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Re: [TenTec] Rag Chew, DX, or Contest with Hearing Aids

To: "Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment" <tentec@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Rag Chew, DX, or Contest with Hearing Aids
From: "denton" <denton@oregontrail.net>
Reply-to: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2013 10:19:15 -0700
List-post: <tentec@contesting.com">mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
Looks like this would be an excellent write up for the ARRL! A recent copy of QST has done a short article but methinks something a bit more on the lines of product reviews would be nice.

My current hearing aids, a pair of Resound Forza...sold by Costco..use a wifi audio interface. The interface has both mic plus plug in for audio sources. This has been the best for me. The device has a range of about 25 ft with fresh charge..so can grab a cup of coffee while listening to ssb or cw. To me, the difference between rig speakers and the wifi audio interface is remarkable!

I have work hearing aids since I was a small boy, and have been hamming for almost 35 years.

A previous set of hearing aids used telecoils and I used an inductive loop with an audio interface, but like Gary, this was not good for me. Kept picking up too much inductive hum from other sources (power supply, light fixtures, etc) and I could not move around the shack anywhere.

Hope this helps someone.
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From: "GARY HUBER" <glhuber@msn.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2013 6:43 AM
To: "TenTec Reflector" <tentec@contesting.com>
Cc: "SMC" <smc@w9smc.com>; "W9AML group-email" <w9aml@midlandsnetworking.com>
Subject: [TenTec] Rag Chew, DX, or Contest with Hearing Aids

For those with hearing impairments, the joy of using amateur radio is diminished if you can’t hear or understand the sounds coming from your radio.

If you buy or have hearing aids with T-coils (telephone coils) you already have part of the solution. Hearing aid T-coils normally are used to inductively couple with the coil in the telephone handset, bypassing the hearing aid microphone. In many hearing aids the T-coil program has a separate profile since normal telephone audio frequencies are from 300 to 3000 Hz with a 6 dB per octave rising response providing equal loudness.

With open hearing aids which have a small opening which allows some sounds to pass unamplified to the eardrum, the use of a headset allows the sounds from the headset to mix with any sounds produced within the headset as the result of the T-coil and inductive coupling with the headset. I’ve found this to not work well for me.

I found J-hooks (http://www.hearinglosshelp.com/products/earlinks.htm#musicliks) which provide NO external sound, but do inductively couple to the T-coils of my hearing aids to produce sounds inside my hearing aides to be the best solution. I can now copy CW, chase DX, or participate in an AM net (I can even be net control).

I have NO relationship or interest with http://www.hearinglosshelp.com/products/earlinks.htm#musicliks except as a satisfied customer.

Having been through the disappointment as the result of not being able to hear in a hobby where “you can’t work them if you can’t hear them”, I’m trying to get the word out to others with problems hearing their radio. If you know someone with hearing problems, please pass this on to them.

73 ES DX,
Gary -- AB9M
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