GMRS channel popularity

[KK4JW]

Are any of the 22 GMRS channels/frequencies more popular than the others? I have a Samcom UHF walkie talkie that is programmable to GMRS frequencies, but it only holds 20 frequencies. I have the first 20 programmed in, and have omitted channel 21 and 22. Are channel 21 and 22 popular channels/frequencies? Would I be best suited to swap some "lesser used" channels for those in my walkie talkie? Or would you just stick with the first 1-20 and roll with it?

Obviously I don't NEED 22 channels/frequencies, but sometimes I like to monitor others. I guess I always have my scanner for that though..

 

[alcahuete]

Channel 1 is usually pretty popular out here just because people don't change the channel I presume. 15-22 are also used for repeaters. Unless you are using specific repeaters, 15-22 are what I would leave off.

 

[Hans13]

If I had to pick 2 channels to drop, they would likely be channel 10 and 11 as they are in the middle of the 0.5W interstitial frequencies.

 

[tomk62]

15-22 are also used for repeaters. Unless you are using specific repeaters, 15-22 are what I would leave off.

That's not 100% accurate, while those are the output frequencies for the repeaters, they are also commonly used as simplex channels so I wouldn't necessarily count them out (standard GMRS radios tx/rx on that channel frequency). Channel 19 is a common "road" channel (borrowing from CB days), and 16 is common for off roaders.

 

[alcahuete]

That's not 100% accurate, while those are the output frequencies for the repeaters, they are also commonly used as simplex channels so I wouldn't necessarily count them out (standard GMRS radios tx/rx on that channel frequency). Channel 19 is a common "road" channel (borrowing from CB days), and 16 is common for off roaders.

Never heard of 19 and 16 used for those purposes on GMRS. I know they "can" be used for simplex as well, but me personally, I would still leave those repeater pairs off, unless there was a specific repeater I wanted to use.

 

[K6GBW]

There's none that are really more popular than others. If you do repeter stuff then drop a couple of the .5 watt channels. If you do mostly simplex stuff then keep 1-14 and drop a couple of the repeater channels. Personally, I use mine for simplex only so I stay in the 1-14 zone and stay off the repeater channels to avoid messing with them.

 

[tomk62]

On a GMRS radio, what transmit frequencies are programmed for channels 15 to 22?

 

[Hans13]

On a GMRS radio, what transmit frequencies are programmed for channels 15 to 22?

FRS/GMRS combined channel chart - The RadioReference Wiki

For simplex, transmit and receive are both the same frequency. For repeaters. the input is a +5 MHz split so 467.xxx.

 

[nd5y]

On a GMRS radio, what transmit frequencies are programmed for channels 15 to 22?

It depends on the radio. Some low end ones are not capable of repeate operation so they would be the same as the newer 22 channel FRS radios.

 

[Coffeemug]

Are any of the 22 GMRS channels/frequencies more popular than the others? I have a Samcom UHF walkie talkie that is programmable to GMRS frequencies, but it only holds 20 frequencies. I have the first 20 programmed in, and have omitted channel 21 and 22. Are channel 21 and 22 popular channels/frequencies? Would I be best suited to swap some "lesser used" channels for those in my walkie talkie? Or would you just stick with the first 1-20 and roll with it?

Obviously I don't NEED 22 channels/frequencies, but sometimes I like to monitor others. I guess I always have my scanner for that though..

Like with the 11m CB back in the day, the popular was the one with the most traffic or QSOs. I know for Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey was Channels 25, 27 and 32.

 

[nokones]

Channel 19 as the common road channel is an incorrect statement. Ch. 20 has been designated as the National Highway Travel Channel along with the CTCSS tone of 141.3 Hz as the Travel Tone. There is a lot of documented history on this subject that dates back several decades and before many of the GMRS licensees have been living.

Only recently, "some people" have been trying to designate Ch. 19 as the Highway channel. Although, ch. 16 has been taking hold as the designated off-road channel.

 

[kirk5056]

The most popular GMRS channel (frequency pair + PL filter) is the one that you and the people you want to communicate with agree on ahead of time. If you want to use a radio to meet strangers then you will have better luck on Ham or CB.

There is a push to make GMRS 19 as a sort of national channel but it cannot be legally used in about 10% of the US. This is due to an international agreement that you can find by looking up FCC's Line A.

 

[W8UU]

There are some folks in GMRS-land that think its a good idea to equate truckers using CB Channel 19 with GMRS Channel 19 (462.65/467.75). As several have mentioned, it's illegal to use GMRS 19 north of Line A (roughly 100 air miles from the Canadian border) so that idea is dead on arrival with this regulatory technicality.

CB isn't GMRS. Truckers and motorists wanting a channel to use for travel purposes should follow the decades-old gentleman's agreement to monitor GMRS 20 with a 141.3 hZ CTCSS tone. It's probably the best place to make contact with like-minded licensees. If I ever needed help anywhere, didn't have cell service, but I had a GMRS radio, Channel 20 is the first place I'd start calling.

 

[mmckenna]

Yeah, too many people trying to create an issue that has long been solved.

462.675/141.3 is well established. There's a lot of repeaters still on this pair with this tone. No need to recreate the wheel here. It was done decades ago.

The Line A/Line C thing is no longer listed in the current FCC rules for GMRS. Ever since Canada adopted the 22 channels for their FRS service, the requirement on US operators was pointless.

 

[sallen07]

The Line A/Line C thing is no longer listed in the current FCC rules for GMRS. Ever since Canada adopted the 22 channels for their FRS service, the requirement on US operators was pointless.

And yet this text is on my GMRS license, which was issued in 2020.

 

[nokones]

Both my GMRS license with a 2019 grant date, and my Business Radio License with a 2023 grant date restricts north of Line A. My GMRS restricts east of Line C but, not my Business Radio license.

 

[PCTEK]

Since I don't see it mentioned in this thread, transmitting on a GMRS frequency still requires and FCC License, which I believe is $80. There were rumors that the FCC was going to drop the fee, but nothing ever came of that. I'm licensed but it stings to pay that fee for what amounts to a repeater capable FRS service

 

[12dbsinad]

Since I don't see it mentioned in this thread, transmitting on a GMRS frequency still requires and FCC License, which I believe is $80. There were rumors that the FCC was going to drop the fee, but nothing ever came of that. I'm licensed but it stings to pay that fee for what amounts to a repeater capable FRS service

It's 35 dollars

 

[mmckenna]

And yet this text is on my GMRS license, which was issued in 2020.

View attachment 165272

Both my GMRS license with a 2019 grant date, and my Business Radio License with a 2023 grant date restricts north of Line A. My GMRS restricts east of Line C but, not my Business Radio license.

Yep, mine from 2022 shows it also.

There was an attempt to remove that back a few years ago, but looking farther, it never happened. So, I was wrong.

But those same frequencies are used in the Canadian FRS channel line up, so the old reason of not interfering with Canadian LMR users is no longer valid.

 

[vagrant]

462.675/141.3 is well established. There's a lot of repeaters still on this pair with this tone. No need to recreate the wheel here. It was done decades ago.

Is this in the RR wiki somewhere? It should be as this is the answer. To that point, the longest running GMRS repeater in central California uses that pair/tone.