[Jon Wayne]

My team bought a knock off brand of throat mic from a web site. That was a mistake. The Firefox is a quality product that I haven't had any problems with. The ear hook accessory is nice as well. Putting your mask on and off won't budge the earbud. Definitely worth the extra couple of bucks.

Oh, and the online place that we bought them from wouldn't take them back. Two of the mics never worked from the time we got them. Only thing they would do is give us store credit minus a restocking fee that was about half of what we paid for the things. Kawamall is evil.

[Spec.Ops1]

Jon,

Thanks for the feedback on the throat mics. We are looking into carrying some other brands of them in the Future. The Firefox variety is the least expensive one we plan to carry. There are some other ones out there that offer a little more durability and clarity but they do come at a premium price! ($100.00 plus)

There is amodification that we have done with the firefox mics has worked out really well:

Take the rubber jewel off of the throat reciever (the white piece)
Rough it and the accesory button up with sand paper
Glue the accesory button to the back of the throat reciever

What this does:

As we have been using these throat mics for about 5 months now we noticed that during intense games where your moving around a lot the throat reciever tends to move around. Whe you transmit it ends up being a garbled transmission to your team.

By glueing the button directly on top of the reciever you will be aware of the position of your throat mic everytime you transmit.

Note: You dont want to put in on the button TO hard as it will kill the vibrations and you will again send a garbled transmition.



Hope this tip helps the Firefox throat mic users enjoy the product even more!

[Jon Wayne]

Thanks for the tip. I did the mod and it does make a B-I-G difference.

[BlackLab23]

This is good to know, I've been looking for some throat mics for my branch of Team Elite. Where would the PTT buttom be without the mod?

[Scooter]

I JUST got my radios today and tried out my throat mike, see i got my throat mike before the radio strange i know but it was the same with my flatline and my a-5 i got the barrell before the gun, anyways i love the mikes and have already glued to ptt button to the throat mike and its drying now, i have already tried it out and LOVE it, the only thing that i can think of that would be better is to use a velcro strap instead of the rubber thingy they have that goes around your neck, just for us guys with bigger necks. . .

[Jon Wayne]

Blacklab 23, the PTT button is connected via a coiled wire, so it can be placed most anywhere. But the mod mentioned helps to insure that the mic is well positioned on the throat.

[lcpaintballer]

i got Firefox throat mics and they work great!! the only thing is that before you buy them... Make sure they are campadable with your radios!!

They are strong too> been shot in the neck with on and they wont break!

[gman]

After reading the review on the spec ops web site about the product, I purchased a commando edition firefox throat mic around mid June 05. At the time I also purchased a new pair of Motorola 2way radios that were recommended on the firefox website to be used with the throat mic.

I had the mic for a day or two and could not get the mic to audibly transmit my voice. I used the mic and earpiece that came with the motorola radios it was working fine so I know the radios are working good. I tried many different positions for the throat mic, I visited the firefox website to look for ideas, and nothing helped. I was left with no choice but to send the mic back to Special Ops with a request for refund. The policy for Special Ops at the time in mid 2005 was a 30 day refund period.

I recieved a message from Special Ops that they had recieved the mic, but they were having no problems with the unit. I never recieved a refund or the return product from Special Ops, so in March 06 I requested that they send the mic back to me. Yes, it had been a while, but I was not happy about spending $50 on something that did not work as advertised, plus another $50 on a new pair of 2ways, and not recieving a refund even though at the time the mic was purchased the Special Ops policy clearly stated that a refund would be granted.

In late March 2006, to my suprise I recieved a new firefox commando edition throat mic from Special Ops. I tried it out during the Earth Ender Scenerio in April 2006, see the pics in the new Recon DDay edition, and had the same problem with the throat mic not sending a transmission. Since the return policy of Special Ops has changed, I submitted the mic to Firefox directly.

Within the past few weeks, Firefox sent me a new mic. I figured that since this is my 3rd mic chances are good that it has to work. Well, to my dissapointment the Firefox Commando Edition mic will still not transmit my voice. I can hear everything, but can't transmit anything. The mic will transmit a scratch or thump sound when it is moved across my neck or fabric on my vest or gear, and it will transmit a garbled voice sound if I try and talk like kermit the frog and really stress my vocal chords, but the sound is not clear for anyone on the other end to understand.

