GMRS was started up in the 1960s by the FCC who called it the class A citizens radio service. At this time
radios were very expensive for the average consumer and the band was used mostly by businesses and industry. At
that time, tube transceivers abounded. The regulations specified that 60 watts input was permitted on these new
frequencies, with Frequency Modulation wideband, 15 khz spacing, of 50 khz per channel. Just a few years later, the
FCC decided to narrow the spacing to 12.5 khz in order to allow more channels. Some years later in the 1970's,
regulations changed to allow 50 watts output In the 1980's, the FCC decided to discontinue licensing businesses on
this band in order to encourage them to move to newer frequencies. Congestion was getting to be an issue.
FRS was created in 1996 by the FCC as a low-cost, low-power, no licensing required alternative to the pricier
GMRS radios, which were mostly the previously mentioned professional grade radios. They still are the
least expensive route to choose if you need communications within a couple blocks, or, within a half mile or so,
although it is hard now to find a cheap new FRS radio; for example, Icom still makes an FRS only
walkie-talkie. It's very highly rated (Amateurs know that Icom is synonomous with quality) but the little Icom FRS
handie is definitely not inexpensive.
The Future of GMRS...?
There is widespread speculation that the following changes will occur with GMRS in the near
future. In fact there are some proposals at FCC right now. We may possibly have a balance between a
couple of bad things with a couple of good things:
The cool:
The not so cool:
See the 2010 proposal here: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-10-106A1.pdf
There is an ongoing, ranting thread here:
http://forums.radioreference.com/gmrs/184173-proposed-changes-gmrs-comments-link.html
Now note that these proposals were made four years ago... nothing has happened yet... the FCC
may get around to these proposals again, or they may not. So for the time being, status quo.
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