ground zero weekender

[galactica]

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.

 

They form a sort of wireless LAN between each other, yes. the only consideration I would have for GZ is the one I just mentioned above - being able to get the bloke who's back at base for whatever reason is a nice luxury.

[CrazyApe]

It will be my first year at the weekender and i'm looking forward to it . . . alot!

 

who's getting us the PRRs prev? It's Nick by the way

[greg]

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.

I never quite understand this sort of comment.

 

Do you mean that the only broadcast you can hear (on a specific channel) is the one with more power than anyone else. Or, that there is bleed over across all frequency ranges?

 

 

Greg.

[Prev]

It will be my first year at the weekender and i'm looking forward to it . . . alot!

 

who's getting us the PRRs prev? It's Nick by the way

 

Nick im afraid your stuck on normal radios. Its only me, Ching, Guy, who will be on them due to the fact there highly expensive and if one gets damaged a *badger*ing will be had.

 

All depends if we can be arsed to use them.

[Shardik]

Comms should be fine. Worked for me and my lot without an issue over the last 2 years and we simply use a motorolla XTN 446.

 

lots of water. Minimal LBE and plenty of Beer for the night

[galactica]

I never quite understand this sort of comment.

 

Do you mean that the only broadcast you can hear (on a specific channel) is the one with more power than anyone else. Or, that there is bleed over across all frequency ranges?

 

 

Greg.

 

Problem is this:

 

Group using PMR channel 5 or whatever on proper PMRs at 0.5w. They are operating sort-of OK in one part of the site as they're away from someone else using 5 on the other side of the site and their paths aren't really crossing due to the terrain. Forget about that 3km range *badger*s on talkabouts it's nonsense at a site like GZ. XTNs and Kenwood 3201s might just about make it across the site OK from a high position. Just one div with a 4 or 5w radio on PMR frequencies will dominate that whole frequency over the whole site when he's transmitting, so people using ch5 on every subcode are unable to transmit while he is, rather than a few pockets of people working at 0.5w. There is nothing cut & dried about this, radio propagation theory is just as complex as the bloody wind - but the long and the short of it is that people operating PMR frequencies out of spec are being extremely selfish.

 

[chronoswolf]

please forgive me on my typing i am still geting used to typing this way as i normally abreviate for ease of typing

as regards to radios i appreciate that galactica is quite skilled with comms but as i previously stated the radios i own have already bin tried and tested at ground zero and have proved effective with no problems the only problems we have ever had with the talkabouts have bin when using them in areas with high harmonics (to the layman an area with high radiowave readings like powerlines or near hospitals) anyway i aprecciate the advice galactica and all the advice everyone has given me so far i look forward to seeing a few of u there anyone going DELTA i will be the guy in the army of two tyson rios mask happy hunting

[Grim]

And i will be his partner in the custom Elliot salem mask.

 

Basho i remember 2007 the final stand against Bravo and the others. I was the one thet started the delta chant when all seemed lost and we were close to being over run. That last stand will always remain in memory as one of my happiest times during airsoft. Im hoping to film some stuff by mounting my helmet cam to my weapon. Hope to see a few of you guys there again i really enjoy the social side of it, unfortunatly i was ill all of saturday last year and only managed an hours gaming before retiring to my tent until sunday.

 

Grim

[CrazyApe]

Nick im afraid your stuck on normal radios. Its only me, Ching, Guy, who will be on them due to the fact there highly expensive and if one gets damaged a *badger*ing will be had.

 

ohwel, still though can't wait it's going to be a weekend to remember

[Prev]

ohwel, still though can't wait it's going to be a weekend to remember

 

Every weekender is a weekender to remember mate. As most of the Battletec team will be using gas rifles its going to be even better. Not so awesome if its cold tho.

[greg]

Problem is this:

 

Group using PMR channel 5 or whatever on proper PMRs at 0.5w. They are operating sort-of OK in one part of the site as they're away from someone else using 5 on the other side of the site and their paths aren't really crossing due to the terrain. Forget about that 3km range *badger*s on talkabouts it's nonsense at a site like GZ. XTNs and Kenwood 3201s might just about make it across the site OK from a high position. Just one div with a 4 or 5w radio on PMR frequencies will dominate that whole frequency over the whole site when he's transmitting, so people using ch5 on every subcode are unable to transmit while he is, rather than a few pockets of people working at 0.5w. There is nothing cut & dried about this, radio propagation theory is just as complex as the bloody wind - but the long and the short of it is that people operating PMR frequencies out of spec are being extremely selfish.

So, the problem isn't really about power is it? It's about bleed over or channel selection.

 

It's about selecting a channel that wont interfear with other users who don't want to be part of you conversation. & vice/versa: Those being 'interfered with' have the choice to move to another channel or ask that other users respect their privacy/right to talk & select another channel that doesn't interfere.

