dmimi@uncecs.edu (Mimi Clifford) (02/13/90)
Index Number: 6696 Vixen: I'm glad the Pocket Talker works well for you. However, it is not as powerful as the FM and, if one's hearing loss is more severe, simply won't make it. It is also far from as clear as a good FM system. Anyway, I don't understand why an FM system would cost $1700. I have a Comtek tranmitter and receiver. The cost was ~$700. That's not cheap, I know, but it's much less than you indicated. Someone is making big bucks, it sounds like. We paid 'retail', getting directly from Audio Enhancements (which is the distributer) I would assume, by the way, that Claudia Anderson, the head of Audio Enhancements, will be at the SHHH Convention in Little Rock, so maybe some of you'all will get to meet her. She's a neat lady. An engineer by training, who has (I think) 2 deaf kids--which is why she got interested in ALDs. BTW, I have no connection with her or Comtek, except as a very pleased user, who was lucky enough to meet Claudia.
dmimi@uncecs.edu (Mimi Clifford) (02/22/90)
Index Number: 6889 Hi: BTW, FM and wired (Pocket Talker) ALDs can be used with various microphones. They usually come with an omni-directional mic--one that receives equally from all directions. (Am I right about the name?) Anyway, there is also a semi-directional mike available for most of them which makes it MUCH easier to listen to--the noise-signal ratio apparently is better. I have a very directional mike also, that I love, but it is bigger and must be aimed at the sound source to 'hear' it so it is clumsy. Try to get, or at least to try, the semi-directional mike before you purchase the omni- one. Let's see, that's at least 3 different spellings of mike. I type directly into a vax, and editing is a pain, so mistakes are difficult, almost impossible, to fix. Apologies.