Telephone Supplemental AUDIO Equipment

[Bigaldoc]

I have a potentially significant problem that I'm about to start Googling on but I thought I'd also ask here in The Lounge to see if anyone has any suggestions. This may be a USA-centric question, I just don't know. I am in serious need of a piece of equipment (addon I hope) that will make VERY LOUD ringing from my landline telephone! I'd even be willing to look at something that can plug into the telephone circuit and TURN ON a lamp, which would wake me.

Here's the background. For many years I've been totally deaf in one ear due to a damaged "ear drum" and a failed attempt at surgical reconstruction called a tympanoplasty. In recent years, my "good ear" has declined to the point that last July my ENT doctor recommended a hearing aid. I did that and it's been a wonderful improvement. I even bought a bluetooth device to pipe my mobile phone directly to my hearing aid and I love that "hands free" operation.

The problem comes at NIGHT when I take the hearing aid OUT at bedtime. I can no longer hear either my mobile or the landline cordless which is on my bedside nightstand. I put the mobile under my pillow but I still can't hear it if it rings because of the diminished hearing in that ear and the muffling impact of the pillow. With my good ear buried in the pillow, I can't hear the landline either.

Why is this a concern? Some of you know that my wife is in a nursing home and their "procedure" is to call the next of kin whenever there is a staff doctor "order" written, an emergency, or even a non-injury "event" of some kind. To my good fortune, every time in the past eight years when such a call has come, it's been during my waking time. Last night at about 10:30 pm my wife fell out of bed in a non-injuring manner. The on-duty nurse called me, first on the mobile and then on the landline and I failed to hear either call. When I arose this morning I found her messages. Dammit, I need to do something to fix this. I need something that will RING like a firehouse alarm so I can hear that damnable landline phone on my nightstand. Sorry for the length of the post.

[HansV]

Would it help if you set your mobile phone to vibrate in addition to ringing?

Perhaps something like Extra-Loud Telephone Ringer and Flasher would help with your landline phone.

[HansV]

Or this one: Amplified Ringer and Strobe. Up to 120 dB!

[Bigaldoc]

Thanks for both posts, Hans! Unfortunately, my Palm Treo 680 will either ring OR vibrate, but not both.

In both your other links is a product that I also found at Amazon since they're one of my favorite and trusted vendors. It's the Ameriphone SR200 for about that same price range. I think I'll give it a try since I don't know if a "strobe" light would be of any assistance in waking me up. Not a bad price and Amazon (for me) has a good "customer satisfaction" reputation.

Since it's a holiday here I won't be ordering anything until tomorrow, so I'll wait to see if anyone else has a suggestion.

Thanks again...

[DaveA]

You might wire up a "Ooga horn" to your ringer, that should get your attention!

http://www.thefind.com/instruments/info-ooga-horn" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Bigaldoc]

I'll pass on the "ooga horn" Dave. I like hearing it on the classic cars but I don't know about the middle of the night when I'm sleeping!

I ordered the Ameriphone thing I mentioned above and according to Amazon it'll be here this week. After I set it up and test it I guess I'll have to get my son to call me in the middle of the night to see how effective it is.

Can't stand the thought of missing a possible "emergency" call about my "Love!"