Here is an overview of scanner frequencies in and around Ada, Oklahoma, which is in Pontotoc County. Some agencies use OKWIN, a growing Project 25 Phase 1 system, in some parts of Oklahoma, which can be monitored with a digital-capable scanner.
Many other radio systems still use conventional, non-digital signals that can be monitored with most programmable scanning radios sold today, or in the past 30 or so years. Some very old scanner radios use crystals to define the frequencies they monitor, and conventional two-way systems can be monitored with the correct crystals.
Most systems use repeaters, duplex radios with antennas located on hills or towers, which listen for mobile radios on an input frequency, and retransmit those signals at a higher power level on an output frequencies. Modulation is frequency modulation (FM), and frequencies in this list are in megahertz (Mhz).
These systems are listed with their code squelch tone or number in parenthesis.
Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Office analog dispatch:
154.65 (151.4), 156.15 input, used for Allen Police dispatch (which is out of range of OKWIN), multi-agency storm spotting, and occasional special operations.
Pontotoc County Firefighters Association, paging and dispatch:
155.325 (151.4), 153.77 input. East fireground: 154.965. West fireground: 154.355. Country firefighters also use any of the nationwide VTAC frequencies, which Emergency Management can designate on the scene; used often when multiple counties are involved.
Ada Fire Department, paging and dispatch:
154.175 (162.2), 155.295 input. They supposedly use a discrete fireground frequency, listed as 154.01, but I seldom hear anything there (even when I am on a scene), and often hear fireground communications on dispatch.
Byng Fire Department:
154.25 and 151.1525. Byng is paged out on Pontotoc County dispatch, but uses 154.25 for fireground, talk-around, and tornado siren activation. I don’t hear anything on 151.1525.
State fire:
154.13. I often hear AirEvac Life Team helicopters on this frequencies as they approach crash and fire scenes, but they often do not get a response.
Ada Police: 158.775 (114DPL), 153.875 input. Ada PD tried to go digital in 2011, and again in 2018, but remain analog as of early 2024. At one time, they used 158.73 as their talk-around frequency, referred to as “Channel 3.”
Ada Emergency Management:
151.73, 159.81 input, but they only routinely use it as a back up for Ada PD. EM also lists 155.9325 as their digital option, but I don’t know if they use it. There are statewide repeaters on 155.235, including in Ada, but all I hear on it is the weekly check-in.
Mercy Hospital Ada EMS: 155.385 (151.4), 153.77 input. Ambulances call the emergency room on 155.34 to give patient reports. Mercy Hospital security is on 154.505, and housekeeping is on 153.3875.
AirEvac Lifeteam Ada, Okla., dispatch:
158.4. This frequency isn’t listed locally, but AirEvac is loud and clear across Pontotoc County on this frequency. AirEvac can be heard on 160.155 in Garvin County.
Other services I hear all the time on analog FM are…
Call-a-Ride, 151.0025 (223DPL). Holcim Cement, 462.2, 467.2 input. Maybe City of Ada: 155.49, DTMF tones only. The City of Ada lists 158.3 as their street maintenance frequency, but they mostly use cell phones and text messages instead.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol:
They mostly use OKWIN, but they operate car-to-car on 855.9875 analog, and in rural areas I still occasionally here them using the old VHF-low channels 44.7 and 45.22 for car-to-car, but my guess is that they are no longer installing low-band radios, so when the existing ones die, that will be the end of low band. At one time, area police could call other agencies on 155.67 “state net,” but that frequency has been mostly silent in recent years.
Surrounding counties:
Hughes County Sheriff and EMS, 151.0775. Coal County Sheriff and Fire, 154.04 and 154.415. Murray County EMS, 155.205. Garvin County Sheriff 151.085, Stratford Fire and Police, 153.935.
Other areas to monitor are aviation, 108-136Mhz.
Amateur radio spans the entire radio spectrum. A good place to start listening to amateur radio might be 146.52, which is the nationwide simplex calling frequency.
