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Deaf pilots

LettersFromFlyoverCountry

Well Known Member
Just wondering if there are any pilots here with severe hearing loss using two hearing aids who've come up with a solution to properly amplify the radio.

I ask because yesterday I flew with a friend in his RV-7 for the first time since I lost (most) hearing in the remaining "good ear" and while I could make out what he was saying on the intercom (it helps that I could see his lips while trying to make out what he was saying), the calls on the radio were another story entirely.

We could boost the radio to a higher level (I had the level on my Zulu II headsets pushed all the way up), but at that point, it was too distorted to be able to understand anything.

The hearing aids I have can receive a Bluetooth signal, which I use with a device (ComPilot) for my cellphone, pushing the audio directly into the hearing aids, but I'm unaware of any similar device for flight radios.

I know deaf pilots are probably a very small number but I'd be interested in any experiences anyone on here has had on the subject.
 
Bob's back!

Hi Bob, I don't have any advice on your question, but happy to see you posting again! Regards, Mickey
 
I have Specsavers completely in the ear aids which are the same as the Signia Silk NX AIDS. I can wear my headset over the aids and this works well boosting all audio from the headset without any feedback. My hearing loss is not all that severe so I usually remove or turn off the aids when flying.

Fin 9A
 
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Bob, I would consider seeing if you qualify for a cochlear implant. They can be life changing and work very well with headsets. I fly professionally with one and I am totally deaf without it. Feel free to PM me and I will discuss it with you.
George
 
Bob,

My daughter has Oticon's that receive over BT. We have a simple BT transmitter wired to the headphone jack with a simple 1/8" to 1/4" phone adapter.

https://www.amazon.com/Mpow-Bluetoo...124480&sprefix=Bluetooth+hands,aps,186&sr=8-7

https://www.amazon.com/Stereo-Coppe...77124346&sprefix=1/8"+to+1/4",aps,191&sr=8-13.

She wears regular David Clarks over her hearing aids, and can hear the COM/Intercom chatter

Cheers!

B

Awesome. I will test this next. Who'd like to host the test platform?
 
Bob, I would consider seeing if you qualify for a cochlear implant. They can be life changing and work very well with headsets. I fly professionally with one and I am totally deaf without it. Feel free to PM me and I will discuss it with you.
George

We've discussed it but I'm not at that point for everyday living quite yet.

Interestingly, I'm an usher at Target Field, which is VERY challenging for a hearing impaired person. But I can function OK .

Just goes to show the extreme sound environment of an airplane.
 
There is a pilot here at Moontown that seems to have solved his hearing aid/avionics integration issues long ago. I will see if I can have him contact you.
 
Hearing loss

My problem has been completely solved by using an in ear headset. I have Zulu II?s and Bose A20?s and struggle. I switched to Halo in ear and now have no issues with volume or understanding . I am going to stay with the in ear for the ability to hear properly, the comfort factor is a added +.

Phil
 
In-the-ear helps a LOT when your needs are based around simple total sound pressure to the inner ear. We've seen this time and time again. We've also done some other interesting things like cochlear implant integration.

Also, don't under estimate the value of a quality audio panel / intercom. If you're flying around with a couple hundred dollar intercom (flightcom 403 comes to mind), you might be amazed at the signal processing quality afforded by something like a PS Engineering 8000 or a modern Garmin audio panel. I've spent a ton of time flying a bunch of different gear, both in flight, and in a sound chamber with instrumentation. If you have any hearing difficulties, please don't think that any old cheap intercom will do. I have many of these in an active rack and often feel it is a shame that so many people have never experienced what a good quality audio panel / intercom can do for the cockpit noise environment. And, if you're looking for total sound pressure before distortion, you really should be flying a stereo source.
 
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Unintended Consequence

The in the ear headset can be understood at low volumes that has made the passenger experience better as I don?t have to remember to turn their headsets down or make them uncomfortably loud. I tend to speak at lower volumes and the transmission quality is better. All in all, a win.

A little thread drift.

I had been going to give myself a Christmas present of a new GQC headset but forgot to order it. I plan to do that at the end of January (having a little surgery that will prevent flying for a month)
 
Bob Collins - thanks for starting this thread...

I have severe hearing difficulty in both ears. I wear hearing aids that function marginally at best. My conclusion is that high quality digital hearing aids don?t improve speech recognition for everyone. I?m one of the unlucky ones. I wear an in-the-ear aid in my right ear and a behind-the-ear aid in my left ear.

