The General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) is a UHF radio service available for
short distance two-way communications. This service is intended to be a way
for families and friends to communicate, therefore business communications are
not allowed. To operate on GMRS you must have a license; this license not only covers the licensee, but his or her spouse,
children, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, and in-laws,
and is good for 5 years (
47
CFR 95.179).
Most GMRS licensees and their family members communicate among themselves
in the general area of their home or during recreational outings, like
camping or hiking . GMRS licensees may use base, mobile, and portable radios.
Many people find it useful to use a repeater, which can extend the range of a
mobile or portable radio from 1-5 miles up to 30+ miles. However, repeaters
are private property, and may only be used with permission from the owner. A
repeater is expensive to purchase and maintain, and requires an elevated
mounting location such as a radio tower.
GMRS has 8 discreet frequencies, along with 8 matching
frequencies used as repeater inputs. It also shares the first 7 FRS channels. On
those "interstitial" frequencies, a GMRS licensee may use up to 5 watts of power
on any type-accepted commercial radio. The FRS user is limited to 500 milliwatts
on a dedicated FRS radio.
LinComm sponsors a GMRS repeater on 462.550MHz. Coverage
includes the Spring Valley / LaSalle-Peru / Granville area. Any current GMRS
licensee may use the repeater after securing permission. To do so, send an email
with your name, location, e-mail address, phone number, and callsign to the
email address listed below.
