DIY If I can do it so can you

Hearing Aid Self-Fitting and Adjusting [DIY]
#23

Hi dacuttler.

A great strategy I would have considered had I found this site BEFORE getting my first hearing aids this Spring.

Thanks for the pointers. Didn’t know about the training options.

I have Target 6.0 and a new Noah for about half price on Ebay. I’ve been pretty happy with my Audiologists settings but as a Computer Engineer it was frustrating not to have control over my electronics. (Why I don’t use Apple.)

So far only minor tweaks but the training and input on this site will be beneficial for optimization when I get more time.

#25

PVC,
Why do you jump in people’s s…h like that?

In theory the Target software is free, but only from Phonak to a registered audiologist, the rest of the folks have to plead and beg to get it. In my case I paid a little to get it off Ebay, and am using it. In the grand scheme of things it was chump change and I didn’t have to wait.

Considering the exorbitant cost of hearing aids the small cost of the software is insignificant.

It’s like arguing over a few cents diffence in the cost of batteries.

Consider being a little softer rather than calling folks crazy.

2 Likes
Newbie needs help with Phonak Target 7.2 software
#29

The one thing that has been nagging me since starting this is the questionable reliability of my latest audiology report. When I had it done, there was a lot of construction noise bleeding into the "quiet" room I was sitting in. Also if my hearing was OK until the higher frequencies, why did my hearing aids make such a big improvement?

There is a feature in the Target software called Audiogram Direct, which allows you to run an audiology test thru the hearing aids, which I did. The new report it generated showed somewhat worst hearing the one I received from Kaiser, so I used it to change the programming. I will report on it after using it for a few days.

I also have been trying out some of the optional programs. The T-coil was crummy with lots of electronic distortion and noise when using my cellphone so I deleted it. On the other hand the Acoustic Phone setting worked rather well being able to hear the phone through both ears.

Many years ago when playing classical guitar, I started hearing what sounded like fret buzz on the high E string. It turned out not to be the guitar, but a weird vibration in my ears that was induced by certain frequencies on the guitar. I put the guitar away, and after many recently started playing it again, and the noise was all but gone.

As soon as I started wearing the hearing aids the noise was back again. Take the hearing aids out, and the noise was gone. I tried this with three different guitars and had the same results. I believe there is a harmonic of the lower 5 notes on the high E string causing it, but as my hearing deteriorated at the higher frequencies it was masked, only to return with the correction of the aids.

Well with nothing to lose I created a custom guitar program based on Phonak’s music algorithm, and rolled off as much output as possible above 2000 hz, and it seems to work as the buzzing noise was reduced dramatically. I just wish there was a real sound equalizer with lots of sliders or adjustment frequencies. Maybe there is one and I haven’t found it yet. If anyone has any suggestions please chime in.

Overall this has been a very satisfying work in progress.

#30

dacutter, you may be aware of this, but you can get a good hearing test in a soundproofed room from Costco for free. Of course, they will want to sell you aids, but you don’t have to buy. I’m not sure, but I believe that the testing is covered by Medicare, so you should be able to get a test from an audiologist for free.

Regarding, the Real Ear Measurement, one thing it checks is the acoustics of your ear which can effect how you actually perceive the sound from your aids. My right ear was different than the left and the resulting adjustment helped.

A year and a half ago I got Kirkland 7.0 aids from Costco. They were inexpensive (compared to non-Costco) and I’m happy with them. As I read the comments above, it seemed they were contradictory or did not answer what would be my question about the Target software working with Kirkland aids. I would appreciate any clarification if anyone knows.

I am very grateful to you and others for mentioning the ability to self program. I am 75 years old and a retired Electronics Technician, so it would be fun for me.

I also want to add to the discussion that in my experience, audiologists in particular are relatively ignorant of electronics and how hearing aids actually work so I think the ability of people to program their own hearing aids is very important (although of course many people, are unable or unwilling to do so.)

1 Like
#31

It’s fun tinkering with the aids. You should be really good at it with some practice.
The bottom of the screen in fine tuning, gain and mpo, is an equalizer for adjusting gains in all frequencies, at least that’s how I see it.

#32

I find it interesting that most of the folks who have responded to this thread have a technical background, including three are amateur radio operators who are used to this kind of activity.

As long as you save your work, you can’t screw it up.
It’s all data bits. Everything is reversible. I have lost count over how many changes I have made over the last week. Considering how long people can wait to see an audiologist, what I have done over the past week would have taken years.

#33

This is the sub-category where you can find all sorts of information on this.

#34

Respectively… Yes. No. Hardware versus Software is obvious in my statement. Model name is irrelevant for the context.

#35

Just wait until the Dr. audio-philes find that too many apps are being sold and their “professional?” advice to purchase their 8000$ aids,(5$ to manufacture), are no longer being sought. Then they will lobby for having more screening done to weed out the obstinate DIY’s.

