FRS/GMRS/MURS - All-Inclusive Fact Sheet


The Great Unofficial Radioreference FRS/GMRS/MURS All-Inclusive Fact Sheet

(Borrowed from Scanner Digest Newsletter - ISSUE 70 OCT-NOV-DEC 2014)

Written by: Darth_vader  - 2013 September 30 0041 GMT

Hoooray. For what it's worth, here is a (rather messy)
compilation of some of the most frequently-requested
information on these boards regarding operation of
the part-95 family/general mobile/multi use radio services
(FRS/GMRS/MURS) in the United States. Advantages
and disadvantages of each service, as well as
comparisons to other services such as HAM and part-90
are avoided to maintain a neutral tone and point-of-view.
Hopefully this will answer many of the recurring
questions people have and clear up confusion.

DISCLAIMER: This document is for general informational
purposes only; NOT intended as legal advice and should
not be construed as such. Legal matters should be
referred to a qualified attorney or lawyer. All information is
considered current as of the date this post was submitted.
Since regulations and practices may change over time, it
is advisable to consult an official source such as the FCC
for the most up-to-date information.

REDISTRIBUTE FREELY!

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. FREQUENCIES
2. MAXIMUM TRANSMITTER POWER LIMITS
3. BANDWIDTH/DEVIATION
4. LICENCING
5A. TYPE ACCEPTANCE
5B. FINDING TYPE-ACCEPTED TRANSCEIVERS FOR
PART-95 USE
6. REPEATERS
7. OTHER FACTS
8. THE FUTURE OF FRS AND GMRS
9. SEE ALSO
===========================================
1. FREQUENCIES
===========================================
Note: Channel numbers are given in this list according to
the widely-followed Motorola numbering convention.
GMRS channels are also sometimes referred to
according to their dial position in kilohertz (e.g. "550" for
channel 15) but this is uncommon.
FRS/GMRS
01 462.5625
02 462.5875
03 462.6125
04 462.6375
05 462.6625
06 462.6875
07 462.7125
FRS ONLY GMRS ONLY
08 467.5625 15 462.550
09 467.5875 16 462.575
10 467.6125 17 462.600
11 467.6375 18 462.625
12 467.6625 19 462.650
13 467.6875 20 462.675
14 467.7125 21 462.700
22 462.725
*Note: for repeater use on 15-22, assume a +5 MHz shift
(Tx: 467.xxx/Rx: 462.xxx). Simplex operation is not
allowed on 467 MHz GMRS frequencies and are used for
repeater input only.
MURS
01 151.820
02 151.880
03 151.940
04 154.570 ("Blue dot")
05 154.600 ("Green dot")
===========================================
2. MAXIMUM TRANSMITTER POWER LIMITS
===========================================
FRS 1-7:
FRS: 0.5 watt
GMRS: 5 watt
FRS 8-14:
FRS: 0.5 watt
GMRS: prohibited
GMRS 15-22 (a.k.a. 550-725)
FRS: not applicable
GMRS: 5 watt (base); 50 watt (mobile/handheld)
MURS
All channels: 2 watt
============================================
3. BANDWIDTH/DEVIATION
============================================
FRS/GMRS - All channels
Bandwidth: 11 kHz
Deviation: 2.5 kHz
GMRS ONLY - 15-22*
Bandwidth: 20 kHz
Deviation: 5 kHz
*Note: GMRS may also be worked with 11 kHz bandwidth/
2.5 kHz deviation, though most mainstream equipment
(e.g. department-store HTs) is fixed for 20/5 operation.
MURS*
Bandwidth
1-3: 11 kHz
4-5: 20 kHz
Deviation
1-3: 2.5 kHz
4-5: 5 kHz
* Note: narrowband (11/2.5) transmissions are also
allowed on MURS 4-5.
============================================
4. LICENSING
============================================
FRS
No license required when operating on any channel (1-14)
at up to 0.5 watt ERP
GMRS
License always required on 15-22 and when operating at
power levels greater than 0.5 watt ERP on FRS 1-7
No license required when operating a combination
F/GMRS transceiver on FRS 8-14, or if said device does
not exceed 0.5 watt ERP on FRS 1-7.
MURS
No license required for personal use on any channel
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
At the time of this writing, GMRS licensing is handled by
the FCC. Fee is $90 and the ticket is good for five years. A
GMRS ticket is valid for the holder and the immediate
members of his family.
GMRS license holder must be aged 18 and up, but the
service may be used by his family members of any age.
No examination or test/quiz is conducted for GMRS
licensing.
A part 90/business or HAM radio license does NOT legally
grant any privileges to operate GMRS and vice versa. See
also "THE FUTURE OF FRS AND GMRS" below.
People sometimes use handles (nicknames/pseudonyms)
on all three services; this is not illegal in itself and usually
a matter of personal preference.
