CI and FM systems?

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dreama

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How does the setting work for CI's so they can be used with FM and loop systems. I'm interested in this for the novel I'm writing. I assumed they would have something similar to a 'T' system like with my old analogue hearing aid but someone who was looking at one of my chapters pointed out that these things are done differantly now. So how would a 'T' possition on a Speech processor work exactly?

I know it's a fantasy novel but I do want to get things written accuretely. Where devices such as CI's are considerned anyway.

Any advice would be very useful thanks.

Helene
 
I have an audio input cable that connects from my processor to my Comtek FM system. I can also connect using a neckloop and hear in stereo by placing my processors in the T-coil setting.
 
Yes it can be used just like HA's with "T" and we also have audio jack where we plug in and change the setting on our CI to block background noise. I haven't tried it yet but hoping to borrow one for this september.
 
Thanks for the explanation hear again and over the pond. Is the audio jack similar to what audio shoes on a HA used to do? I used to use a loop system at school. So a CI just works similar to that. So you would just transfer it to a differant setting on the speech processor?

Helene
 
If I am correct It is possible to get FM boot to attach to our processor for wireless. As for Audio jack... Dreama can you see photos well?? As i have a picture of my CI with audio jack... so yes it is similar to the ones used on HA.

I will look for pictures of FMs used with CI's if you want them..

Which particular brand of CI are you writing about since each CI have different ways of using FM system...
 
Hope this helps...

Successful use of FM systems with cochlear implant speech processors

Link to very useful list of different types of FM system and different brand processors

Sounding Board » How does an FM system work?

This is what Audio cables looks like (Audio jacks)

http://soundingboard.earfoundation....enie_with_cochlear_freedom_ver_2_14_05_08.pdf

This is what the boot looks like (microlink freedom reciever)

http://soundingboard.earfoundation.org.uk/downloads/microlink_mlxs_with_cochlear_freedom_bte.pdf
 
dreama said:
Thanks for the explanation hear again and over the pond. Is the audio jack similar to what audio shoes on a HA used to do? I used to use a loop system at school. So a CI just works similar to that. So you would just transfer it to a differant setting on the speech processor?

Helene
Click to expand...

Audio cables work similarly to an audio shoe on a hearing aid. They connect the same way, but audio cables plug into the bottom of a speech processor while audi shoes snap onto the bottom of a hearing aid.
 
overthepond said:
Hope this helps...

Successful use of FM systems with cochlear implant speech processors

Link to very useful list of different types of FM system and different brand processors

Sounding Board » How does an FM system work?

This is what Audio cables looks like (Audio jacks)

http://soundingboard.earfoundation....enie_with_cochlear_freedom_ver_2_14_05_08.pdf

This is what the boot looks like (microlink freedom reciever)

http://soundingboard.earfoundation.org.uk/downloads/microlink_mlxs_with_cochlear_freedom_bte.pdf
Click to expand...

Thanks very much for all that information. would it be possible for you to discribe the images for me please as I can't see them.
 
overthepond said:
If I am correct It is possible to get FM boot to attach to our processor for wireless. As for Audio jack... Dreama can you see photos well?? As i have a picture of my CI with audio jack... so yes it is similar to the ones used on HA.

I will look for pictures of FMs used with CI's if you want them..

Which particular brand of CI are you writing about since each CI have different ways of using FM system...
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I can't see pictures.

I wouldn't really be describing a particular brand. I'm more into how the CI works in general.

Thanks for help.
 
If you are generally interested in how they work, here is a simple explanation of a "typical CI".

The external processor get a signal regardless if from microphones, audiolink type input, etc. That processor changes the signal and send it to a coil in the external process which transmits the sound data as well as power through an RF coil to the receiving RF coil on the implanted portion of the CI. The signal is de-coded by the implant and voltage stimulation are produced via the electrode array.

C1
 
CrazyOne said:
If you are generally interested in how they work, here is a simple explanation of a "typical CI".

The external processor get a signal regardless if from microphones, audiolink type input, etc. That processor changes the signal and send it to a coil in the external process which transmits the sound data as well as power through an RF coil to the receiving RF coil on the implanted portion of the CI. The signal is de-coded by the implant and voltage stimulation are produced via the electrode array.

C1
Click to expand...

Thanks for your explanation.
 
I would say that i hate FM systems. I honestly do. because My school has never really tried making my FM systems work. Because I can hear nothing through the FM system on my CI. I cant hear any noise or background noise through my HA in the FM system. Just the Cochlear implant.

