The Worship and Music committee has purchased (with the help of Flea Market money) a new hearing assistance system for those with a hearing loss. The old system was light-based and required the listener to have a direct line of sight to the transmitter which was above the flowers in the front right side of the church. The new system is FM-based which provides better coverage. The transmitter is located with the soundboard equipment. The old system had a combined receiver and earphones. The new system has multiple options for listening. Each member who utilizes the system will use a receiver that is a little larger than a cell phone.
Members with hearing aids with built-in T-coils
If you have a hearing aid that has a built in T-coil, then you can use an induction neck loop that is plugged into the receiver. The receiver picks up the FM signal and puts it into the induction loop which transmits a signal to the T-coil in your hearing aid. The neck loop goes around you head and is plugged into the receiver. You will use the on/off and volume control on the receiver to adjust the loudness. About 50% of the new hearing aids come with a built in T-coil. You may need to have your hearing aid programmed to use the T-coil.
Members with hearing aids without built-in T-coils or members without hearing aids
If you don’t have a T-coil in your hearing aids or don’t use hearing aids, you can ask for headphones which are plugged into the receiver. The receiver picks up the FM signal and outputs the sound through the headset similar to the old headsets. The headphones will plug into the receiver. You will use the on/off and volume control on the receiver to adjust the loudness. With the new receivers, you can plug in any ear buds or headphone that has a mini plug – 1/8”. So, if you don’t like the headphones we have, feel free to bring your own.
We have eight receivers with three induction loops and five headsets. We can purchase additional receivers, induction loops and headsets at a reasonable cost as the need arises. So, please try out the new equipment and let Glenn Child, Gordon Mitchell or the ushers know of questions or problems.