured out how to keep a moving target in your sights, but a dancing one is a different story.

Craigsy

NakedDex wrote: »

You clearly haven't seen the speaker system I rigged into one of my chest harnesses. Nothing like leaving your iPod on shuffle walking into a fire fight with "Requiem for a Tower" playing, only to have it finish and move on to "Girlfriend" just as things get iffy.
Great for your morale, and it confuses the living hell out of the enemy. Most of you have figured out how to keep a moving target in your sights, but a dancing one is a different story.

I'll have to check that out, i remember being slightly confused/worried the first time i played along side you with girlfriend going full blast

Firekitten

If someone flooded our coms with music in game, id slap them silly once i worked out who it was...

Its annoying on skype, its annoying on TS2.... its REALLY annoying in skirmishes....

go play paintsoft.

Lemming

+1

Seriously, playing "cool tunes" means nobody else can actually use comms. Probably when they really need it.

Christ, the amount of times I've played where someone has their mic set to vox by accident is frustrating enough. Music? F.O.A.D. would be my immediate response.

Craigsy

well it was only meant as a joke

Firekitten

That sort of Joke usually results in physical violence... I find that funny too...

Craigsy

Joke as in banter about over boards, not actually do it

ED E

Ehh lemming, most players have 8 primarys and 32 or so sub channels per primary. It would be possible to have for example 1.00 dedicated to music(could set up a "base station" in the SZ with a radio/cd player/pod) and players in game could switch between music and comms. OR, if you have monitor function you can do both.

I'm gonna try this today, with the day thats in it

Firekitten

WHat is the point though? you'll then have people listening to thier music instead of actually being contactable on coms... its a silly pipe dream idea with no place on a coms network... you want music? stick your ipod on

ED E

As above, with monitor, when somebody talks on your main channel the monitor(AKA the music) switches off.

Lemming

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

As above, with monitor, when somebody talks on your main channel the monitor(AKA the music) switches off.

Ehhh ... Lethal ... what is the point though? WOW ... music! Cool. I can't hear anything. WOW I'm getting hit. But I'm listening to music. But I'm hit. WOW .. this is great


*cough*

And you've just denied a channel. On top of the site admin channel. And the marshals channel. And if there's anyone else nearby who isn't playing airsoft and happens to be trying to use the same channel, you've just denied them a channel too.

Incidentally ... what if there's a lot of comms talk? The music is just going to sound ... SHHHHEEEE-ITE. So again, what's the point? It's a pointless excercise in self-serving "because I can".

Shiva

And if you really, really, really want to be pedantic and anal......you'd be broadcasting copyrighted music without paying royalties.

Good luck fighting off IRMA

Dread-Lock

Why is everyone getting so up tight about this? People have done a lot stupider things at a skirmish then this.
If someone wants to listen to music instead of some guy swearing over comm's then why does it matter to you? I think its a horrible idea, but I don't care if others do it.

NakedDex

I've never done the whole mp3 narrowcast before for the same reasons as mentioned above. Consider how bloody annoyed you'd be if you were trying to call in back up or alert a teammate to a flank but couldn't because someone was playing Ride of the Valkyries "because it's cool". You'd flip out, and rightfully so.
The handful of times I have played music during a skirmish was merely as a novelty and it was promptly switched off when the game started properly. Noone needs to hear it, nor wants to. If anything it's a hindrance to perception too since you'll miss that subtle twig being broke by that guy sneaking behind you due to the subtle but chaotic stylings of Moby's Extreme Ways.

Silence is golden.

Craigsy

NakedDex wrote: »

I've never done the whole mp3 narrowcast before for the same reasons as mentioned above. Consider how bloody annoyed you'd be if you were trying to call in back up or alert a teammate to a flank but couldn't because someone was playing Ride of the Valkyries "because it's cool". You'd flip out, and rightfully so.
The handful of times I have played music during a skirmish was merely as a novelty and it was promptly switched off when the game started properly. Noone needs to hear it, nor wants to. If anything it's a hindrance to perception too since you'll miss that subtle twig being broke by that guy sneaking behind you due to the subtle but chaotic stylings of Moby's Extreme Ways.

Silence is golden.

+1

hoplite

My God what happened to my innocent little thread I left it untended and its sprouted weeds.

If I play music it will be for fun/novelty and probably not very often. Yes the quality will be crap but again fun/novelty etc

Will the novelty wear off yep surely and quickly.

It will only be broadcast to the people I play with in what we might loosely describe as a team on a channel which we decide upon and hopefully not one others will be using.

Most of you that would be annoyed I don't encounter when out skirmishing so no worries there.

Lighten up peoples please. I asked how not if I should nor did I ask for your permission.

Hmmm maybe I could velcro the MP3 player to a box mag

Dr_Pepper

One potential good thing.
The Rock OST would be epic @ sennybridge with pyros.

Innocent thought...

Stercus Accidit

hoplite wrote: »

Hmmm maybe I could velcro the MP3 player to a box mag

Use a stubby killer to keep the weight down too.

NakedDex

I can see it now, Apple's new AEG/iPod hybrid; the iPwn.

Firekitten

dont you mean the i-spray?

the_one

hoplite wrote: »

My God what happened to my innocent little thread I left it untended and its sprouted weeds.Lighten up peoples please. I asked how not if I should nor did I ask for your permission.

i'm with you on this one hoplite. i think a lot on here forget what airsoft is all about..
FUN
and as for asking for permission if the site owner says its ok to hell with the rest.

Firekitten

the site owner is not likely to give permission for you to flood pmr coms channels with music... and if he does, and the site players all disagree... im afraid you DO have to have permission... because its ruining the game for others.

the_one

Firekitten wrote: »

the site owner is not likely to give permission for you to flood pmr coms channels with music... and if he does, and the site players all disagree... im afraid you DO have to have permission... because its ruining the game for others.

i really dont see how its ruining the game for anyone by just using one of the many chanels that are there and can be used by anyone anyway weather there on the site or not.

Firekitten

Either they are listening to it alone... by which case... use your sodding ipod...

or multiple people are... either way, players arent listening or concentrating and generally ****ing monging around...

Craigsy

Firekitten wrote: »

Either they are listening to it alone... by which case... use your sodding ipod...

or multiple people are... either way, players arent listening or concentrating and generally ****ing monging around...

Although that would make them easier to shoot:pac::pac:

hoplite

Firekitten wrote: »

the site owner is not likely to give permission for you to flood pmr coms channels with music... and if he does, and the site players all disagree... im afraid you DO have to have permission... because its ruining the game for others.

Thanks for your contribution and continued interest in this thread.

Firekitten

your sarcasm is noted and ignored. Thankyou for your lovely thread.

moggser

now now
make awkward sexuall advance's not war