Using earbuds with Two way radio & adapters?

[RalphIII]

Hello All,
Can anyone suggest some adapters that will allow the use of standard earbuds with two way radios? My Midland has a 2.5mm mono audio plug. I am having difficulty finding appropriate or quality adapters and/or earbuds. So your help is appreciated.

I purchased a 2.5mm male to 3.5mm female mono adapter, as seen HERE. I also purchased some mono earbuds as seen HERE. The adapter and the earbuds work as desired but they are not practical. The straight pin is going to get broken off and the earbuds are hideous/uncomfortable.

I prefer the following in the order as desired:

1. Mono Earbuds with a 2.5mm pin. All the earbuds I come across with a 2.5mm pin are a single earbud. Whereas I desire two earbuds, one for each ear. This is what I most desire because it would eliminate the need for an adapter.

2. A 2.5mm (male) to 3.5mm (female) mono adapter. The adapter can be a solid 90 degree adapter or it can be a corded adapter, where there is a short wire between the male and female ends. It would also be highly desirable if the mono adapter was configured to work with stereo earbuds. If they do not have such a thing can someone please recommend some mono earbuds, other than what I purchased.

Thanks,
Ralph

 

[mmckenna]

You might need to clarify a few things here:

You are posting this in the Kenwood/EFJohnson forum. Help us understand which radio you are talking about.

If the Midland you mentioned has a 2.5mm plug, it would help to know which radio that is. Some of the radios have a 3 or 4 pin connector that will fit in there for a speaker microphone. Getting the right adapter is important because the wrong one may trigger the Push To Talk circuit.

What is your skill level with soldering? One easy fix might be to purchase the earphone you want and then a 90º connector that you solder on the end to solve the strain issue.

 

[RalphIII]

You might need to clarify a few things here:

You are posting this in the Kenwood/EFJohnson forum. Help us understand which radio you are talking about.

If the Midland you mentioned has a 2.5mm plug, it would help to know which radio that is. Some of the radios have a 3 or 4 pin connector that will fit in there for a speaker microphone. Getting the right adapter is important because the wrong one may trigger the Push To Talk circuit.

What is your skill level with soldering? One easy fix might be to purchase the earphone you want and then a 90º connector that you solder on the end to solve the strain issue.

We have the Midland BR200 business radios which utilize the Kenwood K1 two prong plug. I simply want to utilize the 2.5mm audio port for earbuds whereas I am fine using the radios PTT button. I have found this offers the greatest audio experience because the radio's PTT is going to offer better clarity than a headset PTT. Using two earbuds also greatly improves the audio experience while still remaining inconspicuous. As noted, I have this exact setup and the difference with audio clarity is significant -vs- typical radio headsets.

I am quite skilled at soldering but I don't know exactly how you could solder a 90 degree pin onto a straight pin? Can you reference something for me?

Ralph

 

[mmckenna]

OK, got it.

The 2.5mm plug will be -just- audio on the tip and sleeve part of the connector. There is no connection on the ring (center) contact, so the mono plug won't be an issue.

https://www.amazon.com/Warmstor-Pla...5813&sprefix=2.5mm+audio+plug,aps,632&sr=8-14
That might reduce the strain on the audio connector on the radio. If you look at the photos on that Amazon page, you'll see someone doing the exact same thing you want but with a speaker.

You could use an adapter like this, and it would let you plug in any stereo headset you want and give you audio on both channels:

Amazon.com

If it does what you want, plug it all together and use some heat shrink tubing to keep everything in place.


Or, use one of these:

Miniature TRS Right-Angle 2.5mm Jack - 3 Conductor Stereo Phone Plug

<p>Super small 2.5mm, 3 conductor, right angle plug.</p>

console5.com

Take a pair of stereo headphones you like, cut the connector off and solder the ground shields to the tip connection and both left and right to the sleeve connection.

 

[RalphIII]

OK, got it.

The 2.5mm plug will be -just- audio on the tip and sleeve part of the connector. There is no connection on the ring (center) contact, so the mono plug won't be an issue.

https://www.amazon.com/Warmstor-Plated-Female-Adapter-Connector/dp/B071LJJ6VG/ref=sr_1_14?crid=OHACU7F3BYVO&keywords=2.5mm+audio+plug&qid=1661835813&sprefix=2.5mm+audio+plug,aps,632&sr=8-14
That might reduce the strain on the audio connector on the radio. If you look at the photos on that page, you'll see someone doing the exact same thing you want but with a speaker.

You could use an adapter like this, and it would let you plug in any stereo headset you want and give you audio on both channels:

Amazon.com

If it does what you want, plug it all together and use some heat shrink tubing to keep everything in place.


