“Suggested” Channel Usage…

[NCJeb]

So…here’s a question I’ve considered posing to those gathered around the virtual mahogany table here for sometime: what are the thoughts of “suggested” (note the quotes) channel usages for specific channel/tone combinations?

 

I say this because of one thing I found early in my foray into GMRS this past summer, that Channel 20, CTCSS 141.3, is THE “Travelers Assistance” channel (per a couple of websites)…and then a cross-country road trip revealed nothing of the sort appears true, and in fact basically NO “suggested” channel usages from various websites seem to be followed in any real capacity.

 

To clarify further, I’m aware of 141.3 being considered the “travel tone,” and I’ve seen at least one reference on this forum to channel 19 being the “travel channel,” (a reference to the *required* usage of CB ch. 19 for effectively that purpose in that service’s regulations). I am also very aware that channel 1 does make an excellent defacto SOS channel since its the default, and therefore most likely used channel in a lot of areas.

 

I guess all this to say, what does everyone think of these suggested usages, for 19, 20, 1, or any other channel, or purpose? Is there a single channel that would be the best to monitor while traveling, to best help with the regulations encouragement for GMRS to be used for “travelers assistance,” or is it simply best to scan if you’re not traveling with a group? I’ve already resorted to the latter, but…what say ye all? Is there a single best SOS channel if you actually need to do a real mayday call?

 

Oh, and fwiw, I’m not suggesting this for a “make random contacts” type of purpose, rather, it does seem quite important to have the ability to hear and request travel information, and especially hear and make mayday calls. Scanning seems the best way to hear of course but…what about when calling out?

[amaff]

Kinda reminds me of this.

[NCJeb]

3 minutes ago, amaff said:

Kinda reminds me of this.

EXACTLY!!! That’s how it felt delving into this topic initially!

[SteveShannon]

@NCJeb, I like the idea of designating channels for different purposes. However, with only 30 unique frequencies there aren’t enough to go around as it is in some areas. Reserving a few of them would have a significant impact and just exacerbate congestion for the other channels.
There are some informal designations, such as ch 16 for 4x4 travel, that caught on due to word of mouth and mathematics.  There’s also a slight pressure to make channel 19 a universal travel channel due to the historical precedent in CB. 
Any designations are unlikely to be official and I think that’s for the best. I am supportive of unofficially designated channels within the GMRS community. I don’t think there’s enough communication within the community to identify any sort of consensus though. It would require the support of influencers like Randy of Notarubicon fame (@OffRoaderX on this forum)

[NCJeb]

8 hours ago, SteveShannon said:

with only 30 unique frequencies there aren’t enough to go around as it is in some areas. Reserving a few of them would have a significant impact and just exacerbate congestion for the other channels.

There are some informal designations, such as ch 16 for 4x4 travel, that caught on due to word of mouth and mathematics.  There’s also a slight pressure to make channel 19 a universal travel channel due to the historical precedent in CB. 

Excellent points @SteveShannon--I honestly agree, while not all of us have the channel congestion problem, some parts of the country sure do, and reserving specific use official (read: in the regulations, like 19 in CB) for a channel or channels is a good way to make that problem worse. I will admit, I was completely unaware of the 16 common use, in all my googling on this (many many hours over months of time actually), that was one I never came across. Makes sense though, and as you said very well, unofficial designations are definitely welcome!

 

To mention a use case around here, in places like Ocoee Gorge in Tennessee, or US 64 between Hayesville and Franklin NC (where it crosses the Appalachian Trail), there is little to no cell service, and (believe me, I've tried) no repeater coverage neither. When traveling those stretches of road now, as a courtesy I typically will run my mobile on scan if not traveling with a group, just on the off chance I *do* hear a mayday call or someone lost. That really does seem to be the best solution in my mind, is just listen on *everything* if one doesn't need to work a specific channel in those more wilderness areas, where there is no common channel or cellular coverage. Will I probably ever hear a real SOS? Probably not...but if I've got the gear, might as well try and put it to use in case someone needs help...

[amaff]

22 minutes ago, NCJeb said:

When traveling those stretches of road now, as a courtesy I typically will run my mobile on scan if not traveling with a group, just on the off chance I *do* hear a mayday call or someone lost. That really does seem to be the best solution in my mind, is just listen on *everything* if one doesn't need to work a specific channel in those more wilderness areas, where there is no common channel or cellular coverage. Will I probably ever hear a real SOS? Probably not...but if I've got the gear, might as well try and put it to use in case someone needs help...

That's pretty much what I have my radio doing when I'm out on the road by myself.

[nokones]

Don't forget that there is a designated channel for off-roading for both CB Radio and GMRS, which is Ch. 16 (4X4).

Back in the prehistoric days of GMRS, also was known as Class A Citizen Band Radio, the 462.675 MHz channel pair was regulated by rule for emergency use only, as a condition of the license.  Most of the REACT Associations used the 462.675 MHz channel pair for repeater operations for relaying highway emergency traffic amongst their monitor stations. The REACTs adopted the PL Tone of 141.3 as a common tone and this tone freq became the Travel Tone later on.

