General Mobile Radio Service
History: Started in the 1960’s, the FCC has since modified the rules a few times. FCC in 2017 made a distinction between GMRS radios and commonly available FRS/GMRS radios that allowed unlicensed people to transmit. The FCC also made a few changes to standardize the license with other radio licenses.
Availability: Not as common as FRS radios and more expensive. Available at local/online radio shops and at Amazon.
License Needed: Yes. $70 for 10 year license. No test required. License covers yourself and immediate family ( spouse, children, grandchildren, stepchildren, parents, grandparents, stepparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and in-laws). No new group licenses are granted.
Use: Personal (license covers yourself and immediate family). No music, advertisements, or encoded messages are allowed.
Range: Will vary by obstructions like buildings, trees, or hills. Typically two to five miles. You can increase the range by using a repeater (with the owners permission) which can cover up to a twenty-five mile distance.
Equipment needed: Any Make or Model of a GMRS radio that is certified by the FCC under Part 95. You can check a radio’s certification by looking in the FCC online database.
Antenna: Typically detachable. Use a mobile antenna for a vehicle or a base antenna for home, business, or repeater. Antennas can be on very tall towers (200+ feet) as long as they comply with the FCC Regulations (47 CFR Part 17) and register with the FCC as an aircraft hazard.
Output: Mobile, Repeaters, and Base radios up to 50 Watts. Fixed Stations up to 15 Watts. Mobile, Handheld, and Base radios on the 462 MHz interstitial frequencies up to 5 Watts ERP (Effective Radiated Power). Handheld radios on the 467 interstitial frequencies up to 0.5 Watt ERP.
Modulation: Frequency Modulation (FM), Narrowband Frequency Modulation (FMN), and occasional Data (under one second burst)
Channels/Frequencies: 30 frequencies are available for use with a bandwidth of 12.5 or 20 kHz. Some are shared with FRS Channels which means you can talk with FRS radios on those channels.
Emergency Channel: No official channel, but consider using channels 1 and 3.
| FRS Channel | Frequency | Bandwidth | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 462.5500 | 20 kHz | main channel, GMRS repeater output allowed |
| 1 | 462.5625 | 20 kHz | interstitial channel, max 5 Watts ERP |
| 16 | 462.5750 | 20 kHz | main channel, GMRS repeater output allowed |
| 2 | 462.5875 | 20 kHz | interstitial channel, max 5 Watts ERP |
| 17 | 462.6000 | 20 kHz | main channel, GMRS repeater output allowed |
| 3 | 462.6125 | 20 kHz | interstitial channel, max 5 Watts ERP |
| 18 | 462.6250 | 20 kHz | main channel, GMRS repeater output allowed |
| 4 | 462.6375 | 20 kHz | interstitial channel, max 5 Watts ERP |
| 19 | 462.6500 | 20 kHz | main channel, GMRS repeater output allowed |
| 5 | 462.6625 | 20 kHz | interstitial channel, max 5 Watts ERP |
| 20 | 462.6750 | 20 kHz | main channel, GMRS repeater output allowed |
| 6 | 462.6875 | 20 kHz | interstitial channel, max 5 Watts ERP |
| 21 | 462.7000 | 20 kHz | main channel, GMRS repeater output allowed |
| 7 | 462.7125 | 20 kHz | interstitial channel, max 5 Watts ERP |
| 22 | 462.7250 | 20 kHz | main channel, GMRS repeater output allowed |
| 467.5500 | 20 kHz | main channel, data not allowed, GMRS repeater input | |
| 8 | 467.5675 | 12.5 kHz | interstitial channel, only handheld radios, max .5 Watt ERP |
| 467.5750 | 20 kHz | main channel, data not allowed, GMRS repeater input | |
| 12 | 467.5875 | 12.5 kHz | interstitial channel, only handheld radios, max .5 Watt ERP |
| 467.6000 | 20 kHz | main channel, data not allowed, GMRS repeater input | |
| 9 | 467.6125 | 12.5 kHz | interstitial channel, only handheld radios, max .5 Watt ERP |
| 467.6250 | 20 kHz | main channel, data not allowed, GMRS repeater input | |
| 13 | 467.6375 | 12.5 kHz | interstitial channel, only handheld radios, max .5 Watt ERP |
| 467.6500 | 20 kHz | main channel, data not allowed, GMRS repeater input | |
| 10 | 467.6625 | 12.5 kHz | interstitial channel, only handheld radios, max .5 Watt ERP |
| 467.6750 | 20 kHz | main channel, data not allowed, GMRS repeater input | |
| 14 | 467.6875 | 12.5 kHz | interstitial channel, only handheld radios, max .5 Watt ERP |
| 467.7000 | 20 kHz | main channel, data not allowed, GMRS repeater input | |
| 11 | 467.7125 | 12.5 kHz | interstitial channel, only handheld radios, max .5 Watt ERP |
| 467.7250 | 20 kHz | main channel, data not allowed, GMRS repeater input |
Sources
- FCC General Mobile Radio Service Page
- FCC GMRS Regulations
- Radio Reference GMRS Page
- Radio Reference FRS/GMRS Combined Frequency Chart
- How to get your GMRS license (step by step)