I know exactly what I need, digital units that offer 3 trimmers for self adjustment and will waive in writing personal damage if the seller needs it. I’m still looking for the black market people to purchase a couple, but I’ll be darned if I will pay the rip off prices for these aids.

We used to be able to get the Lotus P23’s at one time. I believe that deliberately creating a scarcity is also illegal in many countries.

1 Like
#36

Mike,
They have been replaced by models with 3-4 pre programed channels accessed by a long push on the volume button. I have one, and it’s not bad. I also have one of the Siemens Touching aids with the 3 tiny trimmers. Now that I have the Phonak Bolero V70s, I have no need for the 3 trimmer aid, and will gift it to you if you want it. Just send me a pm with your address.

#38

I agree with pvc that clear name usage is helpful to newbies like me who didn’t know which way was up when I first came to the DIY section of the forum. I ordered my Noahlink Wireless from overseas and it would have been very awkward, etc., to return the wrong item so I’m glad that pvc’s insistence on correctness - perhaps I learned from a similar previous usage reminder! - had me very clear on what to look for on eBay right from the start. Once again, I’m very grateful for all the help he’s given complete newbies like me. But perhaps pvc should remember Mary Poppins’ advice, though, that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down! :upside_down_face:

2 Likes
#39

I just found where I can select all 16 channels rather than the default 3 channels, which was very helpful.

By setting up a music program without sound recovery and tweaking the curves using all 16 channels, the guitar sounds much better.

It’s great having everyone contribute, it really shortens the learning curve.

1 Like
#40

My apologies to anyone I may have confused with the brevity of my support and confirmation for @dacuttler . I assumed that others understand proper English usage and know that placing a definitive article “a, the…” before a name like I did for Noah indicates that it is a tangible, countable entity and therefore Hardware and not Software. Just like I did not use one for my Apple usage indicating it was not something to eat. :smile: (“I love Android” vs “I love an Android”.) I guess if anyone can find and buy “Noah” hardware then I owe them an apology. Or perhaps it is coming from a technical background that I take this grammar distinction for granted and therfore should apologize for my bad assumption.

@pvc I think you have good intention but honestly are overly abrasive. I see from your multiple posts on the Noah naming that this is a thin nerve for you and I regret strumming it for the sake of others that were enjoying @dacuttler’s post. I can just imagine the chastising I would receive on a car forum for referring to a “Vette”… Corvette? which model? which make? which year? Chevette? or if you ignore the context or spelling and assume it is someone to cure your dog…

For other newbies (like me) there are some very good write-ups on this site which is what I used and I would recommend before proceeding down the path @dacuttler has promoted in this thread. Consider conversations like this one as motivation but the DIYs as the core.

Now to try to clear up the misgivings in my original post so that we can move on…

Please replace the following sentence,

“I have Target 6.0 and a new Noah for about half price on Ebay.”

with

" I have PHONAK Target 6.0.2 and a New HIMSA Noahlink Wireless programming interface for $167.50 on Ebay."

Sorry for the dire exaggeration on “half price” since the current retail is only $329.

Now that I have a clear conscience I will drop from the conversation and give @pvc the floor… :wink:

2 Likes
#41

You can edit posts yourself by clicking on the little pencil icon in the lower right side of your post.
There’s the Reply button, the three dots and then the pencil. (when logged in)

#43

I was thinking about telling him too.
I use pencils all the time because they have erasers.

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#44

Reminded me of this YouTube Skip to 2:30 if you’re short on time, which might include all of us who are old enough to remember this stuff.

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#46

No chance of that in my case.

  1. She bought her aids at Costco. So, full service.
  2. She’d have been deathly afraid of self-programming, to avoid any possibility of the Clinic Cabal’s Enforcement Squad renditioning her to a gulag.
  3. She’s dead.

But yeah, if not for those things I’d be worried about her getting her terminology confused. Especially since one of my fondest memories of her is the time I was getting ready for a motorcycle ride, and she reminded me to wear my “hat.”

2 Likes
#47

That’s so awesome that you can do that! I think of myself as somewhat tech savvy but I don’t think I’d ever be able to do what you just did. Kudo’s to you.

Sadly, I’m one of the ones who will have to pay the high price (albeit less costly from Costco).

Glad it’s worked out so well for you.

#48

You don’t have to be a technical expert to program your own hearing aids. You just need the wiil to do it.

It’s a lot easier than you think.

You might consider looking for a good deal on a used pair of hearing aids to practice with. Just get a brand that is compatible with the aids you are now using.

As I said previously, I have lost count of the number of changes that I have made, not to mention the number of settings I deleted. I think I now have almost everything the way I want it, and am now refining some of the optional programs.

Keep checking Ebay and your local Craigslist for something cheap you can play with. Believe me, anyone with the motivation can do this and get good results. You just need a decent computer that is kept up to date.

#49

Thank you, I appreciate your kind words but I haven’t had any HA’s as yet. I’m still “shopping around” . I have pretty much decided I’ll be going to Costco. Now it’s just a matter of making the appointment.

Have a blessed day.