I forgot to mention I'm new to forum and been away from boating for way to many a moon (make that decades)... Nice forum... nice folks...
In the interim I've lost most my hearing. Real problem if (God forbid) I need to contact CG, tow boat or do anything other than SNEAK thru a bridge. Solution to date is hiring a 'hearing-eye' ;-) person when I get the 'go a cruising urge'. Real bummer by the way.
While waiting on response to my inverter post, I thought I'd query group on that 'wee problem'.
My purchased a btooth device w/ my hearing aids (Rexton) that I can pair with iphone & audio goes directly to aids, adjust vol & freq. I can also connect to any audio out (rca or a y w/ rca to mini) with a ccard size transmitter (has 120v charge adapter) & finally I can connect with Y or mini, to plug directly to audio device. I assume that if I can pair w/ iphone, it could be paired w/ any btooth enabled device. Worse 'sticker shock' than for mfd's.
The problem is I thought boat electronics would all have audio output jacks and it wouldn't be a handicap. Finding that's not case (e.g. hand-held vhf) the West Marine VHF580 has sheath of 7 wires out back but no plug. I haven't looked up yet, but hope that is for wiring external speakers.
So, do any of u guys have to deal w/ hearing disability (translated: nearly deaf :-). If so, how have you handled the various buzzers, alarms, outputs, etc.
A funny aside... I was casually preparing one of my infrequent gourmet meals (normally it's canned and smeared on bread ;-) and heard all this commotion and a bunch of people running up the dock... Seems I'd disturbed happy hour and my smoke detector was going off... I didn't hear a thing and they were about 30-40 yards away (must be some loud). As they were pulling off their fire fighting gear ;-), one noted I was quietly enjoying my own happy hour and 'belonged to say' that if I wasn't on fire, perhaps I could turn off the damn alarm... funny, but not so funny...
I do have a trusty 4-legged first mate, who to date doesn't understand her 'hearing eye' role although her guard dog skills are still irritatingly there :-), especially since she thinks Pelicans, actually all sea birds, are intruders
Any thoughts would be appreciated