News from Frye Electronics

February 21, 2008

Demo Units Available at a Discount

Two or Three 7000s will be available in March at a 10% discount
No audiometers, FP40 and FP35 are available to sell at a discount.

February 7, 2008

Demo Units Available at a Discount

One FP35 available at a 10% discount SOLD
One FP40 at a 15% discount
No audiometers and no 7000s are available to sell at a discount.

Coming soon! WinCHAP V2.90: This update includes the following new features and changes.

The addition of the ANSI 03 test sequence.
Improvements to the user interface of the ANSI 87 and ANSI 96 test sequences including allowing the user to change ANSI settings from the WinCHAP interface.
Addition of an Auto Search feature for finding the COM port and baud rate used by connected FONIX equipment. This should simply the process of connecting and configuring your FONIX audiometer or analyzer for use with WinCHAP.
The addition of the JIS 2000 test sequence. This will affect only users who want to test to the Japanese standard.
WinCHAP NOAH Module installation improvements: It should now be easier to install and configure the WinCHAP NOAH Module.
WinCHAP NOAH Module XML Import: A bug in the NOAH XML file made it difficult to import it into WinCHAP. A workaround has been created to fix this problem.

FONIX 7000 v1.62

Frye Electronics is pleased to announce software version 1.62 for the 7000 Hearing Aid Test System. This is a small “bug fix” release that does not add any new features or change the user interface or RS232 protocol in any way.

In software version 1.62, the method for performing real-ear spectrum analysis measurements has been improved. Previously, noise reduction averaging was performed in the time domain before the FFT(Fast Fourier Transforms) was performed. Although this method is preferred for normal measurements using the built-in test signals, it is not desirable for spectrum analysis measurements using an external input signal. In the new release, noise reduction averaging in real-ear spectrum analysis measurements will now be performed in the frequency domain (after the FFT).

Coupler spectrum analysis was already using the frequency domain noise reduction averaging method, so this upgrade only affects real-ear spectrum analysis measurements.

No other changes were made to the 7000 software. We are currently working on v1.63, which will contain additional bug fixes. Please contact us at support@frye.com if you would like more details.

December 27, 2007

Demo Units Available at a Discount

One FP35 is available at a 10% discount
Two FP40s available at a 10% discount
No audiometers and no 7000s are available to sell at a discount.

September 19, 2007

More good things for the FONIX 7000 Hearing Aid Test System!

NEW - FONIX Troubleshooter provided free of charge with all new 7000 sales.
FONIX NOAH Module provided free with sales of new 7000s with Real Ear Option

The Troubleshooter computer program was originally developed for the Veterans Administration, Denver distribution center. They take care of a great many repairs for the VAs. The new program provides ANSI tests using pure tones, and a version of the Profiler program using the digital speech signal. This program makes it easy to test and keep track of the repairs. They have allowed us to sell it under a different name. All data is stored in NOAH. It can be used with the 7000 and with the FP35. Here is where to find more information: http://www.frye.com/library/catalogpdfs/troubleshooter.pdf

The FONIX NOAH module has gotten rave reviews from users. It has recently been updated even more. Here is the newest description of the FONIX NOAH module: http://www.frye.com/library/catalogpdfs/FNMbrochure.pdf

It is particularly useful when you are using Visible Speech to show people how their "significant other" s speech is amplified with the hearing aid.

The Integrated Probe Assembly is another improvement made this year.
http://www.frye.com/library/catalogpdfs/Integratedprobe.pdf

We are also sending a free Open Fit Coupler with all 7000 orders.

Frye Electronics wants to make sure that the 7000 is the new standard for Hearing Aid Testing and fitting.

The FA-10 Audiometer has been approved by the Veteran's Administration for use with their Quasar program. So all the data from tests done on the FA-10 can be put into their huge data base program. We just found this out today. So VAs can use our audiometers.

September 10, 2007

1. More Improvements for the FONIX 7000

We are pleased to announce the release of version 1.61 on the 7000 Hearing Aid Test System. Here are a list of the most important changes and updates:

The Speech Intelligibility Index was added to the Visible Speech screen. This feature calculates the SII of the measured Visible Speech envelopes as well as the targets. These calculations are performed according to the ANSI SII standard.
The Max/Min areas in the Visible Speech screen can now be disabled.
Visible Speech curves can now be smoothed like other real-ear measurements.
In the Audiogram Entry screen, HTL values can now be copied to the Bone column.
In the Coupler Multicurve screen, Factory defaults have been added to the list of “groups” that can be loaded for the Frye Auto Test.

