FCC Rules and Regulations - Family Radio Service
APPENDIX B
Part 95 of Chapter I of Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations is amended as follows:
Part 95-Personal Radio Services
1. The authority citation for Part 95 continues to read as follows:
AUTHORITY: Secs. 4, 303, 48 Stat. 1066, 1082, as amended; 47 U.S.C. 154, 303.
2. Subpart B, Sections 95.191-95.194, is added to Part 95 to read as follows:
Subpart B - Family Radio Service (FRS)
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sec.
95.191 (FRS Rule 1) Eligibility and responsibility.
95.192 (FRS Rule 2) Authorized locations.
95.193 (FRS Rule 3) Types of communications.
95.194 (FRS Rule 4) FRS units.
Subpart B-Family Radio Service (FRS)
GENERAL PROVISIONS
95.191 (FRS Rule 1) Eligibility and responsibility.
(a) Unless you are a representative of a foreign government, you are authorized by this rule
to operate an FCC certified FRS unit in accordance with the rules in this subpart. No license
will be issued.
(b) You are responsible for all communications that you make with the FRS unit. You must
share each channel with other users. No channel is available for the private or exclusive use
of any user.
95.192 (FRS Rule 2) Authorized locations.
(a) Provided that you comply with these rules, you are authorized to operate an FRS
unit:
(1) Within or over any area of the world where radio services are regulated by the
FCC; (this area includes the fifty United States and the District of Columbia, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands (50 islets and cays),
American Samoa (seven islands), the Commonwealth of Northern Marianna Islands, and
Guam Island) or
(2) Within or over any other area of the world, except within or over the territorial
limits of areas where radio services are regulated by an agency of the United States other than
the FCC or any foreign government (you are subject to its rules); or
(3) Aboard any vessel or aircraft registered in the United States, with the permission
of the captain, that is within or over any area of the world where radio services are regulated
by the FCC or upon or over international waters; or
(4) Aboard any unregistered vessel or aircraft owned or operated by a United States
citizen or company that is within or over any area of the world where radio services are
regulated by the FCC or upon or over international waters.
(5) You must operate the FRS unit only according to any applicable treaty to which
the United States is a party. The FCC will make public notice of any such conditions.
(b) Your use of an FRS unit must not cause harmful interference to a FCC
monitoring facility. Doing so could result in imposition of restrictions upon the operation of
the FRS unit within 0.8 km (0.5 mile) of the facility by its Engineer-in-Charge.
(Geographical coordinates of the facilities that require protection are listed in 0.121(c) of
this chapter.)
(c) The FCC may impose additional restrictions on a FRS station if the station is
located at a point within the National Radio Quiet Zone (an area within the States of
Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia). The Zone is the area bounded by:
(1) 39o 15' N. on the North;
(2) 78o 30' W. on the East;
(3) 37o 30' N. on the South; and
(4) 80o 30' W. on the West.
95.193 (FRS Rule 3) Types of communications.
(a) You may use an FRS unit to conduct two-way voice communications with another
person. You may use the FRS unit to transmit one-way communications only to establish
communications with another person, send an emergency message, provide traveler assistance,
make a voice page, or to conduct a brief test.
(b) The FRS unit may transmit tones to make contact or to continue communications
with a particular FRS unit. If the tone is audible (more than 300 Hertz), it must last no
longer than 15 seconds at one time. If the tone is subaudible (300 Hertz or less), it may be
transmitted continuously only while you are talking.
(c) You must not use an FRS unit in connection with any activity which is against
federal, state or local law.
(d) You must, at all times and on all channels, give priority to emergency
communication messages concerning the immediate safety of life or the immediate protection
of property.
(e) No FRS unit may be interconnected to the public switched network.
95.194 (FRS Rule 4) FRS units.
(a) You may only use an FCC certified FRS unit. (You can identify an FCC certified
FRS unit by the label placed on it by the manufacturer.)
(b) You must not make, or have made, any internal modification to an FRS unit.
Any internal modification cancels the FCC certification and voids your authority to operate
the unit in the FRS.
(c) You may not attach any antenna, power amplifier, or other apparatus to an FRS
unit that has not been FCC certified as part of that FRS unit. There are no exceptions to this
rule and attaching any such apparatus to a FRS unit cancels the FCC certification and voids
everyone's authority to operate the unit in the FRS.
3. Section 95.401 is revised to read as follows:
95.401 (CB Rule 1) What are the Citizens Band Radio Services?
The Citizens Band Radio Services are:
(a) The Citizens Band (CB) Radio Service-a private, two-way, short-distance voice
communications service for personal or business activities of the general public. The CB
Radio Service may also be used for voice paging.
(b) The Family Radio Service (FRS)-a private, two-way, very short-distance voice
communications service for facilitating family and group activities. The rules for this service
are contained in Subpart B of this part.
4. Section 95.601 is revised to read as follows:
95.601 Basis and purpose.
These rules provide the technical standards to which each transmitter (apparatus that
converts electrical energy received from a source into RF (radio frequency) energy capable of
being radiated) used or intended to be used in a station authorized in any of the Personal
Radio Services must comply. They also provide requirements for obtaining type acceptance
of such transmitters. The Personal Radio Services are the GMRS (General Mobile Radio
Service), the Family Radio Service (FRS), the R/C (Radio Control Radio Service), and the
CB (Citizens Band Radio Service). For operating rules, see Part 95, subpart A-GMRS;
subpart B-FRS; subpart C-R/C; and subpart D-CB.
