Scenario Paintball Communication
by Jordan F. Ricks on May 21, 2005

The Key to a Successful Team

I arrived at the scenario field late one Saturday, after the first paintball ‘walk-on’ scrimmage was well under way. I threw on a face shield and brightly colored ‘ref’ shirt and dashed out into the thick of the woods to watch the action. The local paintballers were holding a well-fortified hill, complete with trenches and foxholes, butted up against a wide, meandering river that protected their southern backside. The SpecOps team was in the process of moving in to capture the hill.

I surveyed the area surrounding the fortification and discovered two, well-placed SpecOps gunners, 30-feet apart, nestled in thick patches of heavy brush to the east – their barrels focused on the crest of the incline. Each gunner had a small coiled tube that ran from the radio in his vest pocket to his ear, accompanied by a small band around his neck that secured two throat mics against the player’s larynx.

Occasionally, the gunners took turns firing short bursts at their opponents in the entrenchment that ran along the ridge of the hill. The two riflemen showed no intentions of making a full-on assault on the hill; rather, the two were content to keep the heads of their opponents from bobbing up to scout the area.

Directly north of the hill, in the most heavily wooded area, the SpecOps squad commander, donned in a full Action Ghillie suit – backed by a light rifleman in camos, was inching closer to the objective. Completing the encirclement, a squad of three more gunners was closing in slowly from the west.

After a short exchange of fire from the squad to the west, a player descended the hillside, holding his marker high above his head. I was well removed from the focus of fire, and as the eliminated player approached, he stopped alongside me and said, “I gotta see this.”

He was fully aware of the beautifully coordinated assault on the hill, and watched in appreciation of the unified movements of the SpecOps team members. He quickly recognized that the hill was encircled, and the noose was tightening. “Wow,” he whispered as each player began his advance, “Here they go. They’re gonna take it.”

We had the perfect vantage point and watched as the players commenced their individual assignments in unison. The ghillie-suited commander had infiltrated his opponent’s territory so deeply, that he was in more danger of being shot by friendly fire than he was from the opponent. But his team members were well aware of his position and would place their shots accordingly.

An eruption of heavy gunfire broke out from all directions, but the SpecOps commander waited patiently before joining the fray. The defenders feverishly directed their return fire to pockets of the surrounding woods as nearby branches and patches of dirt exploded with sprays of brightly colored paint. Convinced that every defender was now involved in the clash, the ‘ghillie-monster’ completed the final stage of the multi-pronged attack. Like an enemy within, he suddenly "de-cloaked" and launched several well-placed shots, rooting out several surprised, deeply entrenched defenders.

Less than a minute after the furious assault began, the air returned still and the silhouette of a tall, ghillie-clad paintballer stood triumphantly atop the hill. The easy sounds of the river’s waters could be heard tripping over the smooth stones of the shallows and conversations among players began to swell. Paintballers recalled the recent events and exchanged laughs before ‘dividing up’ for the next game.

The assault on the hill was a textbook example of solid strategy, backed by the experienced use of Fire Fox throat mics and ear buds. The proper use of radio communication in conjunction with hand signals, affords a woods team the distinct advantage of a mobile commander center, as more and more teams are discovering.

Hands-free radio is to communication as remote air is to paintball guns. Neither may be absolutely essential to the game, but for players who use either, they swear by the advantages and can’t imagine a paintball world without it.

For woodsball action, Fire Fox offers three excellent, hands-free throat mic communication solutions.

Fire Fox Throat Mics and Earpiece

The Fire Fox Throat Mic eliminates background noises by transmitting directly from the vibration of your larynx, which also allows you to speak quietly or communicate with team members in the middle of a firefight. Throat mics and ear buds prove to be a superior solution when compared with typical hand-held radios.

Each of the three Fire Fox throat mic and earpiece packages comes standard with a 5-foot remote PTT button to allow for maximum mobility. Simply plug your Fire Fox into your existing radio (1/8-inch jack) and you’re ready to go!

The Fire Fox Standard package includes a single throat mic and ear bud speaker. The water resistant mic is on a stainless steel neck ring that can be coiled as necessary to apply the proper amount of pressure against the neck. The standard edition ear piece consists of the ear bud speaker which stays in the ear when stationary or walking, but falls out easily otherwise. Ear hooks can be ordered separately. SpecOps tested the various Fire Fox systems extensively in the field, but found that some of the standard edition mics didn’t transmit and had to be returned and others broke over time, while many others performed well and never failed. Fire Fox provided good customer service and quickly returned new equipment.

The Fire Fox Commando edition contains the same transponder (mic) as the Standard version; however, the Commando includes a far superior, medical-grade ear bud that provides excellent clarity. The ear bud sits firmly, yet comfortably inside the ear and withstands the demands of active woodsball players, remaining in place as you run or perform bunker slides. The vast majority of players who have used the Fire Fox Commando edition in the field give it a resounding thumbs up.

The Fire Fox Extreme edition contains two water resistant mics on an adjustable neck ring for optimal transmission, as well as dual, medical-grade ear buds. If you’re a commander or a squad leader, the dual mics give a more positive transmission and you might find this feature worth the added cost. (SpecOps Commanders swear by them.)

The Throat Mic eliminates background noises by transmitting directly from the vibration of your larynx, which also allows you to speak quietly or communicate with team members in the middle of a firefight. Throat mics and medical grade ear buds prove to be a superior solution when compared with typical hand-held radios. Simply plug your Fire Fox into your existing radio (1/8-inch jack) and you’re ready to go! The Fire Fox throat mics come standard with a 5-foot remote PTT button to allow for maximum mobility, while keeping in touch with the team.