FRS two-way radios are great for keeping track of your kids in the neighborhood, or family and friends on a car trip, ski slope, amusement park or at the mall. If you choose a model with a scan feature, you may also enjoy talking to or meeting other radio users in the area. Many of these radios also allow for operation on teh GMRS channels, for up to 20-mile range.
An important note about the range of these 2-way radios, is that the FCC requires GMRS operators to have a license for operation of the higher power channels. Application information is usually included in the owner’s manuals. Due to FCC requirements, the maximum range of these two-way radios can only be achieved on the GMRS channels (1 through 7, and 15 through 22). No license is required for operation on FRS channels 8 through 14.
Realistically, the range for the amateur user of these radios on the RRS channels is 1-3 miles, depending on terrain. If you live in the city, don’t expect a range on FRS channels of more than several blocks if there are tall building around.
Some of the radios come with privacy codes. Privacy codes add more sub-channels to the basic channels, and you can tune out unwanted chatter by other people. For example, on a 14-channel radio with 38 privacy codes, you effectively get 532 different “channels” to choose from — just set all the radios in your group to channel 11, privacy code 21, for example, and you’re not likely to get any interference from outside users.
Below you’ll find the top 2-way radios in this category.
