The Family Radio Service (FRS) has been authorized in the USA by the FCC since 1996. It is a personal, unlicensed radio service which uses the UHF frequency band. It uses frequency modulation (FM) transmission and does not suffer the interference effects found on Citizen’s Band (CB) radios. Similar low-power UHF radio services exist in most countries, but the frequencies are not exactly the same everywhere, so caution should be practiced in order not to cause unwanted (or even illegal) interference.

FRS consists of 14 channels, 7 of which are shared with the GMRS service. These common channels can be used to communicate with GMRS users, as long as the transmit power limitation of 0.5 watts is respected. FRS radio repeaters are not permitted and the devices are only allowed to have non-detachable antennas. This greatly limits their range, but this limitation is intentional and allows for greatest use of available channels. The never MURS service allows the use of detachable antennas and has a maximum transmit power of 2 watts. Under optimal conditions, i.e. unblocked line of sight communication, FRS two way radios can have a range of up to 40 miles. In practice, however, the actual range is around 1 mile.

In order to reduce cross-chatter, “privacy” codes are available. They do not actually offer protection from eavesdropping, as the name might imply. They are only designed to filter out other users on the same frequency.

A very big selection of FRS two way radios is available on the market, with prices ranging from as low as $10 USD to more than $500 USD. Nowadays, most radios are FRS/GMRS combos, meaning that they are compatible with both radio services. This type of radio is a great option for the beginner radio enthusiast and people who do not need long range and want to avoid the hassle (and cost) of getting a license.

FRS channels