GMRS is a great way to stay in touch with family members during an emergency or while outside of cellphone reception range. It operates on a set number of frequencies, requires a license available online, and maxes out at 50 watts of power. Typical range is between 5 & 25 miles. More information is available here: FCC GMRS Information.
Frequencies for GMRS:
50 Watt Direct Channels:
| Frequency: | Bandwidth: |
|---|---|
| 462.5500 MHz | 20 kHz |
| 462.5750 MHz | 20 kHz |
| 462.6000 MHz | 20 kHz |
| 462.6250 MHz | 20 kHz |
| 462.6500 MHz | 20 kHz |
| 462.6750 MHz | 20 kHz |
| 462.7000 MHz | 20 kHz |
| 462.7250 MHz | 20 kHz |
50 Watt Repeater Channels:
| Frequency: | Bandwidth: |
|---|---|
| 467.5500 MHz | 20 kHz |
| 467.5750 MHz | 20 kHz |
| 467.6000 MHz | 20 kHz |
| 467.6250 MHz | 20 kHz |
| 467.6500 MHz | 20 kHz |
| 467.6750 MHz | 20 kHz |
| 467.7000 MHz | 20 kHz |
| 467.7250 MHz | 20 kHz |
GMRS is also allowed to share frequencies with FRS radio as long as they limit their radio’s output. FRS channel limits are either 0.5w or 5w. These channels are below:
| Frequency: | GMRS Power: | Bandwidth: |
|---|---|---|
| 462.5625 MHz | 5W | 20 kHz |
| 462.5875 MHz | 5W | 20 kHz |
| 462.6125 MHz | 5W | 20 kHz |
| 462.6375 MHz | 5W | 20 kHz |
| 462.6625 MHz | 5W | 20 kHz |
| 462.6875 MHz | 5W | 20 kHz |
| 462.7125 MHz | 5W | 20 kHz |
| 467.5625 MHz | 0.5W | 12.5 kHz |
| 467.5875 MHz | 0.5W | 12.5 kHz |
| 467.6125 MHz | 0.5W | 12.5 kHz |
| 467.6375 MHz | 0.5W | 12.5 kHz |
| 467.6625 MHz | 0.5W | 12.5 kHz |
| 467.6875 MHz | 0.5W | 12.5 kHz |
| 467.7125 MHz | 0.5W | 12.5 kHz |
The reasons to use FRS channels with a GMRS license is either that the GMRS channels are too crowded (unlikely), your communicating with someone outside your family who doesn’t hold a GMRS license, or you’re using handheld units and are in close enough proximity to use lower power settings. You always only want to use enough power to make clear contact. This is partly to be courteous to other radio users, and also to limit power consumption and wear on your radio gear. Just because your mobile radio is capable of outputting 7 watts of power doesn’t mean you’ll set it to 7 watts and forget it. Try lower outputs and see if you can still communicate. This is particularly true while camping and hiking while the other person is just out of site.