One Team. Eight dedicated channels.
Keep all your people in one Team and control the communications by putting specialist teams in their own channels.
Listen or Listen & Talk on as many channels as you need.
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Push to Talk for professional Teams
BackChat removes many of the everyday frustrations of traditional communications, while giving your team greater flexibility, control and privacy.
Keep all your people in one Team and control the communications by putting specialist teams in their own channels.
Listen or Listen & Talk on as many channels as you need.
Invite colleagues securely using a unique user ID or QR code.
No phone numbers. No email addresses. No personal contact details are shared between team members.
No radios to issue. No charging racks. No missing comms packs. No wireless transmitters. No headset allocation.
Your crew already carries the device they need.
BackChat works using Wi-Fi, mobile data, or both.
Communication is no longer limited by conventional radio range and can extend wherever suitable network connectivity exists.
Crew members use their own wired or wireless headset.
Better comfort. Better hygiene. No shared hire headsets.
Create a Team. Invite your crew. Start communicating.
Create and name your own Teams. Control who joins. Manage access. Stay in complete control of your communications.
Ideal for temporary professional Teams that need to communicate or synchronise with each other.
Since 1975, RTS has helped deliver some of the world's greatest live productions.
We've relied on it, and we continue to respect what it brings to our industry.
Technology continues to evolve.
Today there are situations where a software-based communications platform may offer advantages that traditional radio systems simply weren't designed to provide.
If you're planning your next production, it may be worth comparing the two.
| Comparison point | RTS | Backchat |
|---|---|---|
| Invite by QR code | RTS Not required | Backchat Yes Invite instantly by unique ID or QR code |
| Personal details protected | RTS Not required | Backchat Yes No phone numbers or email addresses shared |
| Crew device | RTS Dedicated beltpack or hardware | Backchat Yes Uses the team member's own device |
| Headset | RTS Allocated or shared equipment | Backchat Yes Use your own wired or wireless headset |
| Channels | RTS Configuration depends on the system | Backchat Yes Up to 8 dedicated channels in one Team |
| Listen and Talk | RTS Configured through the communications system | Backchat Yes Listen or Listen & Talk on multiple channels, instantly |
| Range / connectivity | RTS Yes Cable / Booster | Backchat Yes Internet — Wi-Fi and mobile data |
| Team setup | RTS Hardware and technical configuration | Backchat Yes Create a Team in minutes |
| Adding team members | RTS Equipment must be assigned and configured | Backchat Yes Join using a unique ID or QR code |
| Dedicated hardware | RTS Yes Base stations, beltpacks, antennas and cabling | Backchat No dedicated communications hardware required, just the users device |
| Equipment allocation | RTS Comms packs and accessories must be distributed | Backchat Yes Crew already carry the device they need |
| Scaling the team | RTS Additional users may require additional equipment | Backchat Yes Add authorised users without issuing more hardware |
| Language support | RTS Dependent on equipment interface | Backchat Yes Multi-language app experience |
| Team control | RTS Managed through the installed communications system | Backchat Yes Name Teams, control access and manage members |
| Quick to pack away | RTS No No | Backchat Yes Yes 😊 |
Professional communications without the cost and complexity of traditional systems.
That’s it. You’re ready to use BackChat.
There are two ways you can use BackChat.
Join a Team you have been invited to and communicate using Push To Talk.
Joining a Team to talk is free.
Create and name your Team, invite Team Members and control who has access.
Invite people using their unique ID or by scanning their QR code.
Adding people to your Team list costs nothing.
You are charged only when:
When you are ready, book your Team.
Booking pre-authorises payment based on the Teams and Team Member capacity you configure.
Each Team session lasts for 24 hours.
1 × 24-hour Team session costs just £4.50 per Team Member who joins.
Bluetooth
We actually bought the New Bee M53, tested it ourselves and liked it enough that we're now using it. It's extremely lightweight and comfortable. After a while I barely notice I'm wearing it. The earpiece is loud and very clear, the microphone is sensitive, and overall I've been really pleased with the quality and functionality. The M53 uses ENC (Environmental Noise Cancellation) rather than ANC. ANC reduces the background noise you hear, whereas ENC works at the microphone end, reducing environmental noise in the audio other people hear from you. For a communications headset, that's arguably the more important job. Interestingly, the M53 has also been designed for use with compatible Bluetooth walkie-talkies, which makes it particularly appropriate for the BackChat environment. At the time of writing, it has a 4.4-star rating from 2,447 Amazon reviews, costs under £25 per unit and comes with its own charging case. For that price, we've been genuinely impressed. We've bought it. We've tested it. We use it. And we like it.