My experience with aviation headsets as follows: High end Dave Clark ? not good. Bose A20 work fairly well. Lightspeed Zulu 2 & 3 work the best for me. The in-the-ear hearing aid responds best and the behind-the-ear aid has some feedback because the aid is trapped between the ear and the ear cup of the headset. The mic pick-up on the behind-the-ear is located on the external amplifier assembly and that is what causes the problem. The Lightspeed headset works the best for me and so far, allows me to understand spoken word from both intercom and comm radio. I suspect that my next step will be and an in-the-ear headset. This is a reasonable approach because I use a cheap Vivitar Stereo Earphones Earbuds ($5.32 eBay) with my laptop computer and the sound quality is extraordinary.
 
deaf pilots

Bob

I think we need to figure out how to set up a bluetooth link between the aircraft radio and bluethooth enable hearing aids. My hearing aids have a bluetooth input and I have a bluetooth adapter for my TV which delivers much clearer sound directly to hearing aids compared to without bluetooth.

I would be willing to try and sort this out with you.


Let's connect


Warren
RV-7 N671CW
Plymouth, MN
 
I wear bluetooth Oticons under my DRE headset. The DREs have volume controls on each earpiece. I?m able to hear both intercom and ATC with the radio set to 50% volume.

Normally Without the Oticons Dolly has to shout. :)
 
I use the CQ in ear type and wear a non aviation noise canceling head set over them.
Works pretty good for me.
 
I struggled years ago when I first began wearing hearing aids. Previous models of hearing aids would just feedback and squeal when wearing a over the ear headset. I went to Oshkosh Airventure years ago ready to spend whatever it took to get a good headset that would help me with my profound hearing loss. I tried just about every brand. Then I walked past a booth of Quiet Technologies. They sell the Halo headset. ( I get no reward for recommending him but their product and service are amazing) https://www.quiettechnologies.com/ He explained that he uses high-end hearing aids parts to put the sound directly in your ear. The foam ear tips go directly in your ear are similar to those you use to block out sound in an industrial environment. The foam tips used with this headset are the same that my audiologist uses when I get a hearing test. Inexpensive and easily replaced. Many ask are they uncomfortable having the tips in your ear for so long? We have no issues at all, short flights or long cross countries. They are soft.
He also explained that these foam tips block out the loud cockpit noise better than noise cancelling devices and over the ear muffs. When you wear glasses with a typical over the ear muff, it creates an opening at the seals allowing noise to enter. Also noise canceling electronics only block out a portion of the frequencies not all sounds. This headset is cooler and lighter than the usual muff headset. My wife even wears them and her hearing is normal. The Zulu II?s and Bose are similar products for much more $$. I have been using the Halo or more than 10 years and recommend them to any hearing impaired person. The only downside is that you must remove your hearing aids while wearing the Halo. Find a good location to place them while flying so that you can put them back in after you exit the plane. A good friend of mine sewed a pocket in my side panel just for my hearing aids. Works great.
 
Seems there are quite a few variables. I sent a message to Lightspeed yesterday to ask them what they recommend. The Zulu 3 has the more advanced capabilities and best compatibility with hearing aids overall, they said.

I've messed with this a bit myself to help someone with hearing aids in the past. I don't wear them so hard for me to truly know. But here is what I have ascertained, FWIW.

Intercom: If the intercom is of lower quality, you're likely doomed from the start. My old flightcom intercom in the airplane was basically **** compared to the modern PS Engineering intercom I replaced it with. Night and day difference for the hearing aid wearer, as well. The intercom in the Garmin setup for the RV-12 (GTR 200) is pretty darned good compared to the legacy stuff.

Type of hearing aid: Apparently some hearing aids amplify all sound, and others are configured to amplify only the sound/frequency bands needed for the individual who wears them.

The form factor of the hearing aid: Generally, hearing aids that are inserted into the ear canal worked better. Hearing aids located outside the ear were harder to make work with a headset.

Headsets: ANR headsets were ... interesting to work with. It took a careful combination/balance of hearing aid volume/gain and headset volume. Some combinations (not always intuitive) worked well, while others didn't. Sorry that I don't recall the specific settings.

For one person, an in-ear headset was a game-changer. Now, all of this was before the Cards came out with their new in-ear headset, which I am flying with now and it's *amazing* - quite likely worth trying!

