TalkBeam for Search & rescue

Push-to-talk for SAR callouts, staging and logistics

TalkBeam is a push-to-talk walkie-talkie app that SAR teams use alongside their radios for callouts, coordinating responding members, staging, logistics and training, with a live member map and a searchable log, wherever there’s cellular or Wi-Fi coverage.

Please note: TalkBeam complements, and doesn’t replace, mission-critical LMR/P25 radio. It needs cellular data or Wi-Fi, which is often missing in the backcountry, so keep radios for field operations.

CH 01The problem

What happens before and around the search

Radios handle the field. The callout, the drive in and the logistics usually run on a mess of texts and phone calls.

  1. Callouts by text chain

    Who’s responding, from where, and with what gear?

    With TalkBeam

    An all-call reaches every member, members reply on the channel, and the map shows responding members who share their location.

    • Priority talk & all-call
    • Live team map
  2. Staging and logistics

    Command, staging and logistics need to talk without tying up field channels.

    With TalkBeam

    Channels for staging and logistics, and direct talk for one-to-one assignments.

    • Unlimited company channels
    • Direct talk
  3. Members driving in

    Members answering while driving to the trailhead shouldn’t be texting.

    With TalkBeam

    TalkBeam works through CarPlay and headsets, with the phone locked.

    • Any headset, glasses or CarPlay
  4. Training and team business

    Training exercises and team business shouldn’t run on your field radios.

    With TalkBeam

    Separate channels for training and team business.

    • Unlimited company channels
  5. A record for after-action reviews

    Reconstructing the callout timeline takes hours.

    With TalkBeam

    Every transmission becomes searchable text. Enterprise adds retention and CSV export.

    • Searchable transcripts
    • Retention & exportsEnterprise
  6. Weather at the command post

    Storms and heat affect staging and the teams heading out.

    With TalkBeam

    Automated broadcasts read weather warnings near your staging area aloud.

    • Automated safety broadcastsEnterprise

CH 02A day on TalkBeam

A callout at 9 p.m.

A volunteer SAR team uses TalkBeam for its callout and staging. Field teams carry the county’s radios; TalkBeam is used where there’s signal.

After the mission, the team lead exports the callout and staging log for the after-action review.

Illustrative scenario. People, places and times are made up; the features are real.

CH 01 · CALLOUTTranscript
  1. TEAM LEAD All-call

    Callout: overdue hiker, Ridge Trail trailhead. Staging at the ranger station. Reply if you can respond.

  2. KAYLA

    Kayla responding, 40 minutes out, bringing the litter.

  3. OMAR

    Omar responding, 25 minutes out.

  4. STAGING

    Staging is set up at the ranger station. Check in with me when you arrive.

  5. TEAM LEAD Direct

    Omar, you’re leading Team 2. Radios and maps are at the truck.

  6. STAGING

    Teams 1 and 2 are in the field. Field traffic is on county channel 3.

CH 03What you get

What SAR teams get on TalkBeam

Everything a two-way radio does, on the phone, headset or vehicle your people already have, plus the things a radio never could.

  • Priority talk & all-call

    Supervisors cut through the chatter mid-sentence, or reach every channel at once with one hold.

  • Live team map

    See everyone who’s sharing their location on one map, and who’s talking right now.

  • Unlimited company channels

    A channel per crew, site, shift or job, and the people who need each one. Supervisors can sit on all of them.

  • Direct talk

    Private one-to-one talk for the conversation that shouldn’t go to the whole channel, still kept in company transcripts.

  • Any headset, glasses or CarPlay

    Talk through AirPods, a Bluetooth or wired headset, Ray-Ban or Oakley Meta glasses, Apple Watch, CarPlay or the phone itself.

  • Searchable transcripts

    Every transmission becomes text with a time and a name, so anyone can scroll back or search what was said.

  • Retention & exports Enterprise

    Choose how long transcripts are kept, and export them as CSV for QA, incident reviews or claims.

  • Automated safety broadcasts Enterprise

    Severe weather warnings, thunderstorms, earthquakes, air quality and extreme heat near your sites or crews, read aloud on your channels automatically.

Features marked Enterprise are part of the Enterprise plan. TalkBeam isn’t an emergency service and doesn’t contact 911.

CH 04Plans

Which plan fits your team?

Both start with a 14-day free trial for up to 50 people. No credit card.

Recommended

Teams

$8per person / month

or $6 billed yearly · 5–50 people

Most volunteer teams start on Teams: callout and staging channels for 5 to 50 members, all-call, the member map, direct talk, SOS and transcripts.

  • Company console
  • Unlimited channels
  • Live team map
  • SOS with location
  • Priority talk & all-call
  • Direct talk
  • Searchable transcripts
  • Email support
Start free team trial

Enterprise

$15per person / month

billed yearly · 25+ people · $13 from 100 · custom from 500

For county-wide and larger teams of 25 or more: retention and exports for after-action reviews, single sign-on, automated weather broadcasts for the command post and an audit log.

  • Everything in Teams
  • Single sign-on (Okta, Microsoft, Google)
  • Automated weather & hazard broadcasts
  • Crash & man-down detection
  • Lone-worker check-ins
  • Audit log
  • Retention & exports
  • Private AI on your own servers
  • Uptime SLA & priority support
Book a demo

Weighing it against your radios? Compare three years of costs, or read the 30-day radio replacement playbook.

2:31

CH 05See it in action

Watch a crew run on TalkBeam

In our 2½-minute demo, a fictional ambulance company dispatches with an all-call, reroutes a crew over private direct talk, hears a flood warning read aloud in every unit and reviews it all in the transcripts. Every feature in it is real.

Or try the demo company yourself. In the TalkBeam app, open Me → Company and enter this code:

HCEMS247

TalkBeam for iPhone is in early access. Get early access.

CH 06FAQ

Search & rescue: questions, answered

Can TalkBeam replace our radios in the field?

No. TalkBeam needs cellular data or Wi-Fi, which is often missing in the backcountry. Keep your radios for field operations, and use TalkBeam for callouts, staging, logistics and training where there’s signal.

What do SAR teams use TalkBeam for?

Callouts and responses, the drive in, staging and logistics, team business and training, and a searchable record for after-action reviews.

Does it work without cell service?

No. When a phone has no cellular data or Wi-Fi, TalkBeam can’t send or receive until it reconnects.

Can we see which members are responding?

Members reply on the callout channel, and the map shows members who are sharing their location on it.

Does SOS call 911?

No. SOS alerts the channels you choose with the member’s location.

What does it cost?

Teams is $8 per person per month, or $6 billed yearly, for 5 to 50 members, with a 14-day free trial and no credit card.

Put your whole crew on one channel.

Try TalkBeam free for 14 days with up to 50 people. No credit card, and no radios to buy.