530 Subpart B—Family Radio Service (FRS)

Home , Family Radio, Family Radio Service

§ 95.393 47 CFR Ch. I (10–1–17 Edition)

Act (47 U.S.C. 302a(b)). See also part 2, (3) Warnings concerning the replace- subpart I (§ 2.801 et. seq.) of this chapter ment of any transmitter component for rules governing marketing of radio- (crystal, semiconductor, etc.) that frequency devices. could result in a violation of FCC rules; (a) Revoked or withdrawn certification. and In the event that the FCC revokes or (4) For a transmitter that can only withdraws a grant of equipment certifi- be operated with an FCC license, warn- cation for a type of Personal Radio ings concerning compliance with appli- Service transmitter, the FCC will pro- cable licensing requirements and infor- vide specific instructions and dates for mation concerning license application cessation of manufacturing, importa- procedures. tion and sales of the affected equipment. §§ 95.395–95.499 [Reserved] (b) External radio frequency power am- plifiers. No person shall manufacture, Subpart B—Family Radio Service import, sell or offer for sale any exter- (FRS) nal radio frequency power amplifier that is capable of operation on any fre- § 95.501 Scope. quency below 144 MHz and is intended This subpart contains rules that for use in the Personal Radio Services. apply only to the Family Radio Service See also § 2.815 of this chapter. (FRS). (c) Voice obscuring radios. Effective September 30, 2019, no person shall § 95.503 Definitions, FRS. manufacture, or import, sell or offer Family Radio Service (FRS). A short- for sale any radio that incorporates distance two-way voice communication one or more voice scrambling or other service, with limited data applications, obscuring features where such radio is between low power hand-held radios, intended for use in any of the Personal for facilitating individual, family, Radio Services that provide for voice group, recreational and business activi- (telephony) communications on shared ties. channels (see § 95.359) regardless of FRS unit. A transceiver for use in the whether the Commission has pre- FRS. viously certified that radio. §§ 95.505–95.517 [Reserved] § 95.393 Instructions and warnings. (a) A user’s instruction manual must § 95.519 FRS replacement parts. be supplied with each transmitter that The operator of a FRS unit may re- can be used in a Personal Radio Serv- place the batteries in the FRS unit ice. with batteries of a type specified by (b) The manual described in para- the manufacturer. All other internal graph (a) of this section must contain maintenance and repairs must be car- all information necessary for the prop- ried out in accordance with § 95.319. er installation and operation of the transmitter including: §§ 95.521–95.529 [Reserved] (1) Instructions concerning all con- trols, adjustments and switches that § 95.531 Permissible FRS uses. may be operated or adjusted without FRS units are primarily used for resulting in a violation of FCC rules; short-distance two-way voice commu- (2) Warnings concerning any adjust- nications between individuals. ment that could result in a violation of (a) Digital data. In addition to voice FCC rules or that is recommended to conversations, FRS units may trans- be performed only by or under the im- mit digital data containing location in- mediate supervision and responsibility formation, or requesting location infor- of a person certified as technically mation from one or more other FRS or qualified to perform transmitter main- GMRS units, or containing a brief text tenance and repair duties in the rel- message to another specific GMRS or evant radio service by an organization FRS unit. Digital data transmissions or committee representative of users of must be initiated by a manual action that service; of the operator, except that a FRS unit

530

VerDate Sep<11>2014 10:51 Dec 13, 2017 Jkt 241217 PO 00000 Frm 00540 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\47\47V5.TXT 31 kpayne on DSK54DXVN1OFR with $$_JOB Federal Communications Commission § 95.575

