Important Safety InformationSection 4A. Important Safety Information 163Using Your Phone With a HearingAid DeviceA number of Boost phones have been tested for hearing aiddevice compatibility. When some wireless phones are usedwith certain hearing devices (including hearing aids andcochlear implants), users may detect a noise which caninterfere with the effectiveness of the hearing device.Some hearing devices are more immune than others to thisinterference noise, and phones also vary in the amount ofinterference noise they may generate. ANSI standard C63.19was developed to provide a standardized means of measuringboth wireless phone and hearing devices to determine usabilityrating categories for both.Ratings have been developed for mobile phones to assisthearing device users find phones that may be compatible withtheir hearing device. Not all phones have been rated forcompatibility with hearing devices. Phones that have beenrated have a label located on the box. Your Samsung Rant™has an M4 and T4 rating.These ratings are not guarantees. Results will vary dependingon the user’s hearing device and individual type and degree ofhearing loss. If a hearing device is particularly vulnerable tointerference noise; even a phone with a higher rating may stillcause unacceptable noise levels in the hearing device. Tryingout the phone with your hearing device is the best way toevaluate it for your personal needs.M-Ratings: Phones rated M3 or M4 meet FCC requirementsfor hearing aid compatibility and are likely to generate lessinterference to hearing devices than unrated phones. (M4 is thebetter/higher of the two ratings.)T-Ratings: Phones rated T3 or T4 meet FCC requirements andare likely to be more usable with a hearing device’s telecoil (“TSwitch” or “Telephone Switch”) than unrated phones. (T4 is thebetter/higher of the two ratings. Note that not all hearingdevices have telecoils in them.)Hearing aid devices may also be measured for immunity tointerference noise from wireless phones and should haveratings similar to phones. Ask your hearing healthcareprofessional for the rating of your hearing aid. Add the rating ofyour hearing aid and your phone to determine probableusability: Any combined rating equal to or greater than six offersexcellent use. Any combined rating equal to five is considered normal use. Any combined rating equal to four is considered usable.Thus, if you pair an M3 hearing aid with an M3 phone, you willhave a combined rating of six for “excellent use.” This issynonymous for T ratings.Boost further suggests you experiment with multiple phones(even those not labeled M3/T3 or M4/T4) while in the store tofind the one that works best with your hearing aid device. MoreBoost M540.book Page 163 Friday, March 26, 2010 12:53 PM
