My electronic earmuffs has a jack for a MP3 player so I could use that to connect to the radio. In reality we would use the radio VERY little but we do want them for safety and the emergency we hope never comes.
One issue you may run into is that when you plug a headset into the radio, it's also looking for the mic, and may or may not disconnect the front of radio microphone. Find out how it works before buying.
Most quality radio manufacturers will sell two way headsets designed for high noise environments. They'll provide the hearing protection, plus the speaker and microphone.
We will probably go with a commercial grade radio but the band to use is still in question. Any recommendations on brands? The licensing is an issue too.
I wouldn't waste your time on licensing. There are license by rule/licensee free services that will fit your needs just fine. You don't need to go overboard on this.
If you really wanted to go the licensed route, you'd need to do frequency coordination, and that'll be $250/$300 per frequency, plus the cost of the license. Sure, you could bypass frequency coordination and use itinerant channels with an FCC license, but you'll have zero protection from interference.
The Motorola DTR radios may be your best choice. No FCC license required, some pretty good security, and decent radios.
If that's not something you want to do, next choice would be some good MURS radios. Icom makes some good ones that will work well, same with the Ritron radios.
Don't let some shop oversell you on radios. You need something decent, but you can do that easily for $200 or less. If anyone starts trying to convince you that you need Motorola APX radios with AES256 encryption, you're getting hosed.
If you want better radio recommendations, you need to tell us what your budget is. Prices can be all over the place….
