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Center for Hearing Loss Help

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Why Correct T-Coil (Telecoil) Orientation Is So Important

Few people are aware that the orientation of the telecoils in their hearing aids is important. Normally, a person just buys telecoil-equipped hearing aids and never gives a thought as to how the telecoils themselves are physically oriented in their hearing aids.

Orientation is important because maximum coupling (meaning the loudest signal) occurs between two coils (for example, between a telecoil and a room loop) when both coils are oriented in the same plane as each other. Thus telecoils must be oriented in the same plane as the transmitting loop for maximum signal strength.

A room loop is a flat coil of wire laying horizontally. (Think of a doughnut laying flat.) Thus, for maximum signal, the coils in your telecoil should also be horizontal.

Since a telecoil is wound on a thin tube (think of a stack of doughnuts piled 6 or 8 high), the telecoil must be mounted with the tube vertical (so the coils of wire themselves lay horizontally). Thus, when a telecoil is physically vertical, its coils are in the horizontal plane exactly the same as a room loop.

Passive Tibbetts telecoils
Photo courtesy www.tibbettsindustries.com

If the telecoil is mounted horizontally, the coils of wire are oriented vertically (think of a stack of doughnuts tipped over so each doughnut is standing on its end) and will best pick up a signal device mounted vertically (i.e. the coil in a phone handset).

Therefore, a horizontally-mounted telecoil works best when using the phone while a vertically-mounted telecoil works best when using a room loop or neckloop.

Often hearing aid manufacturers compromise and set the telecoils at an angle so they will work both with the phone and with room loops—but this is done at the expense of optimum volume in either plane. That is why when you tip your head, the signal may fade out or get louder. If your telecoils are mounted diagonally, tipping your head 45 degrees one way will give a stronger signal from a room loop and tipping your head 45 degrees the other way will give a stronger phone signal.

Strength of Telecoils

Often the signal picked up by the telecoil is not as strong (loud) as a signal picked up by the hearing aid’s microphone. Therefore, when switching over to your telecoils, you may also have to turn the volume on your hearing aids way up.

If this is the case, you really need amplified telecoils (rather than the passive style shown above) so the output of the telecoil closely matches the output from the microphone. Tibbetts Industries make a great little amplified telecoil.

Digital hearing aids typically have telecoils that can be programmed to any given volume. Therefore, make sure you ask your audiologist to program the volume of your telecoils to your satisfaction.

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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].