GMRS, FRS & MURS Channel Chart: Frequencies and Rules

Choose the service

Start with the operating constraint, not the radio in your hand. “Emergency” is not a general waiver to use uncertified equipment or reserved spectrum; any Part 95 channel may carry an actual emergency message, with priority given to it.

FRS 8–14

0.5 W

No individual license; fixed antenna. Use for a close group where minimum interference matters.

FRS 1–7, 15–22

2 W

No individual license; fixed antenna. Use for ordinary family, hiking and neighborhood simplex.

GMRS

≤50 W

$35 / 10-year individual license; family use and repeaters. Use when antenna, mobile or infrastructure matters.

MURS

2 W VHF

License by rule; five channels; external antenna allowed within height limit. Useful for farm, shop and foliage.

Amateur

EXAM

Individual license plus exam. Use for experimentation, broad bands and amateur repeaters—not Part 95 channels.

Every channel, one register

Power units matter: FRS limits are effective radiated power (ERP); GMRS main-channel limits are transmitter output power (TPO). A 50 W rule is not permission to use 50 W on every shared channel.

FRS: 12.5 kHz channel bandwidthGMRS main: 20 kHz authorized bandwidthThin purple rule: GMRS license requiredR: repeater input, +5 MHz from output

Master FRS / GMRS / MURS channel schedule · 47 CFR §§ 95.563, 95.1763, 95.2763
Ch.	Frequency	Service	Maximum power	Bandwidth	Repeater	Use / gotcha
1	462.5625	FRS + GMRS	2 / 5 W	12.5 / 20 kHz	Simplex only	Shared interstitial; GMRS maximum is 5 W ERP.
2	462.5875	FRS + GMRS	2 / 5 W	12.5 / 20 kHz	Simplex only	Ordinary shared voice; tones do not reserve it.
3	462.6125	FRS + GMRS	2 / 5 W	12.5 / 20 kHz	Simplex only	GMRS wideband may sound loud to narrowband FRS.
4	462.6375	FRS + GMRS	2 / 5 W	12.5 / 20 kHz	Simplex only	Use monitor before transmit; there is no ownership.
5	462.6625	FRS + GMRS	2 / 5 W	12.5 / 20 kHz	Simplex only	Compatible channel number across modern 22-channel sets.
6	462.6875	FRS + GMRS	2 / 5 W	12.5 / 20 kHz	Simplex only	External antenna requires a certified GMRS, not FRS, unit.
7	462.7125	FRS + GMRS	2 / 5 W	12.5 / 20 kHz	Simplex only	Highest 462 MHz interstitial channel.
8	467.5625	FRS + GMRS handheld	0.5 W	12.5 kHz	Simplex only	Handheld-only GMRS interstitial; low-power short range.
9	467.5875	FRS + GMRS handheld	0.5 W	12.5 kHz	Simplex only	Good close-team option; not protected from others.
10	467.6125	FRS + GMRS handheld	0.5 W	12.5 kHz	Simplex only	No mobile/base transmission under GMRS.
11	467.6375	FRS + GMRS handheld	0.5 W	12.5 kHz	Simplex only	Marketing range claims are least credible indoors.
12	467.6625	FRS + GMRS handheld	0.5 W	12.5 kHz	Simplex only	Use for proximity, not a convoy spread over miles.
13	467.6875	FRS + GMRS handheld	0.5 W	12.5 kHz	Simplex only	Handheld-only limitation applies to GMRS.
14	467.7125	FRS + GMRS handheld	0.5 W	12.5 kHz	Simplex only	Last low-power interstitial channel.
15	462.5500	FRS + GMRS main	2 / 50 W	12.5 / 20 kHz	Output 1	GMRS main: 50 W TPO mobile/repeater/base; fixed station 15 W.
16	462.5750	FRS + GMRS main	2 / 50 W	12.5 / 20 kHz	Output 2	Repeater input is 467.5750 MHz.
17	462.6000	FRS + GMRS main	2 / 50 W	12.5 / 20 kHz	Output 3	Check local repeater coordination before simplex use.
18	462.6250	FRS + GMRS main	2 / 50 W	12.5 / 20 kHz	Output 4	FRS cannot use repeater input or detachable antenna.
19	462.6500	FRS + GMRS main	2 / 50 W	12.5 / 20 kHz	Output 5	No FCC-designated nationwide calling channel.
20	462.6750	FRS + GMRS main	2 / 50 W	12.5 / 20 kHz	Output 6	Often called “travel,” but not FCC-reserved; emergencies have priority on every channel.
21	462.7000	FRS + GMRS main	2 / 50 W	12.5 / 20 kHz	Output 7	Tone choice must match the actual local repeater.
22	462.7250	FRS + GMRS main	2 / 50 W	12.5 / 20 kHz	Output 8	Highest GMRS repeater output/main frequency.
R1	467.5500	GMRS main input	50 W	20 kHz	→ 462.5500	Repeater communication or brief test only.
R2	467.5750	GMRS main input	50 W	20 kHz	→ 462.5750	+5 MHz transmit offset from repeater output.
R3	467.6000	GMRS main input	50 W	20 kHz	→ 462.6000	Permission/tones are repeater-specific.
R4	467.6250	GMRS main input	50 W	20 kHz	→ 462.6250	Receive the output; transmit on this input.
R5	467.6500	GMRS main input	50 W	20 kHz	→ 462.6500	Do not simplex-chat on the input frequency.
R6	467.6750	GMRS main input	50 W	20 kHz	→ 462.6750	Input/output tone may differ on some repeaters.
R7	467.7000	GMRS main input	50 W	20 kHz	→ 462.7000	Monitor output before keying the machine.
R8	467.7250	GMRS main input	50 W	20 kHz	→ 462.7250	Highest paired input.
M1	151.8200	MURS	2 W TPO	11.25 kHz	No repeater	External antenna allowed within MURS height rule.
M2	151.8800	MURS	2 W TPO	11.25 kHz	No repeater	Voice, data, image, telecommand and telemetry permitted.
M3	151.9400	MURS	2 W TPO	11.25 kHz	No repeater	Narrowband VHF; confirm radio is MURS-certified.
M4	154.5700	MURS · “Blue Dot”	2 W TPO	20 kHz	No repeater	Legacy business nickname; still shared MURS.
M5	154.6000	MURS · “Green Dot”	2 W TPO	20 kHz	No repeater	Legacy nickname does not confer exclusivity.

