| FRS/GMRS radio equipment is similar to FM two-way radio equipment except that it is lower in power and made for general consumer use. In most cases two-way radio equipment requires a license however GMRS/FRS equipment is license-free in Canada!In April 2000, Industry Canada designated 14 frequencies in the frequency range 462/467 MHz for Family Radio Service (FRS) mass-market and consumer-based radio products in Canada. The radios were already a huge success in the USA at that point in time. FRS (Family Radio Service) is the predecessor of GMRS. FRS radios were low-power 500mW FM two-way radios. GMRS is a higher power version of FRS and was first unveiled in the USA. Canada followed suit in 2004 but limited the power output to 2 Watts.In the USA GMRS radios with an output power of up to 5 Watts are allowed and there are also repeaters that extend range. In the USA a license is required for some GMRS equipment.
FRS and GMRS share 7 channels. On these 7 shared channels GMRS radios are limited to just 500 mW (1/2 Watt) which is the maximum power allowed on FRS channels. BUYER BEWARE! Big box stores are famous for offering GMRS radios at rock-bottom pricing. Many of these radios are limited to 1/2 or 1 Watt on GMRS frequencies. Unlike CB Radios, GMRS radios are virtually noise free and are much less prone to interference and offer a little more privacy. The chart below compares the features of GMRS vs CB Radio. |
Shown here is the popular Cobra PR3500 Value package. Theses radios offer a full 2Watt output and come with rechargeable batteries and a drop-in charger.
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Comparison Chart — CB vs GMRS
| CB | GMRS | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Channels | 40 | 22 |
| Sub-channels | None | 38* |
| Mode | AM/SSB | FM |
| Output Power | 4/12W PEP | 2W |
| Atmospheric Interference | Almost constant | Infrequent |
| Man Made Interference | Susceptible to all kinds of noise | Almost completely immune |
| External Antenna | Permitted | Must be attached |
| * Industry Canada does not specify the number of sub-channels required. Some radios do not have any while others may have up to 121 privacy codes giving you a total of 2662 channel combinations. | ||
| GMRS/FRS Frequencies | CB Radio Frequencies (North America) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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