This was also before FRS was allocated and regulated for non-license use.  The FRS interstitial channel allocations were a product of the FCC frequency refarming effort in the early to mid 90s . In the mid 90s, Radio Shack petition the FCC for spectrum for the FRS.  The FCC allocated a total of 14 462/467 MHz channels that are known as the Interstitial channels for FRS use as individual channels. The channel designations of 1-22 did not exist prior to FRS.

Sometime around the late 90s, the FCC deregulated the 462.675 MHz channel pair use for emergencies.  Sometime after the channel was deregulated, there was an effort by a couple of REACTs and Radio Clubs to continue the use of the channel and they called it a "Travelers Assistance" channel, but that effort never held traction by the new generation of radio licensees.

After the advent of FRS and the fact that the FRS radio manufacturers were marketing the low-powered FRS radios with GMRS 462 MHz Main channels, the 1-22 channel numbering took on what it is today for a channel naming convention, thus the 462.675 MHz channel became channel 20.

The reason of some of the confusing with what is the real "Travel Channel", the newer generation of GMRS licensees are familiar with the CB Ch. 19 as the Truckers' channel being nationwide except for California, and with US 101 and Interstate 5 in Oregon and Washington State, were not aware of the history of GMRS and the 462.675 MHz channel pair use restriction. The older GMRS licensees are familiar with the history and prefer to keep the traditional use of Ch. 20 as the designated "Travel Channel".

It appears that this subject will be debated for eons until an official regulatory entity formaly lays down the official rule of the land, and put it in writing. Will that be the FCC or the Queen?

Since, I started with GMRS and originally held, license "KAG0097" with the 462.675 Meg restriction, I prefer to keep it traditional, for Ch. 20, being the official "Travel Channel".  Most people are willing to keep the Travel Tone as 141.3 Hz, they also should be willing to keep the Travel Channel as ch. 20.

 

 

[NCJeb]

@nokones Thank you so much for the history lesson on that! Definitely learned a few things about the roots of this service, and where the remnant suggested usages came from!

 

Up north of me in Knoxville, there's actually a very wide ranging repeater that is on Ch. 20, with the PL of 141.3, which as a result gets a lot of use and traffic, since it's literally a "Travel Channel Repeater."

[GreggInFL]

7 hours ago, NCJeb said:

Up north of me in Knoxville, there's actually a very wide ranging repeater that is on Ch. 20, with the PL of 141.3, which as a result gets a lot of use and traffic, since it's literally a "Travel Channel Repeater."

There's your answer. 20/141.3 is considered an assist channel; 19 is often considered the highway channel -- because Randy said so.  And I'm fine with that.

[amaff]

I don't understand why an assistance / emergency / travel / talk to everyone channel should have a tone set at all

[OffRoaderX]

1 hour ago, amaff said:

I don't understand why an assistance / emergency / travel / talk to everyone channel should have a tone set at all

It shouldn't.  Doing so increases complexity and the risk that someone may not hear someone calling for help.

[amaff]

Exactly my point. It seems like a terrible idea, and yet it keeps showing up.

[NCJeb]

22 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said:

It shouldn't.  Doing so increases complexity and the risk that someone may not hear someone calling for help.

I’ve been trying to figure that out myself…doesn’t make sense to shut out other traffic on an assistance channel…

[kirk5056]

17 hours ago, amaff said:

I don't understand why an assistance / emergency / travel / talk to everyone channel should have a tone set at all

IMHO a hailing (call/standby/etc) channel should have a PL filter because I really dont want constant noise on my standby channel.  

If we are talking about  a "talk to everyone" channel then I agree, leave it un-filtered.

  I would like to have a channel, similar to Marine Ch 16 or the aviation guard channels, that one can stand by on waiting to be called then move to a chat channel to the long boring conversations about nothing.

BTW un-filtered channel for chat would still allow the hailing channel to be heard IF they share the same freq.

 

[tweiss3]

The "travelers tone" was something suggested in a magazine many years ago and never completely caught on. IRC, it was back when your GMRS license had to pick 2 frequencies, and you would choose one, and put the "traveler" as your second. You still occasionally find the 141.3 tone used for repeaters, and that tone is generally (not always) considered an open invitation when you come across it, such as the Gatlinburg repeater.

As for "band plan", pick what works for your family around your intended operation area and move on. If you show up to an event, and they publish a frequency/channel/tone, use that, but in general, since it's all shared spectrum, operate as normal and if you find overwhelming interference, then move channels.

I know some states have tried to make a standard known for "when lost call" frequency and tone choice, but it's based on FRS, and there isn't a massive monitoring network like the coast guard has to cover the entire coastline, so the chances of being in reach of someone else that will recognize the call and are in a position to "help" is very slim. You are better off using 911 text over satellite (now offered on almost any phone produced in the last 18 months), or having other alternative means (Garmin Inreach).

To sum it up, use GMRS as best you can (and can train the family members), but don't depend on others infrastructure.