Or, use one of these:

Miniature TRS Right-Angle 2.5mm Jack - 3 Conductor Stereo Phone Plug

<p>Super small 2.5mm, 3 conductor, right angle plug.</p>

console5.com

Take a pair of stereo headphones you like, cut the connector off and solder the ground shields to the tip connection and both left and right to the sleeve connection.

Thanks mmckenna! I actually purchased a wired adapter like the one in your first link but mine was a straight pin. So thanks for linking to the 90 degree one and the mono-to-stereo adapter! I've done quite a bit off heat shrinking also, so I can make that work if necessary.

Otherwise, I was considering the soldering adapter that you referenced in the last link. That would give me a less cluttered setup, so I'll probably attempt that route first. I had just hoped someone would have one made already but go figure.

God Bless,
Ralph

 

[mmckenna]

Pretty sure what you need is out there, but in the 3.5mm plug size. Several of our officers use an earphone off the speaker mic and have a setup like that.

 

[hill]

mmkenna said the same thing I was thinking in the post above.

I have a few coiled cord D-Loop earphones to use with speaker mics. This type of setup works well the few times a year I use it. The D-Loops seem to be better for me to wear for long times, rather the in ear ones.

 

[RalphIII]

UPDATE:

I just wanted to post an update as others might find such helpful. Both Retevis and BTECH make a K1 adapter to 3.5mm that will work with standard earbuds. Both of them work really well but there are some minor quirks with each one. I'm testing with my Midland BR200 radios and a Ulix Rider wired earbuds which has an inline microphone.

1. Retevis TCK01 Adapter Cable:

Positives:
*Minimalist.
*Well built.
*It uses the PTT button on the radio to transmit.
*You can speak into the radio or the in-line microphone of the earbuds. Consequently, you can use standard
earbuds with no in-line microphone or one with a microphone.

Negative:
*Potential for unbeknownst open-mic situation. If you insert the adapter while the radio is turned on, you'll
create a short of sorts that may result in an open-mic or otherwise unresponsive unit. So you have to
remember to insert the adapter first and then turn the radio on. If you do experience an open-mic situation,
just turn the radio off and then back on.

2. BTECH 3.5mm Audio Adapter:

Positives:
*Well built.
*No quirky issues. Just plug and play.

Negatives:
*Bulky. The adapter has it's own PTT button which disables the radios PTT button. This seems unnecessary and
it makes the adapter more bulky with the coiled wire.
*The audio is overly loud. It's amped up so much that I'd be concerned with possible hearing damage if the
volume was inadvertently turned all the way up.
*Must use earbuds with a in-line microphone.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In regards to both the Retivis and BTECH adapters. You push the relevant PTT button and then speak into the build-in microphone of the headset. Note: the PTT button on the earbuds itself does not activate the radio. You use it to speak into only.

Neither one are 100 percent perfect given the quirks but both perform great and as desired! I truly desired to go with the BTECH adapter because there seems to be no issues with a potential open-mic. However, I am concerned someone could damage their ears due to the very loud audio experienced with the Midland radios. Consequently, I will be going with the Retivis adapter. People just need to confirm everything is working properly which they should be doing anyhow.

God Bless,
Ralph

 

[RalphIII]

CORRECTION:


I need to make one correction from my previous post (#8). I stated that the Retevis TCK01 adapter would create an open-mic situation if you plugged earbuds in while the radio was turned on. I discovered that that is not entirely correct. It really depends on the earbuds.

I was testing with a pair of Ulix Rider wired earbuds and those do create an open-mic situation if you plug them into the radio while it is turned on. I then tested it with a set of ONN wired earbuds and those do not create an open-mic situation.

So the Retevis adapter works flawlessly and suffers no issues, as long as you use a proper set of wired earbuds with it.

God Bless,
Ralph

 

[RalphIII]

FINAL UPDATE (for those who may be interested)

I went with the BTECH adapter in the end and I am extremely happy that I did. The volume actually turned out to be a benefit as it allows you to use one earbud if desired, which requires more sound. FYI, I cut the PTT wire on the adapter itself and did away with the adapters PTT because it's just as easy to use the radios PTT. This made the adapter even more compact and lightweight than the Retivis. It's a perfect setup.

I went this direction because I found all of the two way radio headsets to be greatly inferior for Church security, as I desired. It was extremely difficult and frustrating to make out what people were saying at times. Especially when in a loud environment such as worship time (music). The earbuds on the other hand give you the option of using one earbud (quite environment) or both earbuds (loud environment). So the experience and communications is far superior with the earbuds.

I decided against the Retivis adapter because I couldn't find a quality pair of earbuds that would work with it. The only pair that I found that wouldn't cause it to suffer from an open mic situation was a cheap pair from Wal_mart.

Anyhow, we used several earbuds and a Bluetooth setup for our radios this Sunday and it all proved excellent. I could hear transmissions very good and they could clearly hear mine even though I was speaking softly into the earbuds microphone during services.

Take care,
Ralph