Two Way Radios

Two way radio headsets are a great accessory because they can help you keep your hands free while communicating. With prices ranging from 10$ to around 30$ in most cases, the acquisition of such a headset should be no big problem money-wise. They come in many flavors, some of the most popular are presented below. When buying a two way radio headset, make absolutely sure that it is compatible with your two way radio as there are many types of connectors.

Headset Types

Boom microphone headsets are a very common type of two way radio headset. The advantage of having the microphone sitting on a boom near your mouth is that it will record your voice much better than microphones which are placed elsewhere. Your conversation will be less noisy since the microphone is near your mouth and not much amplification is needed. They can also be fitted very firmly on your head, either in an over-the-head manner or with slightly more hidden behind-the-ear system, as seen in the picture below. Being comfortable to wear, they are mostly worn by operators who spend many hours speaking on the radio, such as event coordinators.

In-ear headsets look like the cellular phone hands-free headsets we all know. They are usually equipped with a push-to-talk button and their microphone, which rests at the height of your chest, is integrated in the cable leading to the radio. They can not be attached as firmly as the boom microphone headsets, but they are more lightweight and more discrete. This is an excellent all-round headset choice which I would recommend if you’re not aiming at a specific usage, where one of the other types of two way radio headsets found here would be better suited. In-ear security headsets are just like regular in-ear headsets, except for the fact that the cable leading from the microphone to the earpiece is transparent for ultimate discretion. This is the type of headset most security staff and personal bodyguards use. They can look cool, but they’re not really useful unless you belong to the aforementioned professions.

Throat microphone headsets are equipped with a special microphone that picks up sound directly through sensors in contact with the neck. Because of this design, it is able to pick up speech in loud environments such as on a motorcycle or in a night club where other types of microphones would not function well because the speech would be drowned out by background noise. Whispers are also picked up, making this type of microphone perfect for situations where silent communication is of the essence. These two way radio headsets are very commonly used by paintball players and military personnel.

Speaker microphones are not really two way radio headsets, but they are widely used so they deserve mentioning. A speaker with a built in microphone is connected to the radio, allowing many people to hear the incoming message even in loud environments. They are mostly used by police and other public service personnel.

Protective headsets are used in environments where noise levels could potentially damage the ear, such as construction sites, mines and airports. Their headphones are embedded inside hearing protectors, cutting out the potentially harmful external noise. They are the exception to the 30$-rule, since they usually cost much more as they are aimed at professionals.

Bluetooth headsets have also become more popular recently. A bluetooth dongle is connected to the radio, and the headset communicates with the dongle wirelessly. This means that you can actually leave your two way radio a few feet away and keep talking. Unfortunately, they are still rather expensive as they cost over 100$ in most cases.

Voice Activated Transmit

If your two way radio supports VOX (Voice Activated Transmit), you can use your radio without even touching it. VOX does what it says, the radio is automatically activated when it detects speech, without pressing the push-to-talk button. As you can imagine, this gets a bit tricky in relatively noisy environments. Another problem is that, due to the activation delay, the first word of the conversation is usually lost. This can easily be overcome, with a small risk of being though of as crazy, by saying the first word twice. VOX usually requires a special two way radio headset, since not all of them support it. Some brands even offer VOX without an external accesory.

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