GMRS is the two-way radio for a household: one $35 licence, no exam, covers the whole family for ten years, 5-watt handhelds and 50-watt mobiles, and repeaters in most cities. Five handhelds and two mobiles, and the rules that make them legal.
GMRS, FRS and the aisle they share
The blister-pack walkie-talkies and the GMRS radios use the same 22 channels. The differences are power, antennas, repeaters and the licence. The GMRS guide has the rules with their citations.
No licence, 2 W, fixed antenna
FRS
The walkie-talkies in the sporting-goods aisle. Two watts on most channels, half a watt on 8–14, the antenna can't be changed. Fine across a campground.
$35, no exam, 10 years, whole family
GMRS
Same channels, more power, removable antennas, repeaters. One licence covers your spouse, kids, parents, siblings and in-laws (47 CFR 95.1705).
Handheld 5 W, mobile 50 W
Power
The rule caps the main channels at 50 W for mobiles and bases and the 462 interstitial channels at 5 W; handhelds sit at 5 W as a product norm.
467 MHz inputs
Repeaters
A repeater on a tower turns a 5-watt handheld into a county-wide radio. Eight channels are reserved for them; a "repeater capable" radio can use them.
Quick picks
The short answer for common situations. Each links to the full card below.
Fifty watts with every control on the mic; the radio body hides under the seat.
Compare the seven
Power, channels and batteries from each maker's page where published, otherwise from the listing. Every radio here is a GMRS radio; the two BTECH units carry the maker's own statement of Part 95E certification, Midland and Rocky Talkie don't print theirs on the product page.
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Midland's current GMRS handheld: 5 watts, the 22 standard channels plus 8 repeater channels, an IP67 case, NOAA weather alerts and USB-C charging, built to be handed to someone who has never used a radio.
Power
5 W
Channels
22 GMRS/FRS + 8 repeater
Rating
IP67
Charging
USB-C compatible, about 4 h
Weather
NOAA alert
Weight
9.6 oz (listing)
Suits: The family radio: a parent, a teenager, a hunting partner, a hurricane kit.
Weigh: Midland doesn't publish the battery capacity or the certification number on the product page. No Bluetooth or app; programming the repeater tones takes a separate cable or the keypad.
The two-way radio that has been in glove boxes for a decade: 22 channels plus 28 extra, 142 privacy codes, NOAA scan, and it runs on the rechargeable pack or on three AAs when the pack is dead.
Channels
22 + 28 extra; 142 privacy codes
Power
Not published
Batteries
Rechargeable pack or 3 × AA
Rating
JIS4 splash
Weather
NOAA scan and alert
Size
2.44 × 7.91 × 1.52 in
Suits: A kit radio that must work after a year in a drawer, and anyone who wants AA backup.
Weigh: Midland's "36 mile range" is a line-of-sight claim; its own page says to expect half a mile to two miles in normal conditions. No repeater capability stated, no published power output, splash-rated (JIS4) rather than waterproof.
A GMRS handheld with the features of a modern ham radio: GPS position sharing and off-grid text between radios, Bluetooth audio, app setup, 180 channels, IP67, a 2,600 mAh USB-C battery, and a receiver that scans the ham and weather bands.
Power
1 / 3 / 5 W
Channels
180 (6 banks × 30), repeater capable
Battery
2,600 mAh, USB-C
Rating
IP67; 11 oz
Extras
GPS, Bluetooth, text, NOAA, wide-band receive
Licence
GMRS (no exam)
Suits: A family or a group that wants location sharing without a phone signal, and a GMRS user who may get a ham licence later.
Weigh: Setup lives in the phone app. Reviewers note the radio wants a USB-A-to-C cable for charging. A GMRS licence is required, which the maker says plainly.
A UV-5R-shaped handheld with firmware locked to GMRS: 5 watts, 200 channels, repeater capable, USB-C and desk charging, NOAA, and a wide receiver for listening to ham and public-safety frequencies. The maker states Part 95E compliance.
Power
0.5 / 5 W (8–14 low only)
Channels
200, repeater capable
Battery
1,800 mAh BL-8, USB-C + desk charger
Receive
65–108 / 136–174 / 400–520 MHz
Rating
IP54; 214 g; 58 × 110 × 32 mm
Certification
Part 95E (maker statement)
Suits: The person who wants the Baofeng price and layout for GMRS, legally.
Weigh: IP54 splash rating rather than IP67. Channels 8 to 14 are locked to low power, as the rule requires. The FCC ID isn't printed on the maker's page.
A GMRS handheld built for climbers and ski patrol: 5 watts, the 22 channels and nothing else, IP67, a leash and a lanyard, a hand mic in the box, and a battery that is rated for cold.
Power
5 W
Channels
22, repeater capable
Battery
1,800 mAh, 7.4 V, USB-C
Rating
IP67; 9.1 oz
Size
10.3 × 6.2 × 3.4 cm
In the box
Hand mic, leash, lanyard
Suits: Outdoor use where the radio gets dropped and wet, and anyone who wants a radio with no menus to learn.
Weigh: Twenty-two channels with repeater capability and no custom memories, which is the point and also the limit. Premium price for a GMRS handheld. Display details and the FCC ID aren't published.
A 50-watt GMRS mobile with every control on the microphone, so the radio body hides under a seat: 15 high-power channels, 8 repeater channels with split tones, NOAA, and a magnet-mount antenna in the box.
Power
50 W
Channels
15 high-power + 8 repeater (split tone)
Control
All on the mic, USB-C mic connector
Size
5.5 × 1.5 × 7.3 in
Weather
NOAA scan and alert
In the box
Unity-gain magnet-mount antenna
Suits: A truck or an overland convoy, and the base station end of a family GMRS setup with a better antenna.
Weigh: The included antenna is a unity-gain starter; a proper mount and antenna is the first upgrade. Midland doesn't publish the current draw or the FCC ID on the page. Variants with bigger antennas are separate listings.
A 50-watt GMRS mobile with a colour control mic, GPS, Bluetooth and app setup, 180 channels, and the power steps the rule requires (5 W on channels 1–7, receive only on 8–14, full power on 15–30). Part 95E certified per the maker.
Power
5 / 25 / 50 W
Channels
180, repeater capable
Control
Colour mic, GPS, Bluetooth, app
Rating
IP54; 2.5 lb; 5.5 × 1.8 × 6 in
Weather
NOAA
Certification
Part 95E (maker statement)
Suits: A vehicle or base radio for a group that already uses the GMRS-PRO handhelds.
Weigh: App-dependent setup, as with its handheld sibling. Current draw and the FCC ID aren't published; IP54, so keep it inside the cab.
When the cell network goes down after a storm, a pair of GMRS handhelds keeps a household in touch across a neighbourhood, and a mobile on the truck reaches across town. Keep them charged, keep a USB-C cable in the kit, and learn the repeater channels in your area before the season; RepeaterBook lists GMRS repeaters by state. Pair them with a weather radio from the personal radio page for the alerts themselves.
One warning: a ham handheld that "does GMRS" in its menu is not a GMRS radio. The rule (47 CFR 95.1761) says a GMRS transmitter can't be certified if it also operates on ham frequencies, and an uncertified transmitter voids your authority to use it. Buy a radio sold as GMRS.
