The GMRS catalog
GMRS Radios
GMRS puts your whole family on the air with one no-exam licence, but unlike ham radio the set itself has to be FCC certified. We looked up the grant for every radio here, and they do not all have one.
Before you buy
Two Things GMRS Requires
A licence for you. $35, ten years, no exam, and it covers your whole immediate family. One application per household. See the licence guide.
A certification for the radio. This is the part people miss. Amateur radio licenses the operator and lets you build your own transmitter; GMRS requires the equipment itself to hold an FCC grant. A radio without one is not legal to use on GMRS however well it works.
10 tracked
Handheld GMRS Radios
Five-watt walkie-talkies on a licence the whole household shares. This is where most people start, and where the antenna is the upgrade that matters.
11 tracked
Mobile GMRS Radios
Dash-mounted radios running 5 to 50 watts off the vehicle. The power helps, but the roof-mounted antenna helps more.
The 50-watt tier, which is the legal maximum on channels 15 to 22: Midland MXT575 MicroMobile, Midland MXT500 MicroMobile, Wouxun KG-1000G.
Looking for a pick, not a catalog?
Our GMRS Buying Guides
This page is the full catalog with the certification data attached. If you want a shortlist with reasoning instead, read best GMRS radios for handhelds or best GMRS mobile radios for vehicle sets.
Checked against the register
Part 95E Certification, Per Radio
Every grant below was looked up in the FCC equipment authorization database. Note what the rule parts mean: Part 95E is the current GMRS subpart, Part 95A is the former one and remains valid for equipment already granted under it, and Part 15B or 15C covers the digital electronics and authorises nothing about GMRS operation.
One radio here does not have a GMRS grant we could find. We list them anyway, because pretending a best seller does not exist is less useful than telling you what we found.
| Radio | FCC ID | Authorises GMRS | Granted | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baofeng UV-5G Plus | 2AJGM-5GPLUS | Part 95E | 2024-08 | 5 W |
| Baofeng UV-5G Mini | 2AJGM-5GMINI | Part 95E | 2026-03 | 5 W |
| Baofeng GM-15 Pro | 2AJGM-GM15PRO | Part 95E | 2022-02 | 5 W |
| Radioddity GM-30 | 2AN62-GM30 | Part 95E | 2021-04 | 5 W |
| Baofeng UV-9G | 2AJGM-UV9G | Part 95E | 2022-09 | 5 W |
| Retevis HA1G | 2A3OO-HA1G | Part 95E | 2023-06 | 5 W |
| Midland GXT1000VP4 | — | None found | — | — |
| Radioddity X1 Pro | 2AN62-X1PRO | Part 95E | 2026-06 | 7 W |
| Radioddity DB20-G | 2AN62-DB20G | Part 95E | 2021-04 | 20 W |
| Midland MXT105 MicroMobile | MMAMXT105 | Part 95A | 2016-06 | 5 W |
| Retevis RA86 | 2A3OO-RA86 | Part 95E | 2022-12 | 20 W |
| Radioddity DB35-G | 2AN62-DB35G | Part 95E | 2026-03 | 35 W |
| Radioddity DB40-G | 2AN62-DB40G | Part 95E | 2024-02 | 40 W |
| Rocky Talkie 5 Watt GMRS Radio | 2ATSN-RT5WV1 | Part 95E | 2023-06 | 5 W |
| Midland MXT275 MicroMobile | MMAMXT275 | Part 95E | 2026-04 | 15 W |
| Midland MXT115 MicroMobile | MMAMXT115 | Part 95E | 2021-06 | 15 W |
| Midland MXT115P PRO MicroMobile | MMAMXT115P | Part 95E | 2026-06 | 15 W |
| Midland GXT67 PRO | MMAGXT67 | Part 95E | 2023-10 | 5 W |
| Midland MXT575 MicroMobile | MMAMXT575 | Part 95E | 2021-04 | 50 W |
| Midland MXT500 MicroMobile | MMAMXT500 | Part 95E | 2021-05 | 50 W |
| Wouxun KG-1000G | WVTWOUXUN20 | Part 95E | 2020-11 | 50 W |
Check any FCC ID yourself with our FCC lookup tool. A dash under Power means the figure is not published in a source we trust, not that the radio has none.
47 CFR 95.1767
The Power Limit Is Per Channel
Almost nobody mentions this, and it changes how you use the radio you buy. The FCC caps power by channel, not by radio, so a 5-watt handheld legally transmits at a tenth of a watt on seven of its 22 channels. If your family is on channel 11 and wondering why the range is poor, that is why.
| Channels | GMRS limit | FRS limit | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 7 | 5 W ERP | 2 W ERP | Shared with FRS. Fine for short range. |
| 8 to 14 | 0.5 W ERP | 0.5 W ERP | Capped by rule at half a watt, whatever you paid. |
| 15 to 22 | 50 W ERP | 2 W ERP | The main GMRS channels, and where the range is. |
| Repeater inputs (467 MHz) | 50 W ERP | Not permitted | Repeater access, which is how you exceed handheld range. |
The full channel list with repeater pairs is in our GMRS frequency chart, and the antennas that fit these radios are on the GMRS antenna page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a licence for GMRS?
Yes, and it is the easiest licence in radio. There is no exam. It costs $35, lasts 10 years, and covers your entire immediate family on one licence, so a household buys one and everybody transmits legally. Our GMRS licence guide walks through the FCC application.
Does the radio itself have to be certified?
Yes, and this is what separates GMRS from amateur radio. Amateur gear needs no equipment authorization because Part 97 licenses the operator, not the rig. GMRS is the opposite: the radio must hold an FCC grant naming a GMRS rule part. That is why we publish the grant for every radio on this page, and why one of the best sellers on Amazon is a problem.
Is a 50-watt GMRS radio five times better than a 5-watt one?
No, and the gap is smaller than the numbers suggest. Power fills in a path you can nearly make already; it does not extend your horizon, which is set by antenna height. A 50-watt mobile with its antenna on a car roof has the same geometric horizon as a handheld held at the same height. Getting the antenna higher is the upgrade that changes the answer. The GMRS range guide does the arithmetic.
What is the difference between GMRS and FRS?
Same 22 channels, different rules and different hardware. FRS needs no licence but is limited to 2 watts on channels 1 to 7 and 15 to 22, with a fixed antenna. GMRS needs the $35 licence and allows up to 50 watts on channels 15 to 22, detachable antennas, and repeater use. The bubble-pack radios sold as "up to 36 miles" are usually FRS/GMRS hybrids.
Why don't these radios have scores?
Because the specs that separate them are not the specs that matter. Almost every GMRS handheld is a 5-watt radio on the same 22 channels, so a score built on features would manufacture differences that do not exist. What actually varies is certification, power class, build quality and whether it can reach a repeater, and those are better read directly than compressed into a number. Our handhelds, mobiles and HF radios are scored, because there the specs genuinely differ.