I have a problem with the combination of a Roger On paired with an Oticon Edu-mic, provided to me by my school district’s Stay-at-Work program. I am a teacher who already had trouble hearing my students, and my inability to hear them was compounded when we returned to in-person instruction, with everyone wearing masks, in the spring of 2021. I requested help from my school district at that time (early April), and they finally provided me with a Roger On and an Oticon Edu-mic combination, in October. However, I have not been able to use them in the classroom:
I wear Oticon Opn hearing aids; I’m not eligible to replace them for a few months. Thus, when the district person worked with my audiologist to get me a Roger On mic, she found that I would need an Oticon Edu-mic as well, in order to connect to send the sounds from the Roger On to my hearing aids.
I have been frustrated so much that I have been considering taking a leave of absence for my final months before retirement in June, but over the Winter Break I thought I would give the mic combination another try, with my husband’s help.
It echoes (I hear everything twice, overlapped) and it’s loud and alarming to listen to, which is why I have not tried to take it into the classroom. I am now thinking that the echo might not be the fault of the Roger, but maybe that the combination of the two pieces of technology is the problem.
Does anyone have any experience with this combination, or perhaps insights into how to solve the problem of the huge echo? Without this technology, I’m back to guessing what the kids say for the rest of the year, sadly.
No experience, but I’d guess the echo is that you’re hearing both through the hearing aids and the Roger On. They should be able to turn down what you hear through the hearing aid microphones when you’re using the Roger On.
Perhaps the problem is that they are two mics… Isn’t there a neck-loop that is used with the Roger On for non Phonak hearing aids? Or a neck loop to use with the Edu-mic, you wouldn’t even need the Roger On. Seems strange to have two mics. Right?
This is what I know. I’m a TOD (Teacher of the Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing) and we have kiddos with Oticon hearing aids but we have more Phonak technology (Pediatrics). I’m usually hooking up my students so they can hear the teacher You didn’t say if you have a Roger X receiver. That will need to be hooked to the EduMic.
The EduMic “should” default to the Roger On when using, but in my 26 years of doing this, I always say, “what the instructions say it should do and what happens in real life are two different things”.
It definitely sounds like there are 2 mics working at the same time. Although I’ve not had that happen since normally Roger (or EduMic) will override the hearing aids. I have Resound aids and have used a MiniMic (much like the EduMic) with a Roger X receiver and hooked it up to the Phonak TouchScreen to hear what my students are hearing. No echo (or hearing it twice).I’m wondering if one hearing aid is synced and the other one isn’t, causing the sound to reach you at different times.
I don’t know of how to turn the volume down (both EduMic and Roger ON doesn’t look like it has a volume control). Can you control the EduMic with your hearing aid app? I can control the volume on my MiniMic by my phone. It’s a good thing when I have a student decide to karaoke into it
I’m assuming you have the Roger ON so that you can point it to a student and hear them since it’s suppose to have a further listening range. Or at least have something sturdier to pass around between students.
You definitely need to take the equipment into your audiologist’s office and try to recreate this. Also the ratio (mic vs hearing aids) needs to be looked at, along with the volume level.
I don’t have this combination, I have Oticon hearing aids and an Oticon remote microphone.
I suggest you email Oticon Support, I have always found them very helpful (unlike Phonak).
As MDB says I would look at the settings in the Oticon On app, you should be able balance the Streamer/Edumic sound with the environment/hearing aids, there is a mute setting that you can either mute the Roger On or your hearing aid microphones. You can try out the various settings at home. If I am too close to my remote microphone, I hear my own voice with a slightly delayed echo which I am guessing is what you hear.
I think there is an App for the Roger On too where you should be able to change the mode, directional or table mode (it might change automatically however I am not familiar with it)
I am also interested in this combination as I struggle in group situations and wondered if the would help me.
You didn’t say if you have a Roger X receiver. That will need to be hooked to the EduMic.