mrgmrs

The Crete 600 repeater fills a NE Illinois / NW Indiana void that was created by the departure of the Schererville, IN repeater.  It is very capable, having a large footprint.  And it's part of the linked Midwest GMRS Network.
Please consider donating to it.  A gofundme link is included in the repeater's entry on mygmrs.com.
The owner of the repeater is not looking to make money on it.  He is simply asking for the yearly operational cost of approximately $2000, which works out to $167/month (e.g., the backhaul to link the repeater to the Midwest GMRS Network).
This doesn't even factor in the initial significant $$$$ expense to get Crete 600 on air.  And it might also not include a recent significant $$$$ expense to replace faulty equipment.
The repeater owner did not ask me to create this post.  I did so on my own because I value this repeater.  I'd hate to see it depart if yearly operational funding were to become an issue.
Thanks for your consideration.

Welcome!
I have and like Yaesu, but Yaesu doesn’t make a radio certified for GMRS. They make great ham radios though.  People will say that certification isn’t important, and as you progress you might even decide that it isn’t, but for someone trying to get started it sure makes it easier to use the radio without having to worry about violating a regulation.  Others will tell you that it doesn’t matter if you violate the regulations because the FCC doesn’t enforce them anyway.  Statistically there is some validity, but I still like to know where I stand with respect to regulations.
Wouxun is arguably one of the best GMRS radios made and certified for that purpose. The people who have one like the KG1000G Mobile Radio.  It’s a 50 watt radio.  As far as I know all mobile GMRS radios have a UHF connector for an external antenna.  They have to.
Several of us have purchased the Radioddity db20g, which is a tiny 20 watt GMRS mobile radio.  It’s small and easy to use, plugging into the cigarette lighter.  Like the Wouxun it needs an external antenna.  It’s about $100, unless you wait for a sale.  I bought two of them directly from Radioddity for $87 each.  It’s sold under a couple other names as well. Firmware might vary based on brand.
These forums have lots of discussions about what radio is best.  There will never be universal agreement.

Good luck to all youtube GMRS content providers - I mean someone - on pursuing and getting their ham license.

Good luck to all youtube GMRS content providers - I mean someone - on pursuing and getting their ham license.

51 watts!?! ?

I saw this new topic this morning and just assumed you were from Australia! ?

I own both a UV9D Mate and UV9D. They are my favorite HTs, and have sold off my name brand amateur HTs in favor of these radios.
My only complaint with the UV9D radios is that AM receive audio (aircraft) can be louder than the FM reception, particularly with close aircraft. I live near a general aviation airport, so the traffic is only a couple of miles away and some transmissions can be quite a bit louder than the other signals received. They need some form a AGC to solve that I guess.
I have not experienced any issues with intermod or other types of interference, as I have with other brands of Chinese radios, These radios seem to have good selectivity, keeping unwanted signals out, and the receive sensitivity of the UV9D models seems quite good.  I also live near a high powered paging transmitter, and do not experience any bleed over from that on the UV9D. But I will mention I only use these radios as handhelds, and only with a rubber duck antenna. I have not connected them to an external or mobile antenna, and that could impact someone’s reception, regarding overloading of strong signals.
The display can be difficult to read in direct sunlight, but that does not bother me much. I find these radios to be as good as one of the more expensive Yaesu HTs, and I can tell you personally I will never spend more money on something like a Yaesu, as their quality has deteriorated over the years, while Wouxun’s quality has improved greatly.

Hi Michael.  Not an Ozzie.  But I have had shrimp on the barbie and Fosters oil cans.  Apparently there are differences of opinion on how well Fosters is regarded in Oz.

