Blog/2016/12/FRS GMRS Radio Primer
First published: Dec 29, 2016 Updated Sept 11, 2025
FRS/GMRS radios are the go-to radios for most intra-team NET communication. Every NET member should have one in their go-kit. Here’s what you need to know about the world of FRS/GMRS to be an effective (and legal) FRS/GMRS operator. There is also some buying advice for those who still need to get their radio.
The Services
FRS and GMRS are two overlapping radio services defined by the FCC.
FRS (Family Radio Service) is free, and no license is required. It offers a short range of operation due to low power and antenna restrictions.
GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) covers a much farther range through higher power and the options of external antennas and repeater operation. However, it requires a license. The license is $35 for 10 years with a simple, online application. There is no exam. The license covers your entire “family.”
The services have 22 shared channels - with differences in maximum wattage according to whether you are using an unlicensed FRS radio or a licensed GMRS radio. See Channel and Frequency Table Users of FRS and GMRS radios do not need know the frequencies their radios use because the radios come pre-programmed with the frequencies stored as channels.
Being Legal
Each NET team is assigned a channel from 2-22. Channel 1 is informally recognized as a national calling channel for emergencies. Using the shared FRS/GMRS channels allows for teams to have both unlicensed and licensed team members. The non-licensed members are restricted to low power while the licensed members may use higher power.
Most consumer handheld radios are FRS radios covering the 22 channels at relatively low power. More expensive radios are GMRS radios and offer more power and therefore greater range but require an FCC license (but no test).
Of course, in an emergency involving the threat of life safety or imminent property damage, you may operate on any channel with any power level.
The Ideal Radio
Manufacturers offer a huge range of FRS/GMRS radios. The choice is staggering and the selection seems to change monthly as models come and go. Prices range from $25 to $150. How to choose? While Portland NET cannot officially recommend any particular radio, the RTL (Radio Training Liaisons) have pooled our collective wisdom and come up with the following suggested feature set and a list of radios that come close to meeting them.
Suggested features:
- Supports both low and high power
- Weather resistant or waterproof
- Supports multiple battery options, particularly AAs
- Includes earbud/mic
- Desktop charger
- FM and NOAA reception
- Repeater capable
| Motorola T4xx/T6xx series | Motorola MS350R/MS355R | Midland GXT series | |
| Supports low/high power | yes | yes | yes |
| Weather-resistant or waterproof | T4xx weather-resistant T6xx waterproof |
Waterproof | Weather-resistant |
| Supports AA batteries | yes | yes | yes |
| Includes earbud/mic | T465 only | MS355R | yes |
| Desktop charger | T480 Others use wallwart |
yes | yes |
| FM and NOAA reception | T480 FM+NOAA Others NOAA |
NOAA | NOAA |
| Repeater capable | no | yes | no |
The GMRS-Only Option
Two good GMRS radios are the BTech GMRS-V2 and the Wouxun KG-805G. The Wouxun is more expensive than the BTech but has a better receiver.
GMRS Repeater Notes
The FCC allows repeaters to be used with GMRS radios. A GMRS repeater can dramatically increase the coverage area. There may be GMRS repeaters available in the Portland area and others may be turned on buy NET teams during deployments. If anyone is interested in the topic, a good resource is myGMRS. Both the BTech and Wouxun GMRS radios mentioned above can be used with repeaters that support support GMRS channels 15 through 22. To access one of these repeaters using a BTech or Wouxun add 8 to the channel number. In some cases you may also have to program a "tone".