At this point I have had 3 brand new Firefox Commando edition mics. All of the mics were great for listening, but none of them would transmit a voice that was clear enough to be heard on the other end. I did not try to use the sandpaper method as described in this column because I did not want to damage the product in hope that I could return it and get a device that worked as advertised.

However, after about 1 year and 3 mics later I am back to where I started. I am out about $100 out of my pocket, Special Ops has sent me 2 new mics, Firefox has sent me 1 new mic, and I have a Firefox Commando Edition throat mic that will not transmit a clear voice signal, and I am now using the mic and earpiece that came with the Motorla 2 way radios. Any suggestions?

This post has been edited by gman: 16 June 2006 - 07:49 AM

[Spec.Ops1]

man! what a pain in the butt!

Have you tried out the mic on a different radio system? It sounds like there may be a compatibilty issue with your radio.

worse case scenario sell/trade it off or get a new radio.

[Spec.Ops1]

man! what a pain in the butt!

Have you tried out the mic on a different radio system? It sounds like there may be a compatibilty issue with your radio.

worse case scenario sell/trade it off or get a new radio.

[gman]

To further clarify my review of the Firefox throat mic - I believe that Special OPS and Firefox have made honest attempts to resolve this issue, but sometimes you just can't fix a product that does not work well. Over that past year+ I have purchased many items from Special Ops and have been satisfied with the quality of everything but the Firefox mics. If only Special Ops would make a mic for paintballers, offer alternatives, or offer a mic/radio combo solution.....

Overall, I am dissatisfied with the Firefox Commando throat mic product and would suggest that you look into other alternatives before you buy a communication solution for your paintball needs. BOTTOM LINE, TRY A FIREFOX PRODUCT BEFORE YOU BUY IT OR LOOK FOR A BETTER PAINTBALL COMMUNICATION SOLUTION.

[scphantom9195]

I agree! My Firefox is a POS. It never has worked right. I want to buy a good throat mic or eventhe bone conduction mic MOATI talked about.

Not sure which way to go. I had heard good things about Firefox, and was disappointed. I don't want to waste more money.

[Ssgt Workman]

I have owned and used the Firefox Throat mic for over a year now with no problems at all. Its been shot directly several times and held up well. I typically cover mine up with a neck guard just to hold it in place also. With the PTT button being velcro backed and on the end of a coil line, I can position it just about anywhere I want on my vest. I would recommend getting the ear looms as well as they work great in holding the ear buds in place.

I have also heard good things about the IXRADIO brand of throat mics. I like the fact that they come with the dual transducers for picking up sound. That might be my next set of mics after these quit working.

[Ronin055]

I have the bottom of the line FireFox throat mic set up on my motorolla 7400 radios. Ok, when it works, it works just fine. When it doesnt.. .. well it really ticks me off.

The problem I seem to have is centered around the jack. Where the head set plugs into my radio there seems to be an issue of "just right". That is to say that if you plug the jack in to far, it wont transmit. If the jack becomes dislodged a bit, it begins to utilize the speaker on my radio in addition to the one in my ear. This has lead me to several "stealth related" issues. So I spend a bit of time before each game with some duck tape and a small washer organizing my radios connection. I have to put the washer over the accessory hole, then plug the jack through that, then tape the whole concotion together. Whew, it works. now pray that it doesnt come loose during a game.

Now in addition let me say that on our team we have an individual who isnt afraid to spend some $$. His throat mic is all about the $$. It cost him over 150$ and to tell you the truth, half the time he comes through garbled. Now that could be a finess issue, and he may not be wearing it correctly. Who knows. But I can tell you from this experience, that its not about how much you pay for your throat mic.

I have purchased an IX radio throat mic, and I will post a review of it when it comes in. From what Ive seen and heard so far of their products though, I would be keenly interested in seeing SpecOps carry this brand in the immediate future. I believe that this company is inline with the image and customer service that SpecOps offers. The bang for the buck seems to be in place too. Spec Ops if your watching, perhaps this is worth looking into if you havent already.

With all that said, after my FF mic is in place. It works just fine. The clairity of reception and transmission are fantastic, as is the apparent durability and longevity. I know Im not easy on my gear. But once I get past the apparent design bugs, it all does its job as intended. The FF throat mic is a fair product for the $$.

[Jarhead2531]

Have you checked this site?

www.clearercom.com

While I don't own any of the gear from this company, and I do own a FireFox (looking for alternative <_< ) , this site looks to have some good options!