We tried a portable/inline Bluetooth transmitter, but that was when Bluetooth was much lower quality than is available now. I'd think trying an inexpensive transmitter that maximizes the BT transmitted audio quality would be worth the time. Amazon has some good options, better than what we tried a few years ago for sure. Lower latency and more modern protocols that result in much better audio clarity and quality.

greg
 
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Greg, thanks for the plug of the CQ Headset. I think Greg has been flying our headset for just over a year.

I don't know why, but somehow the good word about the value of quality intercoms just hasn't gotten out to the masses. Greg's comments about that are spot on. I've been meaning to record some sample audio of a flight as I switch between 4-5 different intercoms.
If you're building an RV and reading this thread, I would highly recommend avoiding a super simple Flightcom, Sigtronics, avcomm, etc.

A couple of the big difficulties with Bluetooth for real radio communications (not music input) are latency and link reliability. The latency can almost be brain rattling with respect to side-tone.
 
Deaf Pilots

Jim, you say you are using both a behind-the-ear and in-ear hearing aids. What are the brands of each? I am using high end Phonak BTE's and have used several ANR headsets My hearing loss is severe and at this time Zulu 3's are working the best for me, outdoing A20's. Feedback can be a little problem but can generally be defeated. I'm at the point where fast talking ATC conversation is causing problems.
 
I have used oticon in-the-ear for 20 years. All have had a tele-coil installed and when used in this mode the aids shut off their microphones and pick up the electromagnetic energy from my Zulu's.

A hearing aid telecoil (t-coil) is a small copper antenna inside some hearing aids. Hearing aid telecoils operate by receiving and selectively converting electromagnetic energy into sound which can be heard by the hearing aid user.

The hearing aid processes the sound just like it was picked up by the microphones. Tuned for your ear.

I got my first hearing aids after flying into Luke AFB in 2000. Transitioning the Phoenix airspace I had several female controllers and I could not understand a word they said. My young Co-Pilot translated and handled communication for me.

Without my aids I'm pretty deaf. I enjoy the solitude and quietness of the world when not wearing them. No dogs barking, birds singing, sirens blaring etc. The world has become way to noisy.
 
Seems there are quite a few variables. I sent a message to Lightspeed yesterday to ask them what they recommend. The Zulu 3 has the more advanced capabilities and best compatibility with hearing aids overall, they said.

I've messed with this a bit myself to help someone with hearing aids in the past. I don't wear them so hard for me to truly know. But here is what I have ascertained, FWIW.

Intercom: If the intercom is of lower quality, you're likely doomed from the start. My old flightcom intercom in the airplane was basically **** compared to the modern PS Engineering intercom I replaced it with. Night and day difference for the hearing aid wearer, as well. The intercom in the Garmin setup for the RV-12 (GTR 200) is pretty darned good compared to the legacy stuff.

Type of hearing aid: Apparently some hearing aids amplify all sound, and others are configured to amplify only the sound/frequency bands needed for the individual who wears them.
and quality.

greg

I'm lucky that I bought topnof the line in-ear pixels (Phoneak) so that as the hearing changes, they can be reprogrammed. Also I can have several different programs and switch etween them. I have an appointment next month and will bring up the airplane environment for suggestions.

Also good to hear -- no pun intended :- that the RV;12 avionics are top of the line.

And I'm also interested in hearing about any difference in audio profile -- if any -- between a Rotax and Lycoming.
 
Deaf Pilots

I have a friend that is totally deaf and flys a 172. I believe he is 1 of maybe 25 or so deaf pilots. He doesn't wear a headset and has a FAA letter that allows him to text or plan ahead with towers. I can get you his contact info should you have questions and want to chat via text or email.

Bob
 
Bob,

My daughter has Oticon's that receive over BT. We have a BT transmitter wired to the headphone jack with a 1/8" to 1/4" phone adapter.

https://www.amazon.com/Mpow-Bluetoo...124480&sprefix=Bluetooth+hands,aps,186&sr=8-7

https://www.amazon.com/Stereo-Coppe...77124346&sprefix=1/8"+to+1/4",aps,191&sr=8-13.

She wears regular David Clarks over her hearing aids, and can hear the COM/Intercom chatter

Cheers!

B

If I?m understanding you correctly?

