WRXB215

Pretty sure he means that he has the frequency and tone correct.

Bullshit. We’ve had to correct your fallacious claims many times. This is only true in certain rare situations, like from the hill overlooking a massive desert between you and Vegas. Most people just won’t get that kind of distance before their signal is blocked by the earth’s curvature and terrain. Why lie? Does it make you feel better about yourself?

I’m seriously curious.  Obviously you’re not here to ask for help, you inject negativity into the threads started by people who actually do help, and you make zero effort to get along with people socially.  So, why are you here, Devin? Do you actually like the negative attention you receive? Is it somehow better than no attention at all?

I like the Garmin Rhino also. There’s no better gps/GMRS radio and the screen is so good in daylight. I just use the built in maps, but for a price you can get higher resolution maps on a card that you install in the radio. 

I have seen quite a few "how to get started" and "GMRS for beginners" videos on Youtube.

Notice the word “dedicated” in my quote above. I think GMRS is great for regular community communications. But a repeater for the community is hard to dedicate to emergencies. People will use it to chat, kids will play with radios, and hobbyists will talk about antennas. The community has no legal way to reserve the frequency for emergencies. As a result some people will leave their radios off. How do you tell them to turn them back on? Remember, this is a ten mile radius community.

It like this, 99% of the time the person/s who rob homes already knows your routine. They are not following you on your trip waiting for your callsign. Like most everyone has said have a security systems, dog/s, light on a timer, home sitter etc..  I wouldn't worry about ones callsign to be something a burglar is waiting for to rob your home. 
  

There are no FRS exclusive channels that allow you to operate a GMRS radio without identifying. Every FRS channel is a GMRS channel. 
Technically, if you want to operate without identifying, you must use an FRS certified radio. 
Whenever you are using a GMRS radio you are required by regulations to follow the GMRS regulations, which require identifying. 

One of the things you will find that is different in having a GMRS repeater is that it has to be opperated under one persons call sign unlike having a club call sign in Amateur radio. Your local Ham club is probably a good place to start for setting up a GMRS repeater. Just incase you didn't know there is one near this location called Herman Peak and another called SHUTTERS LANDING, to the south. The owners of those might also be worth speaking with. As @SteveShannon noted the linking of repeaters for GMRS is now officially frowned upon by the FCC. There is a collection of repeaters around Guerneville, Duncan Mills and Jenner California (I linked one of the larger ones). This area is similar to your area in terrain and proximity to the ocean and these are used for the community for fires, floods and local communication. You may like to get in touch with them. 
My wife and I like the Brookings area south of you so I'm always checking repeaters in the area and I have noticed more taking place. Good luck. 

In GMRS relay repeaters which are networked to the original repeater are discouraged by the most recent interpretation from the FCC.
A lot depends on what infrastructure already exists.  Does your fire department already have a communications tower that a repeater antenna could use?
GMRS is really not a good choice for dedicated emergency services. The only positive attributes are price and availability. 
Each of your families will have to make a choice for which radios to buy based on price and features. They range from under $20 to hundreds of dollars. Repeaters can range from hundreds to many thousands of dollars.  If it must be reliable in an emergency don’t go cheap.
If you’re serious about wanting a price hire a commercial communications contractor to put together a quote backed by path studies and whatever kind of special needs your community has. 

Usually within three days but occasionally as long as a week. It’s not checked in real time but against a bulk download. Also, make sure you are reading your callsign correctly. There was one guy who tried for weeks and kept getting shot down. All GMRS callsigns are 4 letters followed by 3 numbers. He misread an L for a 1. 

Cool call sign though. 👍

It's beginning to make sense why you have no friends in real life, and you spend all your time here.

Since we've heard nothing about someone getting fined for using a base station when a fixed station should have been used or vice versa I doubt anyone at the eff sea sea is going to be coming knocking on any of our doors to check compliance.  It's probably something of a holdover that they copied in for some sort of larger station.
I'm not worrying about it.

The thread in question is not for the faint of heart… only the bravest knights seek this knowledge…

what is your name? What is your quest? What is a fixed station - ahhhhh

I'ma have to agree..
The OP is a great example of "some people" over-thinking what should be very simple and carefree.

People have used a P.O. Box when they registered for their license. So, if somebody looked it up on the FCC database they still wouldn't have a clue where your house is located.

Unfortunately call sign has to be given in English. But you could use Morse code as an alternative to English phone identification. 

If one doesn't want to spend the money on new panels I've run across a few at flea markets.
If the panel has a tag on the back side with the open circuit voltage and short circuit current you can estimate the max real power output by multiplying the two and them multiplying by 0.75. The last number is what's referred to as the "Fill Factor".
A number of times when I'm at a large flea market I'll carry a cheap 3-1/2 digit multi-meter. If there is no tag on the panel and it's real sunny I can test the panel right there and do the calculation.
You shouldn't pay more than $1/watt of output for a used panel. Now days more like $0.50/watt because the panels are getting cheaper.



20 Watt Daniel Heavy Aluminum Frame Solar Panel.pdf 5 Watt No Name Light Aluminum Frame Solar Panel.pdf 10 Watt No Name Black Frame Solar Panel.pdf

I started playing with solar about a year ago. Nothing overboard. Just a little 320ah power bank w/150 watt panel to keep things running and/or charging (phones/handhelds/flashlights/fans/led rope lights/portable tv) while camping, fishing, etc. Also built a small ammo can gmrs simplex repeater thats powered by a 10 watt panel and 6ah battery. Great for extended comms when out in the wilderness.
 
 

I’m not in it for free energy. My interest is backup emergency power and portable applications. 

I concur. It's almost certainly something in the feed line. The antenna itself would be minimally affected by cold weather, and presumably the radio is indoors and doesn't get cold. That only leaves the coax and its connectors as the potential source of the problem.

Check your feedline. It sounds like maybe it or your coax connections are separating when they get cold. That’s just a guess of course. An antenna analyzer would tell you what’s going on probably. 

Yep, it's sad that you have to do things like this sometimes. You shouldn't have to find a way around it. I think some of the manufacturers misinterpret the regulations. Any GMRS radio should be able to have multiple repeaters programed in with the same frequency but different tones so that as you travel, you just switch to the one you are near.

I guess I think the premise of this thread is wrong. It’s not up to me or anyone else here to say whether someone else is using GMRS “as intended”, as long as the regulations are followed.  And it’s not up to me to enforce the regulations  I’ll gladly help somebody understand the regulations (as much as I can) but I don’t get to reinterpret them to fit my ideas of how GMRS is intended to be used.
If you want to have a conversation on the repeater with someone you’ve never met who announces they’re “monitoring”, it’s not my place to pass judgement. If you want to run your family ranch, good for you!  If you use it while you’re out boating or hiking, do it.
I think there are way too many people who want to decide what’s right for others to do