On my Baofeng UV-5R I purchased the cheap shoulder speaker/mic. I know it’s not great, but it works except for…
The only problem I have is that I must HOLD the connector into the jack with my hand to ensure it remains seated tightly and it works great. But if I let go it soon loosens even a bit and the speaker/mic stops working.
It tried the trick to shave down the side of the connector to ensure it’s properly seated, but it is and that doesn’t help. It seems like the pins are maybe not straight and I can even move them with my fingers because the plastic housing is not that rigid.
So, here is my thought: You know the ear-clip headphone and lapel mic that comes with the radio? If I plug that in, the connection is solid, and the actual plastic housing is more rigid on it - the pins can be moved around. I don’t plan on using it, so was going to CUT that cable and use the connector to replace the dodgy one on the shoulder speaker/mic. Kind of a hack, to chop up the cables, but I think it should work and unless someone else has a better idea?