All of these updates were added as the result of direct customer input. We work hard to adapt our equipment to meet the needs of our customers. If you have any suggestions, please let us know about them!

If you would like to receive this software update for your analyzer, please email us at sales@frye.com. Make sure to include your serial number and an email address that the upgrade can be sent. All email upgrade orders for the 7000 will be available at no charge. If you would prefer to receive the upgrade via CD format, the charge will be $25 plus shipping. This nominal charge helps to cover our expenses for processing the upgrade orders.

July 18, 2007

1. Improvements for the FONIX 7000

It is hard to believe how fast time flies. We introduced the 7000 in October of 2003, so it has been on the market for close to four years. We have been providing free software upgrades for all instruments for the options that were purchased for them. Last year we added the NAL NL1 fitting formula and this year the Visible Speech screen. The Visible Speech program uses live speech and can be useful in showing how the speech of someone who is really important to the client is heard with the new hearing aid. It could help to close the sale.

The current version of software is 1.60, introduced in February of this year, and it provides the IEC 2005 automated test sequence and improved Opening, Setup, and calibration screens. A description of the changes is found below. The 7000 is an incredibly flexible instrument in both the chamber and the real ear measurements. It has more features than any competing product.

When the Real Ear Option is ordered, it now includes the new M707 FONIX Integrated Probe Microphone Assembly. It is smaller, lighter and more adjustable than our previous probe microphone assembly. A description of the assembly is also found below.

If you already have a 7000, and you are interested in getting the new M707 microphone assembly, I will provide you with a 10% discount if you order before the end of August. Then an additional $150 discount will be added if you trade-in your existing probe microphone assembly. The M707 list price is $1000.

The next version of software for the 7000 will include the Speech Intelligibility Index in the real ear programming. It will be version 1.61 and it should be ready before long.
It too will be provided free of charge for those who have purchased 7000s.

Open Fit hearing aids have become very popular. The 7000 makes it very easy to verify the fitting and check the functionality of these hearing aids. To perform real-ear measurements, just disable the reference microphone. The procedure for performing real-ear on open fit hearing aids is the same as with more conventional aids.

The Open Fit Coupler is now provided as a free accessory with all 7000 purchases. This coupler is used to obtain a realistic frequency response of an open fit hearing aid. It can also be purchased as an accessory for all
other FONIX hearing aid analyzers. Specific instructions can be found on our web site. http://www.frye.com/library/acrobat/realearopen.pdf

2. New Products

FONIX Troubleshooter - a NOAH 3 module

This program does individual ANSI measurements and stores them in NOAH 3. In addition, other test windows allow a variety of signals to be used, all stored in NOAH. It was originally developed for the use of the Veteran's Administration Denver Distribution Center for tracking hearing aid repairs. We think it would be quite useful for others as well, especially when a hearing aid is being sent in for repair. All the measurements in Troubleshooter are coupler measurements. The cost of this program is $400. It also is described below.

Demonstration Ear on Adjustable Table Top Stand

We have been asked for this product for some time and we now have it. You can easily demonstrate how to perform real-ear measurements. Find a picture and a description in another PDF file found below. The cost is $350.

3. Computer Connections for FONIX Products

Our FONIX units are stand-alone analyzers and and audiometers, but they can also be easily used with a computer. So you can have it both ways. The 7000 and the FP35 always have computer connections. They can be ordered for the other current units, the FA-10, FA-12 and the FP40, and for the discontinued 6500-CX. In addition to the new Troubleshooter, we have the FONIX NOAH modules, Press and Go, and WinCHAP, a great data base program that is independent of NOAH. Some analyzers and audiometers must be upgraded to provide the computer connections. So we will need the serial number of your unit to tell you if anything needs to be done to use the FONIX computer programs with them. The cost of the FONIX NOAH module is $400 for analyzers. WinCHAP is $600. Details are found on our web site. Or you can ask me.

4. New FP35 Software Version 3.8 just introduced.

A new software version for the FP35 hearing aid analyzer has been released. The improvements include a new method for measuring live speech signals. In the Real-ear SPL test screen, the live speech signal can be compared to the patient's threshold values, real-ear target, and UCL values. In addition to the real-time measurement, the FP35 now has the ability to add a long term average response. This average curve is calculated using a pulse decay method that is sensitive to the transitive characteristics of speech.

The older Visible Speech bars method that keeps track of the minimum and maximum response over the time of the test is also still available.

See the included PDF for more information. The upgrade price starts at $125. We need your serial number to provide a quotation. See details on Visible Speech below.

