GMRS Frequencies and Channels: The Full Chart, With Power Limits

You bought radios for the lease or the convoy, and now you're staring at a channel number on a small screen. What's actually behind it? Each number is a frequency the FCC assigns, and on GMRS each group of channels comes with its own power limit and its own list of radios allowed to use it. That's why a 50 W truck radio shows low power on some channels and won't transmit at all on others, and why the kids' FRS radios reach less on channels 8 through 14.

Below is the full chart, then what each part means for choosing a channel. The frequencies and power limits come from the FCC's GMRS page and FRS page and from 47 CFR 95.1763 and 95.1767, checked September 22, 2026. The license side (who needs one, what it costs) is on our GMRS license page, and the rest of the service is on the GMRS & FRS hub.

The GMRS frequency chart: all 30 channels

The FCC's GMRS page says there are "30 GMRS channels," and 95.1763 breaks them into "16 main channels and 14 interstitial channels." Twenty-two of them are the same 22 channels FRS radios use: "The FRS is authorized 22 channels in the 462 MHz and 467 MHz range, all of which are shared with General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS)." The channel numbers 1 to 22 come from the FCC's FRS table. The other eight are the repeater inputs, listed in the second table.

The eight GMRS-only channels (repeater inputs). These 467 MHz main channels aren't part of FRS at all.

Sources for both tables: frequencies and FRS power from the FCC FRS page; GMRS channel groups and station rules from 95.1763; GMRS power from 95.1767; bandwidth from the FCC's GMRS channel table, which lists the 462 MHz channels and the 467 MHz main channels at 20 kHz and the 467 MHz interstitials at 12.5 kHz. FRS channels are all 12.5 kHz, per the FRS page. The pairings in the last column match the repeater chart in Midland's GXT67 PRO owner's manual.

Main channels vs interstitial channels

Look at the frequencies and a pattern jumps out. The main channels sit on an even 25 kHz grid: 462.5500, 462.5750, 462.6000 and so on. The interstitial channels sit halfway between them: 462.5625, 462.5875, 462.6125. "Interstitial" just means in the gaps. That matters because the rules give the in-between channels less power and, on the 467 MHz side, a narrower bandwidth and handhelds only.

95.1763 sets who may transmit on each group. In the rule's own words:

Two practical results. First, a repeater can only transmit its output on channels 15 to 22, the 462 MHz main channels, because that's the only group that lists repeater stations. Second, a mobile radio in your truck can't transmit on channels 8 to 14, because that group is for handhelds only. Makers build that in. Midland lists the MXT115P PRO with "22 standard GMRS channels (8-14 receive only)," and BTECH says the GMRS-50V2 transmits on channels 1 to 7 and 15 to 30, with 8 to 14 receive-only.

Power limits by channel group: FRS vs GMRS

Here's where the groups really differ. The FCC's FRS table gives FRS radios 2 W ERP on channels 1 to 7 and 15 to 22, and 0.5 W ERP on 8 to 14. For GMRS, 95.1767 says "The maximum transmitting power depends on which channels are being used and the type of station":

• Main channels (15-22 and the 467 MHz repeater inputs): "The transmitter output power of mobile, repeater and base stations must not exceed 50 Watts," and fixed stations must not exceed 15 W.
• 462 MHz interstitials (1-7): the ERP of "mobile, hand-held portable and base stations... must not exceed 5 Watts."
• 467 MHz interstitials (8-14): the ERP of "hand-held portable units... must not exceed 0.5 Watt."

Notice that two of those limits are ERP and one is transmitter output. ERP, effective radiated power, is defined in 47 CFR 2.1 as "the product of the power supplied to the antenna and its gain relative to a half-wave dipole." In plain terms, the antenna counts toward the ERP limits on the interstitials. On the main channels the 50 W limit is on what the transmitter puts out.

That's why a 50 W truck radio drops to low power on channels 1 to 7. Midland's MXT275 manual says it plainly: "Due to output power regulations channels 1 through 7 cannot be removed from the Low transmit power setting." On handhelds, Midland's GXT67 PRO manual notes that "Channels 8-14 and 34-37 are limited to low power by FCC rules."

One thing the rule doesn't say: it sets no separate power cap for handhelds on the main channels. Part 95 defines a hand-held portable unit as "a physically small mobile station" ( 95.303). You'll hear otherwise on forums, but it isn't in 95.1767. In practice, makers typically rate GMRS handhelds at 5 W: Midland lists 5 W for the GXT67 PRO, and Radioddity lists 0.5 W / 5 W for the GM-30.

The repeater channels and the 5 MHz split

A repeater listens on one channel and talks on another. Part 95's definition in 95.303: a repeater station extends range "by receiving their signals on one channel (the input channel) and simultaneously retransmitting these signals on another channel (the output channel), typically with higher transmitting power from a favorable antenna location."

