Get a license. The best equipment in the world won't do you any good if you don't know how to use it and its limitations - amateur license is cheap, easy, and lets you do more with the radio than the radio's capable of doing.
Amateur operations will teach you some of the other features of the radio - repeater splits, PL/DPL, automatic/remote operation, etc.
"Band plans". Easy to find with a google search. Without a license, you're really limited to MURS on VHF and FRS/GMRS on UHF (even though you're not on type-certified equipment, blah blah blah, nobody really cares unless you're being a shitlord about it). Amateur opens up a lot of bandwidth for you to screw around with and learn radio communications.
Mind the deviation too ("narrow" vs "wide") - not only will it encroach on other frequencies, but if you're not using the right one your audio will sound like shit on the other end.
Use the lowest amount of power necessary to make a connection. Not only is it good operating practice, it extends battery life and reduces interference for others around you.
Generally, don't fuck with commercial or licensed freqs. At all. Not worth it.
That said, in an actual emergency (life/limb or significant property damage), use the tools you have available to get assistance (though I still recommend exhausting other alternative means first).
>>556557>unless you do it alotOr if you interfere with legitimate operations, even unknowingly. Buy a radio like this, put some effort into learning how to use it right. If you don't want to do that, stick with a sporting-goods-store FRS radio.
If you don't already have it, get a programming cable and download a copy of Chirp. These radios have the worst UI of any radio I've ever used, ever.
tl;dr: Getting an amateur license will get you on the right path to learning and understanding a radio like this.
