Multi-Use Radio Service

History: The FCC authorized these channels from the business band to be a short-distance two-way communications. These were previously in the business/industrial radio band so you may hear businesses using them. There are some consumer and commercial equipment that uses data transfer on these frequencies. Example: Dakota Driveway Alarms

Availability: Not as common as FRS radios and more expensive. Available at local/online radio shops and at Amazon/Ebay.

License Needed: No

Use: Personal or Business

Range: Will vary by obstructions like buildings, trees, or hills. Typically less than 2-3 miles for a handheld, but could be 10+ miles for a antenna that is placed high up. Repeaters are not allowed.

Equipment needed: Any Make or Model of MURS 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: Attached or Detached. Detached antenna height is limited to 20 feet above a structure or 60 feet above ground, whichever is the greater.

Output: 2 Watts

Modulation: Frequency Modulation (FM), Narrowband Frequency Modulation (FMN), and Data

Channels: 5 channels. Walmart on their licensed VHF business radios includes MURS 4 and MURS 5. These are shared channels, but they have a historical business license for these frequencies. Do not interfere with them or you may find a FCC notice in your mailbox.

Emergency Channel: No official channel, but consider using channels 1 and 3

ChannelFrequency (MHz)ModulationBandwidth (kHz)Notes
1151.820FMN11.25
2151.880FMN11.25
3151.940 FMN11.25Unofficial Emergency Channel
4154.570FMN / FM11.25 / 20Grandfathered business channel, also known as Blue Dot
5154.600FMN / FM11.25 / 20Grandfathered business channel, also known as Green Dot

Sources