Shouter Pro, Caller Name Reader, Announcer Plus all for Android on the Google Play Store.
I am under the impression that you can set your KS9s to send all phone sound into your KS9s. Am I mistaken? If not, I can suggest a workaround.
Okay as we get experience some things might make sense. When you are listening to your computer, and your phone rings, it blocks the stream, and when it stops ringing you get a ding to hook backup. If you were not aware it’s the phone you would be getting a lot of dings. I really don’t know. Not really disappointing, just unknown at this time, obviously not meant to be disturbing.
RDB
The apps on Google Play are not going to say they play through hearing aids. They don’t know you have hearing aids. Have you actually downloaded and installed one and tried it out? I listed several for you but the one I have always used is Shouter. You can try the standard one free and if it works the Pro version is inexpensive, and has many interesting optional additional settings, including addressing you by your first name and/or with a custom message, announcing caller name, announcing text message sender’s name, announcing the time, headphone on/off (probably the setting for hearing aid users - just a guess) etc. etc.
You would have to try it out to fully appreciate it.
I’m using Shouter with a Note 10+ (Pie). Works perfectly with message notifications, they come in over the Marvels and I can set them to repeat. On calls though, notification is still via phone’s speaker. Nothing I change in Shouter has any effect on call notifications. If I disable “announce caller” in Android settings, caller announcement stops entirely. Tried changing stream choice etc in Shouter, no luck.
I would plug this TV connector into your television and see if you get the same experience. If you don’t get any chiming when connected to the TV, I would think the issue is with your laptop setings rather than with the TV connector device IMHO.
I tried Shouter, it made a lot of announcements, but not the one I wanted, so I deleted it off my phone. It actually scared me the first time I hear the time announced, it woke me and my wife up and thought is was creepie.
But thanks for your input.
regatta,
Shouter is full of options. You should turn off the ones you don’t want and turn on the ones you do want. It’s very flexible.
- Go to the Master Control, check “Enable - control all of your shout”; then set up your “Silent hours”; set up your “Muting options”
- Then go to “Manage Shouts” and check or uncheck whatever App Notifications you want if any;
- Then go to “Call” enable it and customize your voice and what you want the app to say to you; set Nicknames for family and friends if desired; select audio output stream, etc.
- Go to “Message” and pick from the options, including whether to have messages read to you or not, etc.; ad infinitum. You can even control the speech rate and pitch of the announcer.
It will only do what you tell it to do so once you set its preferences you should not have any more unpleasant surprises!
Thanks, Thom,
In the meantime I have found a temporary workaround which may turn out to be an additional clue:
If I turn on my laptop’s music program and let it play continuously at low volume into my hearing aids whenever I am not listening to programs off the internet, then there is no chiming. I did that for hours last night and there was no chiming. It only resumed when I turned off the music.
And it only happens with the TV Connector. When I listen to my laptop with headphones plugged into the laptop’s same audio in port, or wirelessly with standard bluetooth, then everything is smooth as silk.
The problem starts after I plug the Connector’s analog audio plug into the audio in port.
Nate,
How do you power the TV connector when you use it with your laptop? Do you use the laptop’s USB port, or do you use a wall outlet? If it’s the former, perhaps that’s contributing to the issue. Yeah–perhaps a stretch, but I haven’t heard of others experiencing this issue. It almost sounds like you are receiving a warning signal from your laptop…
Hi Thom!
Actually I have the TV Connector plugged into a USB charger, but the laptop is plugged into a surge protector and there is such a rats’ nest of wires that I was beginning to suspect a groundloop problem myself, so I unplugged my power cord leading into my laptop. Unfortunately, chiming notes continue intermittently even with the power source removed from the laptop. Maybe I’ll get a ground loop filter anyway and see if it makes a difference.
Since these Connectors are not stocked at Costco and have to be ordered, I’m trying to eliminate as many possible causes as possible before going back to my fitter who will likely just want to order a replacement which might not solve the problem.
Months before I got it, I did read somewhere here about 3 alternate settings for this Connector, but I can’t seem to retrace my steps to where. When I picked up the 2nd Connector, it was just handed to me in its original sealed box, so you would think that any optional settings would be available to the consumer.
Okay it makes sense based on my experience. When the TV is turned on you get a ding to let you know there is sound. Turn it off and you get a disconnect, all expected. If you do not want to connect you just ignore the ding, and as long as the TV stays on, and you do not walk out of range, or turn the TV off and on again, no dings. The computer is different as many programs, websites, have sound, and every time you change a page, you get a ding. When I am listening to music, etc., I do not get additional dings, but if I change pages and get involved in searches I will get dings even though I haven’t knowingly clicked on a sound program, apparently there is a signal. I have my TV connector close, as you do, and simply turn it off when ever not specifically listening to whatever.
