OffRoaderX

Sorry to have to be the one to break this news to you but bragging about not being a ham BUT how easy it would be to pass the examS "if you wanted to" is a strong indicator of being a latent sad-H.A.M. .. Your other posts already proved you also fall into the "some people" category..
And as the inventor of the term Sad-H.A.M., my declaration is final and cannot be disputed or overturned.

Just based on this post alone, I can confidently proclaim that the Midland is not the right radio-choice for you.

That depends on how you define "good"...
Midland Micromobile radios are GREAT for someone that wants a decent quality, EASY TO USE, NO BELLS AND WHISTLES GMRS radio.. They are priced high but that price is worth it to many people willing to pay for that simplicity and the fact that the company is at least based in 'Murica. I have had several Midland radios (6 or 7?), with the power output ranging on them from 105% of its rated output to around only 75% .. But dont be fooled - although it's good to get what the box says, you will NEVER notice any difference between 35 watts and 50 watts in regular usage. Most of the mobile units do not have cooling fans but never once, ever, in all my usage of my Midlands, not once, has one ever over-heated, shut-down, or stuttered due to high-heat or over usage. According to the Midland Marketing Manager, the Midland Micromobile GMRS radios are a hybrid of Superheterodyne and HOMOdyne.. But I dont remember which half (RX or TX) is SUPERhet and which part was HOMOdyne... and most people buying this type of simple radio wouldn't care anyway. Anyone complaining about the lack of features on a Midland is obviously not who Midland is selling their radios to, and should therefore be ignored. Anyone slamming you over the air simply because your radio is chinese is a moron and should be ignored with extreme-prejudice.. Just tell them you're transmitting on a iCom radio and as long as your roger-beep is off i GUARANfuckingTEE you that they will never be able to tell the difference. For MY money, I would buy a KG-1000G, but only because I am a radio dork.  However I have many friends that are regular-people that prefer the simplicity of the Midland radios and were more than happy to pay the $$ for that simplicity.

Just based on this post alone, I can confidently proclaim that the Midland is not the right radio-choice for you.

That depends on how you define "good"...
Midland Micromobile radios are GREAT for someone that wants a decent quality, EASY TO USE, NO BELLS AND WHISTLES GMRS radio.. They are priced high but that price is worth it to many people willing to pay for that simplicity and the fact that the company is at least based in 'Murica. I have had several Midland radios (6 or 7?), with the power output ranging on them from 105% of its rated output to around only 75% .. But dont be fooled - although it's good to get what the box says, you will NEVER notice any difference between 35 watts and 50 watts in regular usage. Most of the mobile units do not have cooling fans but never once, ever, in all my usage of my Midlands, not once, has one ever over-heated, shut-down, or stuttered due to high-heat or over usage. According to the Midland Marketing Manager, the Midland Micromobile GMRS radios are a hybrid of Superheterodyne and HOMOdyne.. But I dont remember which half (RX or TX) is SUPERhet and which part was HOMOdyne... and most people buying this type of simple radio wouldn't care anyway. Anyone complaining about the lack of features on a Midland is obviously not who Midland is selling their radios to, and should therefore be ignored. Anyone slamming you over the air simply because your radio is chinese is a moron and should be ignored with extreme-prejudice.. Just tell them you're transmitting on a iCom radio and as long as your roger-beep is off i GUARANfuckingTEE you that they will never be able to tell the difference. For MY money, I would buy a KG-1000G, but only because I am a radio dork.  However I have many friends that are regular-people that prefer the simplicity of the Midland radios and were more than happy to pay the $$ for that simplicity.

Just based on this post alone, I can confidently proclaim that the Midland is not the right radio-choice for you.