HAM call letters are considered a handle in part-95, as
they have no official meaning in these services. If using
any handle on GMRS, it should be given in conjunction
with one's official legal GMRS call, never in place of it.
GMRS call letters are not required to be announced on
MURS, FRS 1-7 when operating at <=0.5 watt ERP or
FRS 8-14.
===========================================
5A. TYPE ACCEPTANCE
===========================================
FRS
Equipment must be self-contained; if built to use
detachable components (e.g. microphones/headsets) they
must be designed specifically for use with their respective
transceivers, batteries excepted Antenna must not be
detachable or easily removable Mobile use permitted, but
mobile FRS transceivers are difficult to find.
GMRS
Equipment may be self-contained (as in combination
FRS/GMRS HTs which are currently very popular in the
US) or have detachable components Transceivers
excluding FRS coverage may use detachable aerials, but
placement restrictions exist--specifically, antenna cannot
exceed 20 feet elevation above ground level. HTs cannot
have detachable aerials if they include FRS coverage
Mobile use permitted
MURS
Transceivers may use detachable aerials. Antenna height
limited to 20 feet above structure (e.g. the peak of a
house's roof) or 60 feet above ground, whichever
is greater.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
All transceiver equipment used on F/GM/MURS must be
Part-95 type accepted and meet certain criteria as stated
in their respective FCC rules.
In general, FRS transceivers cannot have removable
aerials; GMRS and MURS radios can have removable
aerials (particularly in the case of base or mobile units.)
but GMRS transceivers with removable aerials cannot be
used to transmit on FRS.
Tone/code squelch is permitted on all services, although
this functionality is sometimes omitted, especially in very
low-cost transceivers or children's "toy" HTs where carrier
squelch may be used instead.
Courtesy tones (or "end of transmission" or "roger" beeps)
and calling or "attention" tones are also permitted,
especially on FRS, but considered by many to be
annoying.
Modifying an FRS/GMRS/MURS transceiver in ways not
intended by the manufacturer or FCC generally voids its
Part-95 certification and may render it illegal to operate.
Equipment can neither be tunable outside its prescribed
frequency bands, nor manually or computer
programmable as such. External amplifiers cannot be
used with any transceiver on FRS/GMRS/MURS.
Many newer imported free band transceivers marketed for
HAM use (Baofeng, TYT, Wouxun, etc.) and modified
purpose-built HAM equipment are capable of emulating
an FRS/GMRS/MURS transceiver. Although sometimes
used, such equipment is illegal to operate in these
services as they are not type-accepted for Part-95
operation, despite extremely lax enforcement by the FCC.
None of these restrictions apply to equipment designed
specifically for receiving (e.g. a police scanner.)
============================================
5B. FINDING TYPE-ACCEPTED TRANSCEIVERS FOR
PART-95 USE
============================================
The FCC maintain a searchable database of all
transceivers certified for Part-95 use on
https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/reports/GenericSearch.cfm
(Thanks, nd5y.)
1. Under "Application Information: Application Status:",
select Grant Issued.
2. Under "Equipment Information: Rule Parts (up to
three):", select "95A" for GMRS, "95B" for FRS or "95J" for
MURS and tick "exact match" (selected bydefault). It's
probably best to search each one individually, as this
narrows your search and reduces confusion.
3. Under "Formatting Options: Show results in", select
"HTML" (default).
4. Specify number of search results to display (default:
10).
5. Select "Start search". It may take several minutes to
display if a large number of results is given in step 4.
NOSCRIPT USERS: Temporarily allow "apps.fcc.gov" to
use the search page.
============================================
6. REPEATERS
============================================
Repeaters on GMRS are usually considered to be
specifically for the private use of those who operate them,
however many individuals and radio clubs operate "open"
repeaters intended for public use.
Some open/public repeaters may require permission from
the operators to work them, but not always (although it is
typically considered polite to ask regardless.)
A good resource for GMRS repeater information, including
