Using the UV-5R as a Scanner
There are a lot of scanners available on the market today and you can find them online.
Most will cost $100 or more and can get very expensive depending upon options.
One economical solution we have found is the BAOFENG UV-5R handheld radio.
It is designed to be an Amateur (ham) radio but with programming it can be
a very resonably priced scanner for use in our area.
All scanners need to be programmed for relevent frequencies to monitor for your area. We are offering this radio, the BAOFENG UV-5R pre-programmed and ready for use for $25. You can purchase those at our community events and through the online order page here.
This radio can be used while it is sitting on it's charging station or it can be carried with you if you need to go out.
The following is instructions specific to using the BAOFENG UV-5R which has been programmed as a scanner:
There are 3 basic buttons on the UV-5R you should be familiar with.
Those are highlighted in the picture to the left.
- On/Off Volume This knob turns the radio on and adjusts the volume.
- Channel Frequency Mode This button switches between frequency and channle mode. If you see letters on the main area of the display then you are in channel mode. If you see numbers then you are in frequency mode. You should ALWAYS have the radio in Channel mode.
- Scan Button Holding this button in for about 3 seconds puts the radio into scanning mode. In scanning mode the letters on the main display will be changing rapidly indicating it is scanning the channels.
To start scanning:
- Turn the radio on
- Make sure it is in "Channel" mode: VFO/MR
- Hold the *SCAN button for 3 seconds
Rather than scanning you can also listen to specific channels. To do this make sure you are in "Channel" mode and use the up and down arrows to select which channel to listen to. You can also use the "A/B" button to choose a second channel to listen to simultaneously.
When in "Channel" mode the display will show one or more of the following channels:
- FLFD - Forest Lakes Fire Department
- CCS - Coconino County Sherrif
- DPS - Department of Public Safety
- HOFD - Heber/Overgaard Fire Department
- SNFS - Sitgreaves National Forest Service
- FLGMRS - Forest Lakes GMRS Repeater
- FLVHF - Forest Lakes VHF Repeater
- FLFDTAC - FLFD TAC 3
- MUTAID - Mutual Aid (Helicopters)
- CKFD - Chistopher/Kohls Fire Department
- CKFDTC - Christopher/Kohls FD TAC
- PVFD - Pleasant Valley Fire Department
Update 7-17-2024
We have new programming for the scanning radios that now includes much more! If you already have a scanner the programming can be updated. Watch for announcements in the newsletter and on FB for details on updates.
The following are now included on the radio. Those marked with an asterisk "
| Channel # | Scan | Display | Description | Frequency |
| 0 | Yes | FLFD | Forest Lakes Fire Department | 155.7600 |
| 1 | Yes | CCS | Coconino County Sheriff | 155.4900 |
| 2 | Yes | DPS | Department of Public Safety | 460.3000 |
| 3 | Yes | HOFD | Heber-Overgaard Fire Department | 154.2200 |
| 4 | Yes | SNFS | Sitgreaves National Forest | 169.9500 |
| 5 | Yes | FLGMRS | Forest Lakes GMRS Repeater | 462.6750 |
| 6 | Yes | FLVHF | Forest Lakes VHF Repeater | 147.0600 |
| 7 | Yes | FLFDTAC | FLFD TAC-3 | 154.1600 |
| 8 | Yes | MUTAID | Mutual Aid | 154.2800 |
| 9 | Yes | CKFD | Christopher/Kohls FD Rptr | 154.4300 |
| 10 | Yes | CKFDTC | Christopher/Kohls FD TAC-6 | 154.3850 |
| 11 | Yes | PVFD | Pleasant Valley FD | 155.0025 |
| 12 | No | USFSTC | USFS TAC-1 | 167.5500 |
| 13 | No | UFFSAG | USFS Air-Ground | 167.1750 |
