srbecker

On the 50x1: I haven't tried renaming the hard coded repeater channels. You can add more with customized names, but they are receive only.  If you can find a commercial surplus that fits your needs, grab it ?my current base is a surplus vertex standard that is 90/95a certified (under the old set of rules), though it's acting up related to the tones, and almost seems like it's a hair off channel.
To be honest, I never felt like the btech came up short on power, though. With a small 5/8 wave antenna on a piece of sheet metal up in the top of a closet, I can reach a repeater around 60 miles out up on the hill, plus a couple more closer in. 

That's true. If you don't mind forgoing the Part 95 certification the other band split will work just fine plus gives you full access to the complete Ham 70cm band. I found the other band split I can program my radios down to around 440MHz which covers a lot of the simplex frequencies and the repeater section of the band just fine. Most of the radios you find are the -K type.
The programming software you need is the KPG-89D, which I have since it's the same software used on the TK-3180 hand held radio I have. The version I found, V1.61, has the so-called "engineer's"  key allowing the bypass of any passwords set in the radio and access to a few more features the usual dealer or end user version doesn't allow. The software installs and works fine on Windows 10 as well. You just need to find a programming cable. Some people here have a good recommendation on where to find one.

They are wonderful radios! I have several of them as well as an TK-880-1H and an TK-840(N).
Carefully read and check out the pictures to be sure everything is included: microphone, power cable with fuse(s), mic clip, mounting bracket, etc.
Here is an example of a 'complete' unit:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/303837053371?hash=item46be1981bb:g:gG8AAOSwsOBf9Moa

One of the first things I do when thinking about buying a radio I'm not familuar with is go look for any manufacture's brochures. They are a good source listing the radio's main features. For the TK-8180 look here.
http://www.swscomm.com/kenwood/TK-7180_8180.pdf
This seems like a very nice radio.

Sean, like most "commercial" radios, the display is either the frequency programmed, or a 12 character Alpha label of your choice. With 512 channels split among 128 zones, you won't have any issue with having FAR more than you'll ever need in flexibility. None of this silly "Channel Number" nonsense unless you choose to use them for your Alpha tag of course.
A "Zone" is a way of segregating your frequencies rationally. For example you could have one Zone strictly for GMRS frequencies (which you could label "Channel 1," etc. You could also create another Zone with only frequencies used for another town... 

I have a number of commercial Kenwood hand held radios and one mobile. While it did take a bit of searching on the Internet I have managed to find the programming software on line to download. So far I have the OEM software to program the following UHF Kenwood radios.
TK-370G
TK-3160
TK-3360
TK-3140
TK-3170
TK-3173
TK-3180
TK-D340U
NX-340U
NX-820HG (mobile)
One of the nice things about the commercial radios, at least Kenwood with Motorola not so much, is the ability to program in frequencies outside of the official band split specifications. That allows using the radio for both GMRS and Ham Radio's 70cm band, both TX and RX operation, for those that are dual licensed. The purposed built GMRS specific radios typically don't allow this and could be a factor is which radio you select. Many of my radios have GMRS simplex and repeaters programed along with a bunch of Ham 70cm simplex and repeaters too. Just have to remember which call-sign to use depending on the memory channel in use. 8-)
The main problem with using free software like Chirp are some of the radio's features are not supported, or what support there is happens to be buggy. Waiting for Chirp bugs to get fixed, well some never do seem to get fixed. The developer for the module for that particular radio lost interest, doesn't have the time or doesn't have access to a radio to reverse engineer the communications protocol and code plug. Some of the developers are "loaned" radios to use for a period of time then have to return them to the owner(s).
If you want to make sure you have full access to a radio's operational features there is no substitute for the manufacture's software, and this is VERY particularly true for commercial radios.

Your understanding is correct; the btech will meet all except that last bullet. For occasional changes, I don't know that I'd have an issue; changing tones is pretty straightforward in the menu. My case with 2 repeaters  in range of base on the same channel with different tones....was a little more frustrating. 
Given that's one of your big wants, the extra time and money may be worthwhile, and that's my only major gripe with the radio. 

I would advocate that you conduct simplex testing first to confirm you can communicate between your intended sites before investing in repeater specific gear. The results of those tests will be incredibly beneficial. If you achieve exceptional results doing simplex, then there is reasonable chance of success with a repeater.

I have considered hosting a repeater on my property, but have not yet chosen to do so. Even though my elevation is good (at or above everyone else for miles) I know from testing I would still need to get my antenna well above the trees (perhaps 100-120 feet or more AGL) to achieve reliable repeater coverage out to 8-9 miles and be suitable for reliable use with an HT. My range limitation is mostly foliage density (i.e. the trees are my enemy). The cost of the tower to achieve that elevation detracts me from moving forward.

If you are considering the Retevis repeater, it is only 5 watts, so your simplex testing would need to yield exceptional results using only 5 watts of power. I say exceptional, because the Retivis will not work as well as a simplex radio solution.

For my testing, I opted for a HD fiber glass pushup mast and high-gain collinear antenna on top. It was suitable for testing, and has found itself now semi-permanently installed next to the house.

Here is an image taken when i was doing my simplex testing. Top of antenna in this picture is 56’ AGL.



Bottom line, if you can’t simplex between the intended sites from your desired antenna elevations, using the intended amount of power, there is zero chance of repeater success. So, my advise is to keep your expectations realistic, do your testing first so that when you do decide to invest in a repeater your expectation bubble will not burst.


