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Telecoils in Hearing Aids

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Hello, I was interested to hear this discussion on . I use Phonak Sphere and the reason why I haven’t got Telecoil on these is that it is argued that Telecoil is becoming out of date due to Bluetooth. I don’t buy this argument because there are so many public places - I am in the UK - where telecoil is used.and yet I am unable to get Telecoil put onto my aids.

Any thoughts on this?

Until takes over, bluetooth is only one to one. The beauty of the induction loop is that it’s just there passively radiating to be picked up by a passing . And it can be many.
It’s quite unfortunate that more loops weren’t installed. It simply acts like a speaker. You connect the loop to a speaker output and it just sits there, waiting.
A telecoil is not just an optional add-on to put in a hearing aid. The aid has to come with it. Then the aids need to have a program set up to use the telecoil as an input. Your link points to a feature list that says no to telecoil.

In reply to @Judi_L

Sadly, also, I’ve never actually found an establishment that’s had enabled, even with the signs in place. I’ve disabled it in most of my Hearing Aids, as it’s another “long press” to scroll :disappointed:

I know, there’s always one…just to be pedantic…the is in the . The telecoil needs an induction loop that has been given some kind of sound input. The problem is that induction loops are much more difficult to find out in the wild.

My Jabra Enhanced Pro 30 hearing aid app is capable of receiving broadcasts. So far, since the update to the app came out in April, I haven’t found any broadcasts to try it out. However, I haven’t been in an environment that might have an Auracast broadcast, such as a movie theater or a religious service…

Edited

In reply to @wilfried

I’m sorry to hear no one has asked for the audio-loop in the library. But unfortunately, few people know what it is or are prepared to take advantage of it. Where I have used it in a library is in a community room at a miked lecture situation. The call for it is so seldom, that you usually have to ask staff about it, and they might not be informed. Other technologies get more press, tho they aren’t always better. For my Jabra EP20’s the is in my (extra) Multi-Mic.

In reply to @Judi_L

@Judi_L said:

why I haven’t got Telecoil on these is that it is argued that Telecoil is becoming out of date due to Bluetooth

After upgrading to my P70T in 2023, it was the only way to connect to my house phone (yes some still have those) and I do have cell to, my old aids did connect but the phone Bluetooth ver. is older so no luck with these new ones, I have been transferring all my contacts to phone my cell instead, but some call still come on the house line, so at least I’m not left out there to. That was the only reason I got them with .

Unfortunately, the home landline phone is the only use I have for the t-coils in my ’s. Seems like overkill for my very occasional use of the phone.

Hey,
It seems there was a long discussion running here around !
Some of it was beyond my comprehension. So let me try to understand.

  • How and where can I use telecoil?

  • What about the option of Bluetooth streaming, couldn’t it be used in public places?

  • What is it to look for in a public place where I need to hear some information? For example, in the Grand Egyptian Museum, I wanted to have a guided tour. The guide used a mic that streamed her voice to kind of headphones. Of course, the whole group managed to use it but I couldn’t. They didn’t even have an option to stream the sound directly to my hearing aids!

Your aids need to have a in them and a program set up to be able to make use of it. You need to be in a place that has installed an induction loop and is “piping” an audio source into it. That could be a small area in front of a booth with the clerk speaking into a mic or in a room of whatever size or an area in the room and sound is being made somewhere in that room.

Bluetooth is only one to one ie. one bluetooth transmitter transmitting and you pairing to it. And the audio source going to that transmitter. But there is new technology happening where one transmitter is like an internet router that can have many connections to it. And the audio source connected to the router. So yes a public place would be an excellent application of the technology.

I used the following words in an internet search engine to search for ->hearing aid induction loop sign<- and it came up with images that are the little sign that seems to be kind of standard (US?) that would be placed somewhere for you to see to know that an induction loop is somewhere. The key part of the sign is the T that indicates telecoil (which is kind of backwards seeing as how the telecoil is in the aids, not the place) but there it is.
Mobile applications like your example would be a challenge. Perhaps their headphones could have an audio out jack and then you can connect a neck loop or bluetooth transmitter to it and then your aids to it. But I don’t know if the headphones would have audio out. Or maybe the guide base unit could have an audio out option. Or maybe the guide could wear a lapel mic that you provide. In both cases you stay in range of the guide.

Thanks for the detailed explanation!

I have Roger On mic but I forget to take it with me every time I’m out and about!

I ordered my Signia AX 7 aids with merely because the battery life on that model was about 20% longer lasting than the alternative.

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