[HHD1]

On 12/1/2025 at 10:09 PM, NCJeb said:

Is there a single best SOS channel if you actually need to do a real mayday call?

https://www.buytwowayradios.com/downloads/dl/file/id/1395/product/5269/prepper_and_survivalist_frequency_list_333_plan.pdf

[gortex2]

On 12/2/2025 at 10:15 AM, nokones said:

Don't forget that there is a designated channel for off-roading for both CB Radio and GMRS, which is Ch. 16 (4X4).

I hear this alot but on the east coast ch 4 is what many of the clubs use. As we have said in the past there is no real designators for anything. For years our REACT team monitored the 462.675/141.3 but when SAR took over the channel they changed the PL mostly due to equipment issues on the old MICOR repeater and when SAR replaced it with a MITREK based repeater the only PL reads we had for the base was 131.8. Its still on the air but doens't get used nearly enough. 

I am a strong supporter of use what you want. When the FCC merged the FRS/GMRS stuff it became a non useable band in my eyes so any "emergency" channel or such went out the window. But thats just my opinion.

[nokones]

2 hours ago, gortex2 said:

I hear this alot but on the east coast ch 4 is what many of the clubs use. As we have said in the past there is no real designators for anything. For years our REACT team monitored the 462.675/141.3 but when SAR took over the channel they changed the PL mostly due to equipment issues on the old MICOR repeater and when SAR replaced it with a MITREK based repeater the only PL reads we had for the base was 131.8. Its still on the air but doens't get used nearly enough. 

I am a strong supporter of use what you want. When the FCC merged the FRS/GMRS stuff it became a non useable band in my eyes so any "emergency" channel or such went out the window. But thats just my opinion.

Oh yah, Vibrasponders and Vibrasenders. I remember carrying a bunch of channel elements and reeds, along with the colored buttons for the control head, when I traveled from one area to other areas and quickly changing them out, because my mobile micor was limited on channel capacity.

[gortex2]

Those were the good days of GMRS as it wa pretty private of a system for family comms. Rarely did anyone ever end up on your channel. My father would run the PL monitor sysitch on all the time and we never heard boo on his frequency. In those days we had a base at home and it ran 24/7 with speakers in multiple rooms. Miss those days. 

[Raybestos]

On 12/2/2025 at 9:19 PM, OffRoaderX said:

It shouldn't.  Doing so increases complexity and the risk that someone may not hear someone calling for help.

I tend to concur.  Especially given that at least one brand (in my experience) of popular GMRS transceivers have faulty design decoders which may or may not open up when a proper PL/DPL tone is applied to them.  That said, there are unfortunately many areas in the country where intermod, static, computer noise, noise from car electronics, and other garbage will keep a carrier squelch open, or repeatedly open it.  This can be like Chinese water torture to the brain and ears.

For this reason, I set channels 1 thru 30 on every radio I have to encode only, a 141.3 Hz tone.  It can enhance greatly, your chances of getting through to someone on channels 15 thru 30, and slightly on channels 1 thru 14.

 

[Northcutt114]

On 12/4/2025 at 8:06 AM, gortex2 said:

When the FCC merged the FRS/GMRS stuff it became a non useable band in my eyes so any "emergency" channel or such went out the window. But thats just my opinion.

Your opinion is that GMRS is a "non [sic] useable" band?

 

That's an interesting take.

 

[WRYZ926]

Designating channels for certain uses would be hard to do in my opinion. Not everyone will follow that.

CB channel 9 is pretty much useless at times for emergency traffic as you get ID10T's running high power amps on the channel. There has been times I have heard Puerto Rico stations on CB channel 9 and they sound like they are sitting right next to me and screaming. 

[gortex2]

23 hours ago, Northcutt114 said:

Your opinion is that GMRS is a "non [sic] useable" band?

I guess I meant for any type of monitoring as an emergency channel. When .675 was a suito emergency channel our REACT team monitored it 24/7 365 from multiple locations. Now its hard to monitor between hunters, kids, grocery stores, ham light guys and every other gagle of FRS/GMRS user. No emergency center is going to monitor this stuff. And lastly the FRS GMRS merger did kill the way GMRS was used in the past as a family service. 

Alot more users are on GMRS/FRS than 10 years ago and while thats a good thing I also see it bad as in at some point it will be no different than CB (pretty much is in many areas) with people just doing what they want on it. When it was a service with limited channels, limited equipment it wasn't as "easy" for folks to use it and made it a cleaner band. 

Change is what we have on all fronts. In the end thats why I dont see any standard getting setup as its already too much of a mess. 

[WSKK363]

The go to channel for a mayday is not anything on GMRS. If you have a real emergency you should be using 911, an sos device like an inreach, or if you're capable a radio that has ability to transmit on an emergency frequency. 

[WRUE951]

1 hour ago, WSKK363 said:

The go to channel for a mayday is not anything on GMRS. If you have a real emergency you should be using 911, an sos device like an inreach, or if you're capable a radio that has ability to transmit on an emergency frequency. 

I be using 10-32 in real emergency.