Communication at the retreat, off the grid, or on the farm is essential and does not have to be extremely expensive or overly complicated.
For less than the cost of a decent dinner out for two people a full-featured short to medium distance communication tool – the Baofeng UV-5R – can be purchased. Extremely popular, the Baofeng is a compact, handheld radio capable of transmitting with 4 watts of power across 136-174 MHz and 400-480 MHz frequencies. It can be programmed with up to 128 channels.
The Baofeng is a ham radio. Transmitting on this radio requires a license in order to do so legally. There are lots of places on the ‘net to get more information on that. The purpose of this post is to provide an assortment of useful frequencies the Baofeng can be programmed for.
Did you know the Baofeng also receives FM radio? Pretty cool and useful.
Did you know the Baofeng has a built-in flashlight? Yeah – pretty neat.
For the money, the Baofeng UV-5R and similar models are a great deal.
FRS/GMRS Frequencies
MURS Radio Frequencies
151.820 Mhz
151.880 Mhz
151.940 Mhz
154.570 Mhz
154.600 Mhz
NOAA Weather Radio Frequencies
WX1 -- 162.550
WX2 -- 162.400
WX3 -- 162.475
WX4 -- 162.425
WX5 -- 162.450
WX6 -- 162.500
WX7 -- 162.525
Commercial “DOT” Frequencies
151.625 Red Dot
154.570 Blue Dot
154.600 Green Dot
151.955 Purple Dot
464.550 Yellow Dot
464.500 Brown Dot
467.7625 J Dot
467.8125 KDot
467.8500 Silver Star
467.8750 Gold Star
467.9000 Red Star
467.9250 Blue Star
| Marine VHF Designated Frequencies | |||
| Channel Number | Ship Transmit MHz |
Ship Receive MHz |
Intended And Designated Use |
| 01A | 156.050 | 156.050 | Port Operations and Commercial, VTS. Available only in New Orleans / Lower Mississippi area. |
| 05A | 156.250 | 156.250 | Port Operations or VTS in the Houston, New Orleans and Seattle areas. |
| 06 | 156.300 | 156.300 | Intership Safety |
| 07A | 156.350 | 156.350 | Commercial |
| 08 | 156.400 | 156.400 | Commercial (Intership only) |
| 09 | 156.450 | 156.450 | Boater Calling. Commercial and Non-Commercial. |
| 10 | 156.500 | 156.500 | Commercial |
| 11 | 156.550 | 156.550 | Commercial. VTS in selected areas. |
| 12 | 156.600 | 156.600 | Port Operations. VTS in selected areas. |
| 13 | 156.650 | 156.650 | Intership Navigation Safety (Bridge-to-bridge). Ships >20m length maintain a listening watch on this channel in US waters. |
| 14 | 156.700 | 156.700 | Port Operations. VTS in selected areas. |
| 15 | — | 156.750 | Environmental (Receive only). Used by Class C EPIRBs. |
| 16 | 156.800 | 156.800 | International Distress, Safety and Calling. Ships required to carry radio, USCG, and most coast stations maintain a listening watch on this channel. |
| 17 | 156.850 | 156.850 | State Control |
| 18A | 156.900 | 156.900 | Commercial |
| 19A | 156.950 | 156.950 | Commercial |
| 20 | 157.000 | 161.600 | Port Operations (duplex) |
| 20A | 157.000 | 157.000 | Port Operations |
| 21A | 157.050 | 157.050 | U.S. Coast Guard only |
| 22A | 157.100 | 157.100 | Coast Guard Liaison and Maritime Safety Information Broadcasts. Broadcasts announced on channel 16. |
| 23A | 157.150 | 157.150 | U.S. Coast Guard only |
| 24 | 157.200 | 161.800 | Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) |
| 25 | 157.250 | 161.850 | Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) |
| 26 | 157.300 | 161.900 | Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) |
| 27 | 157.350 | 161.950 | Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) |
| 28 | 157.400 | 162.000 | Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) |
| 63A | 156.175 | 156.175 | Port Operations and Commercial, VTS. Available only in New Orleans / Lower Mississippi area. |
| 65A | 156.275 | 156.275 | Port Operations |
| 66A | 156.325 | 156.325 | Port Operations |
| 67 | 156.375 | 156.375 | Commercial. Used for Bridge-to-bridge communications in lower Mississippi River. Intership only. |
| 68 | 156.425 | 156.425 | Non-Commercial |
| 69 | 156.475 | 156.475 | Non-Commercial |
| 70 | 156.525 | 156.525 | Digital Selective Calling (voice communications not allowed) |
| 71 | 156.575 | 156.575 | Non-Commercial |
| 72 | 156.625 | 156.625 | Non-Commercial (Intership only) |
| 73 | 156.675 | 156.675 | Port Operations |
| 74 | 156.725 | 156.725 | Port Operations |
| 77 | 156.875 | 156.875 | Port Operations (Intership only) |
| 78A | 156.925 | 156.925 | Non-Commercial |
| 79A | 156.975 | 156.975 | Commercial. Non-Commercial in Great Lakes only |
| 80A | 157.025 | 157.025 | Commercial. Non-Commercial in Great Lakes only |