On GMRS the input is one of the eight 467 MHz main channels and the output is the matching 462 MHz main channel. Line up the two frequency lists in 95.1763 and each 467 MHz main channel sits exactly 5 MHz above a 462 MHz main channel: 467.5500 above 462.5500, 467.5750 above 462.5750, and so on. That 5 MHz gap is the repeater offset. Midland's GXT67 PRO manual prints the pairs in its "GMRS Repeater Frequency Chart":

Makers label these channels differently, which confuses people shopping across brands. Garmin's Rino 750 manual calls them "15R through 22R." Midland's GXT67 PRO manual calls them RP15 to RP22, and the MXT275 manual shows them on screen as 15rP, 16rP and so on after channel 22. Baofeng says its UV-5G "has the 8 repeater pairs programmed in from Channel 23 to 30," and Radioddity lists the GM-30 with "30 default channels (22 CHs for communicating with other FRS/GMRS radios right out of the box and 8 for GMRS repeaters)." Same eight pairs, four naming schemes.

Two rules ride along with the repeater channels. You may only transmit on the 467 MHz inputs through a repeater or for a brief test (95.1763(c)). And handhelds can't send data there: 95.1787(a)(5) says "GMRS units must not be capable of transmitting digital data on the 467 MHz main channels." Garmin's manual puts it in user terms: "Position reporting is not allowed by the FCC on GMRS repeater channels." To actually get into a repeater you also need the right access tone and the owner's okay. That's all in our GMRS repeaters guide.

Is GMRS VHF or UHF?

GMRS is UHF. The FCC's frequency band table in 47 CFR 2.101 defines UHF as 300 to 3,000 MHz and VHF as 30 to 300 MHz. Every GMRS channel is at 462 or 467 MHz, well inside UHF, and the FCC's GMRS page describes the service as using "channels around 462 MHz and 467 MHz." FRS uses the same UHF channels, which is why the two services can talk to each other.

What GMRS radios can't talk to is anything outside those channels. The Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS), for example, "operates on five VHF channels," per the FCC's consumer guide, so a MURS radio and a GMRS radio won't hear each other. CB is its own service on its own channels too; if your convoy mixes CB and GMRS, see GMRS vs CB radio.

Wide vs narrow bandwidth, and why it matters

The FCC's GMRS channel table lists an authorized bandwidth for each channel: 20 kHz on the 462 MHz channels and the 467 MHz main channels, 12.5 kHz on the 467 MHz interstitials. FRS channels are all 12.5 kHz. Many GMRS radios let you switch between wide and narrow, and the setting matters more than people think.

Midland's GXT67 PRO manual explains the trade-off well. Narrowband "is the best setting for operating with FRS-only radios." Wideband "may improve voice quality and is the setting used by most repeaters." And "For best results, make sure transmitting and receiving radios both use the same bandwidth setting." If your GMRS radio sounds quiet or garbled to the kids' FRS radios, or a repeater owner says you sound weak, check the bandwidth before blaming the radio.

Why your radio says 50 channels (or 150)

The FCC allots 30 GMRS channels. So why does the box on a Midland GXT1000VP4 say 50 channels, and why does Cobra list the TrailBlazer 450 with "over 150+ channels"? Because makers count memory slots, not frequencies. Midland describes the GXT1000's 50 as "22 GMRS + 28 Midland preset privacy-code channels." The frequency chart in the GXT67 PRO manual shows what those presets are: its channel 23 is 462.5625 MHz, the same frequency as channel 1, with a privacy code already set. No radio gives you a 31st GMRS frequency. The extra "channels" are shortcuts to channel-and-code combinations, or spaces for repeater settings you program yourself.

That's handy, as long as everyone in your group uses the same brand and model. If the lease has three brands of radio, set everyone to a plain channel number from 1 to 22 and a matching privacy code instead of a preset. Our privacy codes guide explains how codes are numbered and why they don't make a channel private.

Which GMRS channel should you use?

There's no reserved channel, including for emergencies. The FCC's GMRS page: "None of the GMRS channels are assigned for the exclusive use of any system. Licensees must cooperate in the selection and use of the channels under a 'listen-before-talk' etiquette." And there is no official GMRS emergency channel. The rule that covers emergencies, 95.1731(a), says "Any GMRS channel may be used for emergency communications or for traveler assistance," and that operators "must, at all times and on all channels, give priority to emergency communications." Plan your own emergency channel with your family, and remember a radio is no substitute for 911 when a phone works. The family emergency communication plan covers how.

Beyond that, the chart tells you what to pick:

• Mixed FRS and GMRS group (kids on FRS, adults on GMRS): pick a channel from 15 to 22. The FRS radios run their full 2 W, and GMRS radios aren't held back. Avoid 8 to 14, where everyone is at 0.5 W.
• Trucks and a base radio at camp: channels 15 to 22 again. Mobiles run low on 1 to 7 and can't transmit on 8 to 14.
• A repeater covers your area: use its repeater channel, with the tones the owner gives you.
• Always: listen first. If a channel is busy, move. A privacy code only filters what you hear. Garmin's manual says it well: "Squelch codes do not make your conversation private. Anyone on the same channel can hear your conversation."

For a general channel plan for any walkie-talkie, see our walkie-talkie channels guide. For how a hunting camp splits channels and keeps chatter down, see hunting radio channels and etiquette. If you still aren't sure whether your group needs GMRS at all, GMRS vs FRS lays out the choice.

Radios that use all 30 channels

If you've read this far, you probably want radios that can use the whole chart: the repeater pairs, wide and narrow bandwidth, and full power on the main channels. Both picks below are repeater-capable GMRS radios, one handheld and one mobile/base, and both need a GMRS license to transmit.

More choices are in best GMRS handheld radios and best GMRS mobile radios.