---
{"title": "Coordinate multi-crane picks across separate ground crews", "description": "How a lift director keeps separate ground crews on STOP, HOLD and SLOW in one shared phone session. Steps, tool choices and mistakes to avoid.", "url": "https://2dig.com/how-to-coordinate-multi-crane-picks-across-separate-ground-crews-for-lift-directors/", "date": "2026-10-11"}
---
How a lift director keeps separate ground crews on STOP, HOLD and SLOW in one shared phone session. Steps, tool choices and mistakes to avoid.

To coordinate multi-crane picks across separate ground crews, the lift director and every crew join one jobsite session in a phone browser, with someone sharing a link or QR code. [^1] [^1] STOP shows a full-screen alert to everyone else, while HOLD and SLOW stay on until the last person leaves. [^1] [^1] Every phone needs a working data signal, iPhone Safari does not buzz on alert, and an idle session is wiped after 3 hours. [^1] [^1]

| Option | What it does | Fee | Card fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| OperatorLink | Shows STOP, HOLD and SLOW to the crew and passes button presses, chat and voice between phones in a browser [^1] | Currently free to use, no paid plan built yet [^1] | not published |
| Phone video call app | not published | not published | not published |
| Two-way radio | not published | not published | not published |

## What you need before you start

A multi-crane pick needs one shared session so every separate ground crew sees the same signals. The lift director and each crew join one jobsite session in a phone browser, and the signals travel over the phone network. [^1] [^1] The person who starts the jobsite shares a link or QR code, and each separate crew joins from it. [^1] Every phone needs a working browser and a data signal for the whole pick, because the signals pass between phones in a browser. [^1] Decide whose phone shows HOLD and SLOW, because those two signals stay on for everyone until the last person leaves the jobsite. [^1] If everyone leaves and the session sits empty, it is wiped after 3 idle hours, so a session that pauses between picks may need to be restarted. [^1] Before the first lift, add the page to each phone's home screen so it opens as a standalone app and the screen stays available. [^1]

## Step by step

1. Agree a single command voice for STOP across all the crews, so one person can halt the whole pick and everyone answers to one signal.
2. Check every phone has a working browser and a data signal for the whole pick, because the signals pass between phones in a browser. [^1]
3. Have the lift director start the jobsite from a phone browser, with no app install needed. [^1]
4. The lift director shares the link or QR code with each separate ground crew, and every member joins from it. [^1]
5. Confirm every crew member on every crane is in the session before the first lift, so each phone shows the same signals. [^1]
6. Agree on which signals stay on: HOLD and SLOW stay on for everyone in the jobsite and are cleared only when the last person leaves. [^1]
7. Keep each move button held while checking the load: holding it keeps sending that move to the other phones, and if it stops arriving for 2 seconds, the other phones drop it. [^1]
8. When STOP is pressed, it releases every held direction on every phone and shows a full-screen alert to everyone else, so each crane crew pauses and looks before moving again. [^1]
9. At the end of the pick, everyone leaves the session, and remember the jobsite is wiped after 3 idle hours once nobody is in it. [^1]

## Tools that can do it

OperatorLink is made by the team that publishes this site. It shows STOP, HOLD and SLOW to the jobsite crew and passes button presses, chat and voice between phones in a phone browser. [^1] [^1] Nobody needs to install an app; the page runs in a browser. [^1] The person who starts a jobsite shares a link or QR code, and the crew joins from it. [^1] Anyone who joins can take part in a voice call run from the phone browser, and one-tap radio-style calls such as Go Ahead, Copy That and All Clear go out as chat messages. [^1] [^1]

A phone video call app is a second option. No facts here describe one, so check whether each ground crew can keep the call open for the whole pick, whether every signal person's hands stay in view, and whether the phones lock their screens mid-lift.

A two-way radio is a third option. No facts here describe one, so check that the crews agree on plain voice, that every member can be heard over machine noise, and that the channel stays clear through the pick.

Match the option to the crews and the site, and keep a fallback ready since signals in a browser depend on the phone's data signal.

## Common mistakes to avoid

Relying on one phone for the STOP signal: keep a voice or hand option ready in case that phone's data signal drops. Assuming every phone alerts the same way: on Android browsers, signals such as STOP make the phone buzz, while iPhone Safari ignores the buzz, so check the sound and screen on every device. [^1] Leaving an empty session and expecting it to hold signals for the next pick: a jobsite with nobody in it is wiped after 3 idle hours. [^1] Forgetting that HOLD and SLOW stay on for everyone until the last person leaves, so the crew has to clear them on purpose. [^1] Not confirming that a move still arrives: if a move stops arriving for 2 seconds, the other phones drop it. [^1] Letting a phone go to sleep mid-lift; before the lift, add the page to the phone's home screen as a standalone app. [^1]

## Frequently asked questions

### Is OperatorLink free to use?

OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet. [^1] The signals are shown through a phone browser, so every phone still needs a working data signal for the pick. Check each phone's data plan before relying on it for a multi-crane lift.

### What happens when the STOP button is pressed?

STOP releases every held direction on every phone and shows a full-screen alert to everyone else. [^1] HOLD and SLOW behave differently: they stay on for everyone until the last person leaves the jobsite. [^1]

### How long does a jobsite link stay active?

A jobsite link stops working 12 hours after the first person joins it, so a link from an earlier pick may no longer open the session. [^1] A jobsite with nobody in it is wiped after 3 idle hours. [^1] For a fresh pick, start a new session and share the new link or QR code with every crew.

### Do STOP signals buzz on every phone?

On Android browsers, signals such as STOP make the phone buzz. iPhone Safari ignores the buzz, so on an iPhone the alert may only be seen on screen. [^1] Check the sound and screen settings on every phone in every crew before the lift so nobody misses the signal.

### Can crews talk over the phone during a lift?

Anyone who joins the jobsite can take part in a voice call run from the phone browser, and one-tap radio-style calls such as Go Ahead, Copy That and All Clear go out as chat messages. [^1] [^1] Voice depends on each phone's data signal, so keep a radio or hand signal as a fallback.

OperatorLink is currently free to use, and no paid plan is built yet. [^1] - [Visit OperatorLink](/go/start)

## Sources

[^1]: OperatorLink's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) (/go/start)