Your license came. Now what?
GMRS is the walkie-talkie service with real range: more power, real antennas and repeaters. No test, one $35 license, and the whole family is covered. Here's the stuff the FCC email doesn't tell you.
When to say it
- At the end of a transmission or a back-and-forth. "...see you at camp. WRXZ123."
- Every 15 minutes during a conversation that runs longer than that.
- In English, out loud (or in Morse code, if that's your thing). You don't have to say it at the start, and you don't say the other person's.
- Family on your license use your call sign. Add a unit number so people know who's who: "WRXZ123 unit 2."
Power is the most the FCC allows on that channel. Handhelds usually put out 1 to 5 watts; a 50-watt mobile in the truck with a roof antenna is where GMRS pulls ahead. 467 MHz main channels are repeater inputs: you only transmit there through a repeater (your radio does it for you on the repeater channels).
FRS radio
- No license.
- 2 watts max (half a watt on 8 to 14).
- Antenna can't come off.
- No repeaters.
- The blister-pack radios.
GMRS radio
- Needs the license.
- Up to 50 watts on 15 to 22.
- Real antennas: a roof mount on the truck.
- Repeaters: miles more range.
- Talks to FRS radios on the shared channels.
"Privacy codes" aren't private
The code on the box (CTCSS, DCS, "sub-channel," "privacy code") is a filter on what you hear. Set one and your radio stays quiet until someone sends that same tone. Everyone else on the channel still hears every word you say.
So use tones to cut the chatter at a busy campground or race. Don't use them to say anything you wouldn't say out loud at the ramp.
Tones and repeaters
Most repeaters only open up when they hear the right tone. The owner tells you which one. Set it as the transmit tone on the repeater channel. Set the same tone as the receive tone too, and you'll only hear the repeater, not everyone else on that frequency.
Tones vs. codes
CTCSS tones are numbers like 141.3 (a hum under your voice). DCS codes look like D023. Radio makers number them their own way: "code 12" on one brand can be a different tone on another. When you set one up with a friend, use the real number (141.3), not the menu number.
What a repeater does
A radio on a tower or a tall building that hears you on 467 MHz and sends you back out on 462 MHz at full power, from up high. A handheld that reaches a couple of miles by itself can reach across a county through a good repeater.
Using one
- Find one. Repeater directories list them by area; the biggest is myGMRS.com (free account).
- Ask the owner. Repeaters are private property. Most say yes to licensed users; some are family-only. Ask through the directory.
- Program it. Pick the repeater channel for its output (15R to 22R, or RP15 to RP22, depending on the brand) and set the tone they gave you.
- Listen first, then key up: "WRXZ123 monitoring." Wait a second after you press the button so the repeater wakes up before you talk.
- Keep it short. Leave a gap between turns so someone with an emergency can break in.
Simplex = radio to radio, no repeater. Use it when you're close; it keeps the repeater free.
Fine on GMRS
- Personal and family talk, convoy and trail chatter, "dinner's ready."
- Talking to FRS radios on the shared channels.
- 10-codes. "10-4" is legal.
- Short texts and GPS position from radios built for it.
- Anyone may use your radio to send an emergency message.
Not allowed
- Music, whistling, sound effects, anything "to amuse or entertain."
- Ads, selling things, campaign ads.
- Secret codes or hidden meanings.
- Talking to ham radio stations (except an emergency).
- Holding the button down forever.
- A phone patch.
- "Mayday," unless you're in a boat, plane or vehicle in immediate danger.
Emergencies always go first on every channel: if someone needs the channel, give it to them.
On a boat?
GMRS is great for the dock and the shore crew, but the Coast Guard listens on marine VHF channel 16, not GMRS. See the VHF radio card.
Get the license
- Be 18 or older. No test, no class.
- Get an FRN (your FCC ID number) in the FCC's CORES system.
- Apply for GMRS (radio service "ZA") in the FCC's License Manager and pay the $35 fee.
- Your call sign usually shows up in your License Manager within a day or two. It's good for 10 years; renew in the last 90 days.
Who it covers
You, plus your spouse, children, grandchildren, stepchildren, parents, grandparents, stepparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and in-laws. Any age. One license, the whole reunion.
Want more range, more bands and talking to the world? That's ham radio: Technician study guide · Morse code trainer
Rules from the FCC's GMRS rules, 47 CFR Part 95 Subpart E (channels 95.1763, power 95.1767, call signs 95.1751, uses 95.1731 and 95.1733, who may operate 95.1705), and the $35 fee in 47 CFR 1.1102. FRS limits from Part 95 Subpart B.