My Recommended Baseline GMRS Radio Config

Most GMRS handhelds ship with all 22 channels pre-programmed. The frequencies and repeater offsets are correct out of the box, but most factory configs don't set a CTCSS tone, and that's the one thing worth changing.

Why Transmit CTCSS 141.3 Hz By Default

CTCSS (Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System) is a subaudible pilot tone your radio transmits underneath your voice. Repeaters use it as a gate: if a repeater expects a specific tone and you're not sending it, it ignores your transmission entirely.

Many open GMRS repeaters use 141.3 Hz as their access tone. It's become the de facto "travel tone" for GMRS.

My config sets every channel to transmit 141.3 Hz. Three reasons:

First, it doesn't interfere with simplex. Radios that aren't filtering for a specific tone hear you normally regardless of whether you're sending one.

Second, it gets you into repeaters without reprogramming. When you're traveling and want to try a local open repeater, 141.3 is the most common access tone you'll run into. With it already set, you just switch to the repeater channel and key up.

Third, it can help in marginal conditions. A CTCSS tone is a continuous, stable signal riding below your voice. When your signal is weak, that pilot tone gives the receiver one more thing to lock onto. In my experience, transmitting with a CTCSS tone can help hold the audio squelch open more solidly, regardless of the receiving radio not having tone squelch enabled.

One important distinction: I set this as TX tone only (labeled Tone in CHIRP), not tone squelch (TSQL), which only unsquelches the audio when it receives that tone. I'm sending 141.3 on every transmission, but I'm not filtering my receive side. I want to hear everyone on the channel, regardless of what tone they're using.

Channel Numbering

This config uses the modern combined 1–22 channel numbering that every current GMRS radio ships with. Before the FCC consolidated the rules in 2017, FRS and GMRS had completely separate channel numbering: FRS had channels 1–14, GMRS had its own channels 1–8 (with repeater inputs), and the overlap was confusing. If you run into documentation or an older radio using a different scheme, the RadioReference combined channel chart has a good crosswalk.

The Channel Plan

Here's how the GMRS channels break down under the modern numbering.

Channels 1–7: 462 MHz Interstitial (Simplex)

The shared GMRS/FRS simplex channels. Wideband FM, 5 watts.

Per 47 CFR § 95.1767(b), the power limit on these interstitial channels is 5 watts ERP, which is exactly where most HTs top out.

Channels 8–14: 467 MHz Interstitial (Low Power)

These are the 467 MHz interstitial channels. Two things change here: the mode switches to narrowband FM (NFM), and the power drops significantly.

Channels 15–22: 462 MHz Main Channels

The eight 462 MHz main channels. This is where the power headroom opens up.

The 5W here is a handheld limitation. Per 47 CFR § 95.1767(a), mobile, repeater, and base stations can run up to 50 watts on these main channels.

Repeater Pairs (RPTR15–RPTR22)

I program the repeater pairs for channels 15–22 as separate memory slots, named after the simplex channel they correspond to: RPTR15, RPTR16, etc. Some factory configs call these "RPTR1–RPTR8" or "RPTR23–RPTR30", which obscures the relationship to the underlying GMRS channel.

You receive on the 462 MHz frequency (the repeater's output) and transmit with a +5 MHz offset on the corresponding 467 MHz main frequency (the repeater's input).

I set the Skip (S) flag on the repeater channels to skip them when scanning. Since the repeater output frequency is the same as the simplex frequency for that channel (e.g., RPTR20 receives on 462.6750, same as GMRS20), scanning both would just hit the same signal twice. The simplex channels already pick up repeater traffic on the output side.

Adding Local Repeaters

To find repeaters in your area, check RepeaterBook GMRS and myGMRS. Both maintain directories of GMRS repeaters with frequencies, tones, and locations. Not all repeaters will be listed on these sites, but once you get access to one public, community, or club repeater, that's a good venue to inquire on-air with your local GMRS community about unlisted repeaters.

If the repeater you want to use has 141.3 Hz as its access tone — and many open repeaters do — you don't need to program a new channel at all. Your existing RPTR15–RPTR22 channels already have the right offset and tone. Just switch to the one matching the repeater's output frequency. The only reason to add a dedicated channel would be if you want your channel list to double as a directory of specific local repeaters.

For repeaters that use a different CTCSS tone, add them after your main channels. A common naming convention, used on the directories and in on-air conversation, is location followed by the three-digit decimal portion of the output frequency — e.g., "Omaha725" for a repeater outputting on 462.7250. Be sure to set the Skip flag on any additional repeaters you add, since they're redundant with our 1-22 simplex channels for receiving purposes.

Memory Slot Organization

If your radio has a large number of memory channels and lets you key in a channel number directly, it's worth spacing your channel assignments to make channel numbers easier to remember and enter. My layout:

• 1–22: GMRS simplex channels (matching the standard channel numbers)
• 23–30: Repeater pairs for channels 15–22
• 101–111: NOAA Weather Radio frequencies

(Actually, I have a few more ranges that I use for some receive-only non-GMRS frequencies I monitor, but you get the idea.)

The NOAA channels get the S (Skip) flag — otherwise, scanning will always stop on the unending NOAA transmissions. The gap between 30 and 101 leaves room for local repeaters etc. without renumbering anything.

A note on NOAA: most GMRS radios can receive the VHF weather frequencies, but some cannot. Others have built-in NOAA shortcuts (a dedicated weather button or menu) that make these presets redundant. If your radio doesn't accept the NOAA channels or already has its own weather access, just delete those entries from the CSV before importing.

This only works on radios with enough memory slots and the ability to leave gaps between them. Many GMRS HTs have constraints on the first batch of memory slots — often the first 22 or 30 must contain the standard GMRS channels in a specific order. The TIDRADIO TD-H3 GMRS Radio (Amazon), for example, reserves the first 54 slots for GMRS frequencies. Check your radio's documentation (or just try it in CHIRP — you'll find out fast).

Getting This on Your Radio

This config is available as a CHIRP CSV file in two variants: HT baseline (5W, all channels enabled) and mobile baseline (50W on main channels, 467 MHz interstitial channels set to receive-only per § 95.1763(d), which restricts those channels to hand-held units only). If your radio supports CHIRP, you can import either file in seconds with a USB programming cable. Both the TIDRADIO TD-H3 GMRS Radio (Amazon) and the Baofeng UV-5G Mini GMRS Radio (Amazon) have full CHIRP support.

One thing to check after programming: many GMRS radios default to showing the frequency on the display rather than the channel name. If you've gone to the trouble of naming your channels GMRS20 and RPTR15 and Omaha725, you want to actually see those names. Look for a setting called MDF-A and MDF-B, or Channel A Display Type and Channel B Display Type, and set both to "Name." The exact label varies by radio, but it's usually in the radio's radio settings or channel settings menu, or under the Settings tab in CHIRP with a radio image open.

The config is otherwise standard — standard channel plan, standard offsets, standard modes. The only real opinion is 141.3 Hz CTCSS on everything (transmit only; no TSQL). When you find a local repeater that uses a different tone, reprogram that one channel.