@MichaelLAX
@WRPS580
 
First, @MichaelLAX, reviewers typically didn't provide details whether their radio and the target radio were both set to wide band.  However, @WRPS580 did mention of the two GM-30 radios he has, both were the same firmware version, same programming, and same bandwidth (wide/narrow).  So without knowing if he was using his two radios for a transmission test to each other or if he used his radios separately to talk to a different radio, at least the parameters of his two radios were the same.
To be fair to Radioddity, reports of low audio are inconclusive.  Maybe the majority occurred if a GM-30 that was in narrowband tried talking to another GMRS radio that was set to wideband.  Or if there was a problem early in the GM-30's release, perhaps Radioddity fixed it, possibly quietly.  There have been quite a few positive reviews of this radio stating there was no low audio issue.
Therefore, the first response by @MichaelLAX to this post offers good advice.  If purchasing a GM-30, when asking for radio checks, explicitly ask how the tx audio sounds.  This is actually a good thing to ask when getting early radio checks for any radio purchase you make.  And as Michael stated, if the GM-30 (or any newly purchased radio) exhibits low tx audio, be prepared to return it within the exchange/warranty interval.
Thanks again for everyone's comments.
In Summary
1. Plenty of people say this radio is good and does not have low tx audio.
2. As with any new radio, ask for radio checks and explicitly ask how the tx audio is.
3. If there is a low tx or other issue, exchange the radio within the exchange/warranty window.
 

Since you're interested in txing on GMRS but not HAM, of those two antennas the UT-72G is the one to get.  That antenna is optimized for GMRS (i.e., 462-467 MHz) as well as for the MURS radio service.  In fact, the "G" at the end of the antenna's name represents GMRS.
Incidentally, I am using the G version as a base antenna.  I plopped it on top of a steel pizza pan, which serves as a ground.  I'm happy with the results.  Since I don't use the antenna as a mobile antenna, I cannot comment on its performance for that scenario.
If you have a chance, can you update this post to let us know how the UT-72G is working out for you?  Good luck.

Though I've mentioned this as a side item in various posts, I wanted to take the time to create a specific post to spotlight my favorite youtube channel for GMRS info, including equipment.
I'm speaking of NotaRubicon Productions.
The owner of that channel is a down to earth guy by the name of Randy.  His channel has good things going for it:
  + Good Production.  Good lighting.  Good mics.  A sense of humor.  A born-to-do-this delivery ability.  Aspiring YT channel stars, take note.
  + Good Information.  The good production attributes mentioned above can help bring people into a channel and make them want to return.  But that is not enough.  There has to be relevant information delivered to the point.  Randy does this.
It's obvious that manufacturers are aware of him and the fact that he is an influencer.  When Randy gives a thumbs up for a radio model, buyers snap them up.  When he mentions problems with newly introduced radios, manufacturer's fix them fast.
I have no connection with Randy or his YT channel.  Just wanted to share a good GMRS youtube channel for those interested.
 

Though I've mentioned this as a side item in various posts, I wanted to take the time to create a specific post to spotlight my favorite youtube channel for GMRS info, including equipment.
I'm speaking of NotaRubicon Productions.
The owner of that channel is a down to earth guy by the name of Randy.  His channel has good things going for it:
  + Good Production.  Good lighting.  Good mics.  A sense of humor.  A born-to-do-this delivery ability.  Aspiring YT channel stars, take note.
  + Good Information.  The good production attributes mentioned above can help bring people into a channel and make them want to return.  But that is not enough.  There has to be relevant information delivered to the point.  Randy does this.
It's obvious that manufacturers are aware of him and the fact that he is an influencer.  When Randy gives a thumbs up for a radio model, buyers snap them up.  When he mentions problems with newly introduced radios, manufacturer's fix them fast.
I have no connection with Randy or his YT channel.  Just wanted to share a good GMRS youtube channel for those interested.
 