5. Section 95.603 is amended by revising the heading and adding paragraph (d) to read as
follows:
95.603 Type acceptance or certification required.
* * * * *
(d) Each FRS unit (a transmitter that operates or is intended to operate in the FRS) must be
certified for use in the FRS in accordance with Subpart J of Part 2 of this chapter.
6. Section 95.605 is revised to read as follows:
95.605 Type acceptance and certification procedures.
Any entity must request type acceptance for its transmitter when the transmitter is used in
the GMRS, R/C or CB Radio Service, or IVDS following the procedures in Part 2 of this
chapter. Any entity must request certification for its transmitter when the transmitter is used
in the FRS following the procedures in Subpart J of Part 2 of this chapter.
7. Sections 95.627 through 95.669 are redesignated as 95.629 through 95.671 and a new
Section 95.627 is added to read as follows:
95.627 FRS unit channel frequencies.
(a) The FRS unit channel frequencies are:
Channel No. (MHz)
1................... 462.5625
2................... 462.5875
3................... 462.6125
4................... 462.6375
5................... 462.6625
6................... 462.6875
7................... 462.7125
8................... 467.5625
9................... 467.5875
10.................. 467.6125
11.................. 467.6375
12.................. 467.6625
13.................. 467.6875
14.................. 467.7125
(b) Each FRS unit must be maintained within a frequency tolerance of 0.00025%.
8. Section 95.629 is amended by revising paragraph (b), redesignating paragraphs (d) and (e)
as paragraphs (e) and (f) respectively, and adding a new paragraph (d) to read as follows:
95.629 Emission types.
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(b) An R/C transmitter may transmit any appropriate non-voice emission which meets the
emission limitations of 95.633.
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(d) An FRS unit may transmit only emission type F3E. A non-voice emission is limited to
selective calling or tone-operated squelch tones to establish or continue voice
communications.
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9. Section 95.631 is amended by adding a new paragraph (c) to read as follows:
95.631 Emission bandwidth.
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(c) The authorized bandwidth for emission type F3E transmitted by a FRS unit is 12.5 kHz.
10. Section 95.633 is amended by revising paragraph (b) to read as follows:
95.633 Unwanted radiation.
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(b) The power of each unwanted emission shall be less than TP as specified in the
applicable paragraph:
Transmitter Emission type Applicable paragraphs
GMRS .......A1D, A3E, F1D, G1D, F3E, G3E with filtering........(1), (3), (7)
A1D, A3E, F1D, G1D, F3E, G3E without filtering........ (5), (6), (7)
H1D, J1D, R1D, H3E, J3E, R3E........................................ (2), (4), (7)
FRS........ F3E with filtering.................................(1), (3), (7)
NOTE: Filtering refers to the requirement in 95.635(b)
R/C:
27 MHz band As specified in 95.629(b)......................... (1), (3), (7)
72-76 MHz band As specified in 95.629(b)...................... (1), (3), (7),
(10), (11),
(12)
CB......... A1D, A3E.................................................................... (1), (3), (8), (9)
H1D, J1D, R1D, H3E, J3E, R3E.................................... (2), (4), (8), (9)
A1D, A3E type accepted ............................................ (1), (3), (7)
before September 10, 1976
H1D, J1D, R1D, H3E, J3E, R3E type .......................... (2), (4), (7)
accepted before September 10, 1986
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11. Section 95.635 is amended by revising paragraph (a) to read as follows:
95.635 Modulation standards.
(a) A GMRS transmitter that transmits emission types F1D, G1D, or G3E must not exceed
a peak frequency deviation of plus or minus 5 kHz. A GMRS transmitter that transmits
emission type F3E must not exceed a peak frequency deviation of plus or minus 5 kHz. A
FRS unit that transmits emission type F3E must not exceed a peak frequency deviation of
plus or minus 2.5 kHz, and the audio frequency response must not exceed 3.125 kHz .
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12. Section 95.637 is amended by adding a new paragraph (d) to read as follows:
95.637 Maximum transmitter power.
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(d) No FRS unit, under any condition of modulation, shall exceed 0.500 W effective
radiated power (ERP).
13. Section 95.645 is revised to read as follows:
95.645 FRS unit and R/C transmitter antennas.
The antenna of each FRS unit, and the antenna of each R/C station transmitting in the 72-76
MHz band, must be an integral part of the transmitter. The antenna must have no gain (as
compared to a half-wave dipole) and must be vertically polarized.
14. Section 95.647 is revised to read as follows:
95.647 Power capability.
No CB or R/C station transmitter or FRS unit shall incorporate provisions for increasing its
transmitter power to any level in excess of the limit specified in 95.637.
15. Section 95.649 is revised to read as follows:
95.649 Crystal control required.
All transmitters used in the Personal Radio Services must be crystal controlled, except an
R/C station that transmits in the 26-27 MHz frequency band, and a FRS unit.
16. Appendix 1 to Subpart E is revised by adding the definition for "FRS", in alphabetical
order, to read as follows:
APPENDIX 1 TO SUBPART E-GLOSSARY OF TERMS
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FRS. Family Radio Service.
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