Seeking some advice/info re: landline telephones

[Guest guest]

You might want to email Lynn Tearney at Cochlear (info@...) because

she is extremely knowledgeable in this area. I wish you well in finding what

you need!

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone,

I thought I'd reach out to the group to see if I can

get any help with my telephone woes.

I was, early on in activation, thrilled that I could

hear well on my cell phone (I have since learned that

I don't do equally well with all cells, but that is

another matter and not at issue today).

I was activated in Sept '05 with the Nucleus Freedom.

I had a lot of trouble understanding on the landline,

so I got a CapTel phone which as many know sounds

rather poorly with the CI but at least I had the

attached captioning/relay feature when I really needed

it. The relay operator is only human, naturally, as so

the delay, while not an issue for an occasional or

personal call, has been of very limited use at work.

Until 3 weeks ago, I had a job at the same agency I am

currently working for that did not require much phone

work. The agencies I dealt with were largely email

connected, so I did most of my communication that way,

with some cell phone and almost no desk phone

(landline) work.

Now I've chosen to take a new job at the agency, and

it quickly became apparent that I would need to be on

the phone a LOT and although we've tried to be

creative (calling people back on the cell phone often,

etc) it is limiting and without getting into all the

details, I see that to continue to work in this

position I have got to find a workable desk phone

(that also has compatibility with my company's phone

system). The people I am speaking with are for the

most part adults with brain injury. Some have speech

problems, some don't.

So part of this email is to ask has anyone gotten the

Freedom and found a landline that works exceptionally

well? I say exceptionally because I've quickly

realized that being on the phone all day in and of

itself is exhausting, in spite of how " well " I do on

the phone. It's not like having an hour long chat with

a friend and upon hanging up feeling exhilarated but a

little tired. I am not sure that any phone is going to

alleviate that exhaustion, but I sure can't know if

I'm fighting with the phone all day long.

Your thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.

Deb

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Deb

Interesting email. I have a Cap Tel phone at work and

another one at home.

Couple of observations.

First I have not been using the captions on either

phone since I got my ci, however, I have noticed that

the one at work gives me a much clearer sound than the

one at home. I don't know if it is the phone itself

or if it has something to do with the quality of the

lines coming into the phone. I also find that my

wireless computer network at home will give some

interference if I have my CI on T-coil and go between

the base and one of the computers that is online.

Second I always use my T-coil. I know lots of people

say they don't need to use their T-coil but I find

that I do so much better with mine that I use it all

the time. I believe my T-coil is set for 75%/25% with

the 75 being phone. Have you tried changing the

setting for your T-coil for more phone and less

environmental sound?

I do find, however, that I have difficulty using a

cordless phone with my T-coil--not sure why except

maybe having something to do with intereference again.

I do feel that the quality of the phone is a big

factor and I am wondering if your CapTel is not

working properly. Is it possible to just buy a phone

in a store and try it out at work--I know places take

them back or do you need a special phone for work.

Hope some of this info is of help to you.

Connie

--- Deborah H <gypsyheart1963@...> wrote:

> Hello everyone,

>

> I thought I'd reach out to the group to see if I can

> get any help with my telephone woes.

> I was, early on in activation, thrilled that I could

> hear well on my cell phone (I have since learned

> that

> I don't do equally well with all cells, but that is

> another matter and not at issue today).

> I was activated in Sept '05 with the Nucleus

> Freedom.

> I had a lot of trouble understanding on the

> landline,

> so I got a CapTel phone which as many know sounds

> rather poorly with the CI but at least I had the

> attached captioning/relay feature when I really

> needed

> it. The relay operator is only human, naturally, as

> so

> the delay, while not an issue for an occasional or

> personal call, has been of very limited use at work.

> Until 3 weeks ago, I had a job at the same agency I

> am

> currently working for that did not require much

> phone

> work. The agencies I dealt with were largely email

> connected, so I did most of my communication that

> way,

> with some cell phone and almost no desk phone

> (landline) work.

> Now I've chosen to take a new job at the agency, and

> it quickly became apparent that I would need to be

> on

> the phone a LOT and although we've tried to be

> creative (calling people back on the cell phone

> often,

> etc) it is limiting and without getting into all the

> details, I see that to continue to work in this

> position I have got to find a workable desk phone

> (that also has compatibility with my company's phone

> system). The people I am speaking with are for the

> most part adults with brain injury. Some have speech

> problems, some don't.