As you can see by the replies, interpretations/opinions are divided.  As a reminder, my question was specifically regarding GMRS from a legal perspective.
Before starting this post, searching the web for an answer to the question yielded no answers.  Also, I had looked at the GMRS portion of the Part 95 rules, and it didn't seem to support use of one's license by a friend under normal circumstances.  There was a provision for emergency use.
According to Part 95.1705 subpart (c), the following people can operate a GMRS station under the authority of an individual license:
  + the GMRS licensee
  + a list of the license holder's immediate family members, defined as spouse, children, grandchildren, stepchildren, parents, grandparents, stepparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and in-laws
  + anyone if necessary to communicate an emergency message
  + a partnership
  + a corporation
  + an association
  + a governmental unit
Since it appears that the Part 95 rules don't support GMRS use by a friend (except for an emergency), I figured I'd create this post anyway in case anyone was aware of a rule to the contrary and could cite the rule.  I also figured that other folks might search this forum for an answer to this question, so it was worth posting.
Therefore, since nobody was able to cite a specific GMRS Part 95 rule which supports use by a friend, I'm going with the approach that it is not legal.
Even though amateur radio makes a provision for use by a friend if the licensee acts as a control operator, this does not appear to apply to GMRS by extension.  Since my question was from a strictly speaking legal perspective, that is what I wanted an answer to.  If a GMRS licensee chooses to let a non-licensed friend transmit on the holder's license, this appears to be illegal based on everything I've seen in the GMRS portion of Rule 95.
Bottom line: It appears that it is illegal to let a non-licensed friend transmit under the authority of your GMRS license, except for an emergency.

