Scoop 0 #26 December 18, 2006 Thanks, seeing as how I can hear those annoying 'mosquito' boxes they install that emit high frequency sound to stop kids congregating it might be that the first test wasn't really a fair one, given my recent exposure to loud noise (grinding, air tools, hammering etc - panel beater). Noone commented on my recent medical so may well be that It's fine. I should enquire really to make sure Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jumpdr 0 #27 December 18, 2006 Well, I'd consider the first test a warning, and now you know better, take reasonable precautions to protect your hearing! Skydiving is more than a sport and more than a job: skydiving is pure passion and desire which will fill a lifetime. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gonzalesna 0 #28 December 18, 2006 QuoteIt's true that once you have some hearing loss, you then need to expose yourself to louder noises in order to hear, but it then becomes a vicious circle. If at 22 you already have NIHL, you should be doing everything you can to preserve what hearing function you have left. Exposing yourself to the noise from range work is just going to make things worse. Believe me, I use hearing protection when it is to my advantage as often as possible, however, I will, without a doubt, sacrifice a little bit of my hearing for the overall safety of others. The shooting range is the perfect example. If I'm close enough to the centerman to hear him, (he does use a loudspeaker, but it's not very loud.) then I'll use my hearing protection as required. However, I usually, for some reason, tend to get put on one of the far ends of the line, putting me at a fair distance from the speaker and the centerman. This is why I take ONE earplug out. I always take out the same one so that if I do lose hearing, it's only in one ear. Cease Fire is a command that is not only called when a certain qualifying round is over, but also anytime safety has been compromised in some way or another. This is of the utmost importance to be able to hear. Hence, I'm willing to sacrifice a little hearing loss for that increase in safety. To save you from having to ask the question, no, I don't have the option to switch to a closer location in reference to the centerman. The range is always grouped by unit (there are many various units on my base) and there's always at least 3 units qualifying. They establish your firing pit number prior to shooting and requesting a closer location to the centerman due to my issue never seems to be important enough for those running the rifle range. (Something I'm not pleased about by any means.) I'm definately supportive of your ideas to inform and provide the option of additional hearing protection at the DZ. Great suggestion.Some people refrain from beating a dead horse. Personally, I find a myriad of entertainment value when beating it until it becomes a horse-smoothie. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jumpdr 0 #29 December 18, 2006 Absolutely, I appreciate where you're coming from and admire your altruistic motives - safety is important, yes. In my experience of range firing, there's usually a number of range controllers wandering up and down the firing points in addition to the equivalent of the 'centreman' to esnure firers obey instructions. I'm sure they'd give anyone a kick/signal if they hadn't ceased firing when required to. I'd also suggest that when range firing, as long as everyone keeps their weapons pointing down the range, there's not a huge number of occasions when safety is going to be sufficiently compromised while firing a group to necessitate a complete cease fire... I might be wrong as I only have my experience to go by. Operationally, yes, hearing protection is more difficult when you have to lead section attacks, while giving orders, receiving orders and listening to a radio. I saw a soldier the other day who had just come back from Afghanistan where they were firing all the time as well as receiving incoming rounds/mortars and weren't able to wear hearing protection. Unfortunately, his hearing tests were pretty awful and he's 25. He looked a little shocked when I told him if he kept it up, he'd be deaf in a short while... Skydiving is more than a sport and more than a job: skydiving is pure passion and desire which will fill a lifetime. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brianfry713 0 #30 December 19, 2006 QuoteI can hear my audible really well but I dont know how much I would like it if I had it in a pro tech and my audible was strapped basically straight to my ear. My audible in my Pro Tec is actually harder to hear than in my FF2. The wind passing through all the holes in it makes a lot of noise. I duck taped it all up and put some padding in the ear hole so that the audible is right next to my ear and I still don't always hear it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dorbie 0 #31 December 21, 2006 My L&B has a digital volume setting, check your manual, mine is a different model. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lastchance 0 #32 December 30, 2006 On my first few jumps on my Pro-Trac I never even heard it. Tho I was using a Pro-Tec brain bucket at the time and there was alot of noise. I had to concentrate on hearing it ( watching my alti and listening for my audible at the correct altitude). After I heard it the first few times, I started hearing it with no problem. I am now wearing a Bone Head Rat Hat that is enclosed and have no prob. at all hearing my audible. But it is far from being to loud. On the ground yes. In the air, no. I may be getting old but I got to see all the cool bands. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sagan 0 #33 January 3, 2007 The skytronic GFX that I have has 3 different settings as well in case anyone was interested in that audible (i wouldn't buy it again though). Alternatively you could add more foam padding to your helmet where the audible is to drown out some of the noise if the alarm is too loud for you. That or lightly wrap the audible in foam (just make sure it still reads correctly when you do this). As for wearing ear plugs I would think there's two downsides: 1) inner ear balance problems since you can now only equalize through nose/mouth 2) under canopy I think I would want to be able to hear very clearly in case someone is yelling at me under canopy or what not -- that's actually the reason why it took so long for me to wear a ski helmet when skiing -- i felt that hearing was more valuable than not hearing and having some more safety (along the same lines of logic as the rifle range post). -patrickQuote-Patrick Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrsound22 0 #34 September 28, 2010 Yeah when it's repeated for several times partial or permanent damage to your hearing can be an end result. But with hearing impairment sometimes you can file for claims.HAVS Claim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
