The General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) and the Family Radio Service (FRS) are now merged or overlapped if you will as one can see from the table.
The main difference is licensing requirements. FRS is unlicensed, simplex radio service (Meaning radio to radio directly) designated for personal use. FRS radios may NOT have external antennas or power amplifiers attached to them. Power output is limited compared to GMRS.
GMRS use requires a License specific to that service. It also allows more power as seen in the table below and allows for the use of repeaters.
Cross communication between FRS and GMRS is allowed. Monitoring either service is allowed and often quite busy during special events, cruises and any place families need to communicate where cell service may not be available.
For the San Francisco Bay Area Ham Radio Repeaters, please visit the Repeater DataBase of this site.
| Channel | Type | Frequency (MHz) | Family Radio Service (FRS) | General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FRS/GMRS | 462.5625 | 2W / 12.5kHz | 5W / 25kHz |
| 2 | FRS/GMRS | 462.5875 | 2W / 12.5kHz | 5W / 25kHz |
| 3 | FRS/GMRS | 462.6125 | 2W / 12.5kHz | 5W / 25kHz |
| 4 | FRS/GMRS | 462.6375 | 2W / 12.5kHz | 5W / 25kHz |
| 5 | FRS/GMRS | 462.6625 | 2W / 12.5kHz | 5W / 25kHz |
| 6 | FRS/GMRS | 462.6875 | 2W / 12.5kHz | 5W / 25kHz |
| 7 | FRS/GMRS | 462.7125 | 2W / 12.5kHz | 5W / 25kHz |
| 8 | FRS/GMRS | 467.5625 | 0.5W / 12.5kHz | 0.5W / 12.5kHz |
| 9 | FRS/GMRS | 467.5875 | 0.5W / 12.5kHz | 0.5W / 12.5kHz |
| 10 | FRS/GMRS | 467.6125 | 0.5W / 12.5kHz | 0.5W / 12.5kHz |
| 11 | FRS/GMRS | 467.6375 | 0.5W / 12.5kHz | 0.5W / 12.5kHz |
| 12 | FRS/GMRS | 467.6625 | 0.5W / 12.5kHz | 0.5W / 12.5kHz |
| 13 | FRS/GMRS | 467.6875 | 0.5W / 12.5kHz | 0.5W / 12.5kHz |
| 14 | FRS/GMRS | 467.7125 | 0.5W / 12.5kHz | 0.5W / 12.5kHz |
| 15 | FRS/GMRS | 462.55 | 2W / 12.5kHz | 50W / 25kHz |
| 16 | FRS/GMRS | 462.575 | 2W / 12.5kHz | 50W / 25kHz |
| 17 | FRS/GMRS | 462.6 | 2W / 12.5kHz | 50W / 25kHz |
| 18 | FRS/GMRS | 462.625 | 2W / 12.5kHz | 50W / 25kHz |
| 19 | FRS/GMRS | 462.65 | 2W / 12.5kHz | 50W / 25kHz |
| 20 | FRS/GMRS | 462.675 | 2W / 12.5kHz | 50W / 25kHz |
| 21 | FRS/GMRS | 462.7 | 2W / 12.5kHz | 50W / 25kHz |
| 22 | FRS/GMRS | 462.725 | 2W / 12.5kHz | 50W / 25kHz |
| RPT15 | GMRS | 467.55 | - | 50W / 25kHz |
| RPT16 | GMRS | 467.575 | - | 50W / 25kHz |
| RPT17 | GMRS | 467.6 | - | 50W / 25kHz |
| RPT18 | GMRS | 467.625 | - | 50W / 25kHz |
| RPT19 | GMRS | 467.65 | - | 50W / 25kHz |
| RPT20 | GMRS | 467.675 | - | 50W / 25kHz |
| PRT21 | GMRS | 467.7 | - | 50W / 25kHz |
| RPT22 | GMRS | 467.725 | - | 50W / 25kHz |
If you find something incorrect, have an update, or if there is something you would like to see added to the site, drop me a line here. I like to keep things as up-to-date and as accurate as possible. Thank you! - Lucas / W6AER
