Trouble connecting SurfLink accessories

[osmov]

Hello everyone,

I have MICROTECH SUMMIT iQ I1000 BTE 13 hearing aids. I am trying to set them up to work with SurfLink wireless accessories, specifically SurfLink Remote and SurfLink Media 2, which I purchased separately on eBay since my local dealer does not offer them.

I’ve tried programming them in Inspire (please see the screenshots I will attach), but neither the remote control nor the media streamer seem to work.

Are these settings sufficient for enabling compatibility, or am I missing something?

Thank you very much in advance for any advice or guidance!

[firenzel]

Are the hearing aids and the accessories all produced/sold for for the US market?

Because the radio frequency differs between US and e.g. EU devices.

Have you entered the correct code from the remote control? In the Inspire Software the Remote needs to be synced by entering the code from the lable of the back on remote housing.

For SurfLink Media you need to setup a dedicated streaming program in the Inspire software. And you need to switch the hearing aids to the streaming program.

Did you connect the SurfLink Media to an output port of an audio device or an TV and make sure that audio is played?

[osmov]

Thank you very much for your reply! Let me clarify my situation:

1. I believe my hearing aids were produced for the Eastern European market, while the accessories (Remote and Media 2) were purchased from the US. If the radio frequencies differ, is there any way to make them work together, or is compatibility impossible in this case?

2. Yes, I entered the correct code from the label on the back of the remote and pressed the Sync button in the Inspire software. However, the hearing aids do not respond to any button presses on the remote.

3. Regarding SurfLink Media - I am not completely sure what it means to switch the hearing aids to the streaming program. In Inspire, I see that I can set it to Automatic Start (I assume in this case streaming should begin automatically) or Manual Start (in this case I would need to press a button on the remote, but since the remote is not working, I cannot trigger it). In both cases, when I start playback from a connected TV, the audio is not transmitted to the hearing aids.

[firenzel]

Starkey wireless hearing aids with 900sync technology operate either in the 902 to 928 MHz band (in North Amerika) or 863 to 865 MHz band (in Europe).
See below:

Wireless-Security-Letter-4-2020-11-20-update-1.pdf

The frequency range from 902 to 928 MHz is the so-called 33-centimeter band, which is used in North America for LoRaWAN applications under FCC Part 15 regulations. Outside Europe, it is also approved for amateur radio and other radio services. In Europe, however, this range is allocated to other mobile radio services.

So the Starkey Hearing Aids and Accessories sold in Europe using different Mhz band (863 to 865 MHz) than in USA.

See also page 18 in the Starkey SurfLink Media user guide

Wireless Technical Description
The North American version of SurfLink Media 2 operates in the 902-928 MHz frequency band with a maximum effective radiated power of 14.5 dBm with transmission modulation type of 723KF1D. The receiver section of the radio has a bandwidth of 300 kHz.
The European version of SurfLink Media 2 operates in the 863-865 MHz frequency band with a maximum effective radiated power of 9 dBm with transmission modulation type of 342KFXD. The receiver section of the radio has a bandwidth of 300 kHz.

Maybe it is possible to change/select the Mhz band in the Accessory by an dip switch.

In the past i had opened an defekt Starkey Remote to exchange the batteries.

left is a newer black Remote , right is an older silver remote.

The silver remote hat a empty batterie and therefore i opened the remote. But it was tricky because in the inside were a glued spot on the top end of the remote that prevented to slide the housing open.

I carefully hat to excarvate the glue with apropriate tools. Then the housing could be opened and i replaced the battery with an button coin.

As you can see: The Remote have a little switch inside , but i don’t know for shure if this switch is for changing the frequencies between USA and EU. see next picture

My hearing aids (from EU) only respond to the remote when it is set to position 1. see orange arrow.

And you have to be very carefull with the little switches (see the red arrows)

[firenzel]

I can also provide pictures of my SurfLink Media (sold in EU).

could not find any switch on the boards. But i did not remove the bords from the housing to examine the back side of the boards. it is possible be that there is a switch on the back side of one of the circuit boards.