Microwave Oven Interference

To start with, I don’t know. However, microwaves are known to cause interference with bluetooth devices and the Cala 8s use bluetooth. Seems plausible to me, but I’d prefer to hear from somebody with an electronics background.

you’re saying the mw is interfering while you stream to your HAs? Or are they already reacting while in the normal programm? The 1st could be plausible, the later I would consider concerning, that shouldn’t happen. Normally the magnetic waves created by a mw shouldn’t cause damage to the aids… obviously you don’t wanna put them inside the mw… that sould destroy them…

Thanks to the replies and advice above, I think my problem is with bluetooth, not the TV. My problem occurs while I am streaming the TV into my hearing aids and with that on, I go into the kitchen, next room to the living room, and while the microwave is running it causes the TV stream to fade in and out.

My concern is not the interference itself, which is always a few minutes at most, but whether this interference is damaging to my hearing aids. My guess is that it is not because the interference is not with the devices but with the microwaves waves that are interfering with the TV streaming waves. I hope that a physicist would reassure my assumption and I can keep using the microwave while streaming TV into my hearing aids.

Thanks for your help.

I think it would be an annoyance rather than a damage situation. Aids are set to not go above certain levels.

I would literally pose this exact query to the tech support at the hearing aid manufacturing company. Tell them what year/model of microwave you have at home, the physical layout, and the event that triggers the interference. They should either have an answer for you or keep your query on file for future research! It could be your microwave is old/defective, there is some kind of electrical impedence, the aids have a hardware problem, etc., In fact, a better test would be to try out the exact brand of aid and see if you can replicate this interference. If your aids are an older model, that would be a challenge, but if they are Costco, p’haps you could “trial” a pair and figure out where the problem is. Very intriguing!

@Bonaprof said:

Thanks to the replies and advice above, I think my problem is with bluetooth, not the TV. My problem occurs while I am streaming the TV into my hearing aids and with that on, I go into the kitchen, next room to the living room, and while the microwave is running it causes the TV stream to fade in and out.

My concern is not the interference itself, which is always a few minutes at most, but whether this interference is damaging to my hearing aids. My guess is that it is not because the interference is not with the devices but with the microwaves waves that are interfering with the TV streaming waves. I hope that a physicist would reassure my assumption and I can keep using the microwave while streaming TV into my hearing aids.

Thanks for your help.

New user with new experience today: buzzing when leaning too close (10 - 14") to older Dell CRT computer monitor. Just finding this thread, checked both of our microwaves; both buzz at 8 - 12". Checked one LCD tv and no buzz. [This seems a little different from OP’s observation.]

I think you’re heaing noises that are really there, but you couldn’t hear them without your hearing aids. My microwave certainly buzzes,

It is likely 60 cycle hum. Not that unusual for ageing electronics.

Ok, we spent ages at Knowles incorporating RF suppression in hearing aid mics.

Basically the process involves grounding the case to the negative terminal and fitting a low pass R/C filter. The original idea was to kill off the rfi signal from mobile phones in the 800/900 MHz, 1.6/1.8GHz and circa 2.4Ghz bands; you could hear the harmonics as a ‘motorboat’ sound.

There are limits though, if the RFi signal is too great, you’ll start to detect it with the various lengths of metalwork within the mic matching the wavelengths of the signal.

Which means only one thing in my book, persistent noticeable interference when the microwave is running, means the field density of microwave radiation is enough to overcome the RFi suppression.

The faraday cage is leaking, or the magnetron is pumping some RF out the wrong direction through its shielding.

Specifically Microwave Ovens operate at 2.45 Ghz.

Microwave oven3

A microwave oven or simply microwave is an electric oven that heats and cooks food by exposing it to electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range. This induces polar molecules in the food to vibrate and produce thermal energy in a process known as dielectric heating. Microwave ovens heat foods quickly and efficiently because excitation is fairly uniform in the outer 25–38 mm (1–1.5 inches) of a homogeneous, high-water-content food item. The development of the cavity magnetron i...

Early on in my use of hearing aids while in the AF I would detect radar in the S Band as it scanned over me. I have never had a problem with Microwave Oven interference. I was a radar technician in the AF for my first 10 of 24 years. I was issued hearing aids in the AF at the 21 year point.
Bonaprof; There may be a problem with the seal on the microwave oven door. Does this happen around other operating microwave ovens? If not I would discontinue use of your oven at home.

Hi,

I wear Oticon Spirit Zest hearing aids. Whenever I have the bluetooth mode on to listen to music or watch a film with my headphones, and walk in the room next door behind the microwave or in the kitchen next to the microwave, my hearing aids pick up a really bad buzzing sound, like a drill or loud traffic.

Does this mean our microwave is broken and letting radiation out into the house? does it need replaced or is this normal and nothing to be concerned about?

Thanks!

I experienced this only when my HA was in tcoil mode. This happened with my analog aids. I haven’t tested if that would have in tcoil on my digital aids. Also with analog would happen going though metal detectors and some other electronic devices.