Most of the times the FM system will work, but then its so static-ky. And its becoming so hard for me to understand. My interpreter always reminds me to wear my FM system. But then I try to advoid it because its not even worth it to me anymore. If the school isnt going to try and get the FM system fixed, then I'm not going to wear it.

THe school bought me a loop with the old-fashioned microphone. the microphone that i have right now looks like this: View attachment 13998


And then the loop for both my CI and HA looks like this: View attachment 13999


But mostly i think its the connection between the 2 devices isn't working very well. I had the microphone of that kind since i was in kindergarden. And I'm almost 16 years old now. I wish the school can get me a whole brand new FM system. But I doubt that will ever happen. I just rather not wear the FM system until they get the darn thing fixed.

But I do understand that the FM systems work so well for all of the FM systems users for who use them for their CI and HAs. But for me, i have no luck with them. The FM systems used to work for me when i had my hearing aids in both ears. but now its not working for me anymore.
 
oh i also forgot to mention what hearing devices i use for my CI and HA..

For my CI i wear a Nucleus Freedom. And my HA is a MicroPower V which looks like this if any of you haven't seen this kind yet: View attachment 14000


sorry if the picture seems small. I tried finding a bigger picture.
 
Cool spy girl. Thanks for the information. Unfortunately I'm blind so pictures are no good to me. But it is useful to know what works for whom and what doesn't. It's a pity your school won't provide you with new equipment if what they've got doesn't work. Any idea why they are being so difficult? Is it a money thing or something else?
 
dreama said:
Cool spy girl. Thanks for the information. Unfortunately I'm blind so pictures are no good to me. But it is useful to know what works for whom and what doesn't. It's a pity your school won't provide you with new equipment if what they've got doesn't work. Any idea why they are being so difficult? Is it a money thing or something else?
Click to expand...

Well, firstly, i think they're being difficult because of the money. In the 2007-08 the school levy didn't pass. But luckily this year's school levy (08-09) passed and we should be good with the money for at least 5 years. The reason why the FM system isn't really helping me with my Cochlear implant and my Hearing aid is that it's not really connecting to the microphone to the loop very well. They had it sent to the school audiologist a few times but it never really worked. The microphone i had is pretty old. It's about 13 or 14 years old. They gave me boots from my previous cochlear implant (the Nuclear) and for my old hearing aid and they try making a connection from the boots to the microphone on a channel. Then they had me on a loop for a week or so until they got the channel between the microphones and the boots fixed. When they came back they never really helped at all.

Then in my freshman year they told me that they would get me a new boot or a loop for my cochlear implant and implant but no new microphone. They told me that in the 8th grade i'm thinking. So when the new loop arrived They had me try it out for a day. I replied saying that it never really helped me. Its either really soft for me to hear, and never loud enough for me to hear. And alot of the times i hear static noise between the microphone and the loop.

I would wear a FM system but until they get the FM system fixed I'm not going to wear it. I complained to my parents. And they said they would talk to them in my next IEP meeting. But I would like to get a whole new FM system. Something new. But I don't think the school is willing to buy me a whole new FM system. Because they will say that it is really expensive and that they would rather buy new books and new dvds or televisions and stuff like that for the school. But I honestly think that they don't understand at all.

I have a notebook that i was writing stuff down from the NAD (National Association of the deaf) and the ADA (American Disability Act) from their website that i thought can be in handy and that I can learn just in case i need to know for future purposes. And I might use that notebook filled with ADA and NAD stuff for my IEP meetings if they try to escape my problem with FM systems..

Do you have a link about FM systems from either of them? Because I would like to write some facts about FM systems requirements from the NAD or ADA into my notebook. and then maybe can use them for my IEP meeting.
 
I wish you luck with getting the FM system sorted out. I'm afraid I don't know anything that isn't posted here. Probably another CI user will know more about that.
Anyway I do hope you get that problem sorted out. I think I know what you mean about the static. When I used hearing aids at school and they had an FM in asembly they sometimes had more then one FM system and it made a really horrible noise if both FM's were switched on together.
 
dreama said:
I wish you luck with getting the FM system sorted out. I'm afraid I don't know anything that isn't posted here. Probably another CI user will know more about that.
Anyway I do hope you get that problem sorted out. I think I know what you mean about the static. When I used hearing aids at school and they had an FM in asembly they sometimes had more then one FM system and it made a really horrible noise if both FM's were switched on together.
Click to expand...

Thats probably the reason why with the static. But i'm the only person in the school that uses a FM system. Well for awhile anyways. I mean the static happens every day in whatever environment it is. The FM system never interfered with the school computers or assemblies or any of that kind of stuff. I think its happening through the FM channel itself.
 
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