The concept is to wear normal hearing aids (in-ear or behind-ear) that have Bluetooth capability and then plug a Bluetooth transmitter into the Rx headphone jack in the airplane ? maybe something like this... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZB6S69...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU= . Then continue to wear a headset (perhaps Zulu with ANR) over the ears to reduce background noise. The Zulu would provide ANR even with the Rx plug not connected. The microphone on the standard headset would still be used for transmit.

Am I understanding this right?
 
If I?m understanding you correctly?

The concept is to wear normal hearing aids (in-ear or behind-ear) that have Bluetooth capability and then plug a Bluetooth transmitter into the Rx headphone jack in the airplane ? maybe something like this... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZB6S69...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU= . Then continue to wear a headset (perhaps Zulu with ANR) over the ears to reduce background noise. The Zulu would provide ANR even with the Rx plug not connected. The microphone on the standard headset would still be used for transmit.

Am I understanding this right?

If this is indeed the case, how does one deal with improving signal:noise ratio to aid in speech intelligibility? Most of us discount the effect of attenuating the ambient aircraft noise however this is a critical factor. Perhaps I'm not understanding correctly how much of that ambient noise is actually heard by hearing aid wearers?
 
As someone who has been through all the levels of hearing loss one of the key things you need to do is realize at some point hearing aids will no longer be effective. You can place glasses on a blind man but they won?t help him see. The same applies to hearing aides. It?s important to get a through evaluations of why you have a profound hearing loss and options that might be available beyond hearing aids. In some cases for instance calcification in the ear there are surgical options that might restore near normal hearing. (Stapedectomy) In other cases some type of cochlear implant may be the best option. The point is that when you reach the point you are no longer fully conversational with hearing aides get a complete evaluation.
George
 
When selecting hearing aids, be aware that there are two kinds of Bluetooth - One only connects to phones (like the Phonak Audeo-B), and the other (like the Oticon Opn1 - MiniRITE) connects to mp3 streaming audio devices like an iPad. Also, with the Oticons, you can program the hearing aids for various noise situations:

1 = General
2 = Speech in Noise
3 = Comfort
4 = Music

I use #2 when listening to TV.
 
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If this is indeed the case, how does one deal with improving signal:noise ratio to aid in speech intelligibility? Most of us discount the effect of attenuating the ambient aircraft noise however this is a critical factor. Perhaps I'm not understanding correctly how much of that ambient noise is actually heard by hearing aid wearers?

The problem I have is with headset ear cup impinging on the behind-the-ear aid. The in-the-ear aid functions very well with the LightSpeed Zulu. I will soon need to wear behind-the-ear aids for both ears and that is what I'm trying to find solution for. The behind-the-ear aid has feedback because the microphone pickup is trapped between the back of my ear and the headset ear cup.

I'm hoping that by sending the audio directly to the hearing aid via Bluetooth will eliminate the feedback problem.
 
Jim - I'm trying to learn here so your patience is appreciated...
Do behind-the-ear aids block out enough external sound to make them effective in a high-noise environment?

I my little pea brain I have the idea that the hearing aid is acting as a source of the good sound you want to hear. Let's call that "signal".

The airplane is making one heckuva racket in the background. Let's call that "noise".

If we say the hearing aid can make X amount of Signal, a finite amount of Signal, then making that Signal more intelligible can only happen if we reduce the amount of Noise.

Signal competes against Noise. To give Signal a better chance to get through, typical headsets block out Noise, allowing the precious little amount of Signal to get through to our ears.

With hearing aids I'm guessing (a totally uneducated guess, hence this quest for knowledge) that very little blocking of Noise takes place through the little earpieces that pop into your ear. They typically look to be quite inadequate for reducing ambient Noise.

If this truly is the case then it would seem the ultimate solution would be an in-the-ear headset that drastically attenuates external Noise, and through which you can pipe the desired Signal. This would produce a much more advantageous ratio of Signal to Noise.

Is my understanding totally out to lunch?

Again, thanks for your patient explanation.
 
Problem with communication is on my end... So, I try again with better explanation of problem that plagues wearing behind-the-ear aid while wearing Zulu headset.

The in-the-ear aid in my right ear works very well with the Zulu headset. Sound (voice) generated by the ANR headset sounds great with virtually no distortion.

The behind-the-ear aid in my left ear is the problem. Even with the Zulu powered off, when I place the headset on my head and it covers my left ear - I hear feedback (squeal). This is caused because the microphone for the hearing aid is located on the amplifier module behind my ear and it gets "acoustically" trapped against the inside of the headset cup.

