KevinJ

same here, requested 4 nearest me when I joined, but only 1 has responded at all, basically just use it if it's listed as open and the tones are there to access it, just announce yourself and thank them for the use, it usually goes well.

THIS! 
It's a bit cliche, but the old saying "you get out of it what you put into it" really applies here. Are you looking to explore what the service, as an adjunct to other services you may also be using or as a stand alone, can do for you in reaching out for contacts? Are you looking to keep in touch with family, friends, fellow travelers?  Are you looking to explore how the equipment works and assembling the best working station?  All this can be part of GMRS. 
I can't speak for them, but my gut feeling is the FCC won't change, or at least not in a radical sense, the Regs. for the service. The explosion is licenses being granted may reach a peak and level or fall off, but those $35 fess coming in don't hurt them in the least.

I was thinking about a good response to the original post, but I don't know that there is one. Radio is so diverse in it's use that I think any answer would be anecdotal at best. For example, it seems very much like a hobby where I live, but in other areas I travel to, it is very much utilitarian in nature. Which one represents the majority trend? No idea.
 
When I look at the purpose of the service, at its core, it is "for facilitating activities of individual licensees and their family", whatever that may be. If it seems to trend in one direction or another, I don't know that it really matters. That fact that it is a somewhat basic service that doesn't require a vast knowledge of radio is really not a factor. There are plenty of other services that have been established for us to use that don't require any more skill than what is required of GMRS. So I don't believe that is relevant. 
 
Bottom line, if some people make a hobby of it, then it's fulfilling the need of the licensee. If it's a utility for others, same thing, it's fulfilling the need of the licensee.  As the service grows, use patterns will change, but ultimately it doesn't matter what is happening around the country. The only thing that matters is if it does what you need it to do.

Anytime someone cites “The Law” it makes me want to send them a Junior Trooper badge. Their next assigned mission is to get over to the left lane and drive 3-8 mph under the posted speed limit. Never, under any circumstance, should the they exceed the posted limit or move to the right.

Still waiting to find out what your source is for these "stacks of complaints" or what, exactly the FCCs actions of "waking up" to it are, and what that source is.  Because otherwise, you're just telling fairy tales whilst everyone laughs ...

The best answer I have received on this question is, if the tones are listed, and it's set to open, it's almost always a go-ahead, but never hurts to ask or give thanks when using the repeater. As I was told when I asked most people tend to want you to use their repeater if its status is open with the tones listed. I did just that, I programmed my handheld, and the next time I was near enough, I announced myself and asked for a radio/mic check and also thanked the owner of the system. Have not had any problems or anything as of yet.

The best answer I have received on this question is, if the tones are listed, and it's set to open, it's almost always a go-ahead, but never hurts to ask or give thanks when using the repeater. As I was told when I asked most people tend to want you to use their repeater if its status is open with the tones listed. I did just that, I programmed my handheld, and the next time I was near enough, I announced myself and asked for a radio/mic check and also thanked the owner of the system. Have not had any problems or anything as of yet.

The best answer I have received on this question is, if the tones are listed, and it's set to open, it's almost always a go-ahead, but never hurts to ask or give thanks when using the repeater. As I was told when I asked most people tend to want you to use their repeater if its status is open with the tones listed. I did just that, I programmed my handheld, and the next time I was near enough, I announced myself and asked for a radio/mic check and also thanked the owner of the system. Have not had any problems or anything as of yet.

The best answer I have received on this question is, if the tones are listed, and it's set to open, it's almost always a go-ahead, but never hurts to ask or give thanks when using the repeater. As I was told when I asked most people tend to want you to use their repeater if its status is open with the tones listed. I did just that, I programmed my handheld, and the next time I was near enough, I announced myself and asked for a radio/mic check and also thanked the owner of the system. Have not had any problems or anything as of yet.

The best answer I have received on this question is, if the tones are listed, and it's set to open, it's almost always a go-ahead, but never hurts to ask or give thanks when using the repeater. As I was told when I asked most people tend to want you to use their repeater if its status is open with the tones listed. I did just that, I programmed my handheld, and the next time I was near enough, I announced myself and asked for a radio/mic check and also thanked the owner of the system. Have not had any problems or anything as of yet.