 

Hardly 'selfish' or unsolvable????? I still don't understand the issue. I agree it would be out of order if some one is blocking out all frequencies in a 10mile radius but hardly a problem if other comms can work in the same location.

 

Or am I missing something?

 

 

Greg.

[galactica]

No, it is about power. On a large site like gz, people on different parts of the site can use the same channel because they're on in low power bubbles, so doubling or tripling the effectiveness of that channel across the site. The moment someone uses a 4w on that channel, they effectively claim that channel for themselves for the entire site because it renders the bubbles useless. A small squad can talk to each other on talkabouts, potentially, because they're shielded from someone else on the other side on the same channel, so they might get chat going despite the same channel being used on the other side of the hill. At GZ this is a matter of trial and error and luck, because there's so many users. Someone using 4w or so negates this happening as long as they're transmitting. A whole team on 4w will probably make the channel theirs and theirs alone. All very well saying that people will move to a different channel, but there's only 7 to go around at GZ. This is all before any other interference considerations.

 

The major problem at the bottom of the whole thing is this : 1-23 is not a different channel to 1-5. It's the same channel, you just don't hear other people's conversation unless you have selected the 23 subcode. If someone's transmitting on 1-5, someone on 1-23 cannot transmit unless they're sufficiently out of range of the other transmitter. Using 4w on PMR ensures there will be no "out of range" on that pmr channel. If you want to use 4w legally, just stump up £60 for three years of uncluttered UHF goodness. This is all before considerations of shonky Chinese RF that DOES cause cross-band interference.

[chronoswolf]

i see what you mean now galactica and i will take it into consideration but as far as i know the rest of my team havent ever had problems before so we should be ok if not well ditch coms down to two operators

[greg]

No, it is about power. On a large site like gz, people on different parts of the site can use the same channel because they're on in low power bubbles, so doubling or tripling the effectiveness of that channel across the site. The moment someone uses a 4w on that channel, they effectively claim that channel for themselves for the entire site because it renders the bubbles useless. A small squad can talk to each other on talkabouts, potentially, because they're shielded from someone else on the other side on the same channel, so they might get chat going despite the same channel being used on the other side of the hill. At GZ this is a matter of trial and error and luck, because there's so many users. Someone using 4w or so negates this happening as long as they're transmitting. A whole team on 4w will probably make the channel theirs and theirs alone. All very well saying that people will move to a different channel, but there's only 7 to go around at GZ. This is all before any other interference considerations.

 

The major problem at the bottom of the whole thing is this : 1-23 is not a different channel to 1-5. It's the same channel, you just don't hear other people's conversation unless you have selected the 23 subcode. If someone's transmitting on 1-5, someone on 1-23 cannot transmit unless they're sufficiently out of range of the other transmitter. Using 4w on PMR ensures there will be no "out of range" on that pmr channel. If you want to use 4w legally, just stump up £60 for three years of uncluttered UHF goodness. This is all before considerations of shonky Chinese RF that DOES cause cross-band interference.

Excellent, thank you for explaining that.

 

So, am I right in thinking that, if someone has a china clone 4 watter, this would only cause problems, if they choose to use the pmr frequencies?

 

The £60 thing, is this, per person, per radio or what?

 

 

Greg.

[galactica]

Yes, it will only cause problems on the PMR frequencies that hundreds

of others are trying to use. So much better to use a clear channel. To do this legally, you can apply for a UK General license which gives you the right to three UHF and some VHF with any codes on up to 4w UHF or 5w VHF. This £60 is for three years and covers as many handsets and users as you like. We used 16 radios on the middle of the three 449mhz UHFs at GZ last year with perfect results at 4w. Even though there may be a couple of well-organised teams on them too, the massive difference in numbers means a clear-ish channel is easy to

find.

[Grim]

So what kind of radios would you suggest the galactica?

 

Grim

[galactica]

In all conscience I could only recommend type-approved Radios like the motorola GP series (68,300,320,340,360) or Icom, Kenwood kind of brands. Www.radioswap.co.uk does good deals on "Pre-loved" radios and will program them on UK general. You could even use classic police motorolas - quite Saber-like they are. I like GP300s because they're bombproof, have massive batteries available for very little money, and have better audio circuits than their successors, the GP340. If bought un-programmed then people (like me) will program

them for a small fee. One caveat - they need to

be the right type of GP300 as there's

at least 20 variations. The model code to look for under the

battery is P94YPC00D2AA for the 8 channel or C2AA for the 16 channel. This ensures

a UHF radio in the right band. Don't know much about the other brands but they're all worthy.

