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Voice Carry Over (VCO) for Cell Phones

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

Here’s an interesting question I recently received. “I am hearing impaired and need a VCO cell phone. Can you help me?”

For anyone who doesn’t know about Voice Carry Over, VCO is a technology that allows people who cannot hear on the phone, but have good speech to use a phone. Here’s how it works. You dial the relay operator (711), and she connects you to the person you want to talk to. Then, when your party speaks, the relay operator types out what he says. You read this on the two-line display on your special VCO phone. To reply, you just speak in your normal voice. With VCO, you can use a phone, even if you can’t hear a sound!

Landline VCO phones are readily available, but, as far as I know at this time, there are no cell phones made specifically for VCO operation. However, all is not lost. You can still have cell phone VCO if you do the following two things.

First, you need a cell phone that is TTY compatible. (You may already have a TTY-compatible cell phone. If you don’t know whether it is TTY-compatible or not, ask your cell phone provider.) If you don’t already have a TTY-compatible cell phone, ask your cell phone provider which of their phones are TTY-compatible. For example, as of today, most, if not all, of Verizon’s new phones are TTY-compatible.

Incidentally, I suggest you stay away from Nokia cell phones as long as they require a special adaptor that the other phones don’t require. This is one extra part that can break down or get lost. As a result, you can make life simpler if you avoid Nokia cell phones at this time.

Second, you need a Krown VCO device. Krown has three devices that will work to convert a TTY-compatible cell phone into a VCO cell phone:

1. the PVCO
2. the PVCO-C
3. the PocketComm

I suggest getting either the PVCO-C or the PocketComm as the PVCO can’t plug directly into your cell phone. Instead, it has to be acoustically coupled. As a result, extraneous noise can get into the phone and mess up the signal.

The PVCO-C and the PocketComm both can be plugged directly into your cell phone’s headset jack (assuming that your cell phone has the standard 2.5 mm headset jack).

The difference between the PVCO-C and the PocketComm is that the PocketComm is also a full-blown TTY (teletype) as well as a VCO adaptor.

Since they both cost exactly the same ($189.00 plus $12.00 shipping from Krown), I’d suggest the PocketComm as you get more “goodies” for the same price. You never know when you might want full TTY capability in the future.

You can view (and purchase) the PCVO-C from Krown’s website at http://www.krowntty.com/html/products/pvco2.html. Likewise, you can view (and purchase) the PocketComm at http://www.krowntty.com/html/products/pocketcomm.html.

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Hearing Loss Research & Resources

Free Visor Cards

Download your free Visor Cards for hard of hearing or deaf people here.

Loop Systems

Loop your home or meeting room. Discover how you can hear wonderfully clear sound again when listening to the TV/radio, etc, or when listening to a speaker at a meeting.

Loop systems are one of the best-kept secrets in town. To learn more about Loop Systems and what they can do for you, click here.

Take Control of Your Tinnitus—Here’s How

If your ears ring, buzz, chirp, hiss, click or roar, you know just how annoying tinnitus can be. You do not have to put up with this racket for the rest of your life. This book teaches you many things you can do to help bring your tinnitus under your control so it no longer bothers you.

Learn More | Add to Cart—Printed | Add to Cart—eBook

Sounds Now Too Loud for You?

Hypersensitive to Sound front coverIf some (or all) normal sounds seem so loud they “blow the top of your head off”, or make you wince or jump, or cause you headaches or ear pain, or affect your balance, or result in fear or annoyance of sounds so you feel you have to avoid these sounds, this book is for you!

Learn More | Add to Cart—Printed | Add to Cart—eBook

Hearing Phantom Sounds?

When hard of hearing people begin hearing phantom voices or music, they immediately worry they are going crazy. It never crosses their minds that they are sane and are just experiencing Musical Ear syndrome.

To learn more about the strange phantom sounds of Musical Ear syndrome and what you can do about them, click here to read a comprehensive article about Musical Ear Syndrome.

Or get the book—Learn More | Add to Cart—Printed | Add to Cart—eBook

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Center for Hearing Loss Help

Neil G. Bauman, Ph.D.

1013 Ridgeway Drive, Lynden,
WA 98264-1057 USA

Email: neil@hearinglosshelp.com

Phone: 360-778-1266 (M-F 9:00 AM-5:00 PM PST)

© 2025 Center for Hearing Loss Help – Help for your hearing loss, tinnitus and other ear conditions

"The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life [which also includes perfect hearing] through Jesus Christ our Lord." [Romans 6:23]

"But know this, in the last days perilous times will come" [2 Timothy 3:1]. "For there will be famines, pestilences, and [severe] earthquakes in various places" [Matthew 24:7], "distress of nations, the sea and the waves roaring"—tsunamis, hurricanes—Luke 21:25, but this is good news if you have put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, for "when these things begin to happen, lift up your heads [and rejoice] because your redemption draws near" [Luke 21:28].