I'm hoping that behind-the-ear aid with wirelessly fed signal via Bluetooth eliminates the acoustic feedback. I'm thinking with Bluetooth it should be very similar to Halo or Clarity Aloft in-ear aviation headsets. And, I think the added benefit will be the ANR provided by the Zulu with the acoustic portion of the hearing aid turned off.

Sorry I can't speak to signal / noise stuff - just trying to explain symptom and proposed solution as best I can.

Advise if I need to better explain...
 
Do behind-the-ear aids block out enough external sound to make them effective in a high-noise environment?
Yes. My cockpit is VERY noisy. My behind-the-ear Oticons work just fine inside my non noise-cancelling Sigtronix headset. The only thing I notice is that I can hear the wind whistling with the hearing aids on. I don't wear them much when flying.
 
One data point

I normally wear Phonak behind-the-ear hearing aids ? hereditary hearing loss is a family curse. I?m not complaining because there?s certainly worse. :)

Anyway, some years back I discovered Halo in-ear headsets. Life-changing. I just switch my Phonaks out for them and they work great.

If you are okay with in-ear headsets (it?s subjective, and some people don?t like things in their ears), I think they are just flat-out a better mousetrap.

I?ve had several friends try Halos and then sell their Bo$es on eBay.
 
Yes. My cockpit is VERY noisy. My behind-the-ear Oticons work just fine inside my non noise-cancelling Sigtronix headset. The only thing I notice is that I can hear the wind whistling with the hearing aids on. I don't wear them much when flying.

Ah, there's the answer to my question... The hearing aid is not blocking out cockpit noise but rather one is reliant on an external headset to block noise, thus allowing communications to be intelligible.

As for the Lightspeed Zulu mechanically interfering with a behind-the-ear headset for Piper J3, that seems to be a situation which can be remedied by a headset with a larger earcup. The Sigtronics unit mentioned by snopercod might be a good one to try.
 
This thread is very timely. I am in the market to replace both of my hearing aids which are ~ 10 years age and old technology.

This morning I went to the local Costco to return a few Christmas gifts and I stopped at their hearing aid center and talked with the lead audiologist. Costco offers Philips brand premium digital behind-the-ear hearing aid with telecoil and Bluetooth connectivity. The aids connect seamlessly to Apple iPhone and iPad and connect to all Bluetooth devices with a simple Philips AudioClip (very small ? looks like key fob). I will do further investigation but it looks like there may be a path forward. I explained how I want to Bluetooth in the airplane with a remote Bluetooth transmitter and still wear an aviation headset in combination with hearing aids. The audiologist says it will work fine and audio quality should be superb.

Costco pricing looks good ? about half of what I paid ten years ago. Warranty and return policy also are very appealing. Hearing aids can be returned for full refund within first six months including cost for custom ear molds.
 
deaf pilots

I have Unitron Moxi Fit hearing aids and today I hooked up a Unitron bluetooth adapter in the airplane to see if I could get audio from my intercom /radio into my hearing aids. Just had to make a short cable with a 1/4" RCA plug on one end (to plug into the headphone jack) and a 3.5mm phone plug on the other end (to plug into the BT adapter).

Happy to say it worked great on the ground.

(I also tried a logitech bluetooth audio adapter but it would not pair to my hearing aids.)



Will fly it after this next storm system passes.




Warren
RV7 N671CW
KMIC
 
I have Unitron Moxi Fit hearing aids and today I hooked up a Unitron bluetooth adapter in the airplane to see if I could get audio from my intercom /radio into my hearing aids. Just had to make a short cable with a 1/4" RCA plug on one end (to plug into the headphone jack) and a 3.5mm phone plug on the other end (to plug into the BT adapter).

Happy to say it worked great on the ground.

(I also tried a logitech bluetooth audio adapter but it would not pair to my hearing aids.)

Will fly it after this next storm system passes.

Excellent. If this indeed does work it will put us on par with folks that have full hearing. I await your flight report...
 
As someone who has been through all the levels of hearing loss one of the key things you need to do is realize at some point hearing aids will no longer be effective. You can place glasses on a blind man but they won?t help him see. The same applies to hearing aides. It?s important to get a through evaluations of why you have a profound hearing loss and options that might be available beyond hearing aids. In some cases for instance calcification in the ear there are surgical options that might restore near normal hearing. (Stapedectomy) In other cases some type of cochlear implant may be the best option. The point is that when you reach the point you are no longer fully conversational with hearing aides get a complete evaluation.
George

I am aware of the reasons for the hearing loss (Meniere's Disease) and various options but I haven't reached that point yet and it's an unknown as to whether I will. A cochlear implant, for example, is a serious procedure. Is that in the future? Maybe.

