How to choose a GMRS radio: handheld vs mobile, compared from FCC filings

How this guide works: every number comes from an FCC grant (via fccid.io), the FCC rules in 47 CFR Part 95 (eCFR, checked 2026-10-21), or the maker's own page, spec sheet or manual. We haven't tested these radios, so we don't rank them or claim range. Instead, we group them by what their documents show. New to the terms? See our short glossary.

Before you buy: the license and the certification

• Transmitting on GMRS needs an FCC license. It’s a $35 application fee, a 10-year term, no exam listed in the rules, and it covers your immediate family (how to get one, §95.1705).
• Buy a radio certified for GMRS. That means an FCC grant under Part 95E, the GMRS rules. All 9 radios below have one, and each FCC ID links to its grant. Radios that can also transmit on ham bands can’t be GMRS-certified (§95.1761(c)). That’s why most dual-band ham handhelds aren’t legal on GMRS (details).

Step 1: handheld or vehicle (mobile) radio?

The rules treat the two differently (§95.1763, §95.1767). “Main” channels are the 16 core GMRS frequencies. “Interstitial” channels sit between them and are shared with FRS (channel terms explained). ERP is the power that leaves the antenna.

What this means in practice:

• A mobile’s extra power and an outside antenna are the documented advantages.
• A handheld’s advantages are portability and the 467 MHz interstitial channels that FRS radios also use.
• Range isn’t certified by the FCC, and we haven’t measured it. It depends mostly on antenna height, terrain and repeaters.

Handhelds in our database

Mobile (vehicle) radios in our database

The handheld grants list ERP. Most mobile grants list conducted output instead, measured at the antenna jack. That’s the same basis as the 50 W rule. The GMRS-50X1 grant is an exception and lists ERP. Each cell says which one. See methodology for why a maker’s “5 W” and a filed ERP figure aren’t the same measure.

Step 2: will you use repeaters?

A repeater listens on a 467 MHz main channel and retransmits on its paired 462 MHz channel. Handhelds and mobiles may transmit on the 467 MHz main channels only to talk through a repeater, or for brief tests (§95.1763(c)).

• Every radio above lists repeater support on the maker’s page.
• Every grant above includes the 467.55–467.725 MHz repeater-input range.

The differences are in how easy it is to load a repeater’s access tones (CTCSS/DCS codes), which Step 5 covers. See repeaters & mobile setup for tones, permission and station ID.

Step 3: water, dust and weather

Water and dust ratings. These are IP ratings claimed by the maker; the FCC doesn’t test them.

• IP67 (dust-tight and submersible): Midland GXT67 PRO, Rocky Talkie Expedition (Rocky Talkie: 1 m submersion), BTECH GMRS-PRO.
• IP66: Wouxun KG-935G Plus and the Midland MXT500, the only mobile here with a published rating.
• IP54 (splash resistant): BTECH GMRS-V2.
• Not waterproof: the Midland MXT275 manual says so (“It is not waterproof”).
• No rating found: MXT575 and GMRS-50X1.

NOAA weather: all 9 radios list a NOAA weather feature on the maker’s page. None of those pages confirms SAME county filtering (alerts only for the counties you choose), and none of the 9 models is on the NWS All Hazards logo list (weather radio guide). For a home alarm that wakes you only for your county, NWS points to a logo-approved receiver. Our Midland WR120 vs WR400 comparison checks two of those against the NWS checklist.

Step 4: battery and charging

• Replaceable pack:
  • Rocky Talkie Expedition: 7.4 V 1800 mAh, “replaceable.”
  • BTECH GMRS-PRO: BP-26 2600 mAh.
  • BTECH GMRS-V2: BL-8, capacity not stated.
  • Wouxun KG-935G Plus: 2600 mAh, with the USB-C port on the pack.
• Built-in pack: the Midland GXT67 PRO manual lists a 7.4 V 2500 mAh internal battery that isn’t user-replaceable. If you plan multi-day trips without power, that matters more than the capacity figure.
• USB-C: every handheld here lists USB-C charging. For the GMRS-PRO, several 2022 customer reviews on BTECH’s page report that it won’t charge from USB-C-to-USB-C cables or PD chargers. Those are user reports we haven’t verified. BTECH’s GMRS-V2 page says it charges from “all USB-C cables.”
• Battery-life claims vary and are unverified. Midland’s own documents give two different figures for the GXT67 PRO (4 days vs 16 hours). We quote them on each radio page; we don’t rank on them.

Step 5: antenna and programming

Antenna. A removable antenna lets you fit a longer or better one later.

• Removable SMA antenna, documented: the Expedition and the GMRS-V2.
• Fixed by rule: a handheld that sends texts or GPS data must have a non-removable antenna (§95.1787(a)(4)). That covers the GMRS-PRO.
• Mobiles: the antenna is separate. Check the connector and the grant’s gain and distance conditions first (antenna guide).

Programming. This matters most when you add repeaters or custom channels. What the makers document:

• GMRS-V2: CHIRP on a computer, or the keypad’s quick-add menu. 200 memories.
• GMRS-PRO: BTECH’s phone app over Bluetooth. 180 memories in 6 banks.
• MXT500: Midland calls it “the only programmable MicroMobile” (PC software).
• KG-935G Plus: 999-channel memory.
• GXT67 PRO: up to 49 user-defined channels.

Shortlists by need (documented facts, not rankings)

Want two radios side by side?

• BTECH GMRS-V2 vs GMRS-PRO
• Midland GXT67 PRO vs Rocky Talkie Expedition 5W
• Midland MXT575 vs MXT500

The full spec table is on radios.

What we haven’t verified

• Real-world range, audio and battery life for any radio. We have no hands-on units yet.
• Whether any of the 9 radios supports SAME, and the warranty on several of them. Every cell marked not yet verified above is still open.
• Prices are maker list prices on 2026-10-21 and change often.

Next: best GMRS radios for hiking and backpacking · Rocky Talkie Mountain Radio (FRS) vs Expedition (GMRS) · NOAA weather radios on the NWS list.