n-type PbTe(Ga) films were grown by the laser deposition and the hot wall techniques on BaF2 substrates in <111> orientation. Doping results in the appearance of a high-ohmic state with nearly intrinsic free carrier concentration at low temperatures and activation character of conductivity at T∼300 K. Persistent photoconductivity has been observed at T < 100 K. In the hot wall-grown layers a new effect of bistability during the cooling-heating-cooling cycles has been found. On the first stage of the cycle a rapid decrease of resistivity (∼3 orders of magnitude) is observed at To∼50 K. The value of To changes by ± 15 K depending on the cooling rate. After a brief heating up to 80 K the subsequent cooling results in the high-ohmic state of the layer at the low temperatures. This state seems to be unstable. Relaxation to the low ohmic state can be accelerated by the application of electric field. The effect may be understood in terms of bistability of the Ga impurity charge state under the action of strain between the film and the substrate during the cooling-down process.