receiving an interrogation request may Center Channel No. frequency automatically respond with its loca- (MHz) tion. See also § 95.587(c). (b) One-way communications. FRS 1 ...... 462.5625 2 ...... 462.5875 units may be used for one-way commu- 3 ...... 462.6125 nications that are emergency mes- 4 ...... 462.6375 sages, traveler assistance communica- 5 ...... 462.6625 6 ...... 462.6875 tions, voice pages or brief equipment 7 ...... 462.7125 tests. 8 ...... 467.5625 (c) GMRS stations. FRS units nor- 9 ...... 467.5875 10 ...... 467.6125 mally communicate with other FRS 11 ...... 467.6375 units, but may also be used to commu- 12 ...... 467.6625 13 ...... 467.6875 nicate with General Mobile Radio Serv- 14 ...... 467.7125 ice (GMRS) stations. 15 ...... 462.5500 16 ...... 462.5750 § 95.533 Prohibited FRS uses. 17 ...... 462.6000 18 ...... 462.6250 FRS units must not be used for one- 19 ...... 462.6500 way communications other than those 20 ...... 462.6750 21 ...... 462.7000 listed in § 95.531(b). Initial trans- 22 ...... 462.7250 missions to establish two-way communications and data transmissions listed § 95.565 FRS frequency accuracy. in § 95.531(a) are not considered to be Each FRS transmitter type must be one-way communications for the pur- designed such that the carrier fre- poses of this section. quencies remain within ±2.5 parts-per- §§ 95.535–95.559 [Reserved] million of the channel center frequencies specified in § 95.563 during nor- § 95.561 FRS transmitter certification. mal operating conditions. (a) Each FRS unit (a transmitter § 95.567 FRS transmit power. that operates or is intended to operate Each FRS transmitter type must be in the FRS) must be certficated for use designed such that the effective radi- in the FRS in accordance with this ated power (ERP) on channels 8 subpart and subpart J of part 2 of this through 14 does not exceed 0.5 Watts chapter. and the ERP on channels 1 through 7 (b) A grant of equipment certifi- and 15 through 22 does not exceed 2.0 cation for the FRS will not be issued Watts. for any FRS transmitter type that fails to comply with all of the applicable § 95.569 [Reserved] rules in this subpart. § 95.571 FRS emission types. (c) A grant of equipment certification will not be issued for hand-held Each FRS transmitter type must be portable radio units capable of oper- designed such that it can transmit only ating under both this subpart (FRS) the following emission types: F3E, G3E, and under any other subparts of this F2D, and G2D. chapter (except part 15) if the applica- § 95.573 FRS authorized bandwidth. tion for such grant is filed on or after Each FRS transmitter type must be December 27, 2017. designed such that the occupied band- § 95.563 FRS channels. width does not exceed 12.5 kHz. The FRS is allotted 22 channels, each § 95.575 FRS modulation limits. having a channel bandwidth of 12.5 Each FRS transmitter type must be kHz. All of the FRS channels are also designed such that the peak frequency allotted to the General Mobile Radio deviation does not exceed 2.5 kHz, and Service (GMRS) on a shared basis. The the highest audio frequency contrib- FRS channel center frequencies are set uting substantially to modulation forth in the following table: must not exceed 3.125 kHz.

531

VerDate Sep<11>2014 10:51 Dec 13, 2017 Jkt 241217 PO 00000 Frm 00541 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\47\47V5.TXT 31 kpayne on DSK54DXVN1OFR with $$_JOB § 95.577 47 CFR Ch. I (10–1–17 Edition)

§ 95.577 FRS tone requirements. (1) The antenna must be a non-re- movable integral part of the FRS In addition to the tones permitted transmitter type. under § 95.377, FRS transmitter types may be designed to transmit brief (2) The gain of the antenna must not tones to indicate the end of a trans- exceed that of a half-wave dipole an- mission. tenna. (3) The antenna must be designed § 95.579 FRS unwanted emissions lim- such that the electric field of the emit- its. ted waves is vertically polarized when Each FRS transmitter type must be the unit is operated in the normal ori- designed to satisfy the applicable un- entation. wanted emissions limits in this para- (c) Digital data transmissions. FRS graph. transmitter types having the capa- (a) Attenuation requirements. The bility to transmit digital data must be power of unwanted emissions must be designed to meet the following require- attenuated below the carrier power ments. output in Watts (P) by at least: (1) FRS units may transmit digital (1) 25 dB (decibels) in the frequency data containing location information, band 6.25 kHz to 12.5 kHz removed from or requesting location information the channel center frequency. from one or more other FRS or GMRS (2) 35 dB in the frequency band 12.5 units, or containing a brief text mes- kHz to 31.25 kHz removed from the sage to another specific FRS or GMRS channel center frequency. unit or units. (3) 43 + 10 log (P) dB in any frequency (2) Digital data transmissions must band removed from the channel center be initiated by a manual action or frequency by more than 31.25 kHz. command of the operator, except that (b) Measurement bandwidths. The FRS units may be designed to auto- power of unwanted emissions in the matically respond with location data frequency bands specified in para- upon receiving an interrogation re- graphs (a)(1) and (2) of this section is quest from another FRS unit or a measured with a reference bandwidth GMRS unit. of 300 Hz. The power of unwanted emis- (3) Digital data transmissions must sions in the frequency range specified not exceed one second in duration. in paragraph (a)(3) is measured with a (4) Digital data transmissions must reference bandwidth of at least 30 kHz. not be sent more frequently than one (c) Measurement conditions. The re- digital data transmission within a thir- quirements in this section apply to ty-second period, except that an FRS each FRS transmitter type both with unit may automatically respond to and without the connection of per- more than one interrogation request mitted attachments, such as an exter- received within a thirty-second period. nal speaker, microphone and/or power (d) Packet mode. FRS transmitter cord. types must not be capable of transmit- §§ 95.581–95.585 [Reserved] ting data in the store-and-forward packet operation mode. § 95.587 FRS additional requirements. (e) Effective September 30, 2019, no Each FRS transmitter type must be person shall manufacture or import designed to meet the following addi- hand-held portable radio equipment ca- tional requirements. pable of operating under this subpart (a) Transmit frequency capability. FRS (FRS) and other licensed or licensed- transmitter types must not be capable by-rule services in this chapter (part 15 of transmitting on any frequency or unlicensed equipment authorizations channel other than those listed in are permitted if consistent with part 15 § 95.563. rules). (b) Antenna. The antenna of each FRS transmitter type must meet the following requirements.

