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I don't usually like to post videos, but this video was inspired by many comments that I have read here and in a few ham-radio forums.

I can confirm that frequencies associated with channels 8-14 are receive only on all Wouxun mobile radios as well, where as you can transmit on those frequencies when using using any of their HT. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

I received a response (and an okay to use) from "MNT TOP 2 VALLEJO" and it appears to be the right repeater. Was able to do a radio check with my SO and we both were able to TX and RX on it! Distance 23.44 miles - RX and TX from inside my home. I've added that as a specially named channel to my 935 with the frequencies and tones - leaving the original repeater channel "un-modified"... To find the repeater - I did a search from the MyGMRS map and identified five possible repeaters operating in my area at the same frequency and sent the each a similar email... Got several responses - but this one "lines up" with the tones.

Great report, full of factual information based on actual observations confirming your research. This spring/summer consider putting the two batteries in parallel for added capacity even if the LiFe one has to be removed before winter to prevent freezing.

It depends on your climate and how much use it will see. The RT97 draws about 2 amps on high power and .09 amps when in stand-by. I am running an RT97 on solar power here in Alaska. During the summer when we have lots of sun a 9 amp hour battery and 30 watt panel do just fine. Everytime I checked on it the battery was at 100% capacity. During the winter we have a few issues that make it more difficult. During winter solstice there is only around 4 hours of sunlight. We also have cold weather to deal with. Drop a lead acid battery to around 0 degrees F and you are down to around 80% of its capacity. Last winter I had it running on a 30 watt panel and a 14 amp hour battery. It wasn't enough. By November the battery was already being run down to the cut off voltage of 11.2 volts. 75% of last November the repeater was down. We didn't have enough snow to prevent me from getting to the site so I was able to get to it and swap it battery out for a 9 amp hour one I had. Yes it is smaller but I wanted to save the larger, more expensive, battery from damage. It lasted for about a week before going down again. I would come back up after a week or two for a few days and then go down again. From there it only got worse. The solar controller shut down the repeater for the majority of winter. Low voltage and cold temperatures resulted in a frozen battery sometime between December and February. Once frozen the voltage dropped to near zero and the solar controller shut down completely. My repeater site is inaccessible once winter sets in due to snow level and steep grades. This spring I changed a few things. Keep in mind all my components need to be hiked up to about 2400 feet by hand. The components had to fit in or attach to a backpack or two. POWER GENERATION: This spring I added a 50 watt panel. This brought up the solar power to 80 watts total. The 80 watts of panels should generate enough solar energy on a 4 hour cloudy day to replace the 2.2-ish amps that the RT97 uses while in stand-by for 24 hours. I based this on monitoring the output of the panels on an overcast day this summer. I waited until the sun's elevation (as informed by a smartphone app) matched that it in the winter and saw the battery being charged at a rate of about 800 milliamps. 4 hours at 800 is 3.2 amps. That is 1 extra amp...in theory. POWER STORAGE: I upgraded to a 35 amp hour battery and put it underground by over a foot. Just being a foot underground shields the battery from the extreme highs and lows. At that depth theory says it should be at the avg daily temperature. If this setup works through the winter I am relocating the repeater to an even more remote location and will try to get the battery further down. Being underground also has the benefit of keeping the battery cool in the summer, which in theory, should prolong it's life. This 35 amp hour battery chould, in theory, keep the repeater running in stand-by mode for about 13 days or it could support about 14 hours of non-stop transmission in the winter with ZERO solar input. This factors in a 20% reduction in capacity due to cold temperatures. With these two upgrades the battery should really never be run low unless we have significant activity on the repeater without any days of decent solar generation. The larger battery helps store "extra" power from the sunny days and/or the additional hours of overcast days before/after winter solstice. This keeps the battery at a higher level of charge. Being kept at high charger levels and buried underground protect it through the colds snaps. Since I implemented the changes the repeater has been running 24/7. The past several weeks have been COLD here. The avg daily temperature as been between -5 and 5 degrees fahrenheit. Lows have been down below -20 degrees. For the past two weeks I have connected into the myGMRS national net for about 4 hours on Sundays. This has resulted in about 3 to 4 hours worth of transmission time each Sunday on the repeater as people talk across the nation. So far the battery appears to be doing fine as the repeater has not gone down. Hours of sunlight will continue to decrease through December at which point it will start picking up again. The skies will also start to be clear of clouds more often as we push past mid winter. So for me, it looks like 80 watts of solar power and a 35 amp hour battery are needed but again that is due to cold winter conditions with low sun levels. I don't know where you are but if you are in the lower 48 I would say the system could be more like my first attempt, 30 watts solar and a 9 amp hour battery and I would bet a 50 watt solar and 14 amp hour battery would give some extra head room. I have a few other posts up detailing my experiences with the RT97. If you register you can browse them. Solar Panel: https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Monocrystalline-Efficiency-Charging-Applications/dp/B07GTH79JP/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2OBPM6JH5RIF2&keywords=50%2Bwatt%2Bsolar%2Bpanel%2Brenogy&qid=1637621917&sprefix=50%2Bwatts%2Bsolar%2Bpanel%2Breno%2Caps%2C318&sr=8-4&th=1 Solar Controller: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q79TC2L?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-ypp-ro-model_ypp_ro_model_k0_1_10&crid=LSOHLRTW8QW2&sprefix=10+amp+sol Battery: https://www.batteriesplus.com/productdetails/slaa12=35c Battery-S-12330.pdf

I'll be blunt. I made the conscience decision to invest into GMRS for the freedom and to engage with other like minded folks. If I wanted a hall monitor correcting my behavior or some sort of strict regimentation I'd go get a ham ticket. Also, it's important to note that many of us live in the outskirts, the boonies, the sticks where there isn't any radio traffic. We would relish the opportunity to "call up" a pal and chat a bit. As long as we're being respectful to others and yielding the channel when necessary, I see nothing wrong with using the radio in that fashion. Besides, it's good practice for that SHTF scenario that the marketing folks so succinctly suggest the equipment is good for.

I feel like there's a perception among some of the long time gmrs users, especially with the influx of users the last few years (between boredom and disasters), that the growth of a hobbyist mindset is going to turn gmrs into a free for all like cb became. I think this is where some of the discouraging attitudes stem from toward hobbyist mindset on gmrs. I'm in the camp that, while hobbyist usage isn't the main intent of the service, there's also nothing in the the regulations that prohibits using it in that way. It just means I need to temper my expectations of what I'm likely to find on the radio waves. And I've been trying to walk that line with a lot of the new user threads...show then the reality without making it like I'm trying to totally rain on their enthusiasm for a new hobby.

I will be the first to admit I am NOT a GMRS historian! BUT: the implication of your comments is that: GMRS users are NOT allowed to find folks, whether by repeater or otherwisel they are NOT allowed to "go buy a radio and start calling for people to answer." I cannot find any justification for your assumed prohibition of such activities on GMRS and hence they are allowed to jump on GMRS to find folks, whether through repeaters or otherwise; and/or go buy a radio and start calling for people to answer, even if you personally chose NOT to do such activities. Just so we are not misleading other GMRS users reading this thread.