| 14 | No | GMRS1 | GMRS Channel 1 | 462.5625 |
| 15 | No | GMRS2 | GMRS Channel 2 | 462.5875 |
| 16 | No | GMRS3 | GMRS Channel 3 | 462.6125 |
| 17 | No | GMRS4 | GMRS Channel 4 | 462.6375 |
| 18 | No | GMRS5 | GMRS Channel 5 | 462.6625 |
| 19 | No | GMRS6 | GMRS Channel 6 | 462.6875 |
| 20 | No | GMRS7 | GMRS Channel 7 | 462.7125 |
| 21 | No | GMRS8 | GMRS Channel 8 | 467.5625 |
| 22 | No | GMRS9 | GMRS Channel 9 | 467.5875 |
| 23 | No | GMRS10 | GMRS Channel 10 | 467.6125 |
| 24 | No | GMRS11 | GMRS Channel 11 | 467.6375 |
| 25 | No | GMRS12 | GMRS Channel 12 | 467.6625 |
| 26 | No | GMRS13 | GMRS Channel 13 | 467.6875 |
| 27 | No | GMRS14 | GMRS Channel 14 | 467.7125 |
| 28 | No | GMRS15 | GMRS Channel 15 | 462.5500 |
| 29 | No | GMRS16 | GMRS Channel 16 | 462.5750 |
| 30 | No | GMRS17 | GMRS Channel 17 | 462.6000 |
| 31 | No | GMRS18 | GMRS Channel 18 | 462.6250 |
| 32 | No | GMRS19 | GMRS Channel 19 | 462.6500 |
| 33 | No | GMRS20 | GMRS Channel 20 | 462.6750 |
| 34 | No | GMRS21 | GMRS Channel 21 | 462.7000 |
| 35 | No | GMRS22 | GMRS Channel 22 | 462.7250 |
| 36 | No | GRPT15 | GMR Repeater Channel 15 | 462.5500 |
| 37 | No | GRPT16 | GMR Repeater Channel 16 | 462.5750 |
| 38 | No | GRPT17 | GMR Repeater Channel 17 | 462.6000 |
| 39 | No | GRPT18 | GMR Repeater Channel 18 | 462.6250 |
| 40 | No | GRPT19 | GMR Repeater Channel 19 | 462.6500 |
| 41 | No | GRPT20 | GMR Repeater Channel 20 | 462.6750 |
| 42 | No | GRPT21 | GMR Repeater Channel 21 | 462.7000 |
| 43 | No | GRPT22 | GMR Repeater Channel 22 | 462.7250 |
| 44 | No | PSNFRDI | Payson Fire Dispatch | 154.4300 |
| 45 | No | PSNFRT1 | Payson Fire TAC | 155.5200 |
| 46 | No | PSNFRT6 | Payson Fire TAC 6 | 154.3850 |
| 47 | No | PSNPODI | Payson Police Ch1 Dispatch | 155.5650 |
| 48 | No | PSNPOMA | Payson Police Mutual Aid | 155.4750 |
| 49 | No | PINFRDI | Pine Fire Dispatch | 154.2650 |
| 50 | No | PINFRBL | Pine Fire Blue | 155.4300 |
| 51 | No | PSNAIR1 | Payson Airport | 119.3250 |
| 52 | No | PSNAIR2 | Payson Airport | 122.3000 |
| 53 | No | PSNAIR3 | Payson Airport | 122.8000 |
| 54 | No | PSNAIRA1 | Payson Airport Aproach & Depart | 127.6750 |
| 55 | No | PSNAIRA2 | Payson Airport Aproach & Depart | 306.2000 |
| 56 | No | SHRFDP | Gila Cty Sheriff Dispatch Diamond Pt | 155.1000 |
| 57 | No | SHRFPP | Gila Cty Sheriff Dispatch Pinal Pk | 155.3100 |
| 58 | No | SHRFAP | Gila Cty Sheriff Dispatch Aztec Pk | 155.3700 |
| 59 | No | SHRFO2 | Gila Cty Sheriff Dispatch Mt. Ord 2 | 155.6925 |
| 60 | No | SHRFO3 | Gila Cty Sheriff Dispatch Mt. Ord 3 | 155.9400 |
| 61 | No | SHRFSR | Gila Cty Sheriff Search & Rescue | 155.1600 |
| 62 | No | TFA2A | Tonto Forest Air to Air | 126.3250 |
| 63 | No | TFTWR | Tonto Forest Towers | 164.8250 |
| 64 | No | TFADMIN | Tonto Forest Admin | 168.7250 |
| 65 | No | TFA2G | Tonto Forest Air to Ground | 170.0000 |
| 66 | No | TFFIRN1 | Tonto Forest Fire Net 1 | 171.5000 |
| 67 | No | TFFIRN2 | Tonto Forest Fire Net 2 | 170.5000 |
| 68 | No | TFDISP | Tonto Forest Dispatch | 171.7000 |
| 69 | No | TFAG | Tonto Forest Air Guard | 168.6250 |
| 70 | No | BANRAIR | Banner Air 2 Payson | 159.7875 |
| 71 | No | NATAIR | Native Air 7 Payson | 463.7875 |
| 72 | No | NOAAPA | NOAA Payson, Kingman | 162.4250 |
| 73 | No | NOAAGR | NOAA Greer, Prescott | 162.5250 |
Stay Connected, Stay Informed:
By utilizing scanners, you're not just staying informed yourself, but also contributing to the safety and well-being of our Forest Lakes community. Thank you for your dedication to keeping our community safe and informed.