Hi Marcus,
Before I get into more details, since you did not mention which radio you have, the first thing to realize is that not all radios support GMRS repeater use or might do so only after performing extra steps.  Your owner's manual will help you determine that.  If you don't have a paper copy of the manual, try looking for it online on the web site you bought the radio from or the manufacturer's web site.  You can also try online manual archives such as manualslib.com.
If you've determined your radio can support GMRS operation, continue reading...
In case it might help, here is some fundamental information about repeaters.  Repeaters use two frequencies.  The frequency that the repeater transmits on is the output frequency.  Since that is the repeater's output freq, that is also the freq you'll monitor to hear what comes out of the repeater.  A repeater also uses an input frequency.  This is the frequency that the repeater monitors to hear your transmissions and rebroadcasts them basically simultaneously on the output freq.  This is known as duplex operation and is fundamental to how duplex repeaters work.
When you see a repeater frequency listed in mygmrs, that is the output frequency that the repeater transmits on and that you monitor.  But what about the input frequency you need to use to transmit to the repeater?  That is accomplished via an offset.  Normally for amateur radio, a + or - 5 MHz offset is used for UHF operation.  GMRS is also UHF, but it uses only a +5 MHz offset for repeater use.  The +5 MHz offset means that for whatever output GMRS frequency is being used, the input frequency is 5 MHz higher.  In your original posting, you mentioned 462.650 MHz.  You can tell this is a GMRS output frequency because it is in the 462 MHz range.  (Note that there are also 462.xxx simplex, non-repeater frequencies in FRS and GMRS.  The 462.xxx freqs only represent a repeater output when we are discussing GMRS repeaters.)  So, for a repeater output freq of 462.650, the input freq you'll need to access that particular repeater is 467.650 (notice the 467 instead of the 462) because we are offsetting by +5 MHz.
So how is the +5 MHz offset accomplished?  It depends on your radio.  There may be dedicated memories which take care of the offset.  Otherwise, you may need to take additional programming steps.  If so, consult the manual.  For my Wouxun KG-905G handheld radio, which has preprogrammed repeater memories, such memories show a "+" sign in the display to represent the +5 MHz offset.  If your radio is capable of GMRS repeater operation and it is preprogrammed with the eight possible GMRS channels in memory, select the appropriate memory for use with the repeater you are trying to access.  It's possible that your radio might display a repeater's freq info with a alphanumeric label such as "RPT-19."  If you're not sure which GMRS output frequency that represents, consult your owner's manual.  There is also a possibility that your radio has a menu selectable option that can display a memory's content as a frequency instead of the alphanumeric tag.
Let's say you've determined that your radio is 1) GMRS capable, 2) has a memory assigned for the particular GMRS repeater you are interested in, and 3) you have selected that particular memory.  What's next?  Access tones, aka PL tones.
Repeaters typically require analog (CTCSS) or digital (DCS) access tones. This is done for two reasons.  First, since there are only eight GMRS pairs (input and output freq combinations), that means several repeaters you might be able to access locally may use the same repeater freq pairs.  In that case, so that you access the repeater you're interested in, you may need to transmit the appropriate transmit tone to "open" that particular repeater.  As such, if a repeater requires you to send a particular transmit access tone, that is the most important tone.  But if a repeater database such as mygmrs also lists a receive tone, what about that tone?  That tone only influences what you hear or if you hear anything at all.  So what will you hear, if anything?
Let's take the case of a repeater that does support your use of a receive tone because it transmits an embedded CTCSS tone of say 156.7 (for example).  There are three possibilities:
1) if you set your receive tone to none, you will receive/hear the transmission from the repeater in all cases.  By setting your radio's receive tone to none, you are instructing your radios receiver to send the message to the radio's speaker regardless of whether or not the received transmission has a tone embedded in it from the repeater.
2) if you set your radio's receive tone to say 156.7, you will hear a repeater's transmission only if the same 156.7 tone is embedded in the transmission from the repeater.  By setting a receive tone, you are instructing the radio to send a message to its speaker only for transmissions that are received which have an embedded tone that matches the receive tone you specified.
3) if you set your radio's receive tone to say 156.7, if a repeater's transmission has a different embedded tone or no tone, you will not hear the transmission on your radio.
As you can, in the case of GMRS repeater operation, your use of a transmit tone only matters when a repeater requires you to open it via a transmit tone so you can transmit to it.  If you use a receive tone, that has nothing to do with opening a repeater to transmit to it.  Your use of a receive tone determines only if you'll hear a message or not.  So even if a repeater requires an access tone to open it for your transmission and you use the correct transmit access tone, if you utilize an incorrect receive tone, you will not hear any transmission from the repeater. 
Another thing to be aware of is that some repeater's require split tones.  That is, different tones for transmit and receive. This can be either two different CTCSS tones, two different DCS tones, or a CTCSS tone and a DCS tone.  If you're having trouble talking to and hearing from a repeater, split tone operation and whether your radio is capable of that might be the explanation.
Earlier I mentioned there are two reasons repeaters typically use access tones.  The first reason discussed earlier above was due to necessity.  Since there are only eight repeater pair channels, access tones provide a way to distinguish between repeaters which share these eight channels.  A second benefit of using access tones, especially transmit tones, is to try to lock out trolls/jammers.  Of course, since they might discover the access tones, repeater owners occasionally change which transmit tone you'll need to access the repeater again.  As such, if you were able to open a repeater previously but now can't, this is the first explanation to consider.  If so, you'll need to find out what the new access tone is and update your radio.  Do not share such info publicly in forums - otherwise you will let the trolls/jammers know about the new tone. 
Another thing to be aware of is how various radios are programmed differently.  The most flexible radios allow for total programming via their keypads as well as via PC software and programming cables.  The least flexible radios require most if not all of their programming to be done using PC software and a programming cable.  Other radios fall somewhere in the middle.  For example, to program frequencies in free memory slots in my KG-905G, I must program those freqs via a PC/cable.  But once those freqs have been programmed in the memories, I can change the characteristics (e.g. high/low power, receive tone, transmit tone) of the freqs via the radio's keypad.  I cannot stress enough how nice/important it is to be able to change such parameters in the field untethered to a PC and cable.  Though it's not in the scope of my answer to the original question to go into purchase decisions, for anyone considering buying GMRS radios, do your homework regarding must-have/desirable features.  Otherwise, in an attempt to "save money," you might find yourself buying multiple radios instead of the right one from the get go. 
Especially if all this is new to you, I know I've provided a lot of info.  If needed, it might help to digest it in bite size pieces, a paragraph at a time.  Hope that helps.  Happy radioing. 
 

MichaelLAX, you're explanation of desense, and especially the difference between simplex and repeater behavior in that context, is very well written.