| 81A | 157.075 | 157.075 | U.S. Government only – Environmental protection operations. |
| 82A | 157.125 | 157.125 | U.S. Government only |
| 83A | 157.175 | 157.175 | U.S. Coast Guard only |
| 84 | 157.225 | 161.825 | Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) |
| 85 | 157.275 | 161.875 | Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) |
| 86 | 157.325 | 161.925 | Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) |
| 87 | 157.375 | 161.975 | Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) |
| AIS 1 | 161.975 | 161.975 | Automatic Identification System #1 (AIS) – Special equipment required! |
| 88 | 157.425 | 162.025 | Public Correspondence only near Canadian border. |
| AIS 2 | 162.025 | 162.025 | Automatic Identification System #2 (AIS) – Special equipment required! |
| 88A | 157.425 | 157.425 | Commercial, Intership only. |
You can use Chirp to cut and paste into the interface and program your Baofeng with a computer
The site I like best for driver is
https://www.radioddity.com/pages/radioddity-download
They also have drivers for Other brands as well a virus free Chirp
https://www.radioddity.com/pages/others-download
enjoy
GG58
These are the channel line ups that I used for my UV-5R
It’s not legal for the UV5R to transmit on most of those frequencies even though it technically can. Get your amateur license, stick to the 2M/70cm band frequencies learn how to program in repeaters, and you’ll have no need to misuse the radio.
Hey Geoff;
Get a lisc. unless you are on one of several gov’t watch lists like most of us Disabled Veterans are.
We are public enemies number one again…per the fed gov’t
No. I’m not getting a liscence. Just a choice. I also am not broadcasting all over without one. Might some day but not now.
There are actually 10 Wx stations. If you use CHIRP to program your radio then it has them all listed to preprogram the radio with.
Also you can lock Tx out on any frequency. Then you can safely listen to them without accidently sending anything. I lock the HAM and Wx frequencies until I get my license to talk.
In a true emergency when human life or property are in danger, I believe you can transmit without a license to get help even on non-FRS frequencies.
Agree.
FCC regulations state that in am emergency the operator need not be licensed at all.. nor is the owner of the station required. Emergencies do have a definition…
Example:
“In Extremis” situations or circumstances require immediate action to
control the situation, publish news to the population-at-large, provide
immediate search and rescue operations, respond with and provide other
relief such as: food, medical, shelter, sanitary, water, transportation needs
and prevent continued destruction of property and the loss of life.
To sustain an argument for “commandeering” or using amateur radio
frequencies and equipment without the benefit of a licensed Amateur Radio
operator present, I suggest the following may be considered: Commercial
broadcast stations would be off the air, no backup communication facilities
exist for any government or first responders, the immediate or continued
destruction of property and/or loss of life exist, and the absence or
unavailability of any licensed Amateur Radio Operator(s).
By example, an “In Extremis” circumstance can be a child choking at a
swimming pool, a category one – five hurricane sitting off the coast of the
U.S., a 747 heading for a tall building, or a lady trapped in a vehicle caught
in the torrents of a flooding stream. The degree and length of time coupled
with other factors respecting the “In Extremis” situation would dictate the
use of Amateur Radio by non-licensed individuals.
Local law enforcements take of an emergency is in general .. “It’s a life or death situation”.
Practically though, if you don’t go through some training.. you won’t use it effectively, and if you do, then they woudl have to identify you and catch you doing it. So to be a thing.. you would need to be turned in or repetitively communicate
read: “transmit” — line of sight from a fixed position HF and not skip or NVI UHF/VHF. Codes are not allowed on ham freqs, but if you are unlicensed .. then that won’t matter much. Rule of thumb. Displace 5-10 miles and transmit, don’t use same location two times in a row. If they want to block communications all they have to do is transmit on a high wattage, and anyone in range is blocked. a little tidbit if you want to install a linear amplifier.
Have fun
GG58