ground zero weekender

[chronoswolf]

kk im totally syked for this years gz weekender its the first time for me so any tips to stay ahead of the game will be awesome

 

i will be playing DELTA this year as this is the team MY TEAM always choose

 

i know to be expecting a lot of fire so keeping my head is gonna be crucial but im used to this as the role i normally fill (and that i am geared for) is rapid assault (and in some cases recon)

 

so any ideas on what to expect will be great

[ben3265]

you'll need a very good radio and headset, with decent range and a decent amount of channels.

 

unlike me last year, my team kept on going out of range and i ended up getting lost

[RSM]

so any ideas on what to expect will be great

 

 

1) Munchkin infantry

2) Bush campers

3) Portabogs in a worse state in 2.5 days than the British Army can acheive in 2.5 weeks. Seriously, whoever is organising your team get them to hire a private portabog.

4) Ludicrous queues at the burger van, if you've any sense you'll bring a mix of stuff you can enjoy on the field and back at camp.

 

If its the first time you've gone to anything big you'll definitely enjoy it, I've been three times so its a tad samey and a little bit more casual compared to my local site.

 

As to radios, I wouldn't say its massively important unless your team makes it a necessity, due to the terrain any PMR446 radio is going to be effective to about 150m tops anyway.

 

Be sure to take bug repellant and sun screen if you've got sensitive skin (and don't get out much)...some of the more 'tech geek' aligned friends of mine the last time we went got a little burnt. Another must is taking a camelbak or at least a 1L water bottle, if you are generally a big person and if you are going to be lugging even a modest amount of gear then you'll go through 3L of water in as many hours so its something to think about.

 

[chronoswolf]

you'll need a very good radio and headset, with decent range and a decent amount of channels.

 

 

well ive got a motorola talkabout with a throat mike got a decent range(

3km min) but i shud be good for comms ive bin airsoftin 5 years an its never gave me trubl

[galactica]

well ive got a motorola talkabout with a throat mike got a decent range(

3km min) but i shud be good for comms ive bin airsoftin 5 years an its never gave me trubl

It won't work worth a damn at GZ. PMR, hills and 1000 airsofters do not

mix.

[Stealthbomber]

If the OP continues with all the txtspk boll*cks I'm closing this.

 

[Azubi]

Before you do though, could anyone please tell me when the gates are supposed to open at this weekender? I've looked all across thier site (I think) but can't see anywhere that tells you what is the earliest or latest time you can arrive.

[galactica]

i got there at lunchtime friday last year. seemed like people had been there all morning.

[RSM]

You want to get there as early as possible to be honest, first time we went we got there around 2-3ish when only 600ish players attended and we could set up a comfortable camp site on the second field.

 

2nd year cos of taking a wrong turn the group got split so we arrived by 4 and while we got the same spot it was a lot more cramped.

 

3rd year we actually got there on time as a group around 3 but were effectively pushed up onto the third field, there were people arriving later than us though that had to go up onto the 4th area which I'd guess is I'd guess 3/4 a mile from the briefing area and has minimal bog cover if you are not hiring a private one.

[Azubi]

Nice one mate. I'm an early bird so aim to get there for gates opening Insha'allah.

[Jon L]

+1 to the water in and out of the field, keep your fluid levels up, it seemed like a long time till lunch last year and i finished my water off in the field and came back thirsty so yea make sure you take plenty.

 

Look forward to the best game of your life on the saturday. Last years saturday was great, but sunday was a let down compared to saturday. but hey ho.

[curlyboy]

I agree the Saturday is the best day of them all and i usually give up on Sunday about lunch time and start the 150 mile trek home, but i have given up after 4 years of camping and now stay in the travel lodge down the road so no stinking portabogs for me and i have a bed and bath.

 

But the social aspect is fun and i now know where the Domino's is so i dont have the hour queue for the burger van, and apparently the raffle is going to be differant so wont take hours like the last few years.

 

curlyboy

[chronoswolf]

It won't work worth a damn at GZ. PMR, hills and 1000 airsofters do not

mix.

 

its already worked there b4 we stay pretty close the comms r there so we dont have to scream at each other

[galactica]

its already worked there b4 we stay pretty close the comms r there so we dont have to scream at each other

 

I thought you said it was your first GZ weekender? The place's terrain is iffy, but it's the hundreds of airsofters sharing the same 8 channels that is the problem with the large event. At a regular skirmish it wouldn't be nearly so much of an issue.

[chronoswolf]

I thought you said it was your first GZ weekender? The place's terrain is iffy, but it's the hundreds of airsofters sharing the same 8 channels that is the problem with the large event. At a regular skirmish it wouldn't be nearly so much of an issue.

 

yeah it is my first im not the only one with a talkabout in my team tho, plus talkabout like most good radios have encrypted chanells

[Grim]

Ive used our talkabouts their in the past two years one of which now belongs to chronos. I agree they can have distance problems but i try to keep us close a possible within an area. We tend to use the sub channels on them aswell but if we loose contact i'll break out the can and string method lol. Oh and hayfever tablets for anyone who suffers or thinks they might. its a no brainer but just incase, it never hurts to be prepared.