> So part of this email is to ask has anyone gotten

> the

> Freedom and found a landline that works

> exceptionally

> well? I say exceptionally because I've quickly

> realized that being on the phone all day in and of

> itself is exhausting, in spite of how " well " I do on

> the phone. It's not like having an hour long chat

> with

> a friend and upon hanging up feeling exhilarated but

> a

> little tired. I am not sure that any phone is going

> to

> alleviate that exhaustion, but I sure can't know if

> I'm fighting with the phone all day long.

> Your thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.

> Deb

>

> __________________________________________________

>

[Guest guest]

Connie,

Thanks for your reply! I left out a couple of things

unfortunately, from my initial email. I do always use

the t-coil on the phone, always. The sound w/o it, for

me, is inferior. I am not aware of a mixed

t-coil/other setting on the Freedom. What are you

referring to with 75%/25% ?

I have an all or none t-coil which works great on the

aforementioned cell phone. I also have tried to

connect via an adaptor that was supposed to work my

silouette to the Captel but I can't seem to make it

work. I am in the process of trying another (new from

Clarity) phone, the Clarity professional, at home, but

I haven't concluded anything yet.

I know of others who have trouble hearing with the

Captel via CI and the Captel company always blames the

phone line. Well folks have bothered to have the phone

company come into the home only to find there is

nothing wrong with the line. I've been told by my

normal hearing husband that the Captel has a

distinctly different quality of sound. I have been

through two at home and one at work and although I can

manage a conversation on it, for all day/unknown

callers and questions it is not sufficient for me.

So you may be one who is doing exceptionally well with

the phones!

Again, do you have the Freedom, and for how long? If

not, what are you using, just out of curiosity?

Thanks Connie!

Deb

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Hi Deb:

I admire your courage to push yourself to use the telephone as you are at

work, as I was just like you in my stretching my comfort zone on the phone

when I was first activated with my CI. It is very stressful when you are

beginning to do this, so you will need to rely on technology and coping

strategies to make this all work. Yes, it is exhausting to concentrate so

hard on phone conversations, much less with those who have speech

impairments besides! While I am now semi-retired, I still have fresh

memories of those early days with the phone.

When I was first activated with my N24 in 1996, I had the 2 line VCO set up

thru my WI Relay to fall back on. As time went on, I eventually relied less

and less on the VCO during that first year. (Later, I also found that the

lag time between seeing the words and hearing is less with 2 line VCO than

it is with the CapTe, which came out much later.) I used a regular

Panasonic amplified phone that had volume control with my direct connect to

the Sprint processor back then, as we did not have the built in telecoil.

One year later, I was hearing well enough on the phone to accept a huge

promotion where I needed to respond to cold telephone calls from 72 counties

and 11 tribal nations in my job. Even at that point, listening was a

struggle at times. However, it did get much easier over the years after

that. So, with practice, perseverance and patience with yourself I hope

this offers you hope that things can yet improve.

Some thoughts I have to share with you - you are still fairly early in your

CI journey, so don't be too hard on yourself! Second, make sure the phone

you are using is telecoil compatible (I assume the CapTel is) and that you

are getting the best possible connection to the telecoil. Do you have the

option of a direct connect to the phone? Try it to see if it improves the

clarity of speech vs. the telecoil setting. It may not make any difference,

but worth checking out.

What kind of phone line do they have at work? I assume it is analog for the

CapTel to work. There might be a different phone that you can hear better

with - so I would investigate them. One excellent landline phone option is

the AMER-XL 30, 40 or 50. These phones allow for tone and volume

adjustments and are VERY telecoil friendly.

Do you wear a HA in the other ear? If so, perhaps using BOTH ears to listen

might be helpful - via a neckloop or HATIS.

I am sure many others on this list also have suggestions. This is just what

comes to mind to me right now.

Just be reasonable in what you expect from yourself and be kind to yourself

as well! Stay in touch, as we are here to support you!

