FRS radio

[greyhounder]

Hi,

I was checking out the cache page for the campout. What is a FRS radio? I’m sure that’s a dumb question, but I cannot figure out what it is. I have one of those little walkie-talkie type radios that my family uses for travelling, so maybe that’s what you mean?

Bec

[skarolek]

quote:

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Originally posted by greyhounder:
Hi,

What is a FRS radio? I’m sure that’s a dumb question

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Bec,

There is no such thing as a dumb question. FRS stands for “Family Radio Service”. These are very similar to, but weaker in power than, two-way radios capable of transmitting and receiving on the “General Mobile Radio Service” frequencies. The upper distance limit for FRS is usually 1-2 miles. The upper distance limit for GMRS is usually 3-5 miles due to the higher transmit power. GMRS radios can transmit and receive on FRS frequencies (overlap between the two bands) but the opposite is not true. Most GMRS radios let you choose high or low power when transmitting on the FRS frequencies (some allow you to choose power on all frequencies to save battery power). The higher powered GMRS radios require a license from the FCC to operate. Unfortunately most stores that sell them don’t tell you that…

Here’s a link to the frequencies and more information about the bands in case you’re interested in listening for them with your scanner…
http://www.popularwireless.com/gmrsinter.html

Steve K

[greyhounder]

Thanks for the information. Not sure what the range is on the radio I use, but it’s probably one of the 1-2 miles ones. So I’ll bring it along to the campout.

Thank you!
Bec

[GrouseTales]

Chances are, if you own a pair of those little radios you use while traveling, they are probably FRS.

[Author]

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