WRXB215

@WSCF738 just an FYI, propagation can be very different from what most repeater maps show. Typical repeater maps indicate a perfect circle when in fact, actual propagation looks more like this.

As you can see, there is a dead zone in the square with "Dallas" written. It extends from the lower left of the square upwards. Then you can also see areas of light green much further away than that.
Elevation, trees, houses, buildings, etc. all affect the actual propagation. This is why you can sometimes be closer and not get a signal but further and get a signal.

@LarryWRWH885 Take a screenshot like @WRXR255 did and post it. That will help debug. Also, smudge out the tones if they are not public.

If I'm on a handheld  and my wife is at home with a radio, I say "Mobile to base" after our call sign.
But, I'm old and set in my ways. Now, get off my lawn.

I've heard that story before, but the Harvard Radio Club history says nothing of it: http://w1af.harvard.edu/php/history.php
Wikipedia has an interesting page on the etymology of "ham". A couple different versions of that story appear there, but nothing truly definitive.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymology_of_ham_radio

My GMRS personality argues with my Amateur Radio personality constantly.  It's like the other voices can't get a word in.

I assume you mean RG58.  
It certainly might be the antenna, but I would consider the coax first.  RG58 attenuates nearly 12 db at 400 MHz.  Every 3 db is half of the signal or power, so 3 db loss is 1/2, 6 db is 3/4, 9 db is 7/8, and 12 db is 15/16 of the power lost.
Coax is fine, as long as it’s a type that’s compatible with the frequency used.

Your friend is wise. Remember though, while your immediate family is covered by your license, everyone in your party who isn't covered by your GMRS license needs their own license. But if you are using amateur radio to keep in contact with other people in your party, everyone needs their own amateur radio license. No free lunch for your immediate family. Not everyone wants to take a test. That's the beauty of GMRS. You don't have to know much. You just need $35 for a license, and maybe $30 for a radio.

If that makes you happy, go for it!  Me, I'm saving my points for that toaster oven with the ARRL logo emblazoned on it.   😁

We get ham points. Every hundred points allow us to describe our medical condition for five minutes. 

The setup needed for repeater use varies depending on the make and model handheld you are using. Check for user manuals for your HH units as they will also have the necessary steps to load in repeater channels. Also, remember the axiom High in, low out. Your transmit frequency is always the higher frequency while you receive on the lower. 

WHAT?    That would cost postage!    We have 235,385,823,556,235,765 illegals and 28 foreign countries to support with "foreign aid".  No way you're getting the US Government to waste postage on YOU, taxpayer.  Joey Biden doesn't do ANYTHING for the taxpaying American.
 
BOHICA
 

I learned that lesson years ago buying sockets. After my second trip get a new socket, the light went on. 🤔

Also if the antenna is not "resonate" at those frequencies it will contribute to reflected power back to the radio and an elevated SWR reading.

Another thing to consider though, and this isn't meant to be a rebuke to what you're talking about, because I agree with all of that. but when people discuss "dirty RF output" or spurs on harmonics, it's not always in the context that they're being good natured for cleanliness of the RF spectrum. If your radio has an output rating of 10 watts lets say,.. You'll put it on a meter, and sure enough you get 9.8-10 watts. Checks out,.. That meter detected a NET output wattage squirting out of the antenna hole.. But if you've got a dirty radio, it may be the case that some substantial portion of that RF output isn't even on the desired frequency. It takes wattage to power those harmonics as well,... So for selfish reasons, you may not want a dirty RF emitting radio because your effective radiating wattage might be inefficient. You might be getting 70% power where you want it, and 30% on spurs many harmonics up and down the spectrum..

With line-of-sight radios (UHF and VHF frequencies), added power means you have better reception in the area covered rather than greater distance. The distance (farz) depends on how high the antenna is above the surrounding ground. An antenna 6 feet above ground level (AGL) can reach a repeater many miles away if the repeater is on ground higher than you. That' why so many repeaters are located on high hills, buildings, and mountains. Height more than power equals distance.

Have you tried the Roadkill network?

Yes - 3rd party testing, and when you drill down into the FCC Certs for Part 95 equipment, some of it has been 'certified' for strange ultra-narrow emissions and lower power than what people are actually going to use the radios for.
If the certification is for a 7 kHz bandwidth and 1.25 watts of power, your shiny Part 95 'certification' kinda gets fuzzy once the end users program their new GMRS HT for 25 kHz and 4 watts.
 

Clearly, the science is settled.

I trust and believe everything that the government tells us!!  If the FCC decrees that a radio passes their testing and approves/certifies it with a Part 95 Approval, then this PROVES beyond any shadow of a doubt that it is good/clean and SAFE and EFFECTIVE for use on the airwaves.  anyone saying that a radio is not 'clean' when the government has decreed that it IS clean and save & effective for use, is just spreading misinformation and should be silenced. 
Obviously anyone claiming that these Part-95 certified radios are not clean, safe, and effective, are just conspiracy theorists.. These radios are approved using scientific methods and everyone knows that the science is never wrong, so anyone saying otherwise is a science-denier.

Yes. That’s true.  GMRS is intended to be a service using retail products that comply to part 95e. It’s not a service designed to encourage experimentation or require tuning before use.

There are a lot of folks who shake down radios with test equipment, and for that I am intrigued and grateful. 
But when it comes to purchasing equipment, all I own is an SWR and power meter and I'd be willing to bet a lot of people don't own that much test equipment. 
So I really have to take it on faith that the manufacturer testing and FCC certifications have to cover my buying decisions. 
I don't in any way shape or form want to use a dirty radio and spew spurious emissions all over the place but I really don't know if I'm doing it or not.  I suppose I could semi-test with an RTL-SDR or something.
The day someone walks up to me and says "when you key up, my TV goes bonkers" is the day I'll stop using that particular radio. 
I know there are strong opinions on non-compliant radios but if I buy a radio and the FCC ID data says it is complaint and certified that is all I have to work with (mostly).   Not trying to stir up hate and discontent but just my opinion on the matter. 

I have been able to tilt my HT far enough out of polarization to have my signal go from full readable to barely readable when in contact with a repeater 20 miles away.   Also whether the ISS repeater was readable or not (yes, with a regular verticle on a HT). 

Did you try the map tab at the top of the page?

I have to disagree with using a mobile radio being dangerous when driving. I am unaware of a single study that supports the claim. There are plenty of studies that show drivers adjusting their AM/FM/Sat radios are in the top 3 causes of distracted driving, but nothing about 2-way radio. 
 
I would think it's no different then talking to a passenger. The next step from laws like this is no entertainment radio, no navigation, no talking to passengers. It's stupid and tyrannical. Just hold people accountable for distracted driving instead of naming and outlaw every possible distraction.