WROZ437

There are a few digital voice repeaters on 2M, but nowhere near the number on 70cm. You can discover that easy enough by simply doing a search for one or more digital voice modes on "repeaterbook.com". There is far more spectrum on UHF for various modes that is in short supply on VHF. I also started a thread on this forum some time back on the same issue. The general consensus was UHF is where most of the digital voice mode activity is found.

This is exactly right.  

I think you're right on that one. I got GMRS to be legal when I installed a Midland 15w mobile in my Jeep. I quickly realized the limitations of that setup. I started playing around with a Baofeng, which was a trash radio, but it opened my eyes as to what else was out there. I got my Tech ticket and grabbed a Wouxun UV9PX, intending to mostly scan/listen but then it became apparent that digital radio is where most of the action is (or at least it seems that way to me). Now I have an AnyTone 878 HT and a 578 mobile. I'm still barely getting my feet wet with the ham stuff but it's pretty neat. Doubtful that I will ever get a general or extra class license, as I just don't see myself trying to bounce HF around the world just for the sake of it but for where I am currently at with the hobby, I am glad I got my technician class license. Obviously, most people are put off by having to take a test to get the license, which is too bad. There are so many 2m and 70cm repeaters out there. I've been listening to DMR through a local repeater and there is actually a lot of chatter on the local talkgroups. I rarely hear anything on the local GMRS repeater I can get into or when I am scanning while traveling.

Digital voice modes are mostly on UHF, the 70cm band too.

I don't have the official answer, but from what I have observed/heard they are still analog. I have been around several huge rail yards and all of the radio traffic was analog. The EOT/FRED are analog tones as well. I have poked around on the interwebs and I can't find anything about moving to digital.

I think you're right on that one. I got GMRS to be legal when I installed a Midland 15w mobile in my Jeep. I quickly realized the limitations of that setup. I started playing around with a Baofeng, which was a trash radio, but it opened my eyes as to what else was out there. I got my Tech ticket and grabbed a Wouxun UV9PX, intending to mostly scan/listen but then it became apparent that digital radio is where most of the action is (or at least it seems that way to me). Now I have an AnyTone 878 HT and a 578 mobile. I'm still barely getting my feet wet with the ham stuff but it's pretty neat. Doubtful that I will ever get a general or extra class license, as I just don't see myself trying to bounce HF around the world just for the sake of it but for where I am currently at with the hobby, I am glad I got my technician class license. Obviously, most people are put off by having to take a test to get the license, which is too bad. There are so many 2m and 70cm repeaters out there. I've been listening to DMR through a local repeater and there is actually a lot of chatter on the local talkgroups. I rarely hear anything on the local GMRS repeater I can get into or when I am scanning while traveling.

If routinely in areas w/o cell it starts to make sense to have a satellite SOS box.

Exactly! I use a Mac but have an old laptop with windows and I like to know ahead of time that I can use the software before buying the radio.
OP’s dilemma is I think the reason why one starts collecting radios. With the first one you find out what it does and doesn’t do and get to know about what more you would like, then you want something that does something else or something more, then you realize that one over there does something you didn’t even know you were interested in. The next thing you know your looking for a support group for compulsive radio purchases 🤣

I appreciate the kudos! 
 
The CB Bar was a great addition. It's hollow square stock with some pre-drilled hole, but it's also easy to use self-tapping sheet metal screws for custom installations. The tubing helped me hide most of the wiring up there.

Nice job! I am big fan of clean installations. How do you like the "CB Bar?" I am going to be moving on from my Midland MXT275 to an Anytone D578, which lacks a detachable faceplate, so I will need to be able to see the radio and interact with it's buttons and knobs. Seems like it might be the cleanest way to mount a radio without a detachable faceplate.

How about looking at this option?
 

Good. Maybe I can make you a hardcore Kenwood guy yet. ?

Regulations prohibit certifying a radio for GMRS that’s capable of being easily programmed for ham frequencies. 

The short answer is the radios are not comparable, at least comparing Anytone or other low-cost radio to Motorola. Motorola radios are in the very top tier of two-way radios which includes brands like Tate, Codan, Harris, Kenwood and other manufacturers of commercial grade and public safety grade radios. All the low-cost Chinese brands fall near the bottom of the quality list ranking below commercial only units and most amateur units. Within the top tiers there are really only two grades, public safety and commercial. the two levels may be identical inside but differ in the case and ergonomics. There may also be differences between the components used even though the values are the same. ICs, resistors, transistors and all come with different abilities to handle heat and other stress factors. Public safety units will use the highest or military grade while commercial will not resulting in a unit that doesn't meet the operating range of the public safety unit. Low cost units use consumer grade components which is an even lower grade than those used by commercial units. In other words, you get what you pay for.

