There’s no doubt that a team of airsoft combatants can boost their combat effectiveness by using the best radio for airsoft. Just as real soldiers need to communicate with each other to coordinate their battle efforts, so do airsoft players who engage in mock combat.
This is especially true when you divide your forces to maximize your combat capabilities. For example, you may have a scout or a sentry on the watch out who can alert the rest of the team if the opponents are moving in on your base.
You may also assault an enemy base with snipers watching over the base. They can then relay info regarding enemy sentry positions so that you can avoid them or attack them by surprise.
Top 5 Radio for Airsoft: Comparison Chart
Check out our airsoft radio table to give you a quick look at what you’re getting with each radio model. Find out if the weight and size is to your liking, and see what the battery life is like.
| Image | Name | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
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BaoFeng UV-5R UHF VHF Dual Band Two Way Radio |
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Check Price |
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Arcshell Rechargeable Long-Range Two-Way Radios |
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Check Price |
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Pofung UV-82 VHF UHF FM |
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Check Price |
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Midland – GXT1000VP4, 50 Channel GMRS Two-Way Radio |
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Check Price |
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Motorola T200TP Talkabout Radio |
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Check Price |
Best Picks for Radio for Airsoft
Admittedly, there are plenty of 2-way radios out there to choose from. Not all of them are suited for airsoft battles. You can make things a lot easier on yourself by picking from our list of recommended airsoft radios.
BaoFeng UV-5R UHF VHF Dual Band Two Way Radio
The bad news with this radio is that it’s a pain to up. It’s really that complicated.
The good news is that it’s extremely popular, as it’s affordable and yet it gets the job done. For these reasons, plenty of people regard the UV-5R as the best BaoFeng radio for airsoft.
After the initial setup, it’s actually utterly easy to use. You have 128 channels to choose from, and you can even monitor 2 channels at once.
There’s a keypad lock, so you don’t inadvertently change anything once you’re on the move. This is also extremely tough, so you can drop to ground with this and not worry.
The body of the radio is made from dense polycarbonate, and it’s resistant to impact and pressure. It’s also sealed, to protect against dust and light rain.
You can even bend the antenna into a U-shape and it will still work.
This even helps with night combat, as you can use it as an LED flashlight.
This also uses a 2100mAh Li-ion Battery Pack, which can just about last the whole day.
Your purchase also includes an Earphone Mic/Headset along with a belt clip and a desktop charger.
When you try this out for an extended period of time, you’ll realize that it never really falters. It’s very reliable and quite tough, which help explain why a lot of people use this, which is actually reassuring.
- Tough and durable
- Easy to use
- Can work as flashlight
- Lots of accessories
- Very affordable
- Complicated setup
- May not be “legal” when used in certain ways
Arcshell Rechargeable Long-Range Two-Way Radios
There are plenty of good reasons why a lot of people also use this radio. One reason is undoubtedly how the 1500mAh rechargeable Li-ion battery performs.
A full charge for this battery only takes about 2½ hours. After that, even with constant use you can get 8 hours of use from the battery.
Since you really shouldn’t use the radio constantly during airsoft games, this can go up to 96 hours. That basically means you can use this all day with no trouble.
The range is also great, as it can get to 5 miles if there are no obstructions. You can also use UHS waves that can go through concrete and wood, so it’s great for indoor airsoft battles.
This also comes with a nice single-earbud with a built-in mic. It’s easy enough to use that some consider this as one of the best airsoft headset options.
It’s lightweight too, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t tough. It won’t just die out on you just because you drop it.
It’s even water-resistant, so you can use this with no trouble in the rain.
If only it didn’t offer just 16 channels to choose from, though. But aside from that, it’s a great option.
The range is great for both indoor and outdoor use. It’s also very reliable.
- Nice affordable, so you may want to buy these for the whole team
- Compact and lightweight, making it easy to carry
- Easy to use, even for newbies
- Comes with earbud and mic
- Water-resistant, so don’t worry about light showers
- Works as a flashlight, which helps with night battles (and overnight camping)
- Only 16 channels
- Only 2 “legal” channels
Pofung UV-82 VHF UHF FM
This is actually another BaoFeng, except it uses the Pofung brand to denote how it’s meant to be sold outside China.
