All About FRS and GMRS Radios
A GMRS radio is a mobile or handheld UHF communication device, better known as a "walkie-talkie," that can be used for two-way communication between individuals. GMRS is short for General Mobile Radio Service. USE OF GMRS RADIOS IN THE U.S. REQUIRES A LICENSE FROM THE FCC, NO EXCEPTIONS! You can apply for your license at www.fcc.gov/uls. One individual GMRS license covers everyone in the family. Popular Wireless Magazines has a good, easy to understand, step by step description on how to apply online for your FCC GMRS license at www.popularwireless.com/gmrslicense.html.
There is also common misconception about the so-called "FRS/GMRS hybrid*" radios sold at stores such as Wal-Mart and Target. Use of these radios on GMRS frequencies (usually channels 15-22) requires an FCC license as well. Don't be fooled by the pictures of little kids playing with them on the package or what the store clerk says, GMRS is serious business. It's fine for children to use GMRS though, but only if their parents are licensed. The only exception is for Canadians, if you live in Canada then you may use any GMRS radio without a license. You may also hear many businesses communicating on GMRS such as public safety organizations, schools, colleges, factories, construction/landscaping companies, police and fire departments. These businesses have special grandfathered licenses and are perfectly legal. However, businesses who have failed to obtain one of these licenses are considered illegal. GMRS is an individual radio service which requires individual licensing.
GMRS can be used in many ways. GMRS radios can be used as an alternative to cell phones at amusement parks, ski resorts, malls, large events etc. Although GMRS radios have limited range (when used without a repeater), they can come in quite handy because they don't require dialing like cell phones. GMRS radios are great for keeping in touch, meeting other GMRS licensees (the GMRS band is a shared band meaning that anyone with any kind of GMRS radio can talk to you as long as both people are on the same frequency), or just chatting with friends and family. The typical range of a GMRS radio can range from 1-50 miles depending on the type of radio you are using. With a typical FRS/GMRS radio purchased at Wal-Mart, Target or Circuit City, you will typically have a communications range of 1-5 miles which varies depending on the output power or the radio and the environment in which you are using your radios. Professional quality radios typically have better range than FRS/GMRS combo radios. GMRS users are also welcome to set up radio repeaters which transmit on the GMRS repeater inputs and receive on the repeater outputs (see FRS/GMRS frequency table). Repeaters can dramatically increase the range of your radios (as high as 50 miles and even higher under some circumstances). Only professional quality radios are capable of transmitting on repeaters.
As you may have already learned, there is also a license-free consumer radio service called FRS. FRS is short for Family Radio Service. As the name suggests, FRS is intended for use within your family. All FRS radios have 14 channels. These are not to be confused with the FRS/GMRS hybrid radios which have 15 channels or more (as mentioned earlier, these radios DO require a license to use because channels 15-22 are GMRS frequencies). Unfortunately, these FRS/GMRS radios are marketed incorrectly and are commonly referred to as simply "FRS" or simply "Walkie-Talkies". 14 channel FRS radios do NOT require a license to use. The possibilities are endless for ways you can use your FRS radios with your family and friends! FRS radios are also commonly used by businesses. Businesses such as department stores, restaurants, hotels, nursing homes and amusement parks commonly use FRS radios as an inexpensive and license-free way to keep in touch on the job. However, unlicensed businesses may not operate on a channel above 15 when using 22 channel FRS/GMRS hybrid radios.
There are millions of FRS and GMRS users nationwide. In addition to the many GMRS repeater groups nationwide, FRS and GMRS users are forming many other groups. Many neighborhood watch groups use FRS and GMRS. National SOS, the new nationwide emergency FRS network, recently held a drill in Connecticut which I participated in. Click here to learn more. Some ski resorts and other tourist attractions post signs regarding emergency GMRS procedures. For example, the ski patrol at Sugarbush Ski Resort in Warren, VT monitors FRS channel 9 - subchannel 11 for emergency calls. The use of FRS and GMRS for networked communication is becoming popular; however, it is important to remember that FRS and GMRS radios are not always reliable due to their limited range. Cell phones should be used first in life-threatening situations.
*FRS/GMRS Hybrid radios are commonly found at stores such as Wal-Mart, Target and Radio Shack. These radios typically have 22 channels (the FRS band, The FRS/GMRS shared band, and the GMRS band. Of course, you do need a license to use these radios on GMRS frequencies. Most of these radios are cheap, meaning they don't have a very good range (2 miles or less). However, some higher-end radios (usually costing more than 60 dollars) typically perform much better than $19.99 radios. If you want radios that are even more powerful than that, I would suggest looking at www.rkleef.com or at your local communications dealer. The links section features links to places where you can buy professional GMRS radios. You will not find these higher quality radios at Wal-Mart or any other similar store. These higher quality radios are typically much more expensive than radios found at stores such as Wal-Mart. You can find cheaper used ones on Ebay. Just search for "UHF radios."
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