What Is GMRS?
The General Mobile Radio Service [GMRS] has been around for years.
The FCC Part 95 rules designate GMRS as "is a land mobile radio service available to persons for short-distance two-way communications to facilitate the activities of licensees and their immediate family members. Each licensee manages a system consisting of one or more stations." GMRS is intended for family-type communications, and can include family business. Some business licensees are grandfathered in and still operate GMRS radios.
GMRS radios are more powerful than FRS radios, but this power comes at a price. While you can communicate over much greater distances - you need to pay $80 to the FCC for a 5-year license. The good thing is that this license covers you and all members of your immediate family.
GMRS radios have the advantage of using repeaters. A repeater is a device that listens on one frequency and immediately re-transmits what it hears on another frequency. These are commonly placed on hilltops or other high areas so that they can cover a large area. A repeater can greatly extend the range of a handheld or mobile radio.
If you want to use a repeater, you may need to pay the owner of the repeater in your area. While many allow the free use of their systems, some will charge for access. If there are no GMRS repeaters in your area, you can always put up your own - but be aware that the cost can be prohibitive.
GMRS and REACT
REACT - the Radio Emergency Associated Communications Teams - is heavily promoting the use of GMRS. For those of you that are not familiar with REACT, they are essentially the ARES of the CB world, providing monitoring of CB channel 9 [the CB emergency channel] and relaying requests to local law enforcement or roadside assistance services. They also provide communications support for certain public events.
They are promoting the use of GMRS radios on the 467.675/462.675 repeater pair with a repeater activation [PL] tone of 141.3 Hz. They encourage their members to get GMRS licenses, radios, and monitor this repeater pair in their local areas as they do CB channel 9.