Warmly, Carol in WI

[Guest guest]

Deb

Yes I have the Freedom and I was implanted Oct 2005

and activated November 1, 2005. I was able to use the

phone (not real well) the second day after activation.

As for the Cap Tel phone I agree there is something

different about them as like I said one works here at

work well and the one at home isn't loud enough. I

don't know what it is and I'm trying to figure it out.

As for the T-coil. With the Freedom (don't know about

others) you can have the T-coil set so a percentage of

the sound is through the T-coil and a percentage is

through the regular microphone. Like I said when I

have mine on T-Coil I hear 75% through the T-Coil and

25% through the regular microphone. I don't know if

this is available on other models or not.

You now have me curious and I'm going to go to my back

office and see if I can make a phone call on the

regular phone (no special things) we have in that

office.

I'll let you know and maybe between the two of us we

can help each other hear better on the phone as my

problem isn't work but home.

Connie

--- Deborah H <gypsyheart1963@...> wrote:

> Connie,

>

> Thanks for your reply! I left out a couple of things

> unfortunately, from my initial email. I do always

> use

> the t-coil on the phone, always. The sound w/o it,

> for

> me, is inferior. I am not aware of a mixed

> t-coil/other setting on the Freedom. What are you

> referring to with 75%/25% ?

> I have an all or none t-coil which works great on

> the

> aforementioned cell phone. I also have tried to

> connect via an adaptor that was supposed to work my

> silouette to the Captel but I can't seem to make it

> work. I am in the process of trying another (new

> from

> Clarity) phone, the Clarity professional, at home,

> but

> I haven't concluded anything yet.

> I know of others who have trouble hearing with the

> Captel via CI and the Captel company always blames

> the

> phone line. Well folks have bothered to have the

> phone

> company come into the home only to find there is

> nothing wrong with the line. I've been told by my

> normal hearing husband that the Captel has a

> distinctly different quality of sound. I have been

> through two at home and one at work and although I

> can

> manage a conversation on it, for all day/unknown

> callers and questions it is not sufficient for me.

> So you may be one who is doing exceptionally well

> with

> the phones!

> Again, do you have the Freedom, and for how long? If

> not, what are you using, just out of curiosity?

> Thanks Connie!

> Deb

>

>

>

> __________________________________________________

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Connie,

Thanks so much for all your feedback. I don't know

what to say about that Captel either. Very mixed

reviews from CI users. There may be something to the

idea that some phone lines are old and outdated, but

I'd say if most people have some difficulty with it

(with the CI) that it's probably the technology within

the phone and how it communicates with the implant.

One guess which is probably as good as any other at

this juncture. I use one in an old-ish apt bldg but

the one I use at work is utilizing a modern system so

that doesn't explain it. I mention this not because

you said so but because others have suggested it.

I'm continuing to trial the Clarity Professional

cordless, we'll see how it goes!

Deb

--- C J <cjcj05@...> wrote:

> Deb

>

> Yes I have the Freedom and I was implanted Oct 2005

> and activated November 1, 2005. I was able to use

> the

> phone (not real well) the second day after

> activation.

>

> As for the Cap Tel phone I agree there is something

> different about them as like I said one works here

> at

> work well and the one at home isn't loud enough. I

> don't know what it is and I'm trying to figure it

> out.

>

> As for the T-coil. With the Freedom (don't know

> about

> others) you can have the T-coil set so a percentage

> of

> the sound is through the T-coil and a percentage is

> through the regular microphone. Like I said when I

> have mine on T-Coil I hear 75% through the T-Coil

> and

> 25% through the regular microphone. I don't know if

> this is available on other models or not.

>

> You now have me curious and I'm going to go to my

> back

> office and see if I can make a phone call on the

> regular phone (no special things) we have in that

> office.

>

> I'll let you know and maybe between the two of us we

> can help each other hear better on the phone as my

> problem isn't work but home.

>

> Connie

>

> --- Deborah H <gypsyheart1963@...> wrote:

>

> > Connie,

> >

> > Thanks for your reply! I left out a couple of

> things

> > unfortunately, from my initial email. I do always

> > use

> > the t-coil on the phone, always. The sound w/o it,

> > for

> > me, is inferior. I am not aware of a mixed

> > t-coil/other setting on the Freedom. What are you

> > referring to with 75%/25% ?