For now, however, I can only deal in the "what is" and not the "what might be/what might not be".

Your last sentence is good advice although nobody should be using hearing aids who isn't regularly having hearing tested and evaluated (and hearing aids reprogrammed, if necessary. In my case, I go every six months.
 
Direct BT streaming to hearing aids

Last weekend I went for a short flight to see how my Unitron hearing aids worked when streaming audio directly to my hearing aids via Bluetooth.


Setup
? Hearing aids: Unitron D Moxi Fit 9

? Bluetooth transmitter: Unitron ?TV Connector? bluetooth transmitter, powered from a usb port.

? Connections:
* A ?? stereo splitter Y adapter plugged into the headphone output of intercom. (~$6 from Amazon)

*Headphone plugged into one tail of splitter, input to Bluetooth transmitter plugged into other tail (I made my own cable with ?? RCA plug on one end, and 3.5 mm plug on the other end to connect the various components together).

* This setup allows both headphone and Bluetooth to be connected at the same time.

? Headset: Telex Stratus D ANR headset with the volume attenuators turned all the way down so there was no sound thru headset speakers, but still maintained the benefit of active noise reduction.

The setup worked reasonably well. In fact I think the hearing aid/BT setup was clearer than my headset alone. Qualitatively I would describe the sound as crisper compared to my headset. Also, I could detect no latency in sound transmission -- easily determined by turning the headset volume attenuators up so you hear sound both through hearing aids and headset speakers at the same time.


One note: There are many flavors of BT, and my hearing aids only recognize the bluetooth coming from, you guessed it, the hearing aid manufacturers? bluetooth unit. According to my audiologist, the inexpensive BT adapters available on Amazon generally will not work. Other hearing aid manufacturers may also have their own proprietary Bluetooth system.


As it gets warmer here in in Minnesota, I will fly with this set up some more to gain additional experience.


Warren
RV-7 N671CW
Minneapolis Crystal (KMIC)
 
I too have a moderate to sever hearing loss but fortunately 27 years ago I was aquainted with Audina Hearing Instruments and have made from scratch in the ear hearing aids but the technology has pass the in the ear canal aids up.
I use a Lightspeed Sierra headset with by behind the ears aids. I was not able to use the zulu headsets due to the fact the aids were against the cushion but the Sierra headset cushions are more rounded and sit apart from the aids.
With the programing on the hearing aids and the slider in the volume and my Garmin audio panel I have no problem with audio fro the intercom or ATC.

Here are a lot of pilots with hearing disabilities and flying for 50 years and several in Beech 18?s did not help or the screaming jets and APU?s on the corporate jets I flew

But retired now and all is great with the RV7
 
Gary, you posted (post #21):

"I have used oticon in-the-ear for 20 years. All have had a tele-coil installed and when used in this mode the aids shut off their microphones and pick up the electromagnetic energy from my Zulu's."

Looking up telecoil online I get:
"What is a telecoil?
A telecoil is a small coil inside your hearing aids. The coil works as a small receiver which picks up signals from a loop system that acts as an electromagnetic field. Hearing aids with an activated telecoil can convert this electromagnetic field into a sound signal. Only the signal from the loop system’s microphone is amplified, and background noise is shut out."

Is it really the case that hearing aids equipped with tele-coil can pick up the sound from your headset? Don't you need a "loop system" to provide the input as stated above? I use the tele-coil headsets supplied by our church (without a hearing aid) and the sound clarity is amazing. And if, like you say, the telecoil mode shuts off the microphone in the hearing aid so that only the telecoil output gets through, then if we could get telecoil output ("loop system") directly from the com radio it would be the best of all worlds. My knowledge here is very limited, so if anyone can enlighten me, please do...

I keep reading on hearing-loss sites that telecoil is the most under-rated hearing solution out there
 
I just bought new hearing aids from Costco ? Philips HearLink 9010 Behind-the-Ear. I have been wearing hearing aids for 25 years. I have profound hearing loss and these aids are superb. The hearing aids are Bluetooth and have a Telecoil which is normally used with a land-line telephone handset.

