Compatible mic for Leixen VV898 ?

A friend of mine just received his Leixen VV898S radio from another vendor and is having intermittent problems. He will key his mic and will have a good strong S signal and modulation with full quieting.

He will then key his mic again and then there will be no S signal or modulation. I told him to check the PTT switch as I had done on my mic to check the solder connections and he told me that all was soldered good…no cold solder connections.

Any suggestions ? Is there another mic that is compatible that could be used to find out if it is the mic or the contacts in the radio ? Is there a way to test the mic ?
Any suggestions will be deeply appreciated. :confused:

Thanks in advance,
Ray KC1EDJ

My first inclination would be to take it back and get a refund, but I’m not a big fan of Chinese-made radios. There seem to be way too many problems with them.

It’s entirely possible there is a breakdown in the cord itself. This can happen to any any hand microphone. I had a break in the cord on a Heil mic, which are some of the best made. Run a continuity check on all the conductors in the cord at the same time flexing the cord to see if there’s an intermittent break in the conductors.

One possible cause of intermittent mic failure on this unit is the “feature” where the stud and backplate for hanging the mic is electrically active. When the stud has connectivity with the backplate the mic shuts off. So, if you use a mic hook or otherwise lay the mic on a surface so the backplate and stud touch, or if you get conductivity across a “wet hand” … Tx stops.
The reason is that Leixen (the best of Chinese engineering) wants to shutdown the backlight, ppt, and keypad while the mic is engaged in the mic holder clip. However, the volume up and down still works.