The rule column, decoded

Certification attaches to the transmitter, not merely the frequency. A programmable Part 90 land-mobile radio is not automatically legal in a Part 95 service just because it can tune the channel.

FRS

License by rule; no application.
Certified FRS unit only.
Integral, non-removable antenna; gain ≤ half-wave dipole.
22 shared channels; no repeaters.
Personal or business voice is allowed.

GMRS

Individual license required: $35 as verified 2026-09-01.
Normally 10 years; no exam.
Covers named immediate-family relationships in §95.1705.
Certified GMRS unit; repeaters and external antennas allowed.
Personal or business communications allowed.

MURS

License by rule; certified MURS equipment.
2 W transmitter output.
External antenna permitted; antenna top may not be more than 60 ft above ground or 20 ft above the highest point of its supporting structure.
No store-and-forward repeater operation.
Voice, data, image and telemetry permitted.

Part 90 radio

Part 90 certification alone does not authorize Part 95 operation.
A model must hold the appropriate certification for the service.
Frequency capability is not legal authority.
Do not use a software lockout as a substitute for certification.

Amateur

Part 97 license and examination.
Experiment on amateur allocations, not Part 95 channels.
Amateur equipment is not thereby FRS/GMRS/MURS-certified.
Use the linked Technician reference for entry.

Outside the United States · nearest local service, not a roaming entitlement
Place	Nearest service	Current official baseline	Decision
Canada	Canadian FRS / GMRS	22 shared simplex channels under ISED RSS-210; licence-exempt certified equipment	Use a Canadian-compliant unit and Canadian rules; a US GMRS licence is not the authority.
UK / much of Europe	PMR446	446.0–446.2 MHz, handheld, licence-exempt when equipment requirements are met; UK maximum 0.5 W ERP	US FRS/GMRS radios are not a substitute: frequency and equipment rules differ.
Australia	UHF CB	476.425–477.4125 MHz under the 2025 class licence; modern sets commonly expose 80 channels	Use compliant UHF CB equipment and local repeater/emergency-channel rules.

Eight repeater pairs

Your radio listens on the 462 MHz output and transmits 5 MHz higher on the matching 467 MHz input. “Open” means the owner permits general use; it does not mean tone-free or unmanaged. Follow the published access terms and identify with your GMRS call sign.

