Travel tips: traveling by car
Long car trips can be fun, but the listening conditions and finding good micorphone placement may be a challenge.
listening to conversations
If you’re a unilateral (single-sided) listener, try using a Lapel Microphone, an accessory that is included with every Nucleus speech processor. You can connect the Lapel Microphone to your processor and then use its long cable to place the microphone wherever you can find the best sound.
When talking to the driver, place the Lapel Microphone on the driver’s shirt collar as far away as possible from the car window, where you might hear a lot of road noise.
If you want to talk with other passengers, try fastening the Lapel Microphone to the dome light or the center ceiling of the car. Use self-adhesive velcro dots to secure the microphone in the best location. Wrap the velcro around the microphone’s barrel. This will let you quickly and easily remove and replace the microphone.
If your child has an implant, and you need to sit in the front seat with your child in the back, extend the Lapel Microphone’s cable so that the Microphone is close to you.
Listening to music
When listening to the radio, CD player, or an audio book while traveling in a car, use a Lapel Microphone—an accessory that is included with every Nucleus speech processor—and place it near the speakers.
An FM system can also be a good option for use in the car. The FM system provides wireless sound transmission so especially useful because there are no cables connecting to the Lapel Microphone.
An FM system can also be used to keep communication open with the child when in crowds.
Watching a DVD
If you plan to use a mobile DVD player with wireless headphones, the signal might interfere with your implant. Always test wireless headphones to see whether there is any interference. If there is, look for a system that transmits at a frequency beyond the implant’s range. (The range for the Nucleus 24 is 5 MHz. For the Nucleus 22, it’s 2.5 MHz).
If the sound is playing through external speakers rather than headphones, use a Lapel Microphone—an accessory that is included with every Nucleus speech processor—and place it near the speakers.
If the DVD player has a headphone jack, the TV/HiFi cable can be used for direct connection to the processor.