As a member of not just the radio/coms hobby/community, but also the guns and cars hobby/communities, I gave this line a standing ovation and IMHO am dubbing it "Best quote I have ever read on an internet forum to date"

GMRS is for what people will use it for, nothing more, nothing less.  I have a "practical communications" use -- comms for our CERT team.  I also use the radio to talk to the guys on the local repeater system because I'm interested in learning new stuff about the hobby.  Although I've been licensed for a couple of years, I just really started using GMRS a few months ago.  I now have *four* GMRS radios in addition to my ham radio equipment.  So I'm a "radio hobbyist" too.  The Queen seems to get pissy when the hobbyist set wants to lecture, and I don't blame him, uh her, uh it, uh Randy.  Telling someone what they can or can't do, what they should or should not do, or being a "rules lawyer" is rarely appreciated by anyone in any walk of life, including radios.   Don't be that person, and I'll bet you can be virtually anything else and be accepted in the hobby.  Even the Queen, although there can only be one.   

GMRS has become more popular than MURS because it's better laid out (a contiguous block in the 462s, and a contiguous block in the 467s), more channels, compatible with unlicensed FRS users, repeater availability (making it more attractive to hobbiests and people who need distance), and the fact that you can get a 10 year family-oriented license for $35 without jumping through ham hoops (a test, usually an in-person testing facility).
 
FRS is a gateway drug to GMRS. MURS is the VHF band cousin to FRS. But MURS doesn't have contiguous blocks of frequencies, repeaters, compatibility with a gazillion FRS radios already in peoples homes, MURS doesn't have contiguous frequencies; there are licensed services sandwiched between the MURS frequencies. Repeaters will probably never happen for MURS -- offsets would be really strange, and power is unlikely to go higher than 2w, to protect the paid licensees.
 
GMRS has become popular because of the fact that it is highly compatible, easy to get into, not terribly expensive to grow with, and it's useful.   ...and because it has the Queen as a spokesperson; someone who is pretty entertaining, and a prolific Youtube content creator.

It has been universally agreed to by some, and decreed by the Queen of all that is GMRS that channel 19 shall be the unofficial Official Road Channel for GMRS.
So it is written, so shall it be done...
Bear in mind that "some people" will vehemently disagree and argue to the death against this, but just remember that they are wrong.

I think it was the tones, I remember looking over them and thinking it all looks the same, I went tone on all as opposed to tsql on the two that are listed as such, for troubleshooting purposes.  I decided to upload the file from the radio to check it, and sure enough, that repeater somehow was set to cross. I reset it, and I will try again the next time I am out that way. Also, FWIW it was the rx tone that was set wrong when it got placed into cross mode, I think that might explain the repeater opening but no audio coming through like you said.

I think it was the tones, I remember looking over them and thinking it all looks the same, I went tone on all as opposed to tsql on the two that are listed as such, for troubleshooting purposes.  I decided to upload the file from the radio to check it, and sure enough, that repeater somehow was set to cross. I reset it, and I will try again the next time I am out that way. Also, FWIW it was the rx tone that was set wrong when it got placed into cross mode, I think that might explain the repeater opening but no audio coming through like you said.

No, It will be worse, they can also vote.

What a terrible day to know how to read

if you have good line of sight to the repeater, 5W will easily go deep into the double digits. If'n you don't, then all bets are off. You're well into "it depends on a TON of factors. Maybe it works maybe it doesn't" territory

I think it was the tones, I remember looking over them and thinking it all looks the same, I went tone on all as opposed to tsql on the two that are listed as such, for troubleshooting purposes.  I decided to upload the file from the radio to check it, and sure enough, that repeater somehow was set to cross. I reset it, and I will try again the next time I am out that way. Also, FWIW it was the rx tone that was set wrong when it got placed into cross mode, I think that might explain the repeater opening but no audio coming through like you said.

If you’re transmitting to the repeater while standing next to your wife while she’s listening to her radio, her radio might be desensing as a result of your transmission.
That doesn’t explain why others on the repeater don’t hear you. Transmitting with the wrong tone would explain that, but you say you’re hearing the repeater pick up on your wife’s radio. 
It’s difficult to diagnose for certain but it sounds like a combination of desensing and possibly incorrect tones. 
Drive closer to the repeater. Separate from your wife (distance not marital status). Don’t give up. It’s not intuitive at first. 

For the love of god and all things holy - dont get that going in this thread! 😂

Did someone say FCC Rules???
 

I've had a slower day today, but I would imagine as with anything law/government, it gets quite entertaining!

Actually, this particular thread is pretty boring. Not really popcorn-worthy if you ask me. Where things really get entertaining is when folks start arguing over FCC rules. The fur flies there, I'll tell you what. You'll need one of those extra-large buckets that the movie theaters let you refill for free.