Michael
WRHS965
KE8PLM

The coax you choose is open to a lot of debate. It's safe to say that hard line, air core will have the best results, but then using a good foam filled coax will make the install less costly but incur slightly less power available at the antenna when comparing the two types. The radiation pattern from a vertical antenna can be visualized as a beach ball with the top and bottom of the ball indented. Increasing the gain of the antenna pushes up and down on the ball resulting in less energy being directed up and down but more toward the horizon. A 3 dB gain effectively increases the energy being radiated to double the input while 6 dB is a quadruple increase. I also recommend an antenna with radials as this ensures the antenna has a ground reference and sets where the "bottom" of the beach ball pattern is. The top of the ball is the antenna tip. In all cases, antenna height above ground is the primary factor for distance covered.

The range for your installation is dependent on three factors, antenna height, surrounding terrain and power. Your antenna's propagation pattern is from the center of the antenna rather than the tip. With a short antenna, it makes little difference from where you measure the height from the ground. With longer antennas, the best result is if you measure from the antenna feed point to the ground. But all that is for naught if the terrain around your install is higher than the antenna. UHF radio waves don't bend around hills.

I drive an 01 Silverado and here is my setup. For daily use locally I carry a Wouxon KF 805G, attached to a roof mounted antenna and powered by the battery eliminator.  When I go in a store or whatever I disconnect the coax, slide off the eliminator, attach the "rubber duck" antenna and slide in the regular battery and off I go.  For "road trips" I fashioned a mobile mount out of some plywood and "L" brackets for a mobile CB and mobile GMRS. While driving it sets on the Trans tunnel, If I'm staying in a hotel I disconnect both radios and carry the set up into the hotel room.  
The KG805G isn't high powered but it works for me locally. The mobile setup isn't pretty, but I'm not in a truck  show.
 
Hope this helps and enjoy!

I would also recommend the KG1000G based on what I've seen and read about it. I have one on the way, but haven't received it yet. Like you, I also have the GM-30 (a few of them actually), and recently purchased the UV9G too. The GMRS radios are what I pass out to family members when I want us to be able to communicate. I think this is a great solution for family communications when hiking, camping, bike riding, etc. They may lend themselves to an SHTF situation, as long as there aren't too many others trying to use the same airwaves at the same time.
 
If you get a Baofeng for SHTF scenarios, my recommendation is to get more than one. They provide much more capability than a GMRS radio by virtue of the frequencies on which you can transmit. GMRS is limited to the standardized channels (actually specific designated frequencies), and in many cases you don't have the ability to transmit "out of band," so to speak. With a dual- or tri- band ham radio, you have a lot more frequency space to work with and you're not limited to specific (channelized) frequencies within that space.
 
While it's true that a $25 radio will generallyget you $25 worth of performance, it's functionality will be largely dependent upon the ability to contact someone with it. If there's no one on the other end to talk to, it won't matter how much you paid for the radio. CCRs are great to use for learning purposes, and if you have several of them, you can pass them out to your friends and neighbors in a SHTF situation. As you familiarize yourself with the Baofeng, you will likely also become more interested in getting your ham license, which I would recommend anyway, since it would allow you to transmit with the Baofeng to communicate with others.
 
If you like the GM-30, there is another CCR that has slightly better specs than the Baofeng, and is similarly priced. It looks nearly identical to the GM-30, but comes in a ham radio variety. Take a look at the TYT-UV88 if you're interested.
 
The other nice thing about the CCRs is that as your interest grows (and likely your inventory of better radios), you can use the CCRs as backup radios.

A cheap Baofeng  is not a good choice for a SHTF radio. They're OK for a cheap "beater radio" so when it breaks it's so cheap you won't cry over it. The main reason you see so many people suggest them is because of one thing, they're dirt cheap. You buy a $25 radio you get a $25 radio reliability and performance. I purchased a cheap BTECH tri-band hand held radio a while back. Dropped it on the hard floor at a sports bar while out with some friends, the speaker quit working. Oh well, it was a CCR.
 
What you really want is a radio with a heavy duty case that you could drop on concrete and not have it die, drop in the water and not short-out the innards etc. In a SHTF situation you don't know where you'll be and under what conditions, but the radio must still work, hot, cold, driving rain, dusty or smoky air, mud coated etc.

Of course, most replies will be much opinion, so here is mine:
 
1) IMHO, the Wouxun KG1000G is a great radio - it has a 50W output, but the best feature is being able to throw the chassis under the seat (or wherever) and remotely mount the very small faceplate anywhere.  I have also used the BTech GMRS 50X1 - actually 2 of them, but that radio does not output anywhere near the advertised power output and the screen is tiny/hard to read.. but, it is cheaper..sooo...
2) any GMRS antenna is probably "good enough" - on both my Jeeps I use the Browning BR-450 which is a UHF antenna and must be cut/tuned (not a big deal) - but a "GMRS" antenna should not need to be cut/tuned
3) it depends on the antenna & where it's mounted, but to be safe I would remove it.  Assuming you mount it where you can reach it, the GMRS/UHF "NMO" mounts are easy screw-off, so its very fast/easy to remove. Tram makes a very small (6 inch?) that works great, and would probably survive the carwash just fine..
4) There are no designated GMRS channels (technically there, are but, like you, nobody knows about them) and in most areas the airwaves are dead - its not yet like CB as far as activity.
5) I dont have any pics, but, dont overthink it.. Mount the radio where you can see it, and mount the antenna where it works - be warned that experts will tell you that if it's not mounted in the "right" location, "it wont work" - dont belive it.  Jeeps are notorious for not having any "good" mounting locations (due to the lack of a metal roof) and both mine are mounted where the experts say "is terrible/wont work" - and yet I can talk to my wife in her Jeep, also with a "terrible" antenna location, 25 miles away, and I can easily hit a repeater 70 miles away while sitting in my garage with the door closed.

I just ordered this radio.  I am pretty excited for it and will follow this forum so I can learn of any tips or tricks you guys post about.