David didn’t join a search and rescue team to think about radios.
He joined to help build something people could rely on—something that works when someone is missing and time matters. His team is made up of volunteers: K9 search and rescue handlers, drone pilots, and people running incident command. Everyone has a full-time job. Everyone shows up because they choose to.
When a callout happens, there’s no warm-up period.
Things need to move immediately.
For a long time, communication made that harder than it needed to be.
Not a Technology Problem. A Reality Problem.
On paper, they had options.
Some team members held amateur radio licenses. Others—especially new volunteers—didn’t. Without a license, search and rescue communication meant using open UHF/FRS channels, where conversations weren’t encrypted and sensitive details couldn’t always be shared freely.
For K9 teams training every weekend, asking volunteers to add another radio class or licensing exam on top of existing certifications was a tough sell. Over time, the gap grew. Half the team was licensed, half wasn’t—and incident command was left juggling multiple frequencies alongside traffic from other responders and law enforcement.
Communication still worked, but it was no longer invisible.
It had become something the team had to actively manage.
They Looked at What Everyone Else Uses
Like most volunteer search and rescue teams, they explored the usual paths.
Traditional radios were familiar, but came with rules and exams.
GMRS reduced some friction, but still required coordination and setup.
App-based tools like Zello worked on phones, but didn’t feel right in the field—especially when hands were busy and attention was elsewhere.
David even built out stopgap solutions: a deployable 10-watt repeater, a portable Starlink terminal to explore IP-based communication, different ways to bridge gaps between users.
Each option solved one problem—while quietly adding another.
More setup.
More explanation.
More exceptions.
None of it felt right for a volunteer team that needed mission-critical communication to work now, not after training.
Why PoC Felt Different
PoC radio entered the picture quietly.
Not because it promised more features—but because it removed steps.
No licenses.
No channel planning.
No hesitation before pressing the button.
During testing, volunteers could pick up the push-to-talk radio and talk immediately. One button. K9 handlers could key up while moving. Drone pilots could speak directly to incident command without switching devices or apps.
Communication finally matched the pace of the work.
Using It in Real Operations
The change showed up in small moments.
A new volunteer arrives at a training or callout.
They’re handed a radio.
They press the button—and they’re part of the team.
There’s no concern about who’s listening. Because PoC communication is encrypted, the team can speak naturally about locations, conditions, and decisions without worrying about open channels or shared frequencies.
And despite the usual question—what if there’s no signal?—it rarely became an issue. Their operations already depended on cellular coverage for mapping and coordination, and Poclink PoC radios ran quietly on that same reality. When coverage did drop, the POC-1 Ultra still offered a simple off-grid FRS backup, allowing the team to maintain local coordination without stopping to reconfigure.
With a new FAA Part 107–certified pilot joining the team, the radios were first put to use for drone-to-incident-command communication, especially when launch sites had to be set up far from the command post due to terrain or safety constraints.
The radio stopped demanding attention.
Why They Chose Poclink
During field testing, there wasn’t much to teach.
People used it the way they expected a radio to work. Incident command didn’t have to juggle multiple systems. Volunteers didn’t need reminders or special rules.
As David later put it:
“Of all the PoC radios I’ve had my hands on, this is by far the best quality in equipment and coverage.”
What mattered more was what didn’t come up anymore.
When the Tool Disappears
Communication stopped being a discussion.
It stopped being a bottleneck.
For a public safety and search and rescue team, that’s the goal. The best communication tool isn’t the one people talk about—it’s the one they stop noticing.
Poclink wasn’t chosen because it added more capability.
It was chosen because it removed friction.
And once communication stopped getting in the way, the team could focus on what they were there to do.