I have also added (by editing) the following new item to the running list of my Sept. 2 entry, located earlier above.
HTs should be designed so they can sit vertically on end without tipping over.  Without mentioning names, I'm aware of at least two HTs made by two manufacturers which are tippy when set on a table.  Slightly brushing them makes them fall down, which can illicit some of the seven words that George Carlin stated cannot be said over the air.
Note that the aforementioned radios are prone to tipping due to their ends having a rounded style with nubs added in an insufficient attempt to provide standing stability.  BTW, the two manufacturers involved are in the top-tier of 2-way radio manufacturers.
As Randy from NotaRubicon might say, "For the love of Xenu, don't make tippy radios." 
 

I respectfully beg to differ, but it doesn't take a $500 radio to incorporate the points I've presented.  Good documentation...$20 radio should have it, $500 radio should have it.  And most of the other points do not involve expensive changes nor hardware changes.  Most of these are cases of making simple, good decisions when programming the radio anyway.  So why not do things such as not imposing an arbitrary limit regarding how many of the abundantly provided memories one can program with multiple occurrences of repeater freqs/tones?  The manufacturers of the cheap line of GMRS radios have already demonstrated a willingness to adopt such changes.
  -- mrgmrs

mbrun, I agree with you regarding BuyTwoWayRadio's positive role in advancing and improving GMRS.
Another person who has done so is Randy from youtube channel NotaRubicon.  It's obvious that GMRS manufacturers are aware of him and that he is an influencer.  For example, when he mentioned nine or so issues with a recently introduced GMRS radio, the manufacturer responded and fixed the bulk of the issues with a firmware update immediately.
Another good contribution is mygmrs.com.  Its forum appears to be the main GMRS watering hole.  The repeater database is also appreciated.
Thanks for mentioning you were glad to see this thread started.  I appreciate your and everyone's comments.

