What exactly are FRS Radios?
 FRS radios are small, handheld two-way radios designed for short range communications. The FCC authorized these radios several years ago after a petition from Radio Shack to create the new service.
 The range on these radios is not that great--just enough to work around the farm, local mall or amusement park.
Note: Many of the newer radios that advertise 3-, 5- and 10-miles ranges are so-called FRS/GMRS “hybrid” radios, because the also work in the GMRS band. We have a separate section of our site dedicated to the pros and cons of these new radios.
Randy Hefner has a nice site that describe FRS in detail.
Jesse’s has a comprehensive list of FRS radios from all major manufacturers.
More info on FRS and GMRS at Rick’s Radio Page
The Travel Insider has a 3-part article that discusses all aspects of the different radio services.
Be sure to see our New Radios for 2004 page!
Range of FRS Radios
FRS radios use the same spectrum as GMRS radios. The range of FRS is generally limited to line-of-sight, that is, if you can see the person, you will likely be able to communicate with them using the radios. Under normal circumstances, expect about 1/2 mile to 1 mile in congested areas, more over open terrain. The claims of 2 to 5 miles may be valid if you are on one mountain peak, and the other people is on another mountain peak.
Popular Wireless has a great article on The Truth Behind the Marketing Claims for FRS and GMRS radios.
SC&E has a nice chart outlining the range differences between FRS, GMRS, and MURS.
FRS Radio Reviews
 Slightly dated reviews of FRS radios at GearReview.com
Popular Wireless compares and reviews FRS radios
How to Choose an FRS Radio by REI
Feature to Consider when buying an FRS radio
Popular FRS Radio Discussion Sites
Popular Wireless BBS - One of the more popular and active boards on the net
Yahoo Groups
FRS-Open - A site dedicated to open exploration of the inside of FRS radios
Radio-Experimenter - All about radio experimentation
FamilyRadioService - More about FRS
Google Groups
alt.family.radio
Recommend a site
FRS Repeaters
Technically, the FCC does not allow repeaters on FRS frequencies. That has not stopped some creative individuals from using technology to bend the rules:
How to Improve Your FRS Radio Communications Range by Stewart Teaze
Review of Radio Shack Repeater (“echo repeater”) with FRS radios by
Yahoo!Group dedicated to Simplex Repeaters
More information on Simplex Repeaters from Rob Bellville
Recommend a site
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Collin.org’s FAQ
A FRS & GMRS FAQ by PopularWireless.com
Frequently Asked Questions about the Family Radio Service by PRSG
FRS use in Mexico by Patrick Stoffard
>> Search Google for latest FAQs
See our Links page for FRS in other countries.
Recommend a site
FRS Fan Sites
Jim Baudo - Reviews FRS Radios, repeaters, batteries and Johnsonville sausages(?)
GearReview.com - reviews about two dozen popular FRS radios
The DXzone - Reference site for FRS and GMRS Radios
ConsumerSearch.com - Nice writeup on FRS radios
Collin’s Notebook - Nice site, but dated reviews of FRS Radios
FRSZone The Premier FRS Comparison Site
Scanning FRS Frequencies
Recommend a site
FRS Channels
Almost all FRS radios support 14 channels. Some “hybrid radios” (combination FRS and GMRS) may only support the first (or last) seven FRS channels. Note that not all radios support Privacy Codes (CTCSS) to lock our undesired messages (see below).
|
Channel
|
Frequency
|
|
Channel 1
|
462.5625 Mhz
|
|
Channel 2
|
462.5875 Mhz
|
|
Channel 3
|
462.6125 Mhz
|
|
Channel 4
|
462.6375 Mhz
|
|
Channel 5
|
462.6625 Mhz
|
|
Channel 6
|
462.6685 Mhz
|
|
Channel 7
|
462.7125 Mhz
|
|
Channel 8
|
467.5625 Mhz
|
|
Channel 9
|
467.5825 Mhz
|
|
Channel 10
|
467.6125 Mhz
|
|
Channel 11
|
467.6375 Mhz
|
|
Channel 12
|
467.6625 Mhz
|
|
Channel 13
|
467.6875 Mhz
|
|
Channel 14
|
467.7125 Mhz
|
|
CTCSS Codes
 CTCSS (Carrier Tone Coded Squelch System) tones, also known “Privacy Codes”, are used to keep the speaker turned off until another radio with the same code is used. This way, multiple groups of people can be using the same channel, and they will only hear the communications destined for their group.
The codes listed below are “industry standard”, but each radio manufacturer may choose their own codes, leading the possibility of some codes not working with incompatible radios. Popular Wireless has a sample list of codes from six types of FRS radios.
|
|
Code
|
Tone
|
|
1
|
67.0 Hz
|
|
2
|
71.9 Hz
|
|
3
|
74.4 Hz
|
|
4
|
77.0 Hz
|
|
5
|
79.7 Hz
|
|
6
|
82.5 Hz
|
|
7
|
85.4 Hz
|
|
8
|
88.5 Hz
|
|
9
|
91.5 Hz
|
|
10
|
94.8 Hz
|
|
11
|
97.4 Hz
|
|
12
|
100.0 Hz
|
|
13
|
103.5 Hz
|
|
14
|
107.2 Hz
|
|
15
|
110.9 Hz
|
|
16
|
114.8 Hz
|
|
17
|
118.8 Hz
|
|
18
|
123.0 Hz
|
|
19
|
127.3 Hz
|
|
|
|
Code
|
Tone
|
|
20
|
131.8 Hz
|
|
21
|
136.5 Hz
|
|
22
|
141.3 Hz
|
|
23
|
146.2 Hz
|
|
24
|
151.4 Hz
|
|
25
|
156.7 Hz
|
|
26
|
162.2 Hz
|
|
27
|
167.9 Hz
|
|
28
|
173.8 Hz
|
|
29
|
179.9 Hz
|
|
30
|
186.2 Hz
|
|
31
|
192.8 Hz
|
|
32
|
210.7 Hz
|
|
33
|
210.7 Hz
|
|
34
|
218.1 Hz
|
|
35
|
225.7 Hz
|
|
36
|
233.6 Hz
|
|
37
|
241.8 Hz
|
|
38
|
250.3 Hz
|
|
|
|
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Information
FCC Website for FRS Radios
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