According to Land Cruiser Lifestyle "The Midland MXT400’s repeater channels are wideband by default. You can change the direct channels to wideband as well using Midland’s programming cable and PC software."
@WRQC527 I used to be a technical writer. Let me know if you want some help. The questions by @WRZR764 reveal some good topics to cover. Like the fact that giving your ID every 10 minutes is for amateur radio, every 15 minutes is for GMRS.
@gortex2 For the most part I agree with you but new users are constantly asking questions beyond PTT but don't want HAM. I think a good GMRS Primer would be a good thing to have. TexasGMRS.net has some stuff but I haven't looked at it yet. Maybe it would fit the bill.
@Blaise I don't think CB is dead, at least not amongst truckers. Other than that, I agree with you. It would be nice to have some king of standard for seeking help on GMRS while traveling.
I'll second what @WRZD706 said and add that you may want to start with Tone instead of TSQL. This is a common method when first programming a radio for a repeater. That way you hear everything until you are sure you have everything else set up correctly. Then switch to TSQL to squelch out simplex signals.
See https://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/MemoryEditorColumns for more information on this.
I'm not a big fan of government intervention but the government does have it's place and serves a purpose. @PRadio pointed out some very good reasons why we need the FCC. Without them, you probably wouldn't be able to watch the big game on your TV.
That's a great suggestion. I can't remember if it was on this forum or somewhere else but there was a guy that just started using his new radio and someone in the neighborhood stunned his radio. Took him a while to get it straightened out if I recall.
I guess I wasn't clear. GMRS HTs can have a removable antenna and most do. FRS HTs cannot have a removable antenna. I don't understand why a GMRS HT with a removable antenna would be excluded from having this feature.
I'll second what @WRHS218 said and add that just because the info on the page is "stale" doesn't mean the repeater isn't active. As far as access goes, if you are in Texas try out texasgmrs.net.
In my neighborhood wattage does come into play. It is because of all the thick trees not because of distance. Better antennas on the HTs has also been a big help.