BoxCar

I have several HHs and each was purchased to fit a specific requirement,

The TID radio has 8 repeater channels labeled RPT-1 through RPT-8. These are the channels you need to use for talking on the repeater. The radio is tuned to receive on the repeater's output channel and transmit on the repeater's input channel which is 5 MHz above the receive frequency. You will need to add the repeater's tone to your radio's transmit in order for the repeater to unlock for your transmission.

The repeater transmits on 462.625 and listens on 467.625. Your radio should transmit on 467.625 and listen on 462.625. Set your transmit to also send the 179.9 Hz tone. I'd leave the receive tone out until you verify the repeater is actually using the tone. You can check this by creating two settings in your radio, one without the receive tone and one with the tone. if you do hear the repeater using the receive tone, then use it to block out any other station that may be sharing the frequency.

For a 50W radio I recommend a 300W load as it can handle the output from the radio for a longer period when making adjustments.

Car batteries have more than enough "juju" to run your radio at max power.

I used a labeler to paste mine to the top of the radio.

If you can trigger the repeater, then it is entirely possible no one is listening. Repeater use can be driven by many things such as drive time or only evening or weekends depending on the community it serves.

Customer care shortage?

I don't believe a city (government) can hold a GMRS license. A city (government) employee can hold a license.

I'd just put that on the trash heap.

Well, it was new when Michael opened the tread in Feb 2021.

One method that may help in compiling a list of rebadged radios is from their batteries. Do a search for compatible batteries that fit the different brands.

TK-390 Specs (portronix.com)

Log in to ULS and search for your FRN. License Search (fcc.gov)

Personally I haven't worked any satellites or the ISS but some of the hams in our club have done so with tape measure yagis.

There are a great many with multiple FRNs. Just search your local PD for one.

Use a power meter and measure the output. One person's report about their installation has ZERO relevance other than providing a data point for your comparison.

Towers and farmer's fields don't go together well if the farmer uses ariel spraying.

If you are specifying the frequencies, the step has no affect. It is the amount the VFO would shift if it were bumped up or down one position or step.

And that's where the NEC and Ampacity tables have their largest differences. In radio work, at least with the radios we are dealing with on this site, wire lengths don't come into play so there is no regard to the internal resistance of the conductor and any losses that result from length. I believe the NEC formulas are set to keep the insulation temperature below 60C where the ampacity tables allow temps up to 130C. The most common PVC coating will withstand a temp of 160C while silicon will allow a temp of 600F which can light paper. Additionally, we are normally dealing with amp draws of 16 - 18A max as the radios are limited to 50W. 100W amateur radios will draw 28A which can be run on 14Ga wire, but I build all my harnesses with 12Ga silicon.

I'm not that good with the math. I cheated and got the information on the Internet from several different sources.

I wouldn't worry about the wire on the plug. 12 ga wire will handle 30A with no issues. In fact, 14 ga silicon insulated wire will handle 30A but PVC or rubber insulated wire can get over 200 degrees Fahrenheit when carrying that much current.

GMRS/FRS isn't as popular or widely used as CB. As the service is still growing, there are a lot of "holes" in the service area. Unlike CB, GMRS won't work for long distances as the frequency dictates line-of-sight communications. Unlike CB, you can use repeaters in GMRS, but each repeater is privately owned, and the owner of the equipment has control over who is allowed to use it. As to equipment, for mobile use anything over 25W is unnecessary as higher power doesn't equate to longer distances because of the line-of-sight characteristics. The biggest improvement for any installation is centered around the antenna. The location and height are the two biggest elements. Installing something as short as a 1/4 wave whip (about 6") on the roof of your vehicle will give you all the range possible with a 25W or higher watt radio.

I believe Maryland has a law against using a police scanner in a motor vehicle. The law is on the books to protect motorists from pirate tow truck drivers and companies responding to assistance calls by the police. The motorist also has to affirm to the police officer they accept the uninvited tow operator over the police contracted service,

It's the default value.