Two-way radios are useful for a household or a block because they don’t depend on cell towers, the internet or the power grid. But they only help if your family has agreed on a channel and times to listen. Write that down in your family comms plan before you buy anything.
The two services most families use are FRS (Family Radio Service) and GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service). They share channels and look alike in the store, but the FCC rules for them are different.
The short answer
- Kids, the block, a campsite: FRS is enough. No license, no paperwork.
- Want more reach, a car or base radio, or a local repeater? Get a GMRS license. One license covers your immediate family.
FRS: no license
Rules from 47 CFR Part 95, Subpart B:
- 22 channels, all shared with GMRS (§95.563).
- Power: up to 2 watts ERP on channels 1 to 7 and 15 to 22, and 0.5 watts on channels 8 to 14 (§95.567).
- Fixed antenna. The antenna can’t be removed, and its gain is limited (§95.587(b)).
- Short data only. Some radios can send location or a brief text, limited to one second at a time and one transmission per 30 seconds (§95.587(c)).
- No repeaters. FRS radios can only transmit on FRS channels (§95.587(a)), and repeaters listen on other frequencies.
GMRS: one license, no exam
- Who can hold it: an individual 18 or older (§95.1705(a)). There is no exam.
- Who it covers: the licensee may let immediate family operate, meaning spouse, children, grandchildren, stepchildren, parents, grandparents, stepparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and in-laws (§95.1705(c)(2)).
- Emergencies: a licensee may let anyone operate their station “if necessary to communicate an emergency message” (§95.1705(c)(3)).
- Term: normally 10 years, and renewable (§95.1705(e)).
- Cost, as of 2026-11-01: the FCC’s personal license application fee is $35 (47 CFR §1.1102). Fees change, so check the FCC fee page before you apply. You apply online through the FCC’s licensing system.
- Power: up to 50 watts for mobile, base and repeater stations on the main channels, 15 watts for fixed stations, and 5 watts ERP on the 462 MHz interstitial channels (§95.1767). Handhelds put out far less than 50 watts.
- Identification: say your call sign at the end of a transmission or series of transmissions, and every 15 minutes during long ones (§95.1751). Keep the call sign off social media and public plans.
Repeaters
A repeater is a radio, usually on a hill or tall building, that receives your signal and retransmits it at higher power, so handhelds can reach much farther. Only GMRS radios can use repeaters.
- The owner decides who can use it. A licensee may open a repeater to anyone or limit it to specific people (§95.1705(d)).
- Ask first. Many repeaters need a tone setting that the owner shares on request. Public directories such as myGMRS list some of them. Look them up there rather than copying the lists.
- Don’t build your plan around a repeater you don’t control. It may lose power or be off the air when you need it.
Talk in plain language: no coded messages
GMRS rules bar “coded messages or messages with hidden meanings,” though common “10 codes” are allowed (§95.1733(a)(3)). A family code book of secret meanings is not allowed. Keep messages short and plain: “Sam here, home, all OK, check again at 6.”
Two more rules from the same section are worth knowing. You can’t use GMRS for music, advertising or continuous transmissions, except for communications about immediate safety of life or property. International distress signals such as “Mayday” are reserved for ships, aircraft and other vehicles in immediate danger. On a family radio, just say “emergency” and what is wrong.
What these radios do not do
- They are not private. Anyone with a radio on the same channel can listen. Never say that your house is empty or give out medical details.
- They don’t connect to 911 or to the phone network. Call 911 if you can. Mesh and radio are best-effort backups.
- Range isn’t guaranteed. It varies with terrain, buildings and antenna height. Hills and houses block signals, and the mileage on the box is a best-case figure.
- They only work if someone is listening. That’s why your plan needs set check-in times.
- Batteries run down. Keep spares, and charge rechargeables before storms.
Next steps
- Pick a main channel and a backup channel and write them in your family plan.
- Test from the places you’d actually be: home, school, work, the meeting place.
- If you want more reach, get the GMRS license, then ask local GMRS clubs and neighborhood hubs which repeaters and check-in nets they use.