[CQ-Contest] Amplified headfones

[Eric Hilding]

Tom, W7WHY, wrote:

> With my hearing slowly getting worse every year, I noticed this year I had a
> hard time in the SS.  I am now wearing hearing aids and it is hard to get
> them adjusted right without squealing or not being loud enough.  Without
> them I have to turn the volume almost all the way up on the receiver to
> hear, and that distorts the signals.
>
> Does anyone use amplified headphones? I wouldn't be interested in some whiz
> bang type I'd have to pay 4 or 5 hundred dollars for.  I would need some
> kind I could modify to use the Heil boom mike with.  It would be nice not
> having to mess with the hearing aids when contesting.  73 and TIA
> Tom W7WHY

Sorry to hear about your challenging situation there, Tom.  I'm sure you are not alone in Contesting-Land.

Umh, have you considered the possibility of just taking the hearing aids out, and CRANKING-UP-THE-VOLUME (I said: CRANKING-UP-THE-VOLUME) on your Radio???

If you have hearing aids crafted for certain frequency range boosts, etc., then what about getting an inexpensive outboard preamp or mini-audio mixer of some type, inserting that in your headphone line, and tweaking the frequency ranges where you may need either a boost or roll off?  It would seem to me this might be a more comfortable approach, and possibly less expensive than trying to find suitable headphones with the widgetry and than having to figure out how to Rube Goldberg  a Heil boom on them.

Radio Shack might have something!

Just some thoughts, OM.

73...

RIck, K6VVA