gortex2

The FCC in truth is partly to blame for this stupidity.  Somewhere in the stacks of pages of FCC regulations there is a passage in the hammie law that states that A ham operator may use ANY means at their disposal to communicate an emergency.  Now this has little clarification where it explains that if a General class operator can't raise anyone on the allocated frequencies of his license, he can move to the Extra class frequency allocations and and communicate there.  But he HAS to remain within the allocated amateur radio bands.  So the clowns see this as an excuse to remove the transmit block that keeps their 2 meter ham radio transmitting between 144 and 148 Mhz.  And they cite this very regulation as the reason to modify their radios... so just in case they need to talk directly to the police or fire they can.  I remember when Radio Shack brought out the HTX202 radios that would NOT even receive out of band.  They were a kickass radio, worked extremely well but guys refused to own them because they wouldn't operate out of band.  Had the FCC CLEARLY stated that the any means at their disposal within the allocated amateur radio bands, all this crap wouldn't be as common as it is.  This goes back to the days of code requirements and 5 different licenses classes in ham radio.  But it allowed a Novice license holder to use 2 meters in the case of an emergency.  It was NEVER meant to allow hams to talk to police on their ham radios. 
And this stupidity is still prevalent in ham radio.  I have heard numerous complaints that there is no radio that will connect to an 800Mhz trunked radio system that a ham can get.  And they NEED it 'just in case" and have gone as far as stating that they need to have some public safety frequency available for them their ham radios will work on so they can advise of an emergency.  
Public safety communications is for the greater public good.  Not the good on an individual.  Meaning if the cell networks are down due to an earthquake.  There is a building on fire with 30 people trapped and your father is having a heart attack, getting on the fire / ems frequency and calling for help will get you told to shut the hell up and ignored.  The lives of 30 people are MORE important than that of a single individual.  And they are NOT going to send resources for a single individual if they don't have them in reserve, which after a major earthquake, they are NOT gonna have.  But getting on their frequency DOES put that group of people in greater jeopardy if they are communicating with you and not each other do rescue them.
 

I would be shocked to learn that Idaho doesn't have statutes addressing this. I know for certain that California does. It's not a rule, or guideline. It's a law - if you interfere with public safety (broadly defined to include police, fire, ems, and possibly refuse collection), you have committed a criminal act. The penalty is upto a year in jail and $4k in fines per offense.

That will always be an issue with crowd sourced information. As ham and GMRS repeaters aren't licensed and funded there is no guarantee they will be live from one day to the next. 

I don’t know. In a ham group someone said that he did continue even after a personal visit, but I have no specific knowledge besides the article I quoted. But eight times he transmitted on their frequency with his ham radio handheld while they were trying to direct aircraft. I’m not full of sympathy for him. I’m surprised there aren’t criminal charges. 

I had a 275 for years, and now I own two 575s.   The 575 covers all the gaps for me that I felt were missing in the 275.
I know some are not fans.  But for me, they are great.  I have mine mounted under the truck seat with a RJ45 cable up to my dash, and plug the 575 mic in there.  Clean.  Simple.  Does everything I want it to, and it doesn't do the things I don't need.  I understand that others have different needs and are fans of other radios.
I like the extra power, wide band, and split tones on repeaters.  I am not a HAM and don't need to monitor stations I am not planning to participate on.  
Simplex or Duplex, I have been impressed so far.  I have them paired with the 6db gain Midland antenna, and am more than pleased with the performance.

I think it's up to the owner to respond and mygmrs.com can't really do much about that.  Owners are private citizens for the most part and could be away for many different reasons.  If the repeater is listed as open, try it when you get in the area.
As I understand it, permission really isn't necessary.
 
BTW, 700 moved to Kingstree, SC and covers about 60 miles.  It is open so permission isn't really required while you visit.
 

Ended up getting a Motorola PA. Thanks guys for the advice. 

That's not for a KT8900D.  The KT8900D is an amateur radio.  Not a GMRS radio. 
 
From the manufacturer.... 
Dual Band: VHF and UHF / 144 / 430Mhz
TX amateur band version: 144-146 MHz et 430-440 MHz
RX: 87.5-108MHz, 136-174MHz, 400-480MHz, 220-260MHz and 350-390MHz
 
The QYT KT-8900D covers RX and TX 144-146MHz and 430-440Mhz in analog FM mode with 25 watts (VHF) and 20 watts (UHF) and VFO button for channel or frequency change.

Yep, I've got the CMX CB, too.  Love it.  Great little radio.

Yeah, I had the 275 before and will be mounting it in my wife's Jeep.  I love the 2 channel monitoring of the KG-1000G but I really miss the quality feel of the 275, and the simplicity.  I also miss the loud speaker, as I mentioned before.  Its just a better radio for a Jeep.  If I was a big time GMRS hobbyist, the Wouxun would be better.  

The MTX115 and MTX275 is ideal for your off road adventures. People get worked around the axles on 50 watts. The mobile is easier to use and drive and talking to the jeep behind you 5 watts is fine. 

Thats the reason I have the 275 in both my JT and JK. Overlander in the center. CB is the CMX series all in head. Simple and effective.

I agree... 50 watts is not needed.  If you had not made a purchase yet and it fell into the "nice to have" category, that would be fine, but there is very little range difference between 15-20 watts and 50 watts.  You probably wouldn't notice in the hills and mountainous areas. 
People who benefit from the additional power will be those who are out in open areas (water, desert, flat country/farm lands).  Especially if they are using a large tower or have an elevation advantage and are trying to communicate with a party with a similar setup.
 
