On a roof tear-off, the person on the ridge and the person at the dumpster need to talk without shouting. GMRS radios are a simple, licensed way to do that, and a single license covers your immediate family.
GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) is a set of UHF channels the FCC licenses for personal and family use. Handheld radios usually run up to 5 watts, and mobile units installed in a truck can run much more. Compared with bubble-pack FRS radios, GMRS gives you more power and the option to use repeaters.
Box claims of 30 or 35 miles are best-case. On a job site, handhelds easily cover the roof, yard and street. Truck-to-truck, a mobile radio with an outside antenna can often reach across Waterloo or out to Cedar Falls on flat terrain, but buildings, trees and the river valley cut that down. If a local GMRS repeater is available and its owner allows use, coverage can stretch much farther.
An FCC GMRS license costs a modest fee, lasts ten years, and requires no test. It covers you and your immediate family members. It does not cover unrelated employees, so a business crew should look at business-band radios or have each operator get their own license. Always follow current FCC rules.
Look for radios that are water resistant, have belt clips that hold on a ladder, and batteries that last a full day. A truck-mounted mobile unit with a Bluetooth mic is handy for the crew lead. See the radios we recommend in our shop.
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