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Preparedness

Ham radio, GMRS, and Meshtastic

Last reviewed: 10 November 2026

A short overview of amateur radio, GMRS, FRS, and Meshtastic for household emergency communications in the United States, with licensing notes from official sources.

Official alerts — Wireless Emergency Alerts, NOAA Weather Radio, and county sign-up systems — are covered on Communications. This page is a short, information-only look at personal radio options some households use when phones or the internet are congested or down. It is not legal advice, a licensing course, or a substitute for 911 or official instructions. Radio rules and fees change; confirm them on the FCC and, for exam sessions, ARRL before you buy equipment or transmit.

Ham (amateur) radio

Amateur radio, often called ham radio, is the FCC Amateur Radio Service. Licensed operators can use a wide range of frequencies and, depending on license class and equipment, talk across town or much farther. That range is why trained amateurs are often used as a backup when telephone and internet networks fail. It still requires a license, practice, and a plan for power and antennas.

Licensing (United States). You must have an amateur operator license grant from the FCC before you transmit. The FCC examinations page describes three operator classes, from the usual starting point to the most privileges: Technician, General, and Amateur Extra. A team of volunteer examiners (VEs) administers a written exam. Technician is a 35-question exam with a passing score of 26; General adds another 35-question exam (also 26 to pass); Extra adds a 50-question exam (37 to pass). Your authority to operate begins when the license grant appears in the FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS), not when a paper license arrives.

The FCC Wireless fee guide effective 23 May 2025 lists a $35 application fee for a new amateur license and $35 to renew. Volunteer examiner teams may also charge a separate exam-session fee; that amount is set by the team, not as a fixed FCC license fee. ARRL maintains a search for amateur license exam sessions and has a club search.

GMRS

The General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) is an FCC personal radio service for short-distance two-way communications. Licensed families can use handheld or mobile radios, and the service allows repeaters, which can extend range beyond a simple walkie-talkie. That makes GMRS a practical option for staying in touch across a neighborhood or along a short evacuation route when cell networks are busy, if everyone who needs to talk is covered by a license and has practiced with the radios.

Licensing (United States). An individual FCC license is required. There is no exam. The FCC GMRS page says licenses are issued for a ten-year term and may be renewed. You may apply if you are 18 or older and not a representative of a foreign government. If you receive a license, any family member, regardless of age, can operate GMRS stations in that licensed system. The same FCC fee guide effective 23 May 2025 lists a $35 application fee for a new GMRS license and $35 to renew.

FRS, briefly. The Family Radio Service (FRS) is licensed by rule: you do not need an individual license if you use an unmodified, FCC-certified FRS radio and follow the rules. Range is typically short. Some older radios were sold as dual-service FRS/GMRS devices; the FCC explains that a license is still required if the radio exceeds FRS limits. Read the label and the FCC page before you transmit.

Meshtastic mesh networking

Meshtastic is an open-source project that uses LoRa radios to pass short messages, and often position information, among nearby devices that form a mesh. Nodes can relay for each other without a cell network or home internet. That can be useful for low-volume text between household members or a small group when phones do not have service. It is not a replacement for official alerts, 911, or a licensed voice radio plan, and it only works with people who have compatible nodes and matching channel settings.

Licensing (United States). Meshtastic’s documentation says it can be used by unlicensed people and by licensed amateur operators. In North America the project describes a 915 MHz ISM band from 902 to 928 MHz as the usual unlicensed setting. Unlicensed use must stay within the FCC rules that apply to that band.

Sources & further reading