> > I have an all or none t-coil which works great on

> > the

> > aforementioned cell phone. I also have tried to

> > connect via an adaptor that was supposed to work

> my

> > silouette to the Captel but I can't seem to make

> it

> > work. I am in the process of trying another (new

> > from

> > Clarity) phone, the Clarity professional, at home,

> > but

> > I haven't concluded anything yet.

> > I know of others who have trouble hearing with the

> > Captel via CI and the Captel company always blames

> > the

> > phone line. Well folks have bothered to have the

> > phone

> > company come into the home only to find there is

> > nothing wrong with the line. I've been told by my

> > normal hearing husband that the Captel has a

> > distinctly different quality of sound. I have been

> > through two at home and one at work and although I

> > can

> > manage a conversation on it, for all day/unknown

> > callers and questions it is not sufficient for me.

> > So you may be one who is doing exceptionally well

> > with

> > the phones!

> > Again, do you have the Freedom, and for how long?

> If

> > not, what are you using, just out of curiosity?

> > Thanks Connie!

> > Deb

> >

> >

> >

> > __________________________________________________

> >

[Guest guest]

,

Thank you I will do that!

Deb

--- Ci92000@... wrote:

> You might want to email Lynn Tearney at Cochlear

> (info@...) because

> she is extremely knowledgeable in this area. I wish

> you well in finding what

> you need!

>

>

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Carol and others,

I've really appreciated all the feedback and advice

and suggestions re: my phone issue at work. Thanks a

million!

What has meant the most of all, I think, is comments

such as Carol's: don't be so hard on myself! I have

been feeling very badly about the recent weeks,

wondering if I made a mistake taking this new job,

wondering how can I do most social work jobs if I

cannot use the phone extensively. It's just very

disheartening, especially since I've been feeling so

great about how successful I've been overall with the

CI, all the wonderful aspects of hearing again thanks

to the use of it.

I'll try to take it a day at a time.

Thanks again.

Deb

--- carol burns <lvmyci@...> wrote:

> Hi Deb:

>

>

>

> I admire your courage to push yourself to use the

> telephone as you are at

> work, as I was just like you in my stretching my

> comfort zone on the phone

> when I was first activated with my CI. It is very

> stressful when you are

> beginning to do this, so you will need to rely on

> technology and coping

> strategies to make this all work. Yes, it is

> exhausting to concentrate so

> hard on phone conversations, much less with those

> who have speech

> impairments besides! While I am now semi-retired, I

> still have fresh

> memories of those early days with the phone.

>

>

>

> When I was first activated with my N24 in 1996, I

> had the 2 line VCO set up

> thru my WI Relay to fall back on. As time went on,

> I eventually relied less

> and less on the VCO during that first year. (Later,

> I also found that the

> lag time between seeing the words and hearing is

> less with 2 line VCO than

> it is with the CapTe, which came out much later.) I

> used a regular

> Panasonic amplified phone that had volume control

> with my direct connect to

> the Sprint processor back then, as we did not have

> the built in telecoil.

> One year later, I was hearing well enough on the

> phone to accept a huge

> promotion where I needed to respond to cold

> telephone calls from 72 counties

> and 11 tribal nations in my job. Even at that

> point, listening was a

> struggle at times. However, it did get much easier

> over the years after

> that. So, with practice, perseverance and patience

> with yourself I hope

> this offers you hope that things can yet improve.

>

>

>

> Some thoughts I have to share with you - you are

> still fairly early in your

> CI journey, so don't be too hard on yourself!

> Second, make sure the phone

> you are using is telecoil compatible (I assume the

> CapTel is) and that you

> are getting the best possible connection to the

> telecoil. Do you have the

> option of a direct connect to the phone? Try it to

> see if it improves the

> clarity of speech vs. the telecoil setting. It may

> not make any difference,

> but worth checking out.

>

>

>

> What kind of phone line do they have at work? I

> assume it is analog for the

> CapTel to work. There might be a different phone

> that you can hear better

> with - so I would investigate them. One excellent

> landline phone option is

> the AMER-XL 30, 40 or 50. These phones allow for

> tone and volume

> adjustments and are VERY telecoil friendly.