(FYI: I am adding this prefacing text to my original post to tip manufacturers and readers off that I am creating a new reply today, 9/2, which will serve as a running, bullet list summary of the various points.  You can go there for a quicker summary and look throughout this entire post for more specifics.  Back to the original post...)
A post to GMRS radio manufacturers...
(For other folks, admittedly this post is a bit lengthy.  This is because my main target audience are radio manufacturers who might read this forum, so I wanted to include details for their benefit.  Of course, if not a manufacturer, feel free to continue reading if you'd like.) 
I'm fairly recent to GMRS.  Even so, in that short time I've found myself in astonished [not in a good way] amazement regarding radio design decisions, quality control issues, and documentation issues.
Taking these one at a time (and throwing in the bonus topic of price creep) ...
Radio Design Decisions
Hopefully manufacturers realize that many people buying what-should-be-more-capable GMRS radios want to use them with GMRS repeaters and not just to talk with their children on simplex.  However, the design decisions I've witnessed leave me in stunned it-can't-be disbelief:
  + Some radios allow for the storage of the eight GMRS repeater pair channels in only eight memories.  This entirely misses the mark that repeater users may need to access repeaters which use the same freq pair but with different access tones.  What are GMRS repeater users expected to do in this case?  Keep programming / reprogramming the tones as the users switch between those repeaters?  This is inconvenient and annoying.  It is even more inconvenient if the radio has to be programmed with a PC and programming cable instead of being programmable in the field using a radio's keypad.
  + Though I'm not sure, I seem to recall reading that at least one radio was designed with access tones in an all or nothing mode.  That is, specifying an access tone applied it to all of the stored frequencies.  Not good.  And even if this was not the case, some radios do not (or did not) support split tones.  Split tones are important for GMRS repeater use.  These days some repeaters utilize a DCS transmit tone and a CTCSS receive tone, or vice versa, or two different CTCSS tones, or two different DCS  tones.  Split tone capability please.
  + Some radios were released with narrow band only.  For people with wide band radios, the apparent volume of a narrow band transmission is lower, which can be annoying to listen to.  Capable GMRS radios (i.e., "non-bubble-pack" variety) especially should be designed with selectable wide band and narrow band capability.
Quality Control Issues
It's amazing what quality control issues were released to consumers:
  + Without specifying which manufacturers, even recently released radios capable of both wide and narrow band were factory pre-programmed with memories set to narrow band.  So right away, especially non-bubble-pack radio users will likely want to change those to wide band.  This is not convenient if such radios must be programmed via a PC and programming cable, and even worse if the cable is not provided with the radio.  A before-it's-released-to-the-consumer quality check should have detected and prevented this.
  + Similar to the above, without specifying which manufacturers, some recently released radios were factory pre-programmed with access tones stored in the memories.  Not good.  For example, if a particular memory had CTCSS receive tone 156.7 stored and the radio is set to use that memory, that means a transmission would be heard only if the corresponding 156.7 transmit tone is transmitted by a sender.  This would be bad especially for new users - they might not even realize that they are not receiving transmissions which don't send the appropriate tone.  And as above, this is a irritant if such radios require a PC and programming cable to correct this, and even worse if the cable is not included with the radio.  A before-it's-released-to-the-consumer quality check should have detected and prevented this.
  + OEM programming software is often buggy.  Or the ability to copy/paste whole row(s) or selected cells of programming data is not supported.  This makes programming painful.
Documentation Issues
To put it kindly, often the documentation, especially for Chinese radios, is lacking.  Important details are omitted.  The English is poor.  Please hire people with a better command of English.  But that is not enough.  Also make sure that the document writers understand radios well enough to know what to write.  Both of these skills are needed to create worthwhile documentation.
Price Creep
