The Family Radio Service or FRS is used on inexpensive walkie talkie type devices and do not require a license. Power output is limited to 500 mW (0.5 watt) and a fixed antenna. They can communicate up to one mile, usually less. FRS may have CTCSS tones. FRS is covered by Part 95 of FCC regulations. Some FRS channels are shared with GMRS.
GMRS or General Mobile Radio Service, requires a commercial license, not a ham license. Licenses are issued to businesses only, not individuals. Power ranges from 1 to 5 watts and repeaters are allowed. Here's some information on GMRS from the FCC website.
I list the frequencies here because many UHF ham transceivers can receive the FRS and GMRS frequencies. This may be useful for search and rescue operations with non-amateur radio operators. Note that most amateur radios are not type accepted to transmit for these services and frequencies. Listening is, of course, legal and fine.
| Channel | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 462.5625 | Shared with GMRS |
| 2 | 462.5875 | Shared with GMRS |
| 3 | 462.6125 | Shared with GMRS |
| 4 | 462.6375 | Shared with GMRS |
| 6 | 462.6875 | Shared with GMRS |
| 7 | 462.7125 | Shared with GMRS |
| 8 | 467.5625 | FRS use only |
| 9 | 467.5875 | FRS use only |
| 10 | 467.6125 | FRS use only |
| 11 | 467.6375 | FRS use only |
| 12 | 467.6625 | FRS use only |
| 13 | 467.6875 | FRS use only |
| 14 | 467.7125 | FRS use only |
| --- | ------------- | ----------------------- |
| 15 | 462.5500 | GMRS only |
| 16 | 462.5750 | GMRS only |
| 17 | 462.6000 | GMRS only |
| 18 | 462.6250 | GMRS only |
| 19 | 462.6500 | GMRS only |
| 20 | 462.6750 | GMRS only |
| 21 | 462.7000 | GMRS only |
| 22 | 462.7250 | GMRS only |
Copyright 2014 by joel Sampson / N5LXI, All Rights Reserved.