Hearing Loss Help  

by David Myers, Ph.D.

Here are a dozen advantages of loop systems. They . . .

• Are hearing aid compatible. This also means there’s no need when at worship to juggle between hearing aids out/headset on (during sermons) and hearing aids in/headset off (during singing).
   
• Can harness, at no added expense to the hearing aid wearer, the same telecoil technology used by hearing aid compatible telephones.
   
• Require (for those with telecoils) no pickup and remembering to return portable receiving units and headsets.
   
• Require purchasing/maintaining/replacing fewer portable receiving units (for those as yet without telecoils or heading aids).
   
• Operate on a universal frequency (FM systems operate on differing frequencies, requiring receivers for each venue).
   
• Serve those with most new cochlear implants (which come with telecoils) as well as those with hearing aids (especially those most needing assistive listening, who generally have behind-the-ear aids, which generally include strong telecoils).
   
• Are inconspicuous. Loop systems offer an easy and invisible solution to an invisible problem, thus are much more likely to be used.
   
• Work in transient situations. They can serve the hard of hearing at ticket counters, teller windows, airport gate areas, train stations, etc.—venues where other assistive listening systems are impractical.
   
• Contain sound. Because sound broadcast through hearing aids is contained within one’s ear, there is no risk of leaked headset sound bothering others nearby.
   
• Afford flexible use. Can allow either direct listening or loop broadcast modes, or both. Also typically allow M/T (mic + telecoil) settings to allow both assistive listening from PA system or TV and normal listening of conversation or singing from people nearby.
   
• Deliver personalized in-the-ear-sound—sound customized by one’s own hearing aids to address one’s own hearing loss.
   
• Are, for all these reasons, much more likely to be used—and to be increasingly used, once installed (as people purchase future aids with T-coils). (1)

To learn more about these wonderful loop systems, read the article, “Loop Systems—The Best-Kept Secret in Town“.

(1) Used by permission http://www.puredirectsound.com/id11.html

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A lady explained,

Our Senior Center has two rooms looped: the computer room where people learn computer skills, and the “lipreading room” where a lipreading class is held. These rooms are next to each other. Each has a separate loop that was installed a few years ago.

My friend that is taking a computer class said she can hear the jokes they are telling in the lipreading class next door when she is in the computer room and has her t-coil turned on. It could be distracting. Maybe she should just enjoy hearing jokes the other computer students are missing.

Is this normal and to be expected or is something wrong with the loop setup? I was under the impression that one must be inside the loop to hear what is being said using the loop.

It is a misconception that you must be inside the loop in order to hear its signal. You can hear outside loops—typically just not as loud.

Some t-coils are just better than others at picking up loop signals—so some hear outside loops quite well and others don’t.

Although sound rapidly diminishes the farther outside the loop you are. I’ve been in looped areas where I could still hear very well when I was 12 to 15 feet outside the loop.

Therefore, there is nothing wrong with the above-mentioned loop systems themselves. It is just that the people installing them need to realize that spillover happens (unless you use very specialized and expensive loop mats), and thus not set them up in adjacent rooms, or the people sitting near the common wall will be able to hear both systems at once.

(If this ever happens to you, change your seat to as far away from the common wall as possible and likely you won’t hear the other system.)

Another point that many don’t realize is that you mustn’t loop rooms directly above or below each other either. In your example, if the two looped rooms were on different floors located directly above/below each other, both loop systems would blanket both rooms. Therefore, when installing loop systems, you need to adequately separate room loops both horizontally and vertically if you want to avoid spillover.

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A lady asked:

Why would I want a double wire loop for my induction system? I don’t understand. What is the benefit?

You don’t need to make a double wire loop if you don’t want to. A single wire loop works just fine if that is the wire you already have. The advantages of a double wire loop are:

1. It makes a stronger signal. This may not be all that important for a small loop, but if you are running the maximum sized loop for the power output of your loop amplifier, the extra signal strength certainly helps give a better signal.
2. Because the electrical path in a double wire loop is twice as long as in a single wire loop, it has twice the resistance in the wire. This is a good thing because it helps the loop amplifier to run cooler since the signal is dissipated in the wire–not in the amplifier.
3. I typically buy standard “lamp cord” for my loops. Since lamp cord has two parallel wires, it is a waste not to use both wires when you can do so very easily. (Note–Never use both wires by twisting the wires at each end together. This creates a parallel circuit and reduces the resistance. This is a bad thing.) Click here to learn how to hook up a double wire loop properly.
4. It is very important to have the proper resistance in your wire loop if you are using a standard PA amplifier (voltage amplier). These amplifiers require adequate resistance (technically impedence) or the current will increase and burn out your amplifier. This is not a problem with proper loop amplifiers (current amplifiers) such as the Univox2A. You can read about these wonderful devices in my article, “Loop Systems–The Best Kept Secret In Town!“

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

One lady wrote:

Your article on loop systems (http://www.hearinglosshelp.com/articles/loopsystems.htm) just about convinced me that I should install a loop system in my office. What’s the next step?

I warned her that before she purchases any kind of loop system, she first needs to make sure that her office is reasonably free from electromagnetic interference.

Such interference is commonly produced by the 60 Hz. alternating current that flows through all the wires in the electrical system. Devices that cause interference include older fluorescent light fixtures, TVs, computer monitors (CRT monitors, not LCD monitors), electrical panels in the walls and sometimes the electrical wiring throughout the office.

You typically hear this interference as a loud buzzing sound when you have your hearing aids set to the “T” position.

The easiest way to tell if your office is reasonably interference-free is to turn your hearing aids to the “T” (t-coil) position, turn your volume way up, then move around your office and listen. If you hear a loud buzzing sound all over, then the office is too full of interference to effectively use your t-coils with a loop system.

If you only hear loud interference in one or two places, then as long as you place your desk (working area) in an interference-free spot, the interference shouldn’t bother you. However, since your computer and/or monitor may produce interference, you may have to lean away from the monitor to get away from the interference when using your t-coils.

Here’s a trick that will help keep the interference to as low a level as possible. Turn the gain on the loop system up so it produces a much stronger magnetic signal than the existing interference. Now you can turn the volume down on your hearing aids, thus making them less sensitive to the interference while still clearly hearing the signal off the loop.

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

Someone asked me, “When setting up a loop for a small area, does it make a difference if I use a double-wire loop or a single-wire loop when using the Univox 2A system?” Good question.

According to the manufacturer, a double-wire loop is only a bit more powerful than a single-wire loop. So feel free to use either a double-wire loop or single-wire loop, whatever your preference. (The single-wire loop is a bit easier and faster to set up.)

Personally, I like to use the double-wire loop since I use lamp cord for the loop and it already has two parallel wires in it. (It doesn’t do my Scottish heart any good to “waste” the extra wire.)

Tip: When using a loop, it’s always better to have a stronger loop signal rather than a weaker loop signal. That way you can keep the volume on your hearing aid (t-coil) down. With the hearing aid volume down, your t-coils don’t pick up as much interference from things such as nearby wiring in the walls and electrical appliances.

Having a weaker loop signal and turning up your hearing aid volume (in t-coil mode) can give you just as loud a signal as the above method–but you may hear a lot of annoying buzzing at the same time.

If you want an interference-free system (or as close to interference-free as possible), have a “loud” loop while keeping the volume down on your hearing aids. This is particularly important if you already have interference in the room where you have installed your loop.

For more information on these wonderful loop systems, and how and why you would want to use them, point your browser to http://www.hearinglosshelp.com/articles/loopsystems.htm.