I've been noticing price creep recently.  For example, one manufacturer released a radio not long ago, then fairly recently released an updated model for $20 more, and then released an even more recent model shortly later for $50 more than the first model.  I'm not saying necessarily that the two latter radios do not warrant their increased prices, but the higher prices in rapid succession have been noticed by others as well.  This manufacturer also sells a mobile GMRS radio that is a bit shy of $400, which is in the mucho dinero level of the established, big name manufacturers.  Again, I'm not saying necessarily that this manufacturer doesn't deserve such prices, but as the saying goes, "people are beginning to talk."  This manufacturer can afford to charge these prices at least currently due to the design features incorporated in their radios versus the past, lacking offerings from their competitors.  But if their competitors incorporate such features at more modest prices, they might woo customers away.  Such is the waltz that is capitalism.
Consumers are noticing the rapidity with which the increasingly priced radios with incremental improvements (perhaps an intentional business model) are released.  As such, the consumers and their wallets might hold off on future purchases for a few beats to see what's coming 'round the bend.
Examples of Good Execution
I didn't want to provide only examples of bad execution.  Here are some examples of good execution:
  + I don't know what Wouxun did or didn't do in say the last five years, but they seem to have their act together in the more recent past I'm aware of.  For example, I purchased a KG-905G radio recently.  Rightfully so, it did not arrive from the factory programmed in narrow band for channels in which wide band is permissible.  Rightfully so, it did not arrive with access tones factory pre-programmed in memories instead of the more desirable case of no factory pre-programmed tones.  Also, this radio allows a user to store multiple versions of the same repeater freqs with different tones.
  + Randy, from youtube channel "NotaRubicon Productions," reviewed the newly released Wouxun KG-935G handheld GMRS radio recently.  It is apparent that the designers understand features to include which facilitate the use of this radio.  Or possibly they included such features due to listening to influencers such as Randy and/or buytwowayradios.com.  For example, the radio can be operated in a dual receive mode.  To make it readily apparent which of the two selectable channels is the one that will be transmitted on when pressing the PTT button, an attention-getting red bar is present in the portion of the display corresponding to that frequency.  Nice.  Now let's take the case in which dual receive is active and one steps away from the radio but can hear that a transmission was received.  Was it frequency A or B?  There is an indicator which shows which frequency last received a transmission.  Nice.  But let's say you're a person who likes to keep things simple.  You might find dual receive confusing or annoying.  Dual receive is selectable; one is not forced to use it.  Nice.
  * Recently, buytwowayradios.com has made the Wouxun KG-XS20G mobile radio available for purchase.  While I'm waiting for reviews of this radio (believe one will be coming soon from Randy), a feature I like is one that was abandoned by many manufacturers, including the big name $$$ ones.  I'm referring to the use of the sturdy, old-style mic connector.  This is the connector which utilizes the strain-relieved mic cord secured by a rotating, threaded locking collar instead of the RJ-45 type of connector.  I, and plenty of others, dislike the RJ-45 type of connector, especially for mobile radios.
Disclosures
  + I have no connection with Wouxun, other than I purchased their KG-905G radio.  I mention them simply because I like many of their design decisions.  In case anyone thinks that I'm an automatic Wouxun fan-boy, that is not the case.  For example, I wish the KG-905G radio was fully field programmable via it's key pad and knobs.  As far as I know, to add or change frequencies in its memories, a PC and programming cable is required.  Once that's been done, one can use the radio's limited keypad and knobs to specify or change things such as access tones, power level, and wide or narrow band.  While this is better than radios that don't allow for any or next-to-nothing programmability from their keypad/knobs, I wish that the KG-905G was more field programmable in addition to the PC and programming cable method.  Since the keypad of this radio is basic (i.e., numeric keys are not included), even if a convoluted way of inputting or updating frequencies could be done via the radio's keypad and knobs, I would like that.  This would make the radio more flexible when traveling or otherwise away from home.
  + I have no connection with Randy nor his NotaRubicon youtube channel.  I mention them only because he and his channel provide spot-on information about GMRS and GMRS radios.
  + I have no connection with buytwowayradios.com other than that's the web site from which I bought the KG-905G radio and some accessories.  It is my understanding that BTWR may have interfaced with manufacturers such as Wouxun to drive design decisions for certain, uniquely-offered radios.  If so, BTWR is a good asset for the GMRS world.  And if that helps the manufacturer create desirable products which differentiate them from competitors and therefore drives sales, it's a win-win.
  