I had the audiologist give me a special program selectable from my iPhone that we titled ?airplane?. This program enables the Telecoil and also shuts off the microphone in both hearing aids. Shutting off the microphone prevents feedback when the aviation headset is placed over the ears. Zero feedback of any kind. The Telecoils in the hearing aids sense the electromagnetic field from the speakers in the headset earcups and reproduce the sounds thru the hearing aid receivers in your ears. The sound is very high quality and word recognition is very good.

In addition to the Telecoil for normal comm and intercom communication, I will also use the Bluetooth capability to connect the LightSpeed Zulu3 to my mini iPad running ForeFlight in order to hear alerts such as Traffic and Terrain warnings.

I have an extended cross-country planned for tomorrow to try these features in the airplane. My situational awareness should be greatly improved. Should be a big day?
 
Today I flew a 4 hour x-country with my new hearing aids and Zulu3 headset using Telecoil program per above post. My observations follow:

? Zero feedback of any kind
? ANR works fabulous
? Comm/Intercom volumes are both very good
? Word recognition and clarity are both excellent
? ATC is easy to understand
? Headset ear cup sealing not critical because no chance for feedback with hearing aid microphone turned off
? My situational awareness is greatly improved.
 
Update to above post?

I forgot to mention that hearing aid microphones need to be muted when using telecoil program. This prevents background noise, and more importantly, feedback. Hearing aid volume setting for telecoil program needs to turned down as well. This doesn?t really turn down the volume - it kills the ignition noise from the engine and electronics which are sources of EMF.

The telecoil does not respond to acoustic sounds, rather it responds only to Electro Motive Force (EMF) or electromagnetic induction. It?s like two-halves of a transformer ? one half is the speaker coil in the headset and the other half is the telecoil in the hearing aid.

I?ve been flying for 50 years and this is the first time I am able to enjoy true Active Noise Reduction with extraordinary word recognition from both intercom and comm radios.

I?m trying to get LightSpeed Aviation to feature this on their "Aviation No Tie Downs" Video Series so older pilots with profound hearing loss can enjoy good quiet communication while flying?
 
Thanks Jim for the great information on hearing aids.

Following this closely Jim.
It would be helpful if you could fly in an RV6,7 or 8; to see if you experience these same results in an aircraft that produces louder cockpit noise.
Thank You.
 
Just wondering if there are any pilots here with severe hearing loss using two hearing aids who've come up with a solution to properly amplify the radio.
Do you have an airman medical? I'd say the best Noise canceling headset with good hear-aid (ear amplifiers tuned for voice only). I'm not a doctor but assume an audiologist ENT doctor has been consulted. All the best.
 
Phonak Marvel hearing aids

Is anybody using Phonak Marvel aids with an ANR headset? My hearing aid supplier (Blamey Saunders, Australia) now has them available and is offering an attractive deal. Blamey Saunders aids work really well with my DC One-X, especially in telecoil mode. I like the idea of being able to use the Phonak aids through the iPhone but need to be sure they will work with the One X.

Jack
 
It shouldn’t matter which mgr hearing aid or which mgr headset. Headset doesn’t necessarily have to be ANR but it enhances the experience.

The key is that the hearing aid must have telecoil and ability to shut of hearing aid microphone. Have your audiologist give you a cell phone app program titled “Airplane”. This program should have volume turned very low and microphone permanently muted. Volume set low eliminates EMF from airplane electrical circuits and engine ignition.

Cell phone will still allow calls to stream to telecoil and I would imagine you can play music from cell phone directly to telecoil program as well.

Having microphone shut off completely illuminates feedback when headset is worn over the hearing aids – dead quiet. Telecoil provides excellent high-fidelity sound. The crowning grace is having ANR block out any background noise.
 
Thanks Jim. I couldn’t wear my earlier hearing aids with a headset because of feedback but the newer ones (increased processing capacity) are fine even in normal mode. They really shine however in telecoil mode. My audiologist has them set for 25% microphone, 75% telecoil. That provides a more ‘normal’ general sound but still with the telecoil clarity.
The only electrical noise I get is a low level clicking on the ground but it disappears completely with the increased noise in flight. Strangely, it reduces if I move my head away from the roll bar - can’t figure that one out. I have also been flying a PA 236 lately and I can hear the strobes with telecoil but not really a problem.
VAF is great - I hadn’t been aware that headsets would broadcast to telecoil until I came across this thread.

Jack
 
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