As mentioned by @gortex2 if you are wheeling with people who are using handhelds, it won't matter anyway.
 

was thinking tk 840 mobile. TKR 850/ 851 are 40/25
agreed. get a mobile amp 5>50 and be done w/it
 

Well, I guess I did it backwards!  I got my license, bought a couple of handhelds, and then bought a Midland MXT115 for my Jeep.  For my needs I didn't feel like I needed 40 or 50 watts, as I'll mostly use it when wheeling.  Lots to learn here though!

Nothing wrong with the MXT575. I still use the little brother to it (275). 

Found it, the link: https://www.hamradio.me/antennas/ht-antenna-comparisons.html
And the thread where Lscott brings it up, and our resident infulenzer is also quoted:
 

Off tangent: The UV5R and SW-33 are truly a match made in heavens. When both are connected and used for <anything> it is a very good indication of youtube expert having no clue.
And I have SW-33. It is not consistent. Most of the time it shows my grandma's birthday. And other times it shows completely random numbers. I can't trust it for anything.

Who actually listens to FM radio on a CCR anyway ? Is that a thing ? 

Friendly reminder: measuring SWR on HT antenna is meaningless, no matter what youtube expert would say.

And honestly I find this to be disheartening.  Not the old guy part but the total lack of involvement from the younger guys.  And the fact that the ones that do get involved are the vest and light bar guys.  Others on here have mentioned that part of amateur radio is emergency communications.  And that's true.  But This stuff was established when public safety communications was FAR different than it is today.  Those changes have made the police and fire systems far more resilient and reliable than back in the day, and the amateur radio technology has for the most part stalled.  The 'old guy' mentality I believe has something to do with it, lack of accepting change, or new technology.  So public safety, The Red Cross, and other 'established' emergency groups have shiny new radio systems that have redundancy and we have 2 Meter FM and HF simplex.  But we can talk simplex.... except those shiny new PS radios have that ability too.  And the ham community is almost at odds with it self to move forward and those that are willing lack the funds and the spectrum to do so, at least in my area.  By that I mean no one is actually looking at where they need to place repeaters and infrastructure to provide an alternate path for emcomm and those that actually DO, can't get a repeater pair to put in the equipment.  There are probably 30 VHF ham repeaters in the Central Ohio area.  No one uses ANY of them.  But ask for someone to give up a pair so it can be moved to a better site on better equipment and they poo poo all over that idea, stating it's THEIR repeater pair and it's gonna remain that way.  But if you call for that guy on HIS repeater, with HIS call sign on it, he's not even listening to it, let alone anyone else.  And frankly it's sad that ham radio has fallen in this rabbit hole.  And I really don't know if there is a way back at this point.  Not to mention the idea that guys are getting DMR 'hotspots' and forgoing a repeater all together.  What's the  point of using RF to communicate 6 feet to your Raspberry Pi and then onto the internet?  Seems pointless.  And with the available dongles, you can forgo the radio all together and connect your computer to a microphone and talk without RF being involved on your end at all.  So, we eliminate the radio part of ham radio and what do you have left? 

N connectors are preferred. LMR400 is fine for NON Repeater use. Do not use LMR400 on a repeater. For your base at home you are fine. Get N based surge arrestors also.

To be honest a XTS3K is not worth the effort. In the past there was a tool for the XTS1500 and above but never worked on the 3K. Send them back to the seller or toss in box for parts.

Fair points.
There are several people I know around here (where I live) that work in construction related jobs, some are crane operators, some do siding work, glass, etc, but they all use inexpensive Midland FRS/GMRS bubblepack radios from Walmart. We usually get together on a weekly basis, and they've shown unusual interest in the Motorola stuff I carry, but then I am the first person to tell them its just not worth the hassle, nor the cost. I keep telling them that if the Midland gives up the "smokey ghost", just go get another one, and there will be a lot of "giving up the ghost" before you can break even with one XPR7550e (especially now given the pricing of things) 
But then again, these guys don't need 50+ miles range, they aren't building digital interconnect systems, have no interest in a GMRS license, nor a HAM, and let alone acquire a membership in this forum, nor any of the other radio sites either; which clearly shows that they are not interested in the radio hobby at all, not even a hint. They use cellphones and don't think for a moment about using a radio to communicate with their family, friends, or their cat.
Now, it is probably safe to assume that the people who come to this forum, and become members after getting the GMRS license, are present or future/potential radioaficionados (people who like radios and/or have shown interest in them), well, provided they can endure the rigors of figuring things out in the beginning, and dealing with not so great ranges like the "movies" promise you'll have, etc... and for that I feel its just best to not sugarcoat the reality of things: If you want performance, you'll have to pay to play at some point: be it with higher grade equipment, or paying up for a rental space on a tower, a better antenna,  filters, etc.
Sometimes it just feels (to me) that the more experienced members only push for the cheap stuff, all the time, (which might be okay for some, fair point) but perhaps should also convey the other points you've mentioned as well: the points about the higher tier brand radios; maybe even hinting the new GMRS operators that if they really want to go all in, they'll probably have to go the extra mile, or invest in higher tier equipment, learn a few things, etc. That is all.
G.

Or really? Never? Lol. And if you keep patting yourself on your own back that hard, you're at risk of growing hair on your palms.