R1RX 462.5500⇄TX 467.5500

R2RX 462.5750⇄TX 467.5750

R3RX 462.6000⇄TX 467.6000

R4RX 462.6250⇄TX 467.6250

R5RX 462.6500⇄TX 467.6500

R6RX 462.6750⇄TX 467.6750

R7RX 462.7000⇄TX 467.7000

R8RX 462.7250⇄TX 467.7250

Tones are squelch—not privacy

CTCSS sends a continuous sub-audible tone; DCS sends a coded low-rate pattern. A receiver with a matching setting unmutes. Everyone on the RF channel still collides, and any receiver in carrier-squelch/monitor mode can hear the audio.

SQUELCH, NOT ENCRYPTION · LISTEN BEFORE TALKING

38 common CTCSS tones (Hz)

01 · 67.002 · 71.903 · 74.404 · 77.005 · 79.706 · 82.507 · 85.408 · 88.509 · 91.510 · 94.811 · 97.412 · 100.013 · 103.514 · 107.215 · 110.916 · 114.817 · 118.818 · 123.019 · 127.320 · 131.821 · 136.522 · 141.323 · 146.224 · 151.425 · 156.726 · 162.227 · 167.928 · 173.829 · 179.930 · 186.231 · 192.832 · 203.533 · 210.734 · 218.135 · 225.736 · 233.637 · 241.838 · 250.3

104 common DCS codes (octal)

023025026031032043047051054065071072073074114115116125131132134143152155156162165172174205223226243244245251261263265271306311315331343346351364365371411412413423431432445464465466503506516532546565606612624627631632654662664703712723731732734743754036053122145212225246252255266274325332356446452454455462523526

Interoperability gotcha: manufacturers number tone menus differently. Match the actual frequency (for CTCSS) or octal code plus normal/inverted polarity (for DCS), not merely “privacy code 12.” The lists above follow Midland's published 38/104 chart; another radio's menu index can differ.

Range is mostly height and obstruction

Power helps a weak link; it does not bend UHF through a ridge. Treat the values below as conservative planning bands for intelligible handheld voice, not promises. Local noise, antenna efficiency, body position, buildings and terrain can move the result outside the band.

Open / ridge
Line of sight dominates; body shadow still matters.

Forest
Wet foliage absorbs; VHF MURS may outperform UHF.

Suburb / city
Multipath and reinforced buildings collapse marketing range.

Repeater
The elevated site—not the offset—creates the footprint.

Effective radio horizon ≈ 4.12 × (√h₁ + √h₂) km, antenna heights h in meters. Geometry is a ceiling, not a coverage prediction.

Conservative voice-planning bands · verify with an on-site radio check
Pairing	Environment	Planning band	What usually limits it	Use instead when…
FRS handheld ↔ handheld	Open, same elevation	1–3 mi	Small fixed antennas and body shielding	Move to high ground before adding power.
FRS handheld ↔ handheld	Dense buildings	0.2–1 mi	Concrete/metal and electrical noise	Use a planned check-in point.
FRS ch. 8–14	Forest / rolling trail	0.2–0.8 mi	0.5 W plus foliage/ridges	Use 1–7/15–22 or move.
GMRS handheld ↔ handheld	Open	1–4 mi	Antenna height more than 5 W vs 2 W	Use an external/mobile antenna.
GMRS handheld ↔ handheld	Forest	0.5–2 mi	Foliage and terrain	Try MURS if the task fits.
Vehicle handheld ↔ handheld	Inside two vehicles	0.3–1.5 mi	Metal cabins shield both radios	Use exterior mobile antennas.
GMRS mobile ↔ mobile	Open road, roof antennas	3–10 mi	Road curvature and terrain	Use a repeater over long convoys.
GMRS base ↔ handheld	Base antenna 30 ft AGL	4–12 mi	Handheld's low end of path	Improve the handheld location.
Hilltop GMRS repeater ↔ handheld	Clear footprint	10–40+ mi	Repeater site horizon and shadowing	Use the owner's coverage map/test.
MURS handheld ↔ handheld	Open / light foliage	1–3 mi	2 W and handheld antenna	Add legal elevated antenna at a base.
MURS base ↔ handheld	Legal elevated antenna	3–10 mi	Receiver height and local noise	Run an on-site path survey.
Any handheld pair	Opposite sides of a ridge	Unreliable at any short distance	No direct/diffracted usable path	Move one operator to a saddle/ridge or use repeater.

