My GMRS license call sign is WQYC327.
The General Mobile Radio Service is covered under FCC Rules Part 95.A and 95.E (95.621). GMRS licenses are good for 5 years from the date of issue and the FCC license fee is currently $65.00.
While the General Mobile Radio Service requires a license, there is no exam. Also, one license covers the license holder and their immediate family. Under U.S. law an immediate family member is defined as a parent; sibling; child by blood, adoption, or marriage; spouse; grandparent or grandchild. This gives you a fairly broad range of people for whom you can provide coverage under your license.
The license allows you to operate a “radio system” consisting of “one or more stations”. Basically, if you are the licensee, you can procure radios for your family and use them, but you are responsible for the radio system as a whole and the proper and legal operation of it as the licensee.
GMRS radios operate on 8 simplex frequencies: 462.5500, 462.5750, 462.6000, 462.6250, 462.6500, 462.6750, 462.7000 and 462.7250. It can also be used with a repeater system with repeater inputs on 467.5500, 467.5750, 467.6000, 467.6250, 467.6500, 467.6750, 467.7000 and 467.7250. Repeater outputs are on the corresponding simplex channels with a 5 Mhz offset. PL tones can be used.
Interestingly, the FCC also allows GMRS operators to use the FRS (Family Radio Service) frequencies which reside between the GMRS repeater input frequencies at 467.5500, 467.5750, 467.6000, 467.6250, 467.6500, 467.6750, 467.7000 and 467.7250, but with some restrictions.
- Voice communications only
- No one-way paging
- 5 watts maxim effective radiating power (Note that ERP and TXPO are not the same. ERP multiplies transmit power by antenna gain when comparing the antenna to an equivalent theoretical half wave dipole on the transmitting frequency.)