non-exhaustive lists of repeaters around the United States
is http://mygmrs.com/. At the time of this writing, the ratio
of open versus private ("permission required") systems
listed in MyGMRS seems to be fairly equal (271:308),
indicating a slight bias toward private systems.
All repeater and telephone patch operations are forbidden
on FRS and MURS. Telephone patches may not be used
on GMRS. As far as I know, there is no restriction on an
F/GM/MURS operator manually relaying communications
by voice between their respective band and other radio
services like CB or HAM, or other media such as Internet
chat servers or telephone calls.
============ 7. OTHER FACTS ================
FCC RULES
FRS: 47 CFR 95B
GMRS: 47 CFR 95A
MURS: 47 CFR 95J
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
FRS and GMRS always use FM (see
"BANDWIDTH/DEVIATION" above.) MURS may use other
modulation formats, but FM is arguably the most
commonly used.
GMRS channels 19 and 21 (650 and 700) are not allowed
to be used near the Canadian border.
FRS transceivers are allowed to be used in Mexico on
channels 1-14, however care must be exercised to avoid
transmitting on GMRS 15-22 if a combination transceiver
is used there.
FRS 1 and GMRS 20 are commonly used and advocated
as "de facto" calling and emergency channels, especially
when travelling. Usually used with CTCSS 141.3 Hz
(Motorola QC #22).
It is legal for FRS and GMRS users to communicate with
each other. The low maximum power level of FRS devices
may cause problems when communicating to a GMRS
station over any significant distance.
CTCSS and digital squelch is allowed on all services, and
may be required to access repeaters on GMRS. Usage of
a CTCSS tone/DCS code is completely optional on any
FRS/GMRS/MURS channel, but one is likely to attract
more attention using it.
FRS, GMRS and MURS were originally intended to be
used for personal communications within one's group,
however there is almost nothing prohibiting deviation from
this (see next paragraph). There is no "content police" on
F/GM/MURS and in some areas, portions of GMRS and
MURS are used as an "alternative" HAM service; the
subject matter discussed in them might be similar to what
one would find scanning the several HAM bands.
Transmission of music is never allowed on any part-95
band including CB. (That includes YOU, "Fisherman" and
"Robocop".) Morse code is allowed but rarely used
for anything other than distress signals or automatic
GMRS repeater self-identification. Data transmissions are
allowed on MURS but may be restricted on the other
services.
Business use of GMRS is generally prohibited, principally
due to (expensive) licensing restrictions and its
reclassification as a personal-use radio service in the
1980s. Exceptions exist for businesses licensed for GMRS
before revision of the service's rule in the 1980s and are
operating under the "grandfather" regulation. Many
businesses are now using FRS for this purpose as it is
free of such restrictions.
==========================================
8. THE FUTURE OF FRS AND GMRS
==========================================
It is speculated that licensing requirements on GMRS may
be either greatly relaxed or completely eliminated in the
coming years, and a slightly revised band plan
implemented. One oft-stated example has GMRS being
restricted to 2 watts maximum ERP, simplex
communications being allowed on the 467 MHz repeater
input channels and repeater usage discontinued. The
resulting service would be an "extended" 30-channel
implementation of FRS and be regulated as such.
============================================
9. SEE ALSO
============================================
description on the Radioreference wiki
- FRS information from the FCC
http://popularwireless.com/gmrsfaqa.html
- FRS/GMRS frequently asked questions
- GMRS description on the Radioreference wiki
- GMRS information from the FCC
- GMRS repeater information and directory
- A very in-depth page about GMRS regulations that
includes the FCC's rule
- MURS description on the Radioreference wiki
- MURS information
from the FCC
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations title 47 part 95;
the official document describing all this stuff (almost reads
like an FAQ) (thanks, nd5y)

THE END

This article was borrowed from Scanner Digest Newsletter - ISSUE 70 OCT-NOV-DEC 2014

Written by: Darth_vader  - 2013 September 30 0041 GMT

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