OK. The short answer is the Motorola radios, to mention the brand you seem to favor, are very likely to perform better. I'm partial to Kenwood, but that's just me.  There was a poster on this forum who was an avid Motorola guy. I exchanged numerous PM's with him and a few others. I have to admit he made his point about how the one model, which was his favorite, was a stellar performer. The test data he supplied left little doubt. That was the XPR-7550E. Unfortunately they are no longer manufactured. If you want one then buying used is the route to go.
As a general rule I would expect a commercial radio to perform better than Ham gear and better than a lot of the CCR's, Cheap Chinese Radios, for sale. The radios have to perform in hostile environments and just plain "work". That means the physical and electrical design is a step, or few, above the others, and why they tend to cost more.
Now while some of the CCR's may lack in some performance areas they have more "features" you typically won't find on a commercial radio. Remember commercial radios are marketed for business and first responder use. They are a program and use scenario, not aimed at frequent reprogramming. Contrast that to Ham gear where it's expected to be reprogrammed, possibility frequently, and from the front panel while in the field.
So, the trade-off is just how much do you want to spend and what features do you want, or require, in the radio. That will drive what choice you make. Some may have more than one and switch off depending on the current anticipated use. For example some people want one radio they can use as a base, mobile or as a hand portable. Others are happy to have a different radio for each. Believe it or not some also have several different mobile antennas they use when driving in the city, highway or out on the trail.
If you have any specific models in mind you can ask for opinions here and get some input from others who have used it. Remember questions and answers here are free.   
 

The OP joined this Forum last Sunday, just to post his question and has yet to return to clarify it.
I'll bet dollars to donuts that this is not about SAR and more about family and friends wanting to communicate back to the base camp while out skiing! 
I believe you guys are over-thinking the problem and hence complicating his solution.

Ive said it in the past. I run the 275 in both my Jeeps and the 115 in my parents vehicles. Also had a 115 in my Motorhome we just sold. I have yet to find issues with any of the radios. With that said I run good NMO mounts and 1/4 wave antenna's on all of them, except my mothers Renegade. We have a Larsen glass mount on that. They work great on my repeater. 99% of my traffic is simplex when traveling for Jeep events or camping. When at a camp ground I had my repeater in the MH and would use sometimes. Even when traveling up and down the east coast I have yet to find a repeater I could not access that I wanted to. I guess its all on what you expectations are . I find the ease of use and basic controls a plus especially for my parents who are in the 70's. Been doing GMRS for a long time and other than my public safety gear all my GMRS stuff is Midland for the purpose above. Simple. Reasonably priced.
If your in an area where you are bouncing all over repeaters and split tones and such I guess they aren't the best option but I find many worry about that when its not really an issue. YMMV

So, something new that I am extremely disappointed about with my MXT500.
 
When I got this radio, I did not bother doing any real testing of the receiver for noise rejection, filtering and selectivity.  And today I don't need to because I know it sucks. The receiver is so bad, that I may send this back to Midland for repair and then sell it, because it's not reliable and therefore not usable. 
 
I went offloading this weekend and opted to use my MXT500 because it is water and dust resistant and my other radios are not. I used the radio for about 14 hours a day for 3 days, out in the mountains of PA. This was the first time I used the radio for more than a few minutes for testing and getting familiar with the radio.
 
On the first day, after having the radio on for about 30 minutes, a few people I don't know started chatting on a close-in repeater. The repeater is close enough to me that I receive its signal well enough that there is zero noise/static in the signal. After just 3 minutes of hearing the chatter, the receiver started cutting in and out. Not the audio, but the actual receiver would flutter as I watched the signal meter and hear the audio just go away and comeback rapidly. 
 
I turned on my handheld, just to confirm it wasn't the repeater or interference and the handheld was receiving the conversion perfectly.  This issue persisted over the entire 3 days. If a conversion went on for more than a few minutes, the receiver went to crap.
 
To make things even worse, it started raining on the second day and it rained all day.  The whole time my headlights were on, we could hear a distinct crackle and interference with the receiver. Also, every time the windshield wipers moved, you could hear the wipers motor in the receiver. On top if that, my Jeep was completely off and a buddy pulled along side me to talk, and I could hear HIS windshield wiper motor on my radio.
 
This is not a wiring issue with my Jeep. It is not an issue with filters on my power lines or my antenna cable. I simply unplugged my existing amateur radio equipment and plugged the MXT500 into the existing power and antenna system. None of my other gear has any issues on these connections. 
 
Now, as if that wasn't bad enough, listen to this... I was talking to someone at their home, on my local repeater while driving around last night (just dealing with the noise and receiver flutter] and I needed to jump out of the Jeep and run in a store.  The repeater is about 25 miles from my neighborhood. So, I hoped out and grabbed my handheld so I could keep chatting while walking around in the store.
 
The guy I was talking to asked me if I made any adjustments to my radio. I said "I just got out of the truck and switched to my handheld". I thought he was going to give me a bad report, but instead he said that may handheld radio had a better signal into the repeater and the audio was much much better. 
 
