WRXB215

No, it means you will hear everything transmitted on the frequency your radio is receiving.  Both repeaters and radios using simplex transmit on the same frequencies. 
 

Definitely check out the clubs to find out when they hold tests. You don’t need a license for that and in fact the clubs are usually pretty welcoming to anyone with a pulse and who is interested in ham radio. 
As far as studying, clubs can help with that also, or you can do it on your own using printed materials, YouTube videos or my personal favorite HamStudy.org. It’s free unless you buy the application which allows you to study anytime and anywhere on your personal device. 

Som amateur radio clubs require you to be a licensed amateur to join, but should be more than happy to help you get your license. Many of them host study and test sessions for just that reason. Yes, check them out. The ARRL website should have listings of clubs in your area. 

Prime example.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_blackout_of_2003

I have both permission slips. If S.H.T.F. I would use GMRS to stay in touch with local family (non-hams) and I would use amateur radio to find out what's going on. If your S.H.T.F. scenario includes power outages a lot of repeaters on both services will be inoperable. For extended power outages even the battery backed up repeaters my be down after a few days.

Chrip does support the Baofeng UV-5G radio.  You must select the Radioddity UV-5G rather than Baofeng.

Putting it in conduit also helps protect it from weed eaters, rodents, neighbors, etc. 

In case you didn't get to the part that says it, this is heavy forest. Not a line of trees, not a few trees sprinkled around. Solid heavy forest mostly all 1-2' diameter (or more) white and red oak, maple, hickory from 50-80' tall complete with lots of ground brush,  for many square miles. And it's all very flat, so no side has any elevation advantage. I invite you to come here with your 4 or 5w HT so you too, can experience radio ED.
I've extensively tested many different HT's in these woods, HAM's, MURS, CB, business, GMRS on frequencies from 29 (or whatever CB is) to 800mhz range. From $25 Baofangs to $600 motorolas.  No 4-6w HT goes more than 1.5mi simplex. If you also didn't catch it, I can use the repeater 18mi to the north, so..of course once the signal gets out of the canopy and in the open it goes it's usual, many miles.
Why do I want to go simplex that far in these woods? Simple, I was tasked (volunteered) by our hunting group, to find a set of radios we could actually talk on reliably without contorting ourselves or having to find a small hill or open area,  in a very similar woods where we all sit about in about a 1.25mi radius. The KG935G fit the bill. 4w, does not at least not reliably without having to go find a small open area or stand in particular positions. Plus in these woods I go out cuttin wood (we heat with wood) in our back 40 and there's also no/unreliable cell signal here, so my wife sometimes likes to get a hold of me when I'm out "playing" in the woods. This is why I wanted to try the 10w HT's as the extra wattage, based on my experience, in these woods, helps to penetrate the heavy forest. But in this case, the RT29 disappoints for reasons mentioned in the original post.

Initial testing tonight gave the following readings:
Low=2.8 watts
Medium=5.18 watts
Hight=6.30 watts.
I'd think that's pretty close enough since 1.7 watts shouldn't make that much of a difference and it's right in the same ballpark as my UV-82's are. I'm happy with it so far. It unlocks the same as the UV-5R and the Radioddity antenna is a nice upgrade. All in all it's a Baofeng Radio, nothing more, nothing less, decent deal for the money.

It probably never could be perfected. With one PL tone locked out and hundreds others potentially being used, whenever one of the other tones is present, squelch is opened, allowing the strongest station to be heard. 

These appear to be FRS radios and as such should not be able to use a repeater per FCC. That said they do seem to be programmable via Chirp and according to the inter webs are the same as a Baofeng BF888 and use the same Chirp programming. A little research and there seems to be some question as to part acceptance??? 16 channels only, so less than a standard bubble pack yet you can program them, so more than your standard bubble pack. If you’re to follow the rules I can certainly see an issue using these with a repeater even if they do such a thing. 
This person that recommended this setup, did they sell the radios and repeater to you?

I get "can't read radio" error in Chirp when my programming cord isn't plugged in all the way. The connector and radio don't mate exactly well, and have to push it snug.
 
EDIT: Are you sure you even need the repeater? If you didn't, that would cut out some complexity.

You should ask the guy that recommended them to you.

Digital signals are decoded until the bit error rate reaches the point the signal can no longer be decoded. That said, it means the signal doesn't fade, it just drops off entirely. Analog FM fades as it gets further away but digital is there till it isn't.

No

In my post on the KG-UVD1P a guy commented that these radios have a "suicide chip" that fails and renders the radio useless.  I've never heard of such a thing and I'm sure it this WAS an issue that Wouxun would have fixed it by now(the radio has been out for 14 years) or they would have dropped production of it because of all the returns that they would have gotten. Has ANYONE heard of this being an issue with this radio??  Thanks.

at a minimum, all you need to do is put the radio on the correct corresponding repeater channel, go into the menu and find the CTC or DTC menu (depending on if it is a CTCSS tone or a DPL/DTC tone) for TRANSMIT, select the correct tone from the list, and save the change.  I know you said you are not "technically inclined" but I assume you know how to read, so you might have to read the manual for the exact steps.  Only worry the transmit tone for now, the receive tone is optional.
That is all you need to do.

So many forget this point. I see many radio clubs building emergency communication trucks filled with radios. The owners manual for them is 100’s of pages long to cover all of the options and settings only accessible through multiple layers of menus. Expecting volunteers to figure out how to operate them under the stress of a real emergency is just going to contribute to the disaster. 
You need brain dead super simple radios to operate in these conditions.

We have to keep in mind that the primary purpose of GMRS is for families and other small groups. Using repeaters is just a bonus. For everything else, HAM is the way to go.

@dmg1969 Welcome to myGMRS.com.

@Lscott probably has a PDF on this. I'm sure he will respond soon. There are others who are also quite familiar with Kenwood. If it can be done, they will show you the way soon.
Welcome to GMRS.

Hams do talk about other things but yes, ham equipment is a big topic. Ham has a lot of bands and modes and therefore there is a lot to talk about when it comes to equipment.

I've gotten to where I say very slowly so I don't have to say it again. Sometimes I even say it phonetically for that very reason.
For me, it can be frustrating when people say their call sign so fast I can't even begin to get it all. It's like saying ";alkdsjflsd;kjewl;knf;aej." And I'm like what?

Welcome @WSAG780 and @WSAH452. GMRS is a great service and I know you will both enjoy it. As @gortex2 you should use type certified radios but don't sweat it. Half or more of the people I talk to on GMRS aren't using type certified radios and no one cares as long as they stick to all the rest of the regs.

It might look funny but it will work on the hood. Closer to center is always best but you may have trouble noticing a difference between center and to the side. Many people claim that if you have a 6" border around the base it is enough. Some people claim you need even less than that. In the end, you are probably going to buy a different mount and antenna to get the best look and performance.