What’s more important is that it offers 128 channels, plus it’s reliable for airsoft battles. It’s very unlikely for your opponents to find out what you and your team are discussing over the comm.
This feels great to hold in your hand, and it doesn’t have too many sharp edges that can snag on tree branches and things.
It also feels substantial enough to withstand outdoor airsoft conditions.
The battery life is excellent as well, so you can expect this to work the whole day or even for overnight battles. You won’t be out of the loop at any time.
You can also use the radio as a flashlight for nighttime battles. You do need to be careful when you use the flashlight, since opponents will see you more easily.
But for camping, that flashlight is a great help. It even works as a FM radio in case you want to use this for camping, as you can set a louder volume setting.
With its uncomplicated setup, you can get this and use it almost right out of the box. The setup won’t be any trouble, so you can concentrate more on your airsoft battle.
- 128 channels, making it more difficult for your opponents to overhear your comms
- Compact and lightweight, which make it more portable
- Long battery life, so you can rely on it for all-day and even all-night use
- Easy to use, with a simple design that should pose no problem
- Comes with an earpiece and belt clip
- It may violate FCC regs
Midland – GXT1000VP4, 50 Channel GMRS Two-Way Radio
With this, you get 50 GMRS channels so you may want to get that GMRS license. At least it only costs about $70, and that’s for 10 years.
With GMRS, your team can be separated by many miles and still you can coordinate your efforts. This comes with a 36-mile range, which means this may be the best airsoft radio for 10-people communication if everyone in your team is going their own way.
Also, even with just 50 channels your opponents are unlikely to eavesdrop on your comms. That’s because this comes with privacy codes so you actually have 3,124 channel options.
Your purchase comes with a boom mic headset, so you can still talk with teammates even when your hands are busy.
This unit is also quite tough, and it’s also splash-resistant. So, don’t worry if it rains.
It’s also versatile, in case you want to use this for hiking and camping. This even receives NOAA alerts in case bad weather is coming your way.
This also uses a rechargeable battery pack, and you can use this for the whole day without any issues. Some people can even get a full week’s use before recharging.
- Extremely extended range, up to 30+ miles
- Best for large teams with separate units
- 3,124 channel options
- Splash-resistant, so it works when it’s raining
- Also useful for camping and hiking
- Receives NOAA weather alerts
- Works the whole day (or even the whole week)
- Needs a GMRS license
- May be overkill for small battlefields
Motorola T200TP Talkabout Radio
This is very easy to use, which is why lots of newbies go for this. There’s really nothing to it, and the setup is simple as well.
It’s also compatible with other radios, so you can use this and communicate with teammates using radios made by other brands.
This comes with NiMH rechargeable batteries, which you can use for about 12 hours. For most airsoft battles, that’s more than enough.
If that’s too iffy for your whole-day airsoft battles, you can also just use 3 AA batteries and those will give you 29 hours of use. It’s also no trouble to have extra AA batteries in your pack as backup.
You can easily find a channel you can use for your team, by using the scanning feature. You have 22 channels here, but with 121 privacy codes you actually have 2,662 privacy combinations to choose from.
This is also compatible with other GMRS/FRS radios. This means you can buy this for yourself, and you can communicate with teammates who use other radio brands.
This also comes with a supposed range of 20 miles. In the real world, this will be much lower but the range is still good enough for airsoft.
- It’s unlikely that opponents can listen in
- The radio can last for 12 to 29 hours.
- It’s compatible with other radios.
- Compact and lightweight
- Easy to use
- Decent range
- Not really waterproof
- Batteries aren’t easy to recharge
What is The Best Radio for Airsoft?
Simply, put, the best radio for airsoft is the one that actually helps your team to work together more effectively. That means enabling clear and reliable communications, without any annoying drawbacks.
There’s really no point to getting a sophisticated 2-way radio when you’re mostly using it for just airsoft battles. It actually needs to be simple, since you don’t want your focus on your radio. You want your concentration on your airsoft battle maneuvers and not with the technical details of your radio.
The other main focus is reliability. It simply has to work, no matter what. That means it should be tough enough for an outdoor environment, and it should enable clear communications. Since airsoft battles don’t really involve team mates being separated by too many miles, you don’t need a lot of range for your radio.