Programming worksheet

For a programmable radio that is actually certified for the intended service: set receive frequency, transmit frequency, bandwidth, power, and tones explicitly. A UV-5R-style menu sequence lives in the linked quick reference; this worksheet is the values layer.

MEM 001 · SIMPLEXRX/TX 462.5625
BW: NARROW for FRS interop
POWER: legal device/channel limit
TONE: OFF until coordinated

MEM 015 · SIMPLEX/OUTRX/TX 462.5500
BW: match local use
POWER: channel/station limit
TONE: optional squelch

MEM RPT-1RX 462.5500
TX 467.5500
OFFSET: +5.000 MHz
TONE: owner-published

MEM MURS-1RX/TX 151.8200
BW: ≤11.25 kHz occupied
POWER: ≤2 W TPO
TONE: optional

Program/read-back checklist
Field	Simplex	Repeater	Failure signature
RX frequency	Same as TX	462 MHz output	Wrong channel: hear nothing.
TX frequency	Same as RX	467 MHz input	Hear repeater but cannot access it.
Offset	0	+5.000 MHz	Radio transmits on output and interferes.
CTCSS/DCS encode	Optional	Repeater's input tone	Repeater never keys.
CTCSS/DCS decode	Optional	Optional / output tone	Repeater works but radio stays muted.
Bandwidth	Match service/interoperability	Usually 20 kHz authorized GMRS main	Audio too quiet or distorted.
Power	Minimum reliable within legal limit	Minimum reliable within legal limit	Heat/battery drain without coverage gain.
Certification	Appropriate Part 95 service	GMRS-certified	Frequency works technically but operation is unauthorized.

Common mistakes

The expensive failures are category errors: confusing power with range, tone with privacy, frequency with authorization, or a repeater output with its input.

“Privacy code” means privacy. It only mutes unwanted audio locally; others still hear and collide with you.
Channel 20 is nationally reserved. It has historical travel/emergency convention, not exclusive FCC status; emergencies have priority on every channel.
A business can use one employee's GMRS family license. The current individual license covers specified immediate family—not a workforce.
Any programmable radio is legal. Part 95 equipment certification and service rules still control.
More watts fixes a ridge. Move, raise the antenna legally, or use an appropriately located repeater.
Repeater offset alone is enough. You also need the correct pair, access permission, encode tone and identification.
FRS accepts a better antenna. Certified FRS antennas are integral and non-removable with a gain cap.
FRS and GMRS audio always matches. Authorized bandwidth differs on several shared channels; wide/narrow mismatch changes audio level.
Emergency need erases every rule. Use the fastest lawful path available; do not build routine plans around an imagined blanket exception.
Marketing miles are a plan. Test the exact route, building and antenna setup before depending on it.

Primary sources and method

Rule claims were checked against the live eCFR displayed as current through 2026-08-28. The $35 GMRS application fee was checked against FCC 20-184 and should be reverified before renewal. Tone menu numbering is manufacturer-specific.

47 CFR §95.563 — 22 FRS channels and center frequencies.
47 CFR §95.567 — FRS ERP limits.
47 CFR §95.587 — integral antenna and FRS transmitter requirements.
47 CFR §95.1705 — GMRS eligibility, family operators and 10-year term.
47 CFR §95.1763 — GMRS main and interstitial channel allocations.
47 CFR §95.1767 — station-specific GMRS power limits.
47 CFR §95.1773 — GMRS authorized bandwidth.
47 CFR §95.2763 — five MURS frequencies.
47 CFR §95.2767 — 2 W MURS transmitter limit.
47 CFR §95.2773 — MURS bandwidth limits.
47 CFR §95.2741 — MURS antenna height.
FCC 20-184 — $35 personal-license application fee.
Midland MXT275 guide — 38 CTCSS / 104 DCS code chart and tone behavior.
FCC 10-186 — radio-horizon geometry used for the range ceiling; planning bands are conservative editorial estimates, not FCC coverage guarantees.
ISED RSS-210 issue 11, Annex E — Canadian FRS/GMRS equipment and channels.
Ofcom Business Radio Guidance 2025 — UK PMR446 band, licence exemption and 0.5 W ERP maximum.
ACMA Citizen Band Radio Stations Class Licence — Australian UHF CB scope, band and repeater pairs.