Electronic hearing protection

[ronsatspokane]

Do the Walkers have the little flip out battery doors? If so, open them up when not in use. The Zinc-Air hearing aid batteries last a few weeks when unsealed (the plastic tab) and not in use, so breaking the electrical connection should help quite a bit (assuming the units don't have an on/off switch - the Etymotics don't.) Protecting the batteries from heat and humidity will also help with longevity.

Yes they do and yes, that is the problem. Kind of hard to put them back in the case with the doors open so I just pull them when I remember.

 

[BenPerfected]

Ben,

I'm still here!
You all know that I use Etymotic and OTTO hearing protection. And, I am prejudiced as I designed both the Etymotic and OTTO amplifier so I lean towards them.
First, the "experts" say you should double up on protection such as muffs over plugs. That is hard to argue with as most folks use muffs that are comfortable for shooting and these yield usually less than an NRR of 26 dB so added foam which when inserted correctly offer up to 38 dB (Not NRR, actual attenuation.) So, with the muff over them you are protected to almost the bone conduction limit of 40-50 dB. The two devices add, but you cannot get more than the bone conduction limit. Even if you use the small, light weight muffs that are comfortable to shoot with ( which in some cases drop down to 10-12 dB) the added 38 dB for properly inserted foamies still get you to the bone conduction limit.

Unfortunately, most of the "Experts" who deal with OSHA requirements are working with industrial noise which is a totally different type of noise. Gun shot noise is more of an impulse where industrial noise is similar to white noise in that it is broad band where impulse noise is way more energy in the low frequencies and the low frequency can actually cause your muff to lift off the ear and let noise in!

I do have many peer reviewed articles on protecting soldiers from explosive noises, ask me and I can send you a pdf file.

Personally, if I used muffs, I would get a pair with a compressor amplifier built in so conversational levels go right into the ear but higher level sound is attenuated till about 117 dB where it is limited. Then, I would use ER-20 or ETY PLUGS under them as they maintain good fidelity and still offer an additional 20 dB attenuation.
And Ben, I can be reached on PM.

 

[BenPerfected]

Hi Norm, it is good to see you back posting on AS Please let me know if any of my comments could use some of your polish.
Ben