Summary
For the radio manufacturer's, I've provided examples of problematic radio designs, quality control issues, documentation issues, and a potential warning about increasing price creep.  I've also provided examples of good execution.
Finally, while providing radios with good features is nice, it is important that manufacturers also ensure reliability.  The allure of whiz-bang features is long forgotten if a radio/its battery/etc fail a short time after the warranty period ends.  But the bad reputation for such a manufacturer will exist long after in this case.  Bad or non-existent after-purchase support also falls in this category.
Note: The opinions expressed are my own.  The opinions of others may vary.
 

Memory Banks/Groups
Another feature I like and use is memory banks/groups.  It is nice to be able to associate certain memories in one group (e.g., home channels), another set of memories in another group (e.g., brother's home channels), etc.  That way, while visiting various locations, one can switch to the group which contains the desired channels only.  Among other benefits, this speeds up scanning.

As I mentioned in the paragraph I inserted at the top of my original post, I created this current reply you're reading as a summary section.  If/as additional points are made which could aid manufacturers and buyers, I will edit and update this same section.
Here is the running list, in no particular order:
•    Ability to store multiple versions of a GMRS repeater frequency with different tones is good
•    No arbitrary limit of how many of the above can be stored
•    To expand on the second point immediately above, careful about designing arbitrary limits in general
•    Tones should be specific for each memory and not across-the-board
•    When designing more capable "non-bubble-pack" radios, provide wide band and narrow band capability, not narrow band only
•    Double check firmware before new radios are released or when updating firmware.  (E.g., don't release radios with access tones or narrow band set in memories.)
•    Careful about proprietary designs.  (E.g., naming tones with proprietary names may be ok for bubble pack radios, but for more capable radios I'd stick with naming conventions such as 107.2, D025N, etc.)
•    Memory banks/groups are nice
•    Test OEM radio programming software adequately before releasing it.  These are often released with obvious, main-function bugs.  It's one thing to not catch more obscure error legs, but main-function bugs should be detected and fixed during testing.
•    OEM programming software should support a good, 21st century UI experience, such as copy/pasting
•    Good documentation please.  Missing, pertinent information is frustrating.  So is poor English.
•    The ability to field program a radio (including frequencies) using its keypad and/or knobs is desirable
•    For mobile radios, please use a DIN style mic connector.  This is the type which has a strain-relieved cable and a rotating, threaded, locking collar.  This is more robust than the RJ-45 style of connector.
•    Attention-to-detail niceties enhance a user's experience.  Examples can be found in the "Examples of Good Execution" portion of the original post.
•    Admittedly my personal opinion: non-bubble-pack radios should look professional/commercial rather than gimmicky
•    HTs should be stable (i.e., not prone to tipping over) when placed vertically on a flat surface. E.g., the end should be squared off, not rounded.

Though I've mentioned this as a side item in various posts, I wanted to take the time to create a specific post to spotlight my favorite youtube channel for GMRS info, including equipment.
I'm speaking of NotaRubicon Productions.
The owner of that channel is a down to earth guy by the name of Randy.  His channel has good things going for it:
  + Good Production.  Good lighting.  Good mics.  A sense of humor.  A born-to-do-this delivery ability.  Aspiring YT channel stars, take note.
  + Good Information.  The good production attributes mentioned above can help bring people into a channel and make them want to return.  But that is not enough.  There has to be relevant information delivered to the point.  Randy does this.
It's obvious that manufacturers are aware of him and the fact that he is an influencer.  When Randy gives a thumbs up for a radio model, buyers snap them up.  When he mentions problems with newly introduced radios, manufacturer's fix them fast.
I have no connection with Randy or his YT channel.  Just wanted to share a good GMRS youtube channel for those interested.
 

Though I've mentioned this as a side item in various posts, I wanted to take the time to create a specific post to spotlight my favorite youtube channel for GMRS info, including equipment.
I'm speaking of NotaRubicon Productions.
The owner of that channel is a down to earth guy by the name of Randy.  His channel has good things going for it:
  + Good Production.  Good lighting.  Good mics.  A sense of humor.  A born-to-do-this delivery ability.  Aspiring YT channel stars, take note.
  + Good Information.  The good production attributes mentioned above can help bring people into a channel and make them want to return.  But that is not enough.  There has to be relevant information delivered to the point.  Randy does this.
It's obvious that manufacturers are aware of him and the fact that he is an influencer.  When Randy gives a thumbs up for a radio model, buyers snap them up.  When he mentions problems with newly introduced radios, manufacturer's fix them fast.
I have no connection with Randy or his YT channel.  Just wanted to share a good GMRS youtube channel for those interested.
 

Though I've mentioned this as a side item in various posts, I wanted to take the time to create a specific post to spotlight my favorite youtube channel for GMRS info, including equipment.
I'm speaking of NotaRubicon Productions.
The owner of that channel is a down to earth guy by the name of Randy.  His channel has good things going for it:
  + Good Production.  Good lighting.  Good mics.  A sense of humor.  A born-to-do-this delivery ability.  Aspiring YT channel stars, take note.
  + Good Information.  The good production attributes mentioned above can help bring people into a channel and make them want to return.  But that is not enough.  There has to be relevant information delivered to the point.  Randy does this.
It's obvious that manufacturers are aware of him and the fact that he is an influencer.  When Randy gives a thumbs up for a radio model, buyers snap them up.  When he mentions problems with newly introduced radios, manufacturer's fix them fast.
I have no connection with Randy or his YT channel.  Just wanted to share a good GMRS youtube channel for those interested.
 

I'm sure many agree...
Thanks to the folks who make myGMRS.com tick.  This include creators, admins, and forum repliers/readers.  myGMRS.com is an enjoyable, good GMRS resource.