The Toolbox — Frequencies

Personal Radio

GMRS/FRS channel frequencies and power limits, GMRS repeater channels, MURS, CB radio, and business band channel reference.

GMRS / FRS Channels

GMRS requires an FCC license. FRS does not. Both services share channels 1–22 but with different power limits. Channels 8–14 are limited to 0.5W for both services.

Ch	Frequency (MHz)	GMRS Max	FRS Max	Notes
1	462.5625	5W	2W	Shared GMRS/FRS — FRS limited to 2W
2	462.5875	5W	2W	Shared GMRS/FRS
3	462.6125	5W	2W	Shared GMRS/FRS
4	462.6375	5W	2W	Shared GMRS/FRS
5	462.6625	5W	2W	Shared GMRS/FRS
6	462.6875	5W	2W	Shared GMRS/FRS
7	462.7125	5W	2W	Shared GMRS/FRS
8	467.5625	0.5W	0.5W	FRS interstitial — 0.5W max both services
9	467.5875	0.5W	0.5W	FRS interstitial — 0.5W max both services
10	467.6125	0.5W	0.5W	FRS interstitial — 0.5W max both services
11	467.6375	0.5W	0.5W	FRS interstitial — 0.5W max both services
12	467.6625	0.5W	0.5W	FRS interstitial — 0.5W max both services
13	467.6875	0.5W	0.5W	FRS interstitial — 0.5W max both services
14	467.7125	0.5W	0.5W	FRS interstitial — 0.5W max both services
15	462.5500	50W	2W	GMRS only above 2W — repeater output
16	462.5750	50W	2W	GMRS only above 2W — repeater output
17	462.6000	50W	2W	GMRS only above 2W — repeater output
18	462.6250	50W	2W	GMRS only above 2W — repeater output
19	462.6500	50W	2W	GMRS only above 2W — repeater output
20	462.6750	50W	2W	GMRS only above 2W — repeater output
21	462.7000	50W	2W	GMRS only above 2W — repeater output
22	462.7250	50W	2W	GMRS only above 2W — repeater output

GMRS Repeater Input Channels

GMRS repeaters use a +5 MHz offset. Transmit on the input frequency, receive on the output. GMRS license required — FRS users cannot use repeaters.

Channel	Input (TX)	Output (RX)	Notes
15R	467.5500 MHz	462.5500 MHz	GMRS repeater input — 5W max into repeater
16R	467.5750 MHz	462.5750 MHz	GMRS repeater input
17R	467.6000 MHz	462.6000 MHz	GMRS repeater input
18R	467.6250 MHz	462.6250 MHz	GMRS repeater input
19R	467.6500 MHz	462.6500 MHz	GMRS repeater input
20R	467.6750 MHz	462.6750 MHz	GMRS repeater input
21R	467.7000 MHz	462.7000 MHz	GMRS repeater input
22R	467.7250 MHz	462.7250 MHz	GMRS repeater input

GMRS Key Rules

Rule	Detail
License required	FCC Part 95 GMRS license — applies to entire family, $35 fee, 10-year term
Maximum power (mobile)	50 watts on channels 15–22, 5W on channels 1–7, 0.5W on channels 8–14
Maximum power (handheld)	5 watts on channels 1–7
Repeater use	GMRS licensees may use repeaters — FRS users may not
External antenna	GMRS allows external/gain antennas — FRS does not
Business use	GMRS is for personal/family use — not for commercial or business communications
Emergency channel	Channel 1 (462.5625 MHz) is commonly used as an emergency/calling channel

MURS (Multi-Use Radio Service)

No license required. 2 watt maximum power. No repeaters permitted. Used for short-range business and personal communications. Common in retail stores and warehouses.

Channel	Frequency (MHz)	Bandwidth	Notes
1	151.820 MHz	11.25 kHz	MURS — no license required
2	151.880 MHz	11.25 kHz	MURS
3	151.940 MHz	11.25 kHz	MURS
4	154.570 MHz	20 kHz	MURS — wider bandwidth
5	154.600 MHz	20 kHz	MURS — wider bandwidth

CB Radio (27 MHz) — All 40 Channels

No license required. 4 watt AM maximum (12W SSB PEP). Channel 9 is the emergency and motorist assistance channel. Channel 19 is the primary truckers highway channel in the US.

Ch	Frequency (MHz)	Common Use
1	26.965	General
2	26.975	General
3	26.985	General
4	27.005	General — SSB calling in some areas
5	27.015	General
6	27.025	General
7	27.035	General
8	27.055	General
9	27.065	Emergency / Motorist assistance — monitored by REACT
10	27.075	Truckers — Region 2 (some areas)
11	27.085	General — former calling channel
12	27.105	General
13	27.115	Marine / RV
14	27.125	General — walkie-talkie calling
15	27.135	General
16	27.155	SSB calling — upper and lower sideband
17	27.165	Truckers — North/South highway
18	27.175	General
19	27.185	Truckers — primary highway channel
20	27.205	General
21	27.215	General
22	27.225	General
23	27.255	General / some RC use
24	27.235	General
25	27.245	General
26	27.265	General
27	27.275	General
28	27.285	General
29	27.295	General
30	27.305	General
31	27.315	General
32	27.325	General
33	27.335	General
34	27.345	General
35	27.355	General
36	27.365	General
37	27.375	General
38	27.385	SSB calling — lower sideband
39	27.395	General
40	27.405	General

Business Band — VHF Itinerant Channels

Part 90 Industrial/Business Radio Pool. Itinerant channels are shared nationwide with no interference protection — first come, first served.

Frequency (MHz)	Name	Notes
151.6250	Red Dot	Itinerant, no interference protection — common in bubble-pack business radios
151.7000	—	Itinerant, VHF business pool
151.7600	—	Itinerant, VHF business pool
151.9550	Purple Dot	Itinerant, no interference protection
154.5275	—	Itinerant, VHF business pool (narrowband)
158.4000	—	Itinerant, VHF business pool

Business Band — UHF Itinerant & Star Channels

Dot channels near 464.5 MHz and star/letter channels near 467.8–467.9 MHz are the most common frequencies programmed into low-power business handhelds.

Frequency (MHz)	Name	Notes
464.5000	Brown Dot	Itinerant — up to 35W mobile
464.5500	Yellow Dot	Itinerant — up to 35W mobile
467.7625	“J” Dot	2W handheld only
467.8125	“K” Dot	2W handheld only
467.8500	Silver Star	2W handheld — common nationwide retail chain license
467.8750	Gold Star	2W handheld — common nationwide retail chain license
467.9000	Red Star	2W handheld — common nationwide retail chain license
467.9250	Blue Star	2W handheld — common nationwide retail chain license

Business Band Key Facts

Rule	Detail
License type	FCC Part 90 Industrial/Business Radio Pool — site-based or nationwide itinerant
VHF pool	150.8 – 174 MHz, narrowbanded to 12.5 kHz channels (mandatory since Jan 2013)
UHF pool	421 – 512 MHz, with most conventional licensing concentrated in 450 – 470 MHz
Itinerant channels	Shared nationwide on a first-come, first-served basis with no interference protection — used in most "bubble-pack" and rental radios
Overlap with GMRS	Older Class A Business Radio frequencies at 462.575, 462.625, and 462.675 MHz coincide with GMRS/FRS channels 16, 18, and 20
Larger operations	Businesses needing more capacity often move to trunked 800/900 MHz systems (SmartZone, P25) instead of conventional pool channels