BoxCar

No, a repeater is NOT what you need. Just a 20-25W radio set up in the house with an antenna 15-25 feet above the roof.

Lots of choices in this area. Keep in mind though the radio is only part of the purchase - You need an external antenna and mount which can cost as much (or more) than the radio.

Yup, others use Grindrr

It depends on what you expect. As you are just starting, a handheld radio provides a decent start. Your biggest hurdle is learning the terms sed and what they mean and apply to your situation. As you obviously have no experience or background in radio, start with an inexpensive unit. I would keep the cost less than $40 for your first unit. Read the manual that comes with it and spend time on Youtube with the tutorials and reviews. After you have played with the radio for a couple months and know its functions and features well, you might be ready to upgrade to a unit with higher cost and features. Don't get caught up in wanting bigger, better higher power unis until you know what you have and how to use it.

Maybe try holding the buttons and then power up the radio???

No, but almost no radios are manufactured in the US.

+1 on Atlantic Battery having the right battery.

There are ham groups in your area you can contact. Many hams (like me) are dual licensed for both services. Some clubs have both services on repeaters also. My home club is looking into adding a GMRS repeater to our primary site as an example. I would begin by contacting the Myrtle Beach club to ask for assistance. https://w4gs.org/For-New-Hams/

The answer is really pretty basic - it's what's inside of the radio. Transistors, chips, capacitors and all the other parts and pieces are all made to operate within an ideal environment. The wider the operating environment, the higher the cost for the component. Then there is the design. The oldest (and one of the best overall) is the heterodyne which mixes a known frequency with the received frequency and the resulting product is processed for the receiver. The newest design is SDR or software design which converts the incoming signal to digital bits and the processes them. The other design has everything inside an IC or chip. The SOC or system on a chip is the least flexible but very good within its specifications. No GMRS radios or handheld models use SDR so they are either heterodyne or SOC. The transmitter portion of the radios is pretty much the same no matter the receive portion of the radio. So, its the components and the care taken in fine tuning them that makes up the real difference.

Yes, the frequencies (channels) are set by regulation.

My experience with longer antennas on hand-helds is you may hear better but it doesn't translate to transmitting further.

Welcome to the S*** show that's radio hobby use. You'll find that any external antenna mounted the higher the better will be an improvement. Along with a better antenna, good quality coax is required. The baseline for coax is Times Microwave LMR 400 or equivalent. RG-8 coax is a big No-No.

10-4 Good Buddy!

There is no real difference between the radio brands. Yes, commercial and public safety models generally have better specifications but that is reflected in the price. System on a Chip (SOC) radios work perfectly for general hobby/personal use. Personally, I think the Motorola, Kenwood and other "top-tier" radios are all way overpriced and for personal use. I recommend some of the Tytera, TYT, Wouxon and other brands as being perfectly usable for general use. 5 W output is 5 W whether it comes from a Moto or BaoFeng.

Dweebs are dorks that don't have adhesive tape on the bridge of their glasses.

You don't loose 1/3 of your coverage area by narrowbanding. The most I ever saw back in 2013 was about 1 or 2 miles at the extreme edge and some even gained some additional coverage area. I monitored ALL of the Public Safety narrowbanding request as part of my role as the national frequency coordinator for some frequencies.

It would be better if they listed the tones used as not all radios use the same tone code scheme.

You can create an account on Repeterbook and install the phone app. It will return local repeaters based on your phone's location.

No. Perfection is the enemy of good enough.

I . The key point is "explaining what corrective measures you have taken to resolve the violation." Consider a letter from an agency as a hurdle you need to get over. Each successive letter is a higher hurdle so detailing what you have done lets the agency tell you extra steps needed or, they accept what you have done as a completed action. Typically, they won't tell you you've done enough, just you need to do more.

Send the one back. It has a problem..

With what you provided in our request, no. If you stated what kind of help you neede, such as locating cables, software or something specific, then yes, someone can and will provide help. Now, what help do you need?"

The term wire line can even be questioned now as many networks are transitioning to fiber made from glass or optically pure plastics..

It will help if you share the part of the country you reside in. Otherwise, it's hit-or-miss about you finding anyone visiting this forum connecting with you. GMRS is primarily a "bring your own contacts" service. It's aimed at family and friend usage more than chit-chat contacts like amateur radio.

plenty of nuthin' here too.