[Elecraft] Tinnitus and the K3 RX EQ and Related Variables

[Ken Widelitz]

Hi Ted,

I lost about 60% of the hearing in my left ear about 6 years ago as a result of a virus that I didn't know I had until I thought I had water in my ear for over a week went to the doctor. The loss sharply increases after 550 - 600 hz, so it doesn't affect CW as much as phone. I also have a high frequency tinnitus, around 12 -14 khz. Honestly, I believe years of hamming have helped me filter out and deal with the tinnitus. A hearing aid also helps with the tinnitus, but for me does not help intelligibility at all. 

For me the issue with the K3 was I couldn't get enough volume to my left ear despite tweaking the RX EQ. 

I bought the new Heil PRAS as soon as it was available. I built a little breakout box to put it on the left ear only and I totally forget I have a hearing loss during contests. The PRAS can be optimized for your CW sweet spot or for SSB. It works very well. I turn up the volume until a mono signal is centered in my head overcoming the hearing deficit. I don't know how much credit the PRAS gets but the first time I used it for SS Phone was in 2018 and I came in 2nd SOU. I've never made the top 10 in SS Phone in any category ever before.

Prior to the PRAS I used a FIIO headphone amp. They are much less expensive ($125 vs. $500.) They also worked for me, but IMHO the PRAS is better as it is designed for ham audio. The negatives are the price (I've asked Bob Heil to sell it without the powered speaker, but as of yet they don't) and the fact that it is a mono device (which isn't so much of a negative for me since my right ear still works fine.) To answer another of your questions, with the headphone amp I use the other K3 settings as I always have. Before I used a headphone amp, I never perceived an improvement in hearing from tweaking filters, RX EQ or other parameters. 

Does the increased volume further damage my hearing? I don't know. I don't care. I am functionally deaf in the left ear already. I do not perceive an increase in tinnitus or a further loss of hearing after a 48 hour contest as the result of using a headphone amp. Nor do I perceive an increase in hearing Morse coming from the fridge, faucet or AC after a CW contest, which I have always heard.

73, Ken, K6LA / VY2TT

-----Original Message-----
From: elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Walter Underwood
Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2019 3:20 PM
To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Tinnitus and the K3 RX EQ and Related Variables

I m not quite clear about the audiologist s recommendations. Did they tell you to avoid loud, high frequency sound?

If so, ask them whether they consider 3 kHz to be high frequency. That is the highest frequency you should hear from an amateur SSB signal. Unless they and you are in ESSB mode, which would make it 4 kHz.

I expect that they don t consider 3 kHz to be high frequency. If that is true, you can do what ever you want with RX EQ.

wunder
K6WRU
Walter Underwood
CM87wj
http://observer.wunderwood.org/ (my blog)

> On Mar 27, 2019, at 3:12 PM, Dauer, Edward <edauer at law.du.edu> wrote:
> 
> A question about special settings for the K3 s RX EQ, AFX, filter width and passband settings and other on-board parameters for a particular problem . . .
> 
> Just had a long visit with an audiologist, about a worsening tinnitus condition.  Principal underlying cause is loss of acuity at the high end of the audio scale.  I will not mention or ask about any of the contributing neurology, physiology, psychology or any other medical ology lest this post be branded with the Scarlet Letters OT.   Other than to say, that to avoid making the situation worse I am told I should avoid exposing myself to audio environments that would make the underlying acuity loss worse.
> 
> Has anyone who has faced this learned anything by experience or otherwise about the filter, EQ, and other settings for the K3 in both SSB and CW modes that would be best for this sort of thing?
> 
> Please, speak up.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Ted, KN1CBR
> 
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