 

Grim

[Punkypink]

I'd listen to Galatica on comms advice. He works with them for a living.

[greg]

yeah it is my first im not the only one with a talkabout in my team tho, plus talkabout like most good radios have encrypted chanells

Hello & welcome to Arnies.

 

Please note & adhere to the Moderator's request (post#6) to use correct English. It is one of the conditions of use of this forum.

 

I have been GZ many times & attempted the use of a Motorola Talkabout. You will find out for yourself, when you get there, that what you are being told is true. It will have little if any use, due to the undulations & density of wood.

 

Like RSM, I have attended all 3 weekenders & it has now lost it's magic for me, so I doubt I'll be attending this year.

 

I also don't want to have to arrive at 6:00am on Friday, to get a spot close enough to the game zone.

 

This wasn't a problem for the first two years but last year they closed off the closest field for some weird reason & this resulted in a 10-30min walk from tent to game. This kind of took the shine off it, especially in the rain.

 

Otherwise, this is possibly the best event of the year & well worth attending at least once. I hope you have a good time.

 

I'd advise you to take the normal kit for a weekend camping & if you want to avoid queuing for food, make sure you have enough. Be aware of the weather, take waterproofs & suncream, this is England in the summer.

 

 

Greg.

[Prev]

I dont find any issues with the radios. This is due to a few of us using rather expensive radios that can use sub channels with out getting cross chatter. But then thats what you get for £140 for one radio.

 

This year tho a friend from the army has secured some PRR for us to use. .

[Basho]

Well, I am going and I think we are bringing both fireteams and some associate-teams, so probably about 30 people or so. We will be having a big BBQ and a good old camp-out in the evenings, should be a blast as I haven't seen some of these guys for a year (been travelling).

 

We tend to see GZ as a social event as much or more than an airsoft one. It is the main event where you can meet almost anyone from airsoft outside gameplay itself. There is a lot of competition between the teams, but it has always been very friendly. The site is amazingly huge and the sense of being only a part of a larger conflict is palpable.

 

My 2007 highlight was being in a battle holding a position against about 100 players. That was awesome. I made a video of the event a few years ago and it is here:

 

 

Just bring:

 

Food - the onsite food is a looooong wait in line

Drink - rehydrate for the win

And for god'sake book yourself a toilet!

 

I am going to be filming with a friend as well as doing the Bashocam! Gun-camera stuff, cutting it all together and trying to make a short doco' about airsoft.

 

I also know from an insider that there is some very special events planned this year, so don't miss out!

 

Basho

[Prev]

Totally agree with the above comments from Basho. It is a fantastic social event. In someway I prefer the social side more than the gaming. Sit around in to the middle of the night drinking and chatting.

 

[galactica]

I dont find any issues with the radios. This is due to a few of us using rather expensive radios that can use sub channels with out getting cross chatter. But then thats what you get for £140 for one radio.

 

This year tho a friend from the army has secured some PRR for us to use. .

 

Having sub-codes on a PMR at a large event is obviously good for not hearing other teams' communications, but that isn't the main problem with PMR. The problem is that however many sub-codes you have, there's still only 8 channels. The sub-codes (they're not channels) are simply selective squelching, the signal is still transmitted on 446.06875 whether you're using 6.1 or 6.38. This means that everyone using channel 6 needs to wait for the channel to be clear before sending their message on 6.38, or the guy talking on 6.1 is still going to block their message getting out. Of course, when using selective squelching, you can't tell when the channel's busy with someone else's subcoded chatter. With hundreds of people using these same channels, you can see why it gets really busy and so ranges are cut to shreds, if not nixed altogether.

 

PRRs will of course be immune to this, but are intended for very short-range contact between a small unit of soldiers, and so are very low power. With a stated operational range of 500m or three floors up & down in a building, they likely won't reach from one end of GZ to another. It's why the radio op in a section has a dual-system Bowman setup with both the PRR and their own command level high power radio on the same headset with dual PTT.

[Stealthbomber]

All of which means nothing when some nobber arrives with a chinese programmable r/t that has 20 times the legal PMR power and just tramples over every other broadcast on the site.

[Prev]

PRRs will of course be immune to this, but are intended for very short-range contact between a small unit of soldiers, and so are very low power. With a stated operational range of 500m or three floors up & down in a building, they likely won't reach from one end of GZ to another. It's why the radio op in a section has a dual-system Bowman setup with both the PRR and their own command level high power radio on the same headset with dual PTT.

 

Im sure I read somewhere that PRR's will bounce the signal off other PRR radios to increase the range, or someone told me. But other than that it wouldnt matter due to the fact the people using it will be in and around the area.

[galactica]

that too, plus this year, all the 3w MBITR clones that are now emerging on iffy frequencies.

 

I used 4w licensed private comms last year and we were fine all over the site. And it is a blessing being able to radio the guy who went back to base 25 minutes ago to grab you a battery/snickers/bottle of water or whatnot.