BoxCar

Or mobile hotspot.

67.0 is the correct value.

Ace Hardware stocks sheet steel in different sizes and thicknesses. I use a 2 foot x 2 foot piece for both GMRS and 2 meter ham work with a 50W radio. Exposure to RF is an issue you need to guard against. There are calculators available on the web that allow you to find the safe distances for both you as the operator and an observer.

Switching power supplies have to meet FCC requirements for noise so the blanket statement that switching power supplies are major noise generators is mostly false. The early switching supplies did not have to be designed with the filtering now required so they were a problem but more in the frequency ranges below those used for GMRS frequencies. You have a better than 99% chance that any switching supply having an FCC label will power your radios with no noise.

The FAA has specifications for tower lighting and the maximum height does include the antenna if it extends above the tower structure. The best repeaters are commercial or public safety grade units purposely built as repeaters. These are not "just two radios connected together" but units built for constant transmit/receive use. Typical radios spend most of their life receiving and about 10 to 20% of their life transmitting. The transmitter is the part that draws the most power and generates the heat that causes failure. Repeaters on the other hand are built to spend 50 to 100% of the time transmitting. Your best bet for getting a good repeater system is from the used market. Check the usual sources like E-Bay, local two-way radio dealers and do an Internet search for used radio dealers.

USB voltage is 5VDC while the radio runs on 7.4VDC so the USB will not directly charge the radio or run it.

26 miles on a handheld is unlikely even with a great antenna and impossible with the stock or even a "good" antenna. You don't say anything about possible obstructions between you and the repeater, but unless you have a clear line-of-sight shot even your other radios are iffy at that distance.

A word about tone settings in CHIRP. Tone means the transmitter transmits the selected tone when the PTT is activated. TQSL means the transmitter transmits the selected tone and the receiver listens for a tone to operate. Unless the listing for the repeater lists both a transmit and receive tone, you should always select TONE and not TQSL.

Amateur radio requires each user to be licensed unlike GMRS where one license covers all family members. The primary advantage for amateurs is the 144 and 440 MHz infrastructure around the world. The number of repeaters covering large areas with many interconnected to the Internet allows an amateur worldwide contact using one of three primary digital modes.

There is no need for multiple FRNs as the number only identifies the applicant not the service or license.

If you feel adventurous you can turn that old satellite antenna dish into a GMRS antenna by cutting a slot in it. Amazon has a book about slot antennas and how to construct them.

Hamstudy.org is a great resource. I used it to review for both the Tech and General license exams and will probably use it to help study for my Extra ticket. Also, there are literally hundreds of YouTube video Tech courses online which step through the ARRL Technician study book. Amazon sells several different study books for all of the amateur levels but the ARRL book is the best to use for the online classes. Our club has a weekly coffee meet where you can ask to have a test administered and they also conduct scheduled tests at various locations in our area. I didn't get my Tech until I was 76 and General when I was 77. I'll get my Extra at 78 so you're not too late to start. The biggest impediment is the cost of new ham gear but there are some great deals available on used equipment that work for both mobile and base operations. Some clubs can even provide used gear free to new hams.

I also think the issue is tones. You need to be certain the tones are the same. Privacy codes are set by the manufacturer and may not be the same transmitted code. There are 50 different tones used for squelch quieting so code 2 may not be the same from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Ignition noise

Get the make and model of the Harbor Freight charger noting if it reports it meets FCC approval. Report this information, including photos of the packaging listing FCC certification to the FCC. Pictures of the charger assembly showing a label listing the model information and any certification logos including the country of manufacture. This is the type of report the FCC will investigate. It may end with a citation to Harbor Freight but little else for existing equipment.

There are several releases of fines against companies for selling noncertified radios and equipment. There are also reports of individuals being cited and fined for use of illegal transmitters causing interference to other services. While I haven't been active in radio licensing for several years there are multiple reports of CB shops and truck stops selling noncertified equipment, primarily 10 meter and uncertified CB gear. The reports for individuals are primarily for using jammers affecting airport radars, public safety and cellular communication. Hobby King was fined over a million for selling noncertified RC transmitters.

I think a lot of the changes in Part 90 radio is being driven by First Net. We aren't seeing big wholesale system replacements/upgrades from a lot of agencies with the advent of push-to-talk on FN devices. PTT and multicast were always the biggest advantages to radio but most of the comms was still one-to-one. The alert broadcast is being replaced with a text type message sent to a data terminal device either in a vehicle or handheld terminal/communicator. PTT radio is falling into a secondary use rather than being the prime communications device it has been for almost 100 years.

Yes, it's possible for the radio to be putting out higher power. Most are designed so their power is reduced to the advertised level and the heat produced is lowered. We used to "crank up" the finals in our CBs back in the 70's to as high as 12 to 15W on AM.

A control station IS NOT a fixed station. A very good example of a fixed station is a microwave link. It only communicates with another fixed station and no mobiles. Other examples are sprinkler control stations used for irrigation, flood control monitors, or other stations used for datalinks.

Well, yes and no on repeaters and channels. In GMRS there are channels set aside for repeater operation however it is not true that only repeaters may operate on these channels. FRS (and GMRS) can operate simplex (using the same frequency to transmit and receive) on the output frequency of a repeater pair. In the amateur world the channels are a little more structured in there are ranges for repeater channels and these are coordinated by regional volunteers to limit interference. In the part 90 world, the only band with repeater frequencies specifically limited is in the UHF spectrum but the LMR coordinators will and do assign repeater frequencies in any part of their spectrum they can.

A 102" antenna is about 4 wavelengths at 464.5 MHz.

A lot of regulations are boilerplate at the FCC needing only a few words to be changed along with the section number. I doubt the FCC figured anyone would set up a fixed station using GMRS repeater channels but, just in case, they threw in the limits.

Have you done a comparison of the 7100 to the 7300 and the 991A?

Not knowing about the Pi setup, are you certain you are receiving the high frequency and transmitting on the low frequency. These can be tested inidividually.

Currently there is no charge for an amateur license.