I considered myself a semi-radio-dork and thought I knew everything but after spending days trying to figure out how to use the Motorola CPS to try and program my first XTL, i HATED everything about radios and was ready to throw the thing against the wall!
Do you really think that any of these radios would be a good choice for someone that has already stated they prefer a Midland for its simplicity and that a simple Midland "meets his needs" ?
That doesn't matter. as long as you have 2-inches or so of metal on all sides around the bottom, and no metal is blocking the signal (ie; like if was mounted in the bed of a truck), you're fine.
Contact their support and see what they say - if they give you the run-around, or dont help, just send it back and tell them to send you one that works or give you back your money. Amazon makes this VERY easy to do.
IF you 'fried' your radio, it was not because it was connected to a Ghost antenna, unless that antenna or your wiring is defective/shorted.
My guess is you've messed up a setting, which is statistically far, FAR more likely than any damage to the radio.
Did you read the words in the Setup Guide? It pretty much tells you exactly what to do.
Is there a specific step, error, or problem you are running into? What, exactly do you need?
That is because they don't make GMRS radios - You might find some Motorola GMRS or FRS radios, but those are the cheap/low quality type radios, not the high-quality non-GMRS radios he is referring to. Basically, just ignore him because he is rheet-hard-ed.