Beta Add-on for Crew and Business
Radio Bridge.
Keep the radios you already have. Radio Bridge connects one KeyUp room to a real two-way radio, so people on KeyUp and people on radios hear each other.
$59 a month per bridge on Crew and Business. On sale now, still in Beta. Want to try it first? Ask for a free 30-day start: up to five teams at a time, nothing is charged, and it ends by itself. To ask, write to [email protected].
How it works.
A small gateway app sits next to the radio. It joins your KeyUp room like a person, and talks to the radio through a USB interface.
- Your radio Handheld or mobile, with a speaker/mic jack
- USB interface AIOC or Digirig style cable
- Gateway Windows PC or Raspberry Pi
- KeyUp room The bridge joins like a person
- Everyone else Phones, watches, web and the console
One at a time, like a radio.
While the radio is receiving, KeyUp talk waits and the room shows "Radio busy".
Open mic stays in KeyUp.
Open mic talk isn't sent to the radio unless you turn on Send open mic to the radio.
Safety limits.
A transmit limit (60 seconds by default) and a watchdog release the radio if anything goes wrong.
A dispatch console in your browser.
Listen to several rooms at once, talk from a computer with the Space bar, see who's on a radio, and set up your bridges.
Hold to talk, or hold the space bar
Your mic is off
What you need.
Approximate 2026 prices, in US dollars. A good starter kit is an AIOC, a licensed business handheld and a Raspberry Pi 4.
- $30 to $400
A two-way radio
A handheld or mobile radio you are licensed or authorized to use, with an audio and push-to-talk connection, usually a speaker/mic accessory jack.
- $20 to $85
A USB radio interface
An AIOC for handhelds with a 2-pin jack, a Digirig with a cable for your radio, or another CM108-style interface. It carries audio both ways and keys the radio.
- $60 to $120 for a Pi
A small computer
A Raspberry Pi 4 or 5, or a Windows 10 or 11 PC, online and next to the radio. The gateway is a free download for both: <a href="/radio-bridge/download/">get it here</a>.
- $59 a month per bridge
KeyUp Crew or Business
Radio Bridge is an add-on, on sale now and still in Beta: $59 a month per bridge. The Space owner buys it in the KeyUp web app: open Plans, find Radio Bridge, enter how many bridges and press Add Radio Bridge. It is not sold in the Android app. Want to try it first? Ask for a free 30-day start: up to five teams at a time, nothing is charged, and it ends by itself. During the free start any plan works.
Setup guides: What is Radio Bridge · What you need
The honest limits.
- Not yet tested on a radio wired to a USB interface. Tested so far: real radio audio from public scanner channels through the gateway into a room, with the squelch opening and closing on voice. Not yet tested: a radio wired to a USB interface (AIOC, Digirig or CM108), a Raspberry Pi, and talking out to the radio. Real radios, interfaces and a Raspberry Pi come next, so start listen-only.
- One bridge is one room and one radio. No switching frequencies, tone codes or radio programming.
- Noisy reception can fool it. The gateway listens for sound on the radio's speaker output. Keep the radio's own time-out timer on.
- Set up from the console. There is no Android screen for managing bridges yet. Phones just see the radio in the room.
Radio questions.
Which radios work?
Radios that have an audio and push-to-talk connection through a USB radio interface, such as an AIOC (All-In-One-Cable), a Digirig or another CM108-style interface. That is usually a handheld or mobile radio with a speaker/mic accessory jack. It has not been tested on specific radio models yet, so we'll publish the radios and interfaces teams confirm as we go.
Do I need a license?
To talk to the radio from KeyUp, yes: a current FCC business radio license (Part 90 Industrial/Business) for the radio, frequency and location the gateway uses. You add it in the dispatch console and we check it in the FCC's license database before transmit turns on. To only listen (radio to KeyUp), no FCC Part 90 license is needed, because nothing is transmitted. Bridge only a channel you are licensed or authorized to use. When the bridge talks to the radio, the gateway sends your call sign in Morse code by itself, as the FCC station ID rule asks.
Can I use GMRS, FRS, MURS or ham radio?
As a listen-only bridge, yes. Transmitting is off for them: FCC rules don't allow GMRS, FRS or MURS radios to relay audio from the internet, and amateur radio can't carry business traffic or messages from people who aren't licensed hams. A business radio license is usually the simplest way to talk both ways. We can't give legal advice.
Is it ready?
Not fully. Radio Bridge is in beta. It passes its automated tests and a full run with a simulated radio. It has also been tested with real radio audio from public scanner channels through the gateway into a room: the squelch opened and closed on voice, and the stuck-squelch release worked after 120 seconds. It has not yet been tested with a radio wired to a USB interface (AIOC, Digirig or CM108), on a Raspberry Pi, or talking out to a radio. Start listen-only, expect rough edges, and tell us what you find. The gateway is a free download for Windows and Raspberry Pi: see the download page.
Do people on radios need the KeyUp app?
No. Radio users keep using their radios as they do today. The gateway plays their calls into the KeyUp room, and keys the radio to play KeyUp talk back out.
Does the computer have to stay on?
Yes. The bridge works while the gateway runs on the computer next to the radio and that computer is online. A Raspberry Pi is a good fit for leaving on all the time.
What does it cost?
Radio Bridge is on sale, still in Beta. It is $59 a month per bridge as an add-on on Crew and Business (not Free or Plus). One bridge is one radio channel linked to one room, and every radio on that channel comes along. The Space owner buys it in the KeyUp web app: open Plans, find Radio Bridge, enter how many bridges and press Add Radio Bridge. It is not sold in the Android app. Want to try it first? Ask for a free 30-day start: up to five teams at a time, nothing is charged, and it ends by itself. You also need a USB radio interface, about $20 to $85, and a small computer.
How does the free 30-day start work?
If you want to try Radio Bridge before you pay, write to [email protected] with your radios, your interface and how you would use the bridge. Up to five teams at a time can have a free start, and we turn it on for your Space. It is free for 30 days from the day it is turned on, on any plan, Free included. Nothing is charged and it ends by itself. The Space owner is told when it starts, with how to keep it by email, and again 7 days before it ends. When it ends the bridge simply stops. To keep it, the Space needs a Crew or Business plan and Radio Bridge at $59 a month per bridge, bought in the KeyUp web app.
Something else? Email [email protected].
Bring your radios along.
Radio Bridge is on sale now, still in Beta. The Space owner buys it in the KeyUp web app: open Plans, find Radio Bridge, enter how many bridges and press Add Radio Bridge. It is not sold in the Android app. Want to try it first? Ask for a free 30-day start: up to five teams at a time, nothing is charged, and it ends by itself. To ask, write to [email protected] and mention your radios.
Radio Bridge is not an emergency or public safety system. You are responsible for your radio license and for following its rules. We can’t give legal advice.