5. Free Instructional CDs, DVDs and booklets are available.

Look on our web site http://www.frye.com/library/freematerial.html for all the many materials that we will send you free of charge.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I only send this Newsletter a few times a times a year, but if you want to be removed, it will be done.

Sallie Frye
Marketing Manger
Frye Electronics, Inc.
503 620-2722
sfrye@frye.com

March 20, 2007

1. AAA meeting coming up
Every year I get to see many of you at the American Audiology Associate convention. I hope it will be true this year as well. Our booth is 1402.

We will be having training sessions on our products. This year we have a total of 4 hours for instructional purposes. Here is the schedule for our non-credit classes.

Room 212
    Thursday 9:00 AM—FP35 instruction
    Thursday 10:00 AM—7000 instruction
    Friday 10:00 AM—HearLab
    Friday 10:40 AM—Decos Audiometer Program (We will represent them n the U.S.)
    Friday 11:25 AM—FONIX NOAH Module

I will try to come up with some lunch for everyone on Friday. I am hoping that there are some tables and chairs near the room.

Credit Class on Saturday 2 pm - 4 pm - Real Ear and Electroacoustic Measurement of Open Ear Devices. Class LM529 - presented by Rupa Balachandran using FP35s.
Check for the location in the Denver Convention Center.

2. NAL HearLab

You may have wondered what HearLab is that we are going to talk about on Friday at 10 am. This is a very exciting project. Frye Electronics has been chosen by the National Acoustics Lab in Australia to manufacture and sell HearLab throughout the world. The first program that they will provide to us measures sounds reaching the Cortical part of the brain. The scientific terminology that NAL uses is Aided Cortical Auditory Evoked Potentials for Hearing Instrument Evaluation in Infants. And when the hearing aid or cochlear device is put on the child, the Cortical measurements will provide good information on what the hearing aid or cochlear implant is actually providing. Speech sounds are used and the hearing aid will handle them realistically. Children are not sedated for this measurement. They are held in their mother's arms and kept busy with toys while the testing is done. We think the testing will take be complete in a half hour or so.

We hope to have a prototype of this instrument to show you on Friday at Audiology Now in our meeting room, #212. We cannot have it in our booth because we are not yet ready to go to the FDA to get the approvals. We need more documentation. But we hope you will be interested in seeing the power point that George Frye has made and the DVD from Australia.   George made this presentation at the American Auditory Society and people were very interested. We hope to get some researchers to get the first units we build and get them to do research and publish their results. If you have any interest in this instrument, regardless of what country you are in, come talk to me about it. If you are not going to AAA, I am still happy to have an e-mail or phone discussion with you.

3. Decos Audiology Work Station - something else new to us

We are going to represent Decos, the Netherlands company that has developed a high end computer based audiometer, in the U.S. Decos is working on incorporating our FP35 and 7000 into their system. Many hospitals and other organizations are eager to have a paperless office. They already have it for their audiometer information. Soon they will be able to incorporate information from our instruments into the computer programs used by hospitals in the U.S. and in Europe.

We still have our own audiometers, the FA-10 and FA-12. They are great, easy to use reliable instruments, but are not in the same category as Decos and they have a different market. If you are interested in the Decos product, and you are outside the U.S., you could talk to Ramon, the Decos marketing person, about getting it into your country

4. 7000 News
It has taken longer than we hoped to release the 7000 1.6 software, but we have been promised that it will be released this week. The most important feature for those who use the IEC test sequences is that we will have the IEC 6-0118-7-2005 test sequence for the 7000. We will be providing this free of charge for those who have serial # 386 and above and have purchased the IEC test sequence. Once we release 1.6, we will sell the IEC test sequence the way we sell the ANSI test sequences. Both the older and the new test sequence will be included with the order.   The price will be the same as the price we charge for the ANSI test sequences, $11,545 list. You still have time to order a 7000 and get the '05 free of charge. Just tell me you are interested and I will give you the quote at the lower cost and ship it when you give me the purchase order.

Those who have a 7000 serial numbers lower than #386 will be charged $500 to add the new test sequence. All 7000 users will get 1.6, which has several improvements, free of charge. The only difference will be on the charge for the new IEC test sequence for older units. We will have a flyer describing the improvements found in 1.6 very shortly.

Other improvements we have made to the 7000 in the past year are really great. Please come to our booth so we can show you how much we have listened to our customers and responded to their needs. It is a flexible, easy to use instrumentn that gives you important information not provided by other systems.