532

VerDate Sep<11>2014 10:51 Dec 13, 2017 Jkt 241217 PO 00000 Frm 00542 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\47\47V5.TXT 31 kpayne on DSK54DXVN1OFR with $$_JOB Federal Communications Commission § 95.731

§ 95.589 [Reserved] (c) To change plug-in modules which were certified as part of the RCRS § 95.591 Sales of FRS combination ra- transmitter. dios prohibited. Effective September 30, 2019, no per- §§ 95.721–95.723 [Reserved] son shall sell or offer for sale hand-held § 95.725 Interference, RCRS. portable radio equipment capable of operating under this subpart (FRS) and RCRS operations must not cause in- under any other licensed or licensed- terference to, and must accept inter- by-rule radio services in this chapter ference from, certain other radio serv- (devices may be authorized under this ice operations, as follows: subpart with part 15 unlicensed equip- (a) RCRS stations must not cause in- ment authorizations). terference to: (1) Authorized radio operations in the §§ 95.593–95.699 [Reserved] 72–76 MHz band, including radio remote control of industrial equipment on the Subpart C—Radio Control Radio same or adjacent channels; or, Service (2) Broadcast television reception on TV Channels 4 or 5. § 95.701 Scope. (b) RCRS operations are not afforded protection from interference caused by This subpart contains rules that the operation of: apply only to the Radio Control Radio (1) Industrial, scientific or medical Service (RCRS). devices (see part 18 of this chapter) operating in the 26–28 MHz band; and, § 95.703 Definitions, RCRS. (2) Fixed and mobile stations in other Model aircraft. A small imitation of services operating on the same or adja- an aircraft, such as an airplane or a cent channels. helicopter. Model surface craft. A small imitation §§ 95.727–95.729 [Reserved] of a boat, car, or other type of vehicle for carrying people or objects, other § 95.731 Permissible RCRS use. than an aircraft. RCRS transmitters may only be used Radio Control Radio Service (RCRS). A to transmit one-way communications non-commercial short-distance radio and only for the purposes set forth in service for wirelessly controlling the this section. (One-way communications operation of devices, including, but not are transmissions which are not in- limited to, model vehicles such as air- tended to establish communications craft and surface craft. with another station.) RCRS transmitter. A transmitter that (a) Control of model crafts and devices. is used or intended to be used in the When an RCRS transmitter is used to RCRS. control a model craft or device, the RCRS channels in specific frequency §§ 95.705–95.717 [Reserved] bands must be used, based on the type of model craft or device being con- § 95.719 RCRS replacement parts. trolled, as follows: The operator of an RCRS transmitter (1) RCRS channels in the 72 MHz fre- may replace parts of an RCRS trans- quency band may be used only to con- mitter as indicated in this section. All trol and operate model aircraft. other internal maintenance and repairs (2) RCRS channels in the 75 MHz fre- must be carried out in accordance with quency band may be used only to con- § 95.319. trol and operate model surface craft. (a) A damaged antenna may be re- (3) RCRS channels in the 26–28 MHz placed by another antenna of the same frequency band may be used to control or a compatible similar type. or operate any kind of device. (b) Batteries in the RCRS trans- (b) Telecommand. Any RCRS channel mitter may be replaced with batteries may be used by the operator to turn on of a type specified by the manufac- and/or off a device at a remote loca- turer. tion.

533

VerDate Sep<11>2014 10:51 Dec 13, 2017 Jkt 241217 PO 00000 Frm 00543 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Q:\47\47V5.TXT 31 kpayne on DSK54DXVN1OFR with $$_JOB