Things to Consider Before Buying Radio for Airsoft
You may feel rather overwhelmed with the many technical details you see on the spec sheets of the possible radios you can use. Don’t worry about them too much.
Instead, when you read the product spec sheets and reviews you ought to just check the most important factors:
Durability
All the walkie talkies for airsoft ought to be tough enough that it will still work even if you drop the radio. In a battlefield, you’re liable to drop or bump the radio and it better stand up to the abuse.
Look for a hard shell, and an antenna that bends so it won’t break. Read customer reviews and check out comments regarding how the radio fares after being dropped.
Water-resistance and dustproofing are also required. It should still work regardless of how grimy it gets, even if it rains or if you drop it in a puddle.
Portability
Obviously, the best 2-way radio for airsoft should be easy to carry. You’re already laden with your assault rifle in both your hands, so you shouldn’t have to worry about the radio
Look for a belt clip, so you can just clip the radio on your belt. Perhaps you can put it on the opposite side of your
A free earbud-mic headset can be very helpful as well.
With the earbud, you can hear messages without making too much noise. The headset mic also allows you to give reports and commands while your hands are busy.
Range
You don’t really need a lot of range for regular airsoft communication. If your radio can give you a few miles of effective range, you’re good to go.
But in some cases, you want a radio that works very well in a building. That means the signal should be able to deal effectively with the concrete and wooden barriers.
Sometimes games may go on all day because of the extra-large terrain for the battle. IN that case, you better get a radio that can offer reliable communications even across 10 miles.
Privacy
This is much more important, since you really don’t want you enemies to overhear what your guys are saying. You want enough channels and privacy codes so that your enemies can’t listen in on your comms.
Even with just 50 channels, with some privacy codes as well you can then use any one of more thousand a thousand possible channel-privacy code combinations.
Ease of Use
It’s crucial that when you’re in combat your concentration is on the battle and not on how the radio works. A simple press-button-to-talk should do just fine.
Important Frequencies for Airsoft Radio
You don’t really need a HAM license and radio to talk to your airsoft team buddies. When you use any of the 2-way radios we recommend, you can restrict your team to the 3 main frequency types that airsoft players tend to use.
Family Radio Service (FRS)
With FRS service, you don’t need any sort of FCC license at all though you have to follow the FCC FRS rules. You can use an FRS radio even if you are underage, and for business or personal reasons.
You have 22 channels available, with the channels 8-14 giving you a range of less than half a mile. The range may be longer on the other channels (1-7 and 15-22) but that will depend on certain conditions (weather, obstacles, etc.).
| Channel No. | Frequency | Power (ERP in Watts) |
| 1 | 462.5625 | 2 W |
| 2 | 462.5875 | 2 W |
| 3 | 462.6125 | 2 W |
| 4 | 462.6375 | 2 W |
| 5 | 462.6625 | 2 W |
| 6 | 462.6875 | 2 W |
| 7 | 462.7125 | 2 W |
| 8 | 467.5625 | 0.5 W |
| 9 | 467.5875 | 0.5 W |
| 10 | 467.6125 | 0.5 W |
| 11 | 467.6375 | 0.5 W |
| 12 | 467.6625 | 0.5 W |
| 13 | 467.6875 | 0.5 W |
| 14 | 467.7125 | 0.5 W |
| 15 | 462.5500 | 2 W |
| 16 | 462.5750 | 2 W |
| 17 | 462.6000 | 2 W |
| 18 | 462.6250 | 2 W |
| 19 | 462.6500 | 2 W |
| 20 | 462.6750 | 2 W |
| 21 | 462.7000 | 2 W |
| 22 | 462.7250 | 2 W |
General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS)
For this, you do need to be at least 18 years old and you have to obtain (and pay for) a license. The license lasts for 10 years, but the radio service enables text messaging and GPS location info.
This is the radio service you may want to use if you’re operating in a very large airsoft battle area and team members may be separated by several miles. The communication range for GMRS can range from 5 to 25 miles.