5. New Probe Microphone Assembly
We have been working on a new product that makes it easier to do real ear measurements. It includes an adjustable integrated ear hook. We expect to start shipping it with all 7000 units ordered with the Probe Option in about a month. We have developed it with the help of experts in hearing aid fitting.

We will continue to support the existing M400 probe and reference microphone, of course. If someone wants to purchase the new microphone assembly for an existing 7000, the list price is $1000, the same as the current microphone. It can be easily calibrated to existing 7000s. (See it now)

6. Loaner Units Available
One 7000 - 10% discount - first come, first served. (Interest has been expressed already, but since we have not yet received the order, we can still sell it to you.)

Three FP35s 10% discount

Two FP40s 10% discount

7. New 4 Color Brochures Now Available

We now have a new FP35 color brochure and a new 7000 color brochure. Both are on our web site now. If you have pre-registered for the AAA convention, you will get a mailing from us with both brochures.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. If you wished to be removed from this e-mail Newsletter list, please let me know.

Kind Regards,
Sallie Frye
Marketing Manager
Frye Electronics, Inc
sfrye@frye.com
503 620-2722

January 25, 2007

Happy New Year to All!!

1. New Price List
We have been looking at our costs and we have to increase some prices on some accessories and some parts. The instruments will remain at the same price. Not all accessories have gone up. The new price list was released January 15, 2007.

2. New software release, version 1.30, for the FONIX NOAH Module

Major Features added to the FONIX Audiometry Module

The speech audiogram screen is new and can be printed separately.
One page print-out for both ears and the speech audiogram.
Calculation of APT (average pure tone) added.
The listen mode can record only patient responses if desired.
User can bring up a whole new session without retrieving the latest audiometric information.

Features added to the FONIX NOAH Hearing Aid Module

Linear target curve added—requested by users.
All audiogram screens can be sent to the FP35 and the 7000, including bone conduction.
A number of changes related to specific FONIX analyzers have been made. Most of these features have been requested by users.

The new cost will be $400 for one module and $600 for both when ordered for 1-2 computers. Those who have purchased the FONIX NOAH module from June 1st of 2006 to the present will get the upgrade free of charge upon request. For others, the upgrade price will be $100.

Here is our online brochure of the version 1.30 FONIX NOAH Module. You can try it out by downloading a demo copy, and then contact us if you wish to buy it.

3. 7000 Hearing Aid Test System
Software version 1.6 is expected to be released in February.

It will include the new IEC test sequence, IEC ‘05, as well as a number of improvements to make it easier to customize their 7000. If you order a 7000 now, with any package including IEC, we will give you the new IEC free of charge when it is released. We will also provide it free of charge for those who have purchased a 7000 since June of ‘06 with an IEC test sequence included. Once we have released 1.6, we will make an additional charge of $500 to have both IEC test sequences if the order is not received previously. You do not have to order them both, of course. The additional charge for the second IEC test sequence is $500.

We have not scheduled any programming work to add the IEC ‘05 to our FP35. Tell me if you think it is something that you want. The IEC ‘05 is similar to the ANSI ‘03 test sequence. We will not make the new IEC test sequence available on the 6500-CX.

4. Demo units available.
Three demo 7000s will be available in February at a 10% discount. They will be a year old then. Two FP35s are now a year old and ready to sell. No demo audiometers and no FP40s or FP40-Ds are currently available. I will let you know when they are old enough to sell at a discount. We will set the 7000s up any way you wish it to be. The FP35 must be ordered with the composite signal to get the discount.

5. Don’t forget we have the FP35 in Spanish now.
If you have a FP35 that you want to be in Spanish, the cost is $300 for the upgrade.

We also have the audiometer brochure in Spanish.

7. Our web site www.frye.com.
Tell me what you think of our web site and if you have suggestions on how we could improve it.

8. Rebuilt 6500s
A few units are available at a cost of $7000. We will set them up anyway you wish. They will have the latest boards and softwre. But think about getting a 7000 instead.

9. Thoughts on business
I am currently reading a biography by Gert Boyle, who is still chairman of the board at a large Portland company named Columbia Sportswear, even though she is more than 80 years old. Among other things, it is a great story about how she and her young son were able to save and run their company when her husband died in his 40s. Some of you have seen the ads about “One Tough Mother.” Her philosophy reminds me of how Frye Electronics is run. Among the important things she talks about are: listen to your customers, respect your employees, and always tell the truth.

Sallie Frye
Marketing Manager
Frye Electronics, Inc.
sfrye@frye.com
503 620-2722