Anyone have suggestions for a system that's the easiest to learn and use?
The thought is we would test a system with one crew a week to give officials a chance to evaluate and decide if O2Os should become part of our association statewide.
We rotate officials (no crews) so each week it would likely be a new group (same referee) that would have to get a quick training in use and etiquette as part of pregame.
Thoughts? Would the SpeakEasy system too complex to pick up?
I have put way too much time, money, and effort researching and trying multiple radio systems over the years.
The big cost differential in radios comes down to if they are single user or duplex radios.
Single user- any walkie talkie like a Midland. It only allows one speaker at a time and there is delay to clear the waves before transmitting. Must be more deliberate when using. Can miss broadcasts if multiple people attempt to use at once. Have more delays so communication takes longer. Cheapest option.
Duplex - works like a conference call where everyone can hear everyone at the same time and can transmit simultaneously as well like a phone conversation. Much less delay and better for any type of back and form discussion. Costs more however. I strongly prefer Duplex if cost isn't an issue. Mute buttons or PTT buttons prevent continuous noise in the headset.
For the price point, Midland radios with the PTT headsets from Good Call Officiating or CodaRoom is the best option for minimal cost. Don't bother with the cheap headsets and earpieces they come with normally. They are garbage and are almost worse than nothing. Cost comes out to ~$120 a person with the PTT headset. Custom earpieces are also a nice quality of life upgrade later down the road. If anyone has used a walkie talkie before, its easy to set up. The benefit to a boom mic is that it picks up just the voice audio better than a lapel mic, but it can be more cumbersome to wear. I have seen some officials use this one
https://www.codaroom.com/collections/officiating/products/cr-boom-pro-boom-officiating-headset?variant=44543087542436. You can also adjust the settings on the Midlands to get rid of the loud clear noise and chirping that they usually make when pressing the talk button. It really clears up the communication. Use Midlands, these headsets won't work on other walkie talkie brands. The internal circuitry or connection port is different and not compatible.
Duplex Options:
How many are on a crew for your association? Options become more limited at 7, but 6 and below have a bigger and cheaper market.
Don't bother with trying Yapalong radios. They are somewhat popular due to their lower price, but the audio quality is terrible.
I've used this brand before for soccer officiating, and its excellent audio quality for the price ~$250. Only goes up to 6 users however so I can't use these in Texas, otherwise I would have these.
https://www.ejeas.com/product/f6/?srsltid=AfmBOor1uSOIhxICXaBkagiWBJl-8IL1oOPn_ovtdSaPRNW1IaA7mAVII know of a crew that uses these, but I don't have any experience with them myself ~$200 a person.
https://portaphone.com/wireless-referee-communication-headsets/ &
https://eartec.com/epak-wireless/Higher price range options would be
https://procomheadsets.com/belt-pack/ or
https://shop.vogo-group.com/products/elite at between ~$1,000 to ~$1,500 a person.
If you have any questions on anything, feel free to reach out. I'm more than happy to share my trial and errors.