That depends on how you define "good"...
Midland Micromobile radios are GREAT for someone that wants a decent quality, EASY TO USE, NO BELLS AND WHISTLES GMRS radio.. They are priced high but that price is worth it to many people willing to pay for that simplicity and the fact that the company is at least based in 'Murica. I have had several Midland radios (6 or 7?), with the power output ranging on them from 105% of its rated output to around only 75% .. But dont be fooled - although it's good to get what the box says, you will NEVER notice any difference between 35 watts and 50 watts in regular usage. Most of the mobile units do not have cooling fans but never once, ever, in all my usage of my Midlands, not once, has one ever over-heated, shut-down, or stuttered due to high-heat or over usage. According to the Midland Marketing Manager, the Midland Micromobile GMRS radios are a hybrid of Superheterodyne and HOMOdyne.. But I dont remember which half (RX or TX) is SUPERhet and which part was HOMOdyne... and most people buying this type of simple radio wouldn't care anyway. Anyone complaining about the lack of features on a Midland is obviously not who Midland is selling their radios to, and should therefore be ignored. Anyone slamming you over the air simply because your radio is chinese is a moron and should be ignored with extreme-prejudice.. Just tell them you're transmitting on a iCom radio and as long as your roger-beep is off i GUARANfuckingTEE you that they will never be able to tell the difference. For MY money, I would buy a KG-1000G, but only because I am a radio dork.  However I have many friends that are regular-people that prefer the simplicity of the Midland radios and were more than happy to pay the $$ for that simplicity.

probably, but here is the direct link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K5GW67O/
 

In addition to good connectors and coax, I also use "Strong 30mil Weatherproof Self-Fusing Silicone Rubber Sealing Tape" - that stuff works like magic.

In addition to good connectors and coax, I also use "Strong 30mil Weatherproof Self-Fusing Silicone Rubber Sealing Tape" - that stuff works like magic.

In addition to good connectors and coax, I also use "Strong 30mil Weatherproof Self-Fusing Silicone Rubber Sealing Tape" - that stuff works like magic.

I have heard a few people mention that Youtube has some good videos going over every aspect of using GMRS and pretty much all GMRS radios. 

It must just be you because "some people" continue to proclaim that I am the RF-antikhrist and have single-handedly destroyed both H.A.M. and GMRS.

Aluminum will work, but your mag-mount wont stick to it as well as a cookie-sheet..  However the wife will probably complain less about using the foil vs the cookie-sheet.
I'm sure that "some people" will leave a more detailed, 10-paragraph explanation complete with the molecular differences between steel and aluminum and the RF calculations, all just to say "it will work" ....

Also beware of "some people" that will chastise you for even thinking about using an XTL5000 on GMRS and watch out for the "experts" telling you that you will go to jail if you get a copy of the XTL5000 software..

The hardest part about programming the XTL5000 is getting the software..
As for programming the radio:  I learned everything about how to program it by watching youtube videos - I have a friend that I could call for things that really confused me and he also learned everything from Youtube and various websites.
For most/many things, the programming is the same/very similar to the XTS5000 - seems there is more info out there for the XTS, which also helped me a lot. 

I have heard a few people mention that Youtube has some good videos going over every aspect of using GMRS and pretty much all GMRS radios. 

Just don't watch the newest one just uploaded today.. Dont watch that one.

I thought it had a good beat and I could dance to it. 

I literally cried.

I have heard a few people mention that Youtube has some good videos going over every aspect of using GMRS and pretty much all GMRS radios. 

I have heard a few people mention that Youtube has some good videos going over every aspect of using GMRS and pretty much all GMRS radios. 

If it was ME, (i have actually had similar shituations) I would (and do) just use a good quality adaptor... "Some People" will warn you that you are going to lose all your power through an adaptor, but I am able to deal with that 0.002% amount of loss.
"some people" will also tell you to just do-up the cables and connectors yourself - but, many normal people dont want to hassle it, and, are willing to cope with that 0.002% loss from using an adaptor.
..Be sure to use a good-quality adaptor, not the $2 one from Amazon.

No I didn't. That video was 8 months ago, I just didn't remember that particular "not my favorite" radio being featured. I do remember that you had the picture of your favorite Vice President and former California Attorney General on the monitor in the background. In the whatever available future that lies ahead for me, I'll do a better job in remembering such stuff.

at a minimum, all you need to do is put the radio on the correct corresponding repeater channel, go into the menu and find the CTC or DTC menu (depending on if it is a CTCSS tone or a DPL/DTC tone) for TRANSMIT, select the correct tone from the list, and save the change.  I know you said you are not "technically inclined" but I assume you know how to read, so you might have to read the manual for the exact steps.  Only worry the transmit tone for now, the receive tone is optional.
That is all you need to do.