You can pick any of the 30 GMRS channels:
| Channel | Authorized Bandwidth |
| 462.5500 | 20 kHz |
| 462.5625 | 20 kHz |
| 462.5750 | 20 kHz |
| 462.5875 | 20 kHz |
| 462.6000 | 20 kHz |
| 462.6125 | 20 kHz |
| 462.6250 | 20 kHz |
| 462.6375 | 20 kHz |
| 462.6500 | 20 kHz |
| 462.6625 | 20 kHz |
| 462.6750 | 20 kHz |
| 462.6875 | 20 kHz |
| 462.7000 | 20 kHz |
| 462.7125 | 20 kHz |
| 462.7250 | 20 kHz |
| 467.5500 | 20 kHz |
| 467.5675 | 12.5 kHz |
| 467.5750 | 20 kHz |
| 467.6125 | 12.5 kHz |
| 467.6000 | 20 kHz |
| 467.6625 | 12.5 kHz |
| 467.6250 | 20 kHz |
| 467.7125 | 12.5 kHz |
| 467.6500 | 20 kHz |
| 467.5875 | 12.5 kHz |
| 467.6750 | 20 kHz |
| 467.6375 | 12.5 kHz |
| 467.7000 | 20 kHz |
| 467.6875 | 12.5 kHz |
| 467.7250 | 20 kHz |
Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS)
This radio service uses 5 channels in the 151-154 MHz spectrum range. The range of the comm signals is less than just a few miles. However, you can boost that range to 10 miles or more using an external antenna.
You don’t need an FCC license for MURS, and you can be younger than 18 years old.
The 5 channels are:
- 820 MHz (11.25 kHz)
- 880 MHz (11.25 kHz)
- 940 MHz (11.25 kHz)
- 570 MHz (20.00 kHz)
- 600 MHz (20.00 kHz)
Who Makes the Best Radio for Airsoft?
While we do have several good brands in our list, plenty of people consider Motorola as a great brand for airsoft radios. That’s because it is so easy to use.
Most airsoft fans aren’t really interested in the intricacies of radios. They just want something that works.
And that’s what Motorola offers. They give you a simple radio that you can use without any hassle at all.
These things are dependable, and they suffice in terms of range, portability, durability. But the utter ease of using the radio is what allows you to concentrate on your airsoft weapon and tactics instead.
Final Verdicts
Which one is the best?
That’s really up to you, of course. You have your own requirements and preferences.
However, we feel that the Pofung UV-82 VHF UHF FM should be seriously considered for airsoft. It’s utterly simple to use, you get reliable communications, and the range is good enough for airsoft battles. You’ll also be able to use it the whole day with no trouble.
That’s actually what you want in the best radio for airsoft—the one that you can just use without encountering any issue at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you really need to get an FCC license to operate your walkie-talkie?
No, as long as you stick to the FRS and MURS radios. Those types of radios are free to use without a license. There’s no age restriction either.
Are these radios just for airsoft battles?
You can use these radios for lots of different occasions. It’s great when you have a group (such as your family) traveling together and you want to take precautions if ever some of you get separated from the rest.
You can use this for family vacations abroad, and for camping, hiking, and group biking trips.
Do you need the NOAA weather channels?
For airsoft, no you don’t. Radios that can access the NOAA weather channels can get alerts whenever severe weather conditions are coming your way. You can receive warnings about storms and hurricanes. But these are problems that you encounter when you’re camping or hiking far away from population areas. You don’t worry about these problems when you’re paling your airsoft CQB games.
Can the FCC punish you for violating their rules?
In theory, yes. It’s possible that you may miss one of their confusing technical rules and find yourself fined for several thousand dollars. That’s why officially, we encourage you to follow the rules.
On the other hand, it’s also true that there hasn’t actually been any report of an airsoft player who has been arrested and fined for using FRS frequencies. Even if you do violate any of the FRS rules, it’s extremely unlikely that you’ll get yourself in legal trouble.
It’s a bit like taking a sip of beer or wine in public when you’re 20 years old. Some airsoft players say it’s like jaywalking in an empty street at 2AM. No one’s going to notice or care, unless you use the same frequencies as the police and the EMS use.
Still, we are officially obliged to say that you ought to follow the rules, okay? If you break the rules and get caught, it’s your fault!
Ok I have had this radio for 3 and a half years. I used it at work in a warehouse mostly as a scanner and FM radio. I would hang it form the top of a forklift and listen to the radio. I know I have dropped it from the top 3 times on concrete floor. The case has never broken of cracked. It still transmits and receives the same as when I got it.