Baofeng UV-5R Series User manual

Designed for Tyler County Amateur Radio Association
By Chuck Petri, KF5YDG

The Baofeng UV-5R has two modes:
Frequency Mode
Channel Mode
Basically, Frequency Mode is used for
short-term use, while Channel Mode is
for long-term use.

For example, if you want to quickly test a
frequency, you would use Frequency
Mode. When you want to save a
frequency for use in the future, you use
Channel Mode.
Baofeng UV-5R programming is not
difficult once you get the hang of it.

Remember that Frequency Mode is
completely separate from Channel Mode.
This is what confuses many UV-5R
owners. Settings in one mode DO NOT
automatically affect the other mode.

1. Turn on the radio –Use the knob on the top
of the radio to set the desired volume.
2. Press “VFO/MR” –The radio will toggle
between Frequency Mode and Channel
Mode. The radio voice will tell you which
mode you are in.
3. Enter A Frequency –Use the number keys to
enter the frequency. Don’t worry about the
decimal point - it appears automatically. For
example : to enter a frequency of 152.000 MHz, simply enter
“152000”
Tip : Press the “UP” arrow key to add a “half step” to the
frequency. For example, enter “147225 UP ARROW” for 147.2255
MHz.

Radio repeaters often use two different
frequencies: One for listening, and one
for transmitting. In Frequency Mode
you can set a Repeater Offset in order
to use a repeater. The UV-5R will
remember the Repeater Offset and
automatically shift the frequency when
you transmit

For example, lets say you want to talk to a
repeater with a main frequency of
146.980 MHZ and an input frequency of
146.380 Mhz. Once you set the Repeater
Offset the UV-5R will automatically
change to 146.380 MHZ when you press
the TALK button and then switch back to
146.980 MHz so that you can listen to the
reply.

Tip : Most Amateur Radio repeaters use
standard repeater offsets. For 2 Meter
frequencies this offset is almost -600 KHz
when below 147.00 add +600 KHz when
above 147.000. So a repeater on 146.980
MHz has an input frequency of 146.380
MHz –600 KHz down.

1. Press “A/B” – This toggles between the
top line and bottom line of the display.
Make sure that the top line is selected.
2. Enter the listening frequency –Use the
keypad to enter the main listening
frequency of the repeater. For 146.900
MHz, simply enter “146900” without a
decimal place.
3. Press “MENU” – The UV-5R menu
appears and the radio will speak “Menu.” The menu
will automatically exit if you don’t do anything – if you
need to just press “MENU” to show it again.

4. Enter “26” – Menu item # 26
contains the Offset Frequency
5. Press “MENU” Again – The
radio will speak “Offset
Frequency”
6. Enter the Offset –Enter the
Megahertz offset, with out
decimals. For an offset of
600 KHZ type “00600.”
7. Press “MENU” to Save – The
Offset is saved and the radio
speaks “Confirm.”

The repeater offset can go either positive or
negative –or it can be turned off. For instance,
a repeater on 147.200 MHz with a 147.800MHz
input has a POSITIVE offset, since you must shift
up +600 KHz to transmit. Again the UV-5R will
automatically make this adjustment when you
transmit –as long as the offset is programmed
in the menu.
If you’re operating the UV5R in simplex and are
not using a repeater, you can turn the offset
direction off, so that the same frequency is used
for transmitting and receiving.

1. Press Menu –The menu appears and the
radio will speak “Menu.”
2. Enter the Listening Frequency –Use the
keypad to enter the main listening
frequency of the repeater. For 146.900 MHZ
simply enter “146980” without a decimal
place.
3. Enter “25” – Menu # 25 contains the offset
shift direction labeled “SFT-D”
4. Press “MENU” Again – The radio will chirp.
5. Press “UP” or “DOWN” – Select the Offset
direction needed or OFF is using simplex
without a repeater.
6. Press “MENU” To Save – The radio will
speak “Confirm” and save the Offset
Direction.

CTCSS, or Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch
System, is a low-frequency tone that other
radios can hear. Many Amateur Radio
repeaters use CTCSS to limit the amount of
interference. Basically, if a repeater has
CTCSS enabled, it will ignore any incoming
transmission that doesn’t have the proper
tone. You can quickly set the CTCSS on the
UV-5R in order to communicate with one of
these repeaters.

You can set a Transmit CTCSS tone on the
UV-5R so that your transmissions carry
the coded tone. This is the most common
for repeaters. You can also set a Receive
CTCSS tone which forces your radio to
ignore incoming signals unless they
carry the proper tone. This is less
common, but can be useful if you want to
hear specific messages.

Remember –Frequency Mode is
completely separate from Channel
Mode. If you want to store a channel with
CTCSS, different steps apply.

1. Turn on the radio –Use the knob on
the top of the radio to set the desire
volume.
2. Press “VFO/MR” – The radio will
toggle between Frequency Mode
and Channel Mode. The radio voice
will tell you which mode you are in.
3. Press “MENU” – The menu appears and the UV-5R
speaks “Menu.”
4. Enter “13” – Menu item #13 includes Transmit CTCSS
setting. The radio displays “T-CTCS.”

5. Press “MENU” Again – The radio
speaks “CCTSS”
6. Enter the CTCSS Tone –Type the
tone you want, without the decimal
point. For example, enter “1405”
for a 140.5 Hz CTCSS tone.
7. Press “MENU” To Save – The
radio speaks “Confirm” and the
CTCSS tone is saved. The CTCSS
tone will now be sent when you transmit.

1. Turn on the radio –Use the knob on
the top of the radio to set the desire
volume.
2. Press “VFO/MR” – The radio will
toggle between Frequency Mode
and Channel Mode. The radio voice
will tell you which mode you are in.
3. Press “MENU” – The menu appears and the UV-5R
speaks “Menu.”
4. Enter “11” – Menu item #11 includes Receive CTCSS
setting. The radio displays “R-CTCS.”

5. Press “MENU” Again – The radio
speaks “CCTSS”
6. Enter the CTCSS Tone –Type the
tone you want, without the decimal
point. For example, enter “1405”
for a 140.5 Hz CTCSS tone.
7. Press “MENU” To Save – The
radio speaks “Confirm” and the
CTCSS tone is saved. The CTCSS
tone will only allow transmissions with the matching
tone to be heard.

The Baofeng UV-5R Channel Mode is used for long-term
frequency storage. If you have a list of favorite
repeaters or simplex frequencies, you will save them
on a channel.
A channel will save all of the settings associated with a
frequency and apply them to the channel. For example,
you can set a CTCSS tone and repeater offset on one
channel and use a completely different repeater offset
on another channel.
Once you have programmed several channels, you can
scam through your list of favorites in order to quickly
find an active channel.