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Bluetooth
The Yealink BH70 is a lightweight Bluetooth headset with a 35mm speaker and a three-microphone noise-cancelling system designed to reduce surrounding noise before your voice is transmitted, potentially useful in busy Backchat environments. Yealink quotes up to 35 hours of talk time, with up to 22 days standby. It looks like an interesting professional option for Backchat where comfort, clear voice transmission and long operating time are important.
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Bluetooth and USB Bluetooth adapter
The Voistek is a lightweight, single-ear Bluetooth headset with an adjustable boom microphone, designed to keep one ear free so you can remain aware of what is happening around you. The microphone incorporates noise-cancelling technology intended to reduce surrounding background noise before your voice is transmitted, potentially useful when using BackChat in busy event environments. With wireless Bluetooth connectivity, onboard controls and a compact single-ear design, it looks like an interesting option for BackChat users who want a dedicated communications headset without being completely isolated from their surroundings. We haven't tested this one ourselves, so for now it's simply something we found that looks worth investigating.
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Bluetooth
We actually bought the TECKNET TK-HS017 and tested it. First impressions are good. It looks well made, it's lightweight and comfortable to wear, and the microphone performed perfectly well in our testing. It also incorporates noise reduction at the microphone to help reduce background noise being transmitted to other users. Unfortunately, we weren't nearly as impressed with the earpiece. We found the audio quite thin and tinny, lacking the depth and bass that makes voices easy and comfortable to listen to. At times, speech had something of an old telephone quality to it. It's also an on-ear, single-ear headset rather than an over-ear design. That may be exactly what some users want, particularly if they need to remain aware of their surroundings, but in a noisy event environment it provides very little isolation from the noise around you. It's comfortable, the microphone is good and it looks the part, but for Backchat we think the quality of what you hear is ultimately more important. Our rating: 3 out of 5.
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Bluetooth
The Logitech Zone 300 is a lightweight Bluetooth headset weighing just 122g, with padded on-ear earpieces and dual beamforming microphones. Logitech's noise-reduction processing is designed to reduce background sound before your voice is transmitted, particularly useful with Backchat in noisy event environments. The microphone boom also flips up to mute. Logitech quotes up to 16 hours of talk time, with a five-minute quick charge providing another hour. Its lightweight design, noise-reducing microphones and useful mute function make it a straightforward option for anyone looking for a comfortable headset for Backchat.
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Bluetooth with USB adapter
Open-ear bone conduction headset with an adjustable boom mic, allowing operators to hear both team audio and immediate surroundings safely.
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USB-A - A professional, corded on-ear binaural headset optimized for Microsoft Teams and unified communications
Direct USB-A plug-and-play headset designed for all-day voice clarity. Features inline volume and mute controls with passive noise reduction for busy production comms.
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3.5 mm and USB
Dual 3.5 mm and USB connectivity with an integrated busy-light indicator and cushioned ear cups for comfortable monitoring across long production calls.
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3.5 mm and USB-A
Flexible 3.5 mm and USB-A headset with dynamic EQ and a noise-cancelling microphone boom built for clear speech in noisy event environments.
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USB-A
Reliable, plug-and-play USB-A headset featuring simple inline audio controls, making it easy to deploy rapidly across temporary crew members.
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USB-A
Lightweight stereo headset delivering focused voice transmission and hearing protection, well suited to active show monitoring.
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USB-C to 3.5 mm audio
Low-latency digital audio adapter providing a reliable wired 3.5 mm connection from modern USB-C smartphones and tablets.
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USB-C to 3.5 mm audio
Durable braided adapter supporting clean audio transmission, built to withstand daily use during production setup and pack-down.
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USB-C audio and charging
Dual-port passthrough adapter enabling simultaneous 3.5 mm headset audio and USB-C charging throughout extended production shifts.
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USB-C and USB-A power
Compact dual-port wall charger with USB-C and USB-A power delivery, keeping team phones and accessories topped up reliably.
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USB-C power bank
High-capacity portable battery pack with multi-device fast charging, ensuring comms hardware stays running across full-day events.
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