When I got back outside, I confirmed the Midland was in wideband and on full power.  I'm so disappointed that the transmit signal of the Midland and the receiver quality or so bad. I mean, my quality into the repeater was better with a 5w HT while inside a building from 25 miles away... my heart sunk even more.
 
I know you can't see it, but im making my sad face. 

The new MTX275 is wide band - check my posts in this thread -
 

It’s pretty sad. I am new to all of this so I am just figuring it all out. My primary use will be in my Jeep so obviously Midland came up when looking at Jeep centric websites prior to making a purchase. I ordered a 275 and didn’t think much of it. When the unit showed up on my doorstep I did some googling and watched a few videos to get some ideas on how to install the radio cleanly in my Jeep. It was through that secondary research that I learned of myGMRS and started going down the rabbit hole.
I mentioned I got a GMRS radio for my Jeep. Honestly, the 275 will be fine for it’s intended use. That said, as with most of us on this forum, I got bit by the bug a little. When I learned about things like wide v narrow band, repeater tones, etc. I realized the 275 fell short compared to most other mobile radios. What really irritates me is that according to Zak, the product manager at Midland, the forthcoming MXT575 isn’t considered a premium product offering. Seriously!? It’s got a $400 price tag! The KG-1000G is less money and does far more! So I am stuck in a weird spot. I am not (yet) a full on radio geek but I do want to get the most out of my GMRS setup. The minimum acceptable feature set for me would be the MXT500, as I could program channels 8-14 with repeater tones. Even with my fairly casual use, I could see myself needing more than 7 channels for that purpose, though.
Honestly the one feature that Midland offers which I find very, very appealing is the integrated mic. I was able to get the 275 installed really cleanly in my Jeep. I am not a fan of cables and wires running across the dash, etc. My 275 has a what I think is a defective mic. The screen is very hard to read from straight on and impossible to read at an angle from the top of the mic, like when its hanging from my dash, for example. Midland was very responsive and sent another mic right away but it was DOA. It won’t even turn on or light up at all. So this is frustrating. As previously mentioned, when I upgrade to a more powerful radio, I will have to forego the integrated mic to get more advanced features. If I am losing the ability to bury the radio in the glovebox then I have several options for fully featured mobile radios, all of which are cheaper than the Midland MXT500. 
I guess this highlights the irony of the situation. Amongst crowds that are looking for simple, reliable comms - you know, the whole point of GMRS - Midland is the recognized brand, at least amongst non-radio enthusiasts. They know how to market their products. They appear to be a consumer version (affordable) of something like the Kenwood or Motorola radios. That said, quality control and feature development seems to be severely lacking. That really makes the price tags of the new MXT500 and forthcoming 575 hard to swallow. 
I really want to like Midland. I really really do. As I previously mentioned, the integrated mic is a game changer for me. I like simple interfaces. I can appreciate how Midland has positioned themselves in the market. I don’t fault them for that. I think they have just dumbed it down too much. 
 
 
 

Update -
Me to Midland in email: Can you verify that the MXT275 is in fact wide and narrow band as stated above [in the previous email]? I can not find any documentation on that, and it is not referenced in the user manual.
Midland reply: The MXT275 was updated to wide/narrow band. The MXT275 with the USB-C on the front is the updated wide/narrow band . The older USB-A model is Narrow band only. We are sorry for any confusion.
 
Edited to add from subsequent email -
It is not user-selectable on the MXT275, so yes it is preprogrammed. All MXT275 channels have been preprogrammed narrow band. We do have a firmware update for the MXT275 with USB-C that makes the repeater channels wide band. Unfortunately, these can not be updated in the field. If the order is brought to us, Lanny or I can make sure a particular order is updated before shipment. They are coming from the factory with this firmware loaded, but what is currently being sold has not been updated. 

I don't understand what all the commotion is about.  Talking to people is way overrated.  Most of the time I can't stand talking to people I love.  Never mind strangers on the radio.
 
You guys are weird. 

Welcome to the forum and welcome to the wonderful and exciting world of GMRS!
Word of warning: Soon you'll be selling a kidney to buy every new radio you see those clowns on Youtube playing with... 

Hey folks, I am leaving for vacation in a couple of hours and don't have time for a proper test... but I wanted to let you all know that I got the radio back from Midland and I can't be happier.  With a quick bench test using low pressure alligator clip test wires for the power supply, I am now getting 48w of output power on both the 462MHz and 467MHz frequencies!  I'm sure with a proper power cable, it will be perfect.
 
Once I get home and have a chance to do some proper testing for output power and 12dB SINAD receiver sensitivity test, I'll share the results.

I was amused to see a Motorola radio prominently being used by the ski team in China yesterday!  Would that be an EAR (expensive American radio)? 
Come on you two, take a break.  Go to each other’s profiles and ignore each other. This is just an Internet forum, not a matter of honor, treasure, or life and limb.