help me help a neighbor troubleshoot his phone?

[Grasswire2]

So, the phone spontaneously stopped projecting HIS voice on any call. He can hear the other person, but that person can't hear him. It happens when he does the calling, and it happens when he is the recipient of a call.

It's an older phone, a Pantech Swift that he loves for its qwerty keyboard. The owner's manual is not useful here.

Any ideas? Taking it to AT&T would be useless; staff is only trained to sell new phones, not troubleshoot.

[Major Nikon]

1. Buy a used one on ebay for $30

[Grasswire2]

5. geez I see identical phone there for $12 plus $1.39 SIM and free shipping WOW

Good idea. That may be the best remedy. Seller has really good feedback.

[Major Nikon]

6. Just gotta make sure the model numbers are compatible with the network

Not familiar with that particular phone. For all I know it only works on ATT's network, but for some phones even the same basic model can be different depending on the network(s) it was designed to be used on. Many newer phones work with all networks. Most older ones do not. ATT and T-Mobile are compatible between the two, but not with Verizon and Sprint.

If it's going to be used on an ATT network and the seller advertises it's an ATT phone, then you should be OK. It may need to be unlocked, which is generally done by the seller with the network. This is simply a release by the network so the phone can be used by someone else. It's their way of insuring a phone was fully paid for before being resold. That's why many phones on ebay are advertised as "unlocked". That just means so long as the phone is compatible with your network, you can install a new sim, have your provider activate it, and you're in business. They generally charge a fee for activation which is a rip-off IMO. Usually you can talk them out of the charge. I usually say something like...

Hey I have been your customer for X number of years and I pay my bill on time. Are you seriously going to charge me a fee for hooking up this phone? T-Mobile just told me they will move the phone over for free and give me a better deal.

[Grasswire2]

8. thanks for the info

It is locked, same network.

[SamKnause]

2. Have you tried Google or YouTube videos ???

Good luck.

[TexasProgresive]

3. Two things come to mind and it's not good.

One the microphone has crapped out. Two the audio transmitter circuitry has died.

The only other thing I can think of that might be repairable is the hole for the microphone is clogged with foreign matter.

If his phone service is the same as yours and yours works fine that would pretty much eliminate problems at the cell site.

[Grasswire2]

7. yeah I wondered about the mic.

A replacement is so cheap on eBay and might be the easiest thing for him because he loves this phone. Let's hope he doesn't need to call 911 for medical assistance in the meantime. !!

[TexasProgresive]

9. I'm embarrassed to not think of what hlthe2b wrote.

Try using earbuds with a mic to see if that works.

[hlthe2b]

4. Try plugging in an earpiece with mic and seeing if it will project his voice on a call.

At worst that can identify a way around the problem until additional "fixes" can be identified.

[TexasProgresive]

10. Good thing to try- why didn't this old troubleshooter think of it.

[NCjack]

11. Broken wire between the base and hand set?

[Girl powers]

12. This is an old solution

Unplug everything for twenty four hours. GGP

[sl8]

13. Maybe too obvious, but is the "mute" function disabled? n/t

[KY_EnviroGuy]

14. A few ideas for you to try....

1. In the phone call mode, there's an on-screen microphone mute key he may have accidentally pressed, although that should have reset if he has powered down/powered up already:

(copied from the manual)
Options during a call

Microphone off and on

Switching your phone’s microphone off: Tap Mute Key.
Switching your phone’s microphone back on: Tap Mute Key.

The microphone mute key is second on-screen button from left at bottom of screen in phone call mode. It has just a symbol with no text.

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2. Perform a master reset (not master clear):

(copied from the manual)
Reset - Resetting the phone:

1. Tap Menu; > Settings > Reset.
2. Enter password > OK > Master Reset.
3. Tap Yes or No.
Note It will return configuration settings to default. The default password is ‘1234’.

Avoid doing a "Master Clear" because that will clear all your personal data.

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3. Insure there's no trash jammed into either the microphone hole or in the headphone jack. If a piece of trash was forced into the headphone jack, that could disconnect the microphone.

The microphone is located near the bottom of the phone to the right of the "home/end" button and would be just a tiny hole in the case.

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4. The microphone could have been damage by the entry of water or beverages into the microphone hole. Soft drinks are notorious for destroying electronics due to citric acid content.

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5. I assume your friend has tried turning the phone off and then back on.

If he has to ditch this phone and buy a used replacement, make sure he transfers all his personal data from phone memory to the SIM card before swapping the card.

Best of luck!..............