Companies using FRS radios?

[Cashanova48]

Some local businesses in my area have been using FRS radios on channels 1, 2, and GMRS repeater channel 7. I was wondering how legal it would be for a company to use Family Radio Service radios for commercial operations, and if a company has a business license on a FRS/GMRS channel, am I (a licensed GMRS oporater) still able transmit on these channels. I don't want to annoy the businesses, so I'll stay away from their freq's anyway.

 

[KevinC]

FRS is legal for a business to use and since FRS and GMRS share some frequencies they may use those shared frequencies as well.

 

[nd5y]

You can't get a FCC business license for FRS/GMRS frequencies.
Before about 1987 businesses and other non-individuals were allowed to get GMRS licenses but there are not many of those that still exist.

 

[scanfreqer]

I thought the whole idea for getting a license was to transmit legally and would stop everyone from just grabbing a radio and use it. Business or not they should be held accountable.Main thing that comes to mind is immigrant bosses and play stupid with the laws, and say "we didn't know we need license?"

 

[KevinC]

I thought the whole idea for getting a license was to transmit legally and would stop everyone from just grabbing a radio and use it. Business or not they should be held accountable.Main thing that comes to mind is immigrant bosses and play stupid with the laws, and say "we didn't know we need license?"

FRS is license by rule.

And I knew I shouldn't have approved this as it will just become a big mess.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

The unfortunate way that FRS rules are written permits businesses to use. It is very unfortunate.

 

[W8UU]

The unfortunate way that FRS rules are written permits businesses to use. It is very unfortunate.

The problem started with FRS being authorized to share frequencies with GMRS. Licensed and unlicensed on the same channels? A recipe for disaster FRS should have been assigned their own stand-alone frequencies. Leave the licensed GMRS users and systems out of the mix.

 

[rf_patriot200]

Some local businesses in my area have been using FRS radios on channels 1, 2, and GMRS repeater channel 7. I was wondering how legal it would be for a company to use Family Radio Service radios for commercial operations, and if a company has a business license on a FRS/GMRS channel, am I (a licensed GMRS oporater) still able transmit on these channels. I don't want to annoy the businesses, so I'll stay away from their freq's anyway.

CTCSS/DCS tones will prevent you from bothering them, and them bothering you.

 

[KB0VWG]

FRS stands for Family Radio Service Not BRS Business Radio Service. Leave it to the FCC to mess up again. What will they mess up next?
k5ziv
wrpu444

 

[Hans13]

I guess I am one of the few that don't really have a problem with it. Everywhere I have been, we've been able to share FRS with personal and business as well as with GMRS. It's never been an issue for us; rural or urban.

 

[nd5y]

CTCSS/DCS tones will prevent you from bothering them, and them bothering you.

Wrong. Tone squelch only prevents you from hearing anything that doesn't have the same tone. It doesn't prevent interference, it only hides it util there are two or more radios within range of each other with different tones transmitting at the same time.

 

[kirk5056]

PL filters (CTCSS/DCS tones) DO hide other radios and interference 99.9 % of the time. I think that is all the OP really needs. The interference suggested above is only important if 1) two groups try to communicate at the same time. In my area you rarely can get ONE group using a channel, let alone more than one, at the same time. 2) the interfering radio (or RF source) has to appear to your listening group to be more powerful. FM Capture Effect weeds out weaker signals. Since the FRS radios the OP is complaining about are limited to 2 watts the likelihood of interference is VERY low. In radio, 99% is ok.

 

[Hans13]

PL filters (CTCSS/DCS tones) DO hide other radios and interference 99.9 % of the time. I think that is all the OP really needs. The interference suggested above is only important if 1) two groups try to communicate at the same time. In my area you rarely can get ONE group using a channel, let alone more than one, at the same time. 2) the interfering radio (or RF source) has to appear to your listening group to be more powerful. FM Capture Effect weeds out weaker signals. Since the FRS radios the OP is complaining about are limited to 2 watts the likelihood of interference is VERY low. In radio, 99% is ok.

Exactly.

 

[W8UU]

FRS stands for Family Radio Service Not BRS Business Radio Service. Leave it to the FCC to mess up again. What will they mess up next?
k5ziv
wrpu444

The FCC is only a regulatory agency when it suits them. They respond to interference complaints and safety-of-life issues (like interference with aircraft navigation systems and EAS compliance), but on things like FRS and GMRS, their policies and future plans follow the money. The FCC takes their direction from equipment manufacturers. If there's a rule change or new service that can be created that brings new revenue to Motorola or Midland or Baofeng, they're all about making it happen. It's rare to see input from end users carry the same weight in public comments that the equipment manufacturers get. Ther FCC is a facilitator of big business interests and it's been that way since the early 1980s.

 

[rf_patriot200]

Wrong. Tone squelch only prevents you from hearing anything that doesn't have the same tone. It doesn't prevent interference, it only hides it util there are two or more radios within range of each other with different tones transmitting at the same time.

Well that's true if you're close to the business or user, but as long as you're 1-2 miles away on a different tone you shouldn't have any interference since they're only half watt radios.

 

[paulears]

I think you’re missing the point. You have frs and in europe we have pmr446. We have it because licensing is too expensive. You give people the option for short range free radio and leave them to it. You charge big businesses with wide areas and thousands of radios HUGE amounts of money but give them protection. If the local supermarket buy a few frs radios they wont care about hobby users who want to use them like CB! That’s what CTCSS is for. Users who have CTCSS off are not really what it was designed for!

 

[rf_patriot200]

I think you’re missing the point. You have frs and in europe we have pmr446. We have it because licensing is too expensive. You give people the option for short range free radio and leave them to it. You charge big businesses with wide areas and thousands of radios HUGE amounts of money but give them protection. If the local supermarket buy a few frs radios they wont care about hobby users who want to use them like CB! That’s what CTCSS is for. Users who have CTCSS off are not really what it was designed for!

Sorry, didn't notice til now you were in the U.K. Yep, Pmr changes things.

 

[paulears]

No, it doesn’t? Frs in the us is the same as our pmr446. It’s free, unregulated and intended for a very different use to other telecom types. We too have hobby folk wa ring longer ranges and to talk to strangers, but the point of it is for small groups local to each other to communicate without outsiders. Being interfered with by the local shoe shop or burger restaurant is how it works

 

[nd5y]

FRS radios are allowed up to 2 watts on most channels since 2017.

 

[rf_patriot200]

FRS radios are allowed up to 2 watts on most channels since 2017.

ch.8-14 467.5625 -467.7125 have Always been half watt only from the beginning. Ch.1-7 are two watts.