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After my wife figured out I had the com cable driver and Midland software on different ports, I got my MXT400 programed as I want it. Confirmed you can program the blank channels to something new and that the radio recieves 70cm HAM just fine if you program it to receive it. I have 8-14 programed to monitor nearby 70cm repeaters as a convenience. When I first turned my radio on after programming and went thru the channels with the dial or hit scan, it only went up to 22, but when I pressed the up button on the mic, it went all the way thru all 30 channels and now always sees the repeater channels. May have needed to be cycled on and off again or something like that. Still waiting on 65 ft of LMR 400 to do my permenant antenna mount above my roof line.

Good news on the middle channels. I did all the other programing i wanted (split tone and used naming instead of channel number for the repeaters) but left the middle channels alone after hearing conflicting info regarding their ability to be programmed. Time to get out the programming cable and dive back in....

a way to have - one more way of Communications for people during emergencies Ok, you need a power system that has back up power, either through a site generator or battery back-up. Any equipment used for emergency's needs to have back-up power so that the equipment is available during long term power outages. This includes things such as node controllers and internet modems/connections. You will also need to figure out how much battery power you will need. Available to be used by all/ mobiles portable base use Ok, you need someplace high that can overlook any areas you wish to communicate with the system. This rules out using a simple rooftop or TV mast mounted antenna. If you can find a tower site you'll be better off, however many times there are monthly fees for tower sites. ALL hills/mountains The higher you get the better the system will work (in theory) Mounting a repeater on a hill or mountain top will increase range, however using high gain antennas could create dead areas below the repeater. Keep this in mind. I think right now, my biggest feature I need is a way that "during emergencies" we can post to one of the repeaters and it can be head on all of them.... You need reliability and dependability. You'll need to find a repeater with a 100% duty cycle and back-up power ability's. You'll need good feed-line and antenna and reasonable bonding. You'll also want to come up with a contingency plan to keep the repeater running during any emergency's that come up.

Well, seems like you did the first step which was to make sure there was no repeater in the area. The next questions you need to answer: What do you want to get out of your repeater? Who will be using it? How will users be using it? (Portable, Base, mobile, Exc) What kind of terrain do you have around you? (Flat, Buildings/trees, hills/mountains) How much are you willing to spend? What features would you like? Answering these questions gives you a ballpark idea of what you will need and what you'll be spending. My current set-ups include: Repeater: (RKR1225/GR1225) This can be an RX/TX radio pair, but I like the cleaner all in one look. Controller: if using an RX/TX radio pair (Again, repeaters have this all in one usually) Duplexer: and you'll want a good BP/BR duplexer as the "notch" type duplexers don't seem to get good service range. Power supply: Can be a straight in power supply, I use a back-up power supply for one of the two repeaters in case the power goes out. Note, whatever power supply you use, it needs to be able to supply 12-13VDC at about 15-20amps depending on what your powering. Line filter: If you get a buzz or hum during transmit, your power supply may be adding noise into the repeater, a line filter takes care of that. Jumpers: For connecting repeaters RX/TX to the duplexer Feedline: As much as you need to get to your antenna, Antenna: should be higher gain for repeaters. Optional: Mast/Tower: If your not on the top of a hill, and you have a lot of buildings or trees you may need to purchase and erect a mast or tower to give you extra height. Rule of thumb is for every doubling of antenna height, your range doubles. Node controller: There are a few out there. MyGMRS sells them as well. Radio interface for node controller: Need to connect to the radio somehow Computer/Programming software/programing cable: For adjustments and programming of the repeater if you know how to do this. Come up with a plan and RESEARCH before buying any equipment.

What's your terrain like? Have you scouted out a location ? Are you guys building or buying a repeater?

If a receiver requires a tone it is to wake the receiver. The receiver will ignore any signals that do not include the tone. You don't necessarily need to put a tone on your receiver as a receiver with no tone specified will unlock for any signal.