Orion, first welcome to the group and congrats on becoming a GMRS license holder. So, first thing everyone tries is a cheap system and trying to get up high. I know, I did it with poor results. I now have a RKR1225 and a good duplexer and antenna. When I started I actually used a flat pack duplexer, and a cheap antenna. I had about 4-5 blocks range. I changed the antenna to a diamond 200u when extended my rage to about 1 and a half miles, and when I upgraded the duplexer to a band pass I think it is, I now have 4 miles range at 15' high and 25W out. For now Im ok with that as really the repeater is used to boost our portable coverage and allows us to talk from portable to mobile. What I'm getting at is, depending on what your needs are, consider setting up at your house first especially if your in a 2+ story residence. a 2 story building could easily get an antenna up 25-30 feet, and once your above the tree line your range will increase drastically. The nice thing is you can work out any problems or glitches with your setup right away without needing to wait for site access. Once everything is running and you know it all works and what your expectations are, then make plans for a tower location.