Changes to standards in the Building Code of Australia (BCA) are making public areas more accessible for the hearing impaired.
These changes, as well as standards that fall under the Disability Discrimination Act, require that any public building where people gather must be equipped with an assistive listening system.

There are three main types of systems; Induction Loop system, Infrared system and RF Transmission system.

What is an Induction Loop System?

Anyone who wears a hearing aid can benefit when they are in a building that uses an induction loop system.
These are often found in places such as conference centres, theatres, and other large, public buildings.
An induction loop system lets those who wear hearing aids hear signals that are emitted by audio sources without having to use any special receivers.

An induction loop system has a loop is an insulated wire that goes around the outer perimeter of the listening area, and with an amplifier that is connected to an audio source such as a microphone or sound system. The magnetic field within the loop lets the user move around and still pick up all audio signals.

The Benefits of Using an Induction Loop System

• Watching Television– You don’t have to turn the TV up so loud that it hurts everyone else’s ears, and you can still hear everything. This type of system only amplifies what you want amplified, so everything else isn’t too loud.
• Many Users– You only need one induction system and many users can take advantage of it. Anyone in the room who wears a hearing aid will benefit from this type of system.
• Portable Systems– You can also get a portable loop induction system that you can take anywhere. No matter where you are going, you can be sure that you will always hear everything.
• Hear Important Conversations– Using a portable loop induction system will allow you to hear personal conversations better, so the other person doesn’t have to yell while speaking to you.

What is Loop Overspill?
In any induction loop system, there is going to be a magnetic field that exceeds the main service area. This is known as loop overspill, and it can travel both horizontally and vertically. It can be audible as much as four loop widths away, and this can cause limitations to this type of technology. This can be corrected by having a low-overspill system that expands what a typical induction loop system can do. It can reduce the overspill, using special loop patterns to lower the overspill signal strength. This type of system has two induction loop amplifiers that work out of sync. This reduces overspill and allows you to use multiple induction loop systems in different rooms with limited signal interference.

In order to ensure that all visitors to a building are able to hear announcements and other important information, an assistive hearing system must be in place. An induction loop system works for anyone who has a hearing aid, ensuring that they will hear any and all information that is being conveyed.

For more information on AUDIOropa products, get in touch with our specialist sales team on 1800 00 77 80