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BEYOND WHATSAPP AND RADIO

From WhatsApp groups and radios to one operational picture.

Most field teams run on WhatsApp groups and radios, and both earn their place. What they can’t give you is a shared picture: who is where, what is open, who owns it and what happened when. Sinkaos adds that picture, and the radio stays for urgent voice.

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TODAY

Everyone is talking, and nobody can see the whole thing.

A typical operation runs on two channels. The radio carries short, urgent traffic. A WhatsApp group carries everything else: photos, addresses, “has anyone seen the blue van”, lunch orders, and the one message that mattered, buried between two thumbs-up reactions.

Each works well enough on its own terms, but together they leave gaps. The coordinator builds the picture in her head from both, and nobody else has it. Positions are asked for over the radio and forgotten a minute later. Tasks are agreed in the chat and never closed. After the event, the debrief runs on memory, because the only record is a scrollback and a radio log, if anyone kept one.

MAKING THE MOVE

Moving over in five steps, without switching everything off at once.

  1. 01
    Agree what stays on the radio
    Urgent voice stays where it is: stop, evacuate, man down, “come to me now”. Everything that needs a place, an owner or a record moves to Sinkaos. Write that split into the briefing.
    Radio for urgent voiceBriefing
  2. 02
    Set up the operation once
    Draw the area, zones and routes, set up roles and teams, and load your task templates. Next time, start from this operation as a template.
    TemplatesRolesMap
  3. 03
    People join from a QR code
    At the briefing, everyone scans a QR code and joins with the role they have today. Guests from other organisations get access to this operation only. Nobody collects phone numbers.
    QR joinGuests
  4. 04
    Reports go into records
    A steward reports a blocked gate in three taps: type, severity, one photo, position attached. It appears on the map for the operator and the team leads, tasks go out, and the radio is used only to say “on my way”.
    IncidentsTasksPositions
  5. 05
    The debrief starts from what was logged
    Replay the day on the map and export the filtered timeline for the after-action report. After that, decide what the chat group is still for.
    ReplayExportDebrief
Field app on a steward’s phone: the "Report incident" form with type "Access blocked", severity "High", a note about a van parked across the exit lane at N2, one photo and the position attached.
Reporting an incident from the field. Demo data.
WHO DOES WHAT

Radio, group chat and an operational picture, side by side.

A general picture of typical setups. Specific radio systems and messengers differ; for a product-by-product view, see the WhatsApp and Signal comparison and radio and paper comparison.

RADIOGROUP CHATSINKAOS
Urgent voice to everyone at onceThe fastest wayPossible, slower to reach everyoneCalls and alerts; keep radio for this
Who is whereAsk, and wait for answersPer person, if they turn it onLive on one map, with last known positions
Open work with an ownerLives in someone’s notesLost in the scrollIncidents and tasks with owner and status
Photos and documentsNot suitedEasy to sendEncrypted, attached to the incident
No mobile networkWorks within radio coverageMessages wait for dataMap, tasks and reports work offline, sync later
A record for the debriefOnly if someone logs itScrollbackTimeline, history and replay
Joining and leavingHand out and collect setsAdded and removed by handJoin by QR, access ends with the operation
WHAT CHANGES

Once the picture is shared

Fewer “where are you?” calls

Members who share their position appear on the map, with status, for the time the operation needs.

Work that stays put

An incident or task is its own record with a place, an owner and a history. You can talk about it, and it doesn’t scroll away.

Messages still there

End-to-end encrypted chats for the whole operation, for each incident and person to person. A message can be turned into a task.

Late news in the right order

A report written at 19:05 with no signal and received at 19:41 shows at 19:05, marked as late.

Clean starts and ends

People join for one operation, see what their role allows, and lose access when it closes.

Interoperable where it matters

Exchange positions, markers and incidents with TAK-family apps over Cursor on Target, and import or export KML, GeoJSON, GPX and CAP.

WHAT STAYS

What Sinkaos does not replace.

Your radios
Radio is still the fastest way to say “stop”, and it works where there is no phone network at all. Keep it.
Your dispatch system
Sinkaos is not a certified emergency dispatch or public warning system.
Every chat
Social chatter, lift-sharing and lunch orders can stay wherever your team likes them. Sinkaos is for the operation.
Training
People need a short briefing and one exercise before a real deployment. We help set up the first one.
WHO IT SUITS

Teams this move suits.

On-call fire crewsEvent stewardingSearch and rescueCouncil emergency centresSecurity patrolsNGO field teamsSports events and races
QUESTIONS

What teams ask before they switch.

Does Sinkaos replace our radios?
No. Radio is still the fastest way to say “stop”. Sinkaos keeps the positions, records and photos a radio call never holds, on a timeline you can read later.
Do we have to drop our WhatsApp group?
Not entirely. Move the operational traffic (reports, tasks, positions, photos of the scene) into Sinkaos, and keep the chat for whatever else your team uses it for.
How long does it take a team to learn?
A short briefing covers reporting, tasks and the map. We recommend one exercise before a real deployment and help you set up the first operation.
What if people have no signal?
Each phone carries a mission pack with the maps, the plan, its tasks and the team list. Reports and messages are saved and sent when a link appears.
Can people from other organisations join?
Yes, as guests of one operation, by link or QR code. They see what their role allows and lose access when the operation closes.
Does it work with TAK users?
Yes. Sinkaos exchanges positions, markers and incidents with ATAK, WinTAK, iTAK and TAK servers over Cursor on Target, so civilian teams and TAK users see each other.
RELATED

Try it on your next operation.

Early access is free. We set up the first operation with you and stay close while you use it.