RDB
Wow! I never thought of switching the one connected to the laptop on and off, probably because the power to the one connected to the TV audio out stays set to on.
I am going to try doing what you do, and see what happens. Thanks for the idea!
Sorry i do not have my computer attached to tv streamer however can this maybee help you to solve the ding problem?
https://www.howtogeek.com/219703/how-to-disable-notification-sounds-in-windows-10/
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The ding alert is contained in the HA programming. As mentioned before there are three choices that are part of the HA program in regards to the TV Connector. The first is no ding, automatic, where the sound is automatically streamed when ever it is available, The second sounds a ding when ever streaming is available, a short push on either within 15 seconds will connect, a long push on the high side will disconnect, and re-connect by cycling through the HA programs. And third, no ding, long push on the high side to connect when sound is believed to be available, and a long push on high side to disconnect, and cycle back.
I do prefer the ding alert as you are then aware audio is available, when you leave the area you will get a disconnect ding, and again when you return a ding will let you know audio is restored. Some are startled by the dings, and can find it annoying. I do not as it has a value to the streaming audio availability.
RDB
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Bingo!/Dingo!
That’s the info for which I have been searching! Thank you so much for resurrecting it for me, rdboukes! I thought I had read about this a few months ago, before I got either of my Connectors but my efforts to retrace my steps to find it have up to this moment been futile.
Ideally, I would like to leave the dings on for the one on the TV and off for the one on my laptop, but if not possible I can accept just “no dinging at all.” 
Am I correct in assuming that this change can only be made via the H/As and not on the Connector? IMHO this should really be a setting on the Connector accessible by the user.
I have acquired Noah and Target but I felt it wise not to touch them until my fitter has had an opportunity to fine-tune my KS9s independent of my meddling, of which we are still in the middle between appointments.
But I most appreciate your assistance in getting me to the bottom of this perplexing mystery, and I guess I can live with turning the subject Connector on and off between “listens” until I get in for my next appointment at Costco.
As well as the suggestions and sympathy of others on this invaluable forum!
Best wishes, Nate 
The Hearing Aid Tech at Santa Clarita said to leave the iPhone App just setup for Automatic - what 3 or 4 other options are good to add - we have nearly got the programming tweaked correctly - need to tone down the high frequencies one more time and increase the amplification for the low frequencies.
Yes it is a change of the HA’s, I do not have the Target program, but was looking at it during an appt. We changed it briefly too a long push on the high side, but after adding 3 manual programs it was bothersome to have to cycle through to return. The program was pretty intuitive, and only required a click of the mouse on the desired choice. It is this sort of choice that doing it yourself makes a lot of sense, after using for a while you may want to revert, or make another choice. I wouldn’t want the computer to come on automatically because so many pages have sound. I enjoy Reddit and a lot of them have sound, but can pick and chose rather than be bombarded. Now for the TV that would be fine in many situations.
RDB
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My understanding is the automatic program and three manual. I like having the manual because some times I like my choice better than the auto. I currently have Quiet, which is very natural, you hear all sounds in your environment speech 1:1 is good in quiet surroundings. Next I have Noise which helps in noisy environments and groups. And my third is Loud Noise, which helps focus the noise directly in front of you. The down side to having the manual programs is you must cycle through them, but of course you can also pick and chose with the Easy Line Remote app. There are 7 possible manual, as Streaming Music, and Streaming Speech are fixed.
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NateS: Thanks for the info on Shouter, but my install doesn’t seem to work as you have described nor as it seems like it was intended. I cannot get Shouter to announce the caller’s name. It seems , as you said, when “Call” is enabled, one can customize the announcement using the name in your contacts list. That’s the way I have it set up, but no announcement. BTW, I’ve only tried it through my Android 9.0 phone - I haven’t gotten my HAs yet.
Any suggestions?
That’s puzzling.
Did you give Shouter access to Notification on your phone? The author states that in April of this year Google 's policy disallowed direct access to either sms or call information, so that Shouter now gets the caller info from Notifications and thus needs to be sure you give/gave them this permission.
If that doesn’t solve the problem then I would suggest typing in “Caller Name Announcer” on your phone’s app store. I just did that on Android’s Google Play Store and got numerous apps claiming to do same. (Apple may have done the same for iPhones.)
If you have an iPhone, I would assume that a similar search on their app store would produce same or similar.
Let us know whether or not that solves the problem.