Welcome To FRS 2 Way Radio - GMRS Two Way Radio!

The GMRS two way radio is a General Mobile Radio Service.  It is intended for personal use only & the use of this radio requires an FCC license.  The holder of the license can allow their family members to use the license also for business or personal purposes but employees of the license holder are not permitted to use the license.  GMRS provides a moving FM UHF radio service for typically hand-held systems.  Mobile and base station models are available, but they are normally commercial UHF devices.

There are 8 channels that are exclusively for GMRS users and 7 channels that are shared with FRS(Family Radio Service) users for a total of 15 channels.  Recently some of the hybrid FRS/GMRS radios have included 22 channels.  They are typically called "bubble pack radios", because they are packed in a plastic shell for easier display.

This in turn started the terminology of "bubble pack pirates" which is used for people who use the GMRS systems without buying a license beforehand.  The estimate of the number of combined FRS / GMRS radios sold to date is between 19 to 51 million.  The current number of active GMRS two-way radio licenses is around 80,000.  Obviously, piracy is a major issue with this type of radio.

Origination of GMRS two way radio

Originally the radio was called Class A Citizens Radio Service when it first came out back in the sixties.  In the 1970's the rules changed to allow up to 50 watts of power, and the name was changed to General Mobile Radio Service. The service initially grew very slowly.  It was used primarily by businesses and industry.  This is because of the high cost of using the service. Later in the 1970s personal use began to increase.  Also the local public service groups began using it more.  By the end of the 1970's there was a 100% increase in the number of personal or family users of the GMRS two-way radio.  In the 1980's licensing to business users was discontinued.  As mentioned earlier these are licenses issued for personal use only today.

U.S. vs Canadian Usage

Canada allows hand-held GMRS radios with a power of 2 watts for use without a license.  Mobile units, base units and repeaters are not allowed in Canada.  Use by people from the U.S. is restricted near the Canadian border.

Other Specs

Only FM voice transceivers are currently allowed for use in a GMRS two way radio.  Computer and digital communications is not allowed.  The range of communications is typically 1/2 to 1 miles with a 2 to 4 watt transceiver,  unless there is absolutely no obstruction between devices.  A 10 watt base station may reach up to 5 to 10 miles.

GMRS signals are at UHF levels, so they are easy to use inside a building.

Only commercial quality radios may be used for GMRS, so they may be more expensive than a FRS radio.(Family Radio Service)  However, recently used radios have become more commonly used. Typically, you will pay around $150.00 to $300.00 for a new GMRS two way radio.