Wireless Headsets

[dld63]

I don't know if this falls under apparatus but I'm looking for opinions on wireless headsets.

[DeputyMarshal]

I don't know if this falls under apparatus but I'm looking for opinions on wireless headsets.

For in the apparatus? I'd sticked with wired rigs. No batteries, no interference, fewer complications, less to go wrong. Keep it simple.

[BoxAlarm187]

I've tried them at a couple of the trade shows and on one in-service apparatus, and didn't find myself very impressed with them. They seemed to work fine, but the digital audio that was being transmitted and received sounded truly, well...digital. We already know about the horrors of digital radios not being able to distinguish between loud background noise and the speaker's voice, and I worry about the same thing with these.

[nameless]

Id stay with wired, wireless seems too easy to lose.

[CCCFire09]

For our new engine we wanted the wireless headsets to make the A/O portable and not tied to the pump panel, but ended up deciding to buy a portable radio with a headset attached. Saved some $3000 by dropping the intercom completely.

[CaptOldTimer]

I don't know if this falls under apparatus but I'm looking for opinions on wireless headsets.

There is an interface that attaches to a portable radio [hand held] where the remote microphone would attach, that allows the drivers or any member head set to connect into. You can walk anywhere you wish them and NOT being hooked to a pump panel. It had a belt clip for the push to talk button and really is very easy to use and operate.

[RoaddoggAK]

We had the rep from FireCom along with our radio people in to demo their wireless system after talking to a few departments that had it, and liked it. We had heard from other fire departments and FireCom themselves that the system had a working range of about 300', and a line of sight range approaching 1000'. This seemed to be more than enough range for what we would want it for (pump operator).

We got to play with a stand alone system they brought, and walked away impressed. While one of our members stayed in our board room, I wandered around outside of the building, getting to the back lawn 200'+ away and through 3-4 block walls. Our thinking is that we're going to get a single headset system for our driver, but use the base unit that has the capability to expand later on down the road if we decide to outfit the rest of the rig.

As a side, one place that I really saw a good use for these would be on our tower. Communication between the bucket and turntable is passable at best, and to be able to tie all of the people involved in the operation together with a reliable wireless communications system could have some real merits, especially when we're setting up (Sutphen 110' mid mount), as the operator is completely blind on the officer's side. Also, aerial operations would be much easier to hear commands and not have to relay messages to and from the pump operator to the bucket. They would be able to have direct communication as long as SCBA's weren't needed at the tip.

[gdickerman]

My experience is both here and there. It is pretty cool when you and your crew can stroll around the engine while training and not have to scream into each other's ears to talk. The quality is perfectly fine, with no problems to speak of...except the fact that we did have the problem of some sort of cross wiring, magic, flux capacitor issue: sometimes the headsets randomly transmit over our dispatch channel. This can be an issue if you understand fire engine conversation.

Overall, I really like them. No yelling, hearing protection, makes you look cool.

[WoodbridgeFFII]

Say No !

Stay a way from the wireless units, I have heard from other fire departments that they are having problems, and have had a service tech at there station a few times within months repairing the same thing again & again !