GMRS stands for General Mobile Radio Service and it is a licensed land-mobile UHF radio service in the USA. Licenses cover the licensee as well as his immediate family members. This service may be used for business communication, but the employers of a license holder are not covered by the same license and must get their own. GMRS radios look a lot like their cheaper FRS counterparts, but they generally offer longer ranges and better construction quality.

Any individual in the United States who is at least 18 years of age and not a representative of a foreign government may apply for a GMRS license by completing the application form (either on paper or through the FCC’s Universal Licensing System) and paying the license fee (currently $85.00). No exam is required. Prior to July 31, 1987, the FCC issued GMRS licenses to non-individuals (corporations, partnerships, government entities, etc). These licensees are grandfathered and may renew their existing licenses. No new GMRS licenses are being issued to non-individuals, nor may existing non-individual licensees make major modifications to their licenses.

GMRS two way radios operate in the 462-467MHz band and share some channels with FRS two way radios. See below for more information. GMRS approved devices are allowed to transmit with up to 50 watts of power, although in handheld two way radios 5 watts is more usual due to battery limitations. GMRS licensees can use the FRS channels to communicate with FRS radio users, although while doing so a strict transmission power limit of 5 watts applies.

Most two way radios sold today support both GMRS and FRS, although the higher end GMRS radios tend to come with a lot more options. Prices start from $30 USD, the upper limit is a bit fuzzy.

GMRS channels

The following channels are reserved for GMRS users. There are 7 more channels which are shared with the FRS service (you can find them in the FRS two way radios article). In duplex mode, both frequencies (lower and upper) are used to transmit and receive simultaneously. In simplex mode, only the lower frequency is used.

Channel	Lower Frequency (MHz)	Upper Frequency (MHz)
15	462.550	467.550
16	462.575	467.575
17	462.600	467.600
18	462.625	467.625
191	462.650	467.650
202	462.675	467.675
211	462.700	467.700
22	462.725	467.725

1: Use not permitted near the Canadian border.
2: Suggested nationwide emergency and road information calling. Nationally recognized coded squelch for 675 emergency repeater operation is 141.3 Hz.