FRS stands for Family Radio Service. You may use FRS radios without purchasing a license. GMRS stands for General Mobile Radio Service. It requires the purchase of a $35 license from the FCC, which is good for 10 years.
People using an FRS radio can participate, provided they are within range of an amateur radio operator who can receive and relay the message to another station with an Amateur Radio license.
Hawaii County ARES is now helping to coordinate communications with those using FRS or GMRS. Your group or community must self-organize by choosing appropriate equipment and channel(s). At least one person in your group needs an amateur radio license so that they can relay your traffic to an ARES hub.
ARES hubs focus on the Amateur Radio Service, and may not be set up to receive traffic or transmit directly on these other radio services. Yet many amateur radio operators also use FRS and may hold a GMRS license. One amateur radio operator in your group within range of an ARES hub would relay information through ARES. If that station is able to transmit on the High Frequency (HF) 40 and 80-meter bands or has Winlink Radio EMail capability, they may be able to get a message straight to ACS, bypassing their local ARES hub station.
Many radios in use today combine FRS and GMRS frequencies in a single radio transceiver. If you do not have a GMRS license, you may legally only use channels 1-14.
Channels 1-7 are the best option for FRS because they allow an output power of up to 2 watts, while channels 7-14 only transmit at ½ a watt.
You can develop tactical calls that make sense for your group, such as by street name, or simply call each other using their preferred “handle.”
FRS is challenging because the transmissions may only reach a mile or two, depending on the terrain. You can get more distance from a higher location.
The key to making FRS work is having many people fairly close to each other on the same channel. Each person then relays a message to the next person, who is closer to an amateur radio operator who can get the message out to a more distant location.
Practice relaying messages before any ARES communication exercise.
Anyone can buy a radio that operates on these channels. You will likely encounter people who are not a part of your group. Be polite and share the frequency.
Have a backup plan for when you can not make the chosen channel work due to interference from others. For example, the message “Switch to back up channel Alpha” could be relayed to all operators to tell them to go to Channel 5, but if you relay “Switch to back up channel Bravo” that could mean to go to Channel 7.
Those with a valid GMRS license, and their family members can transmit on any of the GMRS channels.
GMRS mobile and base station equipment can use up to 50 watts. Handheld radios typically have an output of less than 5 watts. Some 8-watt radios have now come on the market.
Your group can purchase a GMRS repeater. A repeater will significantly enhance everyone’s range, especially if the antenna is on a rooftop or hill.
When a radio indicates that it has “privacy codes” this does not mean that your transmissions are private. Instead, this means that both transmitter and receiver must use the same code value to hear each other. Anyone can turn off the “privacy code” feature and hear all transmissions within range.
To get a message to the EOC using FRS or GMRS you will need at least 1 licensed amateur radio operator to act as a relay.
For assistance finding a licensed amateur radio operator in your area contact an ARES Emergency Coordinator.
You can also visit https://www.arrl.org/fcc/search. Specify your zip code and click search to find licensed operators in your area. There are over 1,100 licensed operators in Hawaii County. If you have an account on https://www.qrz.com/, you may be able to get their Email address by entering their callsign. Try to find a licensed amateur radio operator who is close and willing to work with your group.
Refer to the GMRS Info Sheet for important tips and advice. Everything listed also applies to FRS, except that FRS does not require a license to operate the radio on channels 1-14.