>

>

>

> Do you wear a HA in the other ear? If so, perhaps

> using BOTH ears to listen

> might be helpful - via a neckloop or HATIS.

>

>

>

> I am sure many others on this list also have

> suggestions. This is just what

> comes to mind to me right now.

>

>

>

> Just be reasonable in what you expect from yourself

> and be kind to yourself

> as well! Stay in touch, as we are here to support

> you!

>

>

>

> Warmly, Carol in WI

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Oh Deb!

When I first read your post, the first thoughts that came to my mind were

" Whoa here! You are still a relative " newbie " in the CI journey to better

hearing, so to put yourself in this position was quite a leap of faith! It

caught my heart, because I did just exactly that! I also took an emotional

battering at times when it was more difficult than I had anticipated. I

was just so excited with my new hearing capabilities, that I momentarily

forgot that I still had challenges and put myself in just this situation.

Fortunately, I was able to " fall back " on the set up I had with the relay.

I just had to remind you to be " kind to yourself " and try to help you

realize you are taking a pretty far reach for the point in time you are in

the journey. Been there, done that!

Please take one day at a time, try to remain calm and work with your

employer to let you try solutions. Stay positive that somewhere you will

indeed find that solution! Keep talking with us here on this list for

support and information on potential phones that might work for you. You

have had some very good posts on the technical things as well!

Warmly, Carol in WI

What has meant the most of all, I think, is comments

such as Carol's: don't be so hard on myself! I have

been feeling very badly about the recent weeks,

wondering if I made a mistake taking this new job,

wondering how can I do most social work jobs if I

cannot use the phone extensively. It's just very

disheartening, especially since I've been feeling so

great about how successful I've been overall with the

CI, all the wonderful aspects of hearing again thanks

to the use of it.

I'll try to take it a day at a time.

Thanks again.

Deb

[Guest guest]

Hi Deb, & every1

Sorry for the delay with this post, and I am sure you probably have

had many replies already so if I am repeating advise I am sorry. I was

away for a week with work and did not have internet access so I have

lots of catch up to do, (over 300 eMail to plow through…lol)

OK Deb here is the best suggestions I can offer, from my experience I

have had great luck with AT & T phones (I do well with many other brands

& models but the AT & T have been the best I have found so far) they

offer a good selection and I had had chance to try 4 different models

and they all seem to work equally well. I currently use a 2 line set

AT & T Model EP5962, this also has a 2 line cordless set that comes with

it and it works very well to. I have also had great luck with several

models of Nortel phones (also sold as Meridian), I use just my CI mic

most of the time, but there are times I am in a noise environment and

use my tCoil and they work very well with that to, the AT & T and Nortel

models I tried have side talk so they work great with the tCoil if you

need it.

I would also suggest you check into a company called GN Netcom, they

offer some great headsets and have some specially designed units for

HOH users. Here is their web site - HYPERLINK

http://www.gnnetcom.com/US/EN http://www.gnnetcom.com/US/EN

I have also had some experience with Sennheizer products and found

them very good to, they also have a division dedicated to special

needs users so they are well worth a look.

I do not in any way represent any of these companies, I have just had

opportunity to try or use a few of the products and had good results

with the above brands. I hope this helps and I apologize if this is

duplicated from other posts.

Regards

Mike " Ears Hopin " P

Implanted June 3rd, 2005

Activated July 6th, 2005

Nucleus Freedom

Posted by: " Deborah H " HYPERLINK

" mailto:gypsyheart1963@...?Subject=Re:

Seeking%20some%20advice%2Finfo%20re%3A%20landline%20telephones " gypsyhe

art1963@... HYPERLINK

" gypsyheart1963 " gypsyheart1963

Mon Jul 17, 2006 6:49 am (PST)

Hello everyone,

I thought I'd reach out to the group to see if I can

get any help with my telephone woes.

I was, early on in activation, thrilled that I could

hear well on my cell phone (I have since learned that

I don't do equally well with all cells, but that is

another matter and not at issue today).

I was activated in Sept '05 with the Nucleus Freedom.

I had a lot of trouble understanding on the landline,

so I got a CapTel phone which as many know sounds

…..<Message Truncated to save space>

Your thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.

Deb

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