P-dro 0 #35 September 28, 2010 QuoteMy L&B has a digital volume setting, check your manual, mine is a different model. My Optima even on the lowest setting is painfully loud. Each time you got ringing in your hear, you have sustained PERMANENT hearing damages. They are simply not noticeable at first. but the effects are cumulative over time and when you notice the problem, it is already to late.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theonlyski 8 #36 September 28, 2010 QuoteQuoteMy L&B has a digital volume setting, check your manual, mine is a different model. My Optima even on the lowest setting is painfully loud. Each time you got ringing in your hear, you have sustained PERMANENT hearing damages. They are simply not noticeable at first. but the effects are cumulative over time and when you notice the problem, it is already to late.... Even if you turn it around so the speaker is facing outwards?"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890 I'm an asshole, and I approve this message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
P-dro 0 #37 September 28, 2010 Yes. The specificity of the Optima, is that you have canopy alarms. That's where you realise how loud the thing is when there's no wind noise to cover it.... Needless to say I don't jump without earplugs if I can help it.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theonlyski 8 #38 September 28, 2010 QuoteYes. The specificity of the Optima, is that you have canopy alarms. That's where you realise how loud the thing is when there's no wind noise to cover it.... Needless to say I don't jump without earplugs if I can help it.... Hmm, ok then. I have a pro-dytter for freefall and a neptune on my hand that I use the canopy alarms on. Seems to be a good combination for me."I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890 I'm an asshole, and I approve this message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #39 September 28, 2010 QuoteYes. The specificity of the Optima, is that you have canopy alarms. That's where you realise how loud the thing is when there's no wind noise to cover it.... Needless to say I don't jump without earplugs if I can help it.... Put a bit of gaffers tape (or two) over it. ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matc 0 #40 September 28, 2010 The battery of my ditter has been dead for 2 years and I still haven't changed it yet. I realised these gadgets are not necessary. Most people rely too much on them which is a bad habit. If you're worried about your hearing, don't use it. My two cents. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theonlyski 8 #41 September 28, 2010 QuoteThe battery of my ditter has been dead for 2 years and I still haven't changed it yet. I realised these gadgets are not necessary. Most people rely too much on them which is a bad habit. If you're worried about your hearing, don't use it. My two cents. So, about this dytter... I hear you're not using it. How much ya want?"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890 I'm an asshole, and I approve this message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
P-dro 0 #42 September 29, 2010 Quote The battery of my ditter has been dead for 2 years and I still haven't changed it yet. I realised these gadgets are not necessary. Most people rely too much on them which is a bad habit. If you're worried about your hearing, don't use it. My two cents. Yeah, just try to do a little serious RW without audible and let me know how it goes.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
humanflite 0 #43 September 29, 2010 Quote Quote The battery of my ditter has been dead for 2 years and I still haven't changed it yet. I realised these gadgets are not necessary. Most people rely too much on them which is a bad habit. If you're worried about your hearing, don't use it. My two cents. Yeah, just try to do a little serious RW without audible and let me know how it goes.... or if everyone on a head down jump never wore audibles, things would definately get interesting sometimes in my lrelatively limited experience. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,070 #44 September 29, 2010 >Yeah, just try to do a little serious RW without audible and let me know how it goes. Works just fine. You just have to look. (someone else sez) >or if everyone on a head down jump never wore audibles, things would >definately get interesting sometimes in my lrelatively limited experience. Yep. You might even have to look down every once in a while! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tetra316 0 #45 September 30, 2010 Quote Quote The battery of my ditter has been dead for 2 years and I still haven't changed it yet. I realised these gadgets are not necessary. Most people rely too much on them which is a bad habit. If you're worried about your hearing, don't use it. My two cents. Yeah, just try to do a little serious RW without audible and let me know how it goes.... Yep do it all the time. It's all about awareness, not reliance on some electronic device. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
P-dro 0 #46 September 30, 2010 Quote Yep do it all the time. It's all about awareness, not reliance on some electronic device. Surely in an ideal world, just not the one I live in..... Electronic systems do fail, true, they just fail way more rarely than humain beings.... That doesn't mean that an audible should replace situation awareness, simply that audible are an important safety device, like it or not.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tetra316 0 #47 September 30, 2010 QuoteQuote Yep do it all the time. It's all about awareness, not reliance on some electronic device. Surely in an ideal world, just not the one I live in..... Electronic systems do fail, true, they just fail way more rarely than humain beings.... That doesn't mean that an audible should replace situation awareness, simply that audible are an important safety device, like it or not.... Not for me. I wear hearing aids. Since they are digital they also muffle sound above certain decibles so as not to damage the hearing I have left. Since the audibles are so LOUD my hearing aids muffle any alarms and I do not hear them in freefall. I can hear them under canopy but that sort of defeats the purpose. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hellis 0 #48 September 30, 2010 What if you put a piece of earplug in the audibles soundhole? When i put my thumb on the hole and press the buttons it gets a softer tone. Perhaps by dampening the sound from it you can hear it? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