[greg]

Yes, it will only cause problems on the PMR frequencies that hundreds

of others are trying to use. So much better to use a clear channel. To do this legally, you can apply for a UK General license which gives you the right to three UHF and some VHF with any codes on up to 4w UHF or 5w VHF. This £60 is for three years and covers as many handsets and users as you like. We used 16 radios on the middle of the three 449mhz UHFs at GZ last year with perfect results at 4w. Even though there may be a couple of well-organised teams on them too, the massive difference in numbers means a clear-ish channel is easy to

find.

Excellent information, thank you.

 

So Stelth's 'nobbers' just need to keep off the pmr frequencies, get CE type approval & a UK general icense.

 

For fear of asking to be spoon fed , do you have a link?

 

Please.

 

 

Greg.

[THE PIE PENGUIN]

Hey guys quick question

 

It will be my first GZ weekender and i don't know what type of food to bring, since my mother doesn't trust me with anything that could start a fire i will be pretty much stuck with non cooked or pre cooked food. Could you recomend anything that will keep long enough and that will suit the job of keeping us going during the weekender.

 

PS

Are radios really needed, i dont need them at normal skirmishes so it seem like a waste to be using them just this once.

 

thankyou penguin

[galactica]

Excellent information, thank you.

 

So Stelth's 'nobbers' just need to keep off the pmr frequencies get CE type approval & a UK general icense.

 

For fear of asking to be spoon fed , do you have a link?

 

Please.

 

 

Greg.

 

yeah it's called UK Business Radio Simple

 

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/licensing/applicat...dioSimpleUK.pdf

 

the licence can be applied for through this:

 

https://secure.ofcom.org.uk/busrad/

 

 

[greg]

yeah it's called UK Business Radio Simple

 

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/licensing/applicat...dioSimpleUK.pdf

 

the licence can be applied for through this:

 

https://secure.ofcom.org.uk/busrad/

 

 

I kind of think some of this should be pinned, you've probably written this before & I almost guarantee you'll be writing it again.

 

My thanks for some really useful information, I'm sure that I wont be the only one to benefit from your knowledge.

 

 

Greg.

[jimbothepainter]

@ Pie penguin, Get yourself a couple of Brit 24 hr ration packs, everything you need is in there, a couple of mess tins, a spork and a small gas burner and you're sorted for the weekend.

[greg]

Hey guys quick question

 

It will be my first GZ weekender and i don't know what type of food to bring, since my mother doesn't trust me with anything that could start a fire i will be pretty much stuck with non cooked or pre cooked food. Could you recomend anything that will keep long enough and that will suit the job of keeping us going during the weekender.

 

PS

Are radios really needed, i dont need them at normal skirmishes so it seem like a waste to be using them just this once.

 

thankyou penguin

Bring your Mum & get her to cook & no, radios are not compulsory.

 

As said they don't work that well on most of the site & rarely go end to end.

 

& crisps. They keep forever, keep you going & never give you food poisoning, even when they are off. They contain all the good things you need & come in a verity of flavors. They need no utensils & are great for sharing too. I would suggest a product called chocolate, it's also very good, but unlike crisps, has a tendency to melt at higher temperatures. About 30(ish) degrees C, I believe.

 

Yey for crisps! (They don't melt. )

 

Seriously, it's only 2 days so diet wont exactly be critical.

 

Hydration will be. Bring drinks, preferably water, about twice as much as you would normally drink for the expected period. If it's really hot, or you are particularly physical, you can supplement it with cans of fizzy, bought on site.

 

Fruit such as fresh apples & bananas will give you sugar & there fore energy. Packets for fruit & nut mixes are also useful.

 

Maybe a pork pie, scotch egg, sausage roll or two, if you like that sort of thing. Keep them cool & in the shade.

 

None of this will go off in 2 days & should see you through without having to cook or heat.

 

It kind of depends on what you are used to eating. You don't want anything too far from the norm. The last thing you want to do, is upset your tummy.

 

Ask your Mum for suggestions, in this case, she probably will know best.

 

 

Greg.

 

PS, there really is nothing wrong with crisps.

[chronoswolf]

Hey guys quick question

 

It will be my first GZ weekender and i don't know what type of food to bring, since my mother doesn't trust me with anything that could start a fire i will be pretty much stuck with non cooked or pre cooked food. Could you recomend anything that will keep long enough and that will suit the job of keeping us going during the weekender.

 

PS

Are radios really needed, i dont need them at normal skirmishes so it seem like a waste to be using them just this once.

 

thankyou penguin

 

i thought with a name like pie penguin you would be tempted to bring some pie

well as jimbo said brit 24 hr rat packs are excellent and can actuallly last longer than 24hrs in my experience. try and get a hold of the K ration packs as theyre the nicest you get treacle toffe pudding sausage and beans a yorkie bar some biscuits and a load of drinks(and other stuff aswell i will keep the mystery alive for you) they simply are the best source of food for camping

[THE PIE PENGUIN]

Thankyou for the help yet smug replys. I had figures the crisps and chocolate part but thankyou for the responses all the same.

 

penguin