DASY8 Module HAC2019 (ANSI C63.19-2019)

SPEAG has released DASY8 Module HAC2019. The new module provides a guided workflow that demonstrates the compliance of any wireless device with the latest Hearing Aid Compatibility standard ANSI C63.19-2019 and the latest Federal Communication Commission requirements. Module HAC2019 is also available for DASY6.

Demonstrating Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) is important for warranting the electromagnetic and operational compatibility of hearing aids and wireless devices. In February 2021, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) announced the adoption of the 2019 edition of ANSI C63.19, the “American National Standard Methods of Measurement Compatibility Between Wireless Communications Devices and Hearing Aids,” which became effective June 4, 2021. The FCC is giving manufacturers a two-year transition period (i.e., until June 4, 2023) to adopt the requirements of the updated ANSI C63.19-2011 standard. It has also extended the volume control deadline to match this transition period. Beginning June 5, 2023, only test reports that comply with ANSI C63.2019 will be accepted.

Following SPEAG’s tradition of staying ahead of requirements, we started early with the development of Module HAC2019 for DASY8/6 users. This is a completely new software solution based on SPEAG’s latest graphical user interface technology that guides users through the compliance workflow by using specific Jupyter Notebooks. The DASY8/6 system is interfaced via a dedicated application programming interface.

During development, we have been meticulous in ensuring that we reuse as much as possible of the previous HAC hardware in order to save resources and costs for our customers. The only element that has been replaced is the audio interference analyzer (AIA), which has been superseded by the modulation and audio interference analyzer (MAIA) to evaluate the modulation interference factor (MIF).

DASY8/6 Module HAC2019 consists of four Jupyter Notebooks that represent the different steps of the compliance workflow:

• MIF measurements with MAIA
• Simplified verification of the radiofrequency (RF) test setup using RF emission calibration dipoles
• Evaluation of the wireless device RF interference potential by determining the RF audio interference level (RFail)
• Measurement of the baseband (audio frequency) magnetic T-Coil (Tele-Coil) signal from a wireless device.

The workflow can easily be implemented, as shown in this video:

MIF Measurements with MAIA

The MAIA allows verification of the MIF values used to calculate the RFail. The MAIA can be operated over the air interface using the built-in ultra-broadband planar log spiral antenna (supported frequency range: 698–6000 MHz) or in conducted mode using the coaxial SMA 50 Ω connector (supported frequency range: 300–6000 MHz).

Figure 1: MIF Measurement of a 5G new radio frequency range 1 frequency division duplex signal

RF Test Setup Verification

A dedicated Notebook has been developed for verifying the RF interference measurement setup. The user can select and optimize the measurement configuration in a list of predefined templates. Peak values are automatically detected for easy comparison with the measurement targets.

Figure 2: Interpolated E-field Distribution of a CD2450V3 Dipole

RF Audio Interface Level Determination

In Module HAC2019, the RFail is assessed using the (preferred) indirect test procedure described in ANSI C63.19-2019. A 50x50 mm region centered on the speaker location is scanned and the root mean square (RMS) electric field values are recorded at each point. Once the scan is completed, the RFail is obtained by adding the MIF value to the average steady RMS field strength averaged over the measurement area.

Figure 3: Interpolated E-field distribution of a wireless device after MIF scaling

Baseband Magnetic T-Coil Signal

The Jupyter Notebook developed for baseband magnetic T-Coil testing guides the users through the measurement steps described in the ANSI C63.19-2019:

• Validation of the measurement equipment using a telephone magnetic field simulator (TMFS) or a Helmholtz coil
• Determination of the wireless device drive levels for each audio signal
• Measurement of the desired magnetic field with a voice-like signal (desired audio band magnetic (ABM) signal)
• Measurement of the frequency response at the maximum location of the desired ABM signal
• Measurement of the undesired broadband audio magnetic signal (undesired ABM signal)

The T-Coil coupling qualifying strengths, including determination of the primary and secondary groups, as well the magnetic field frequency response are computed by the post-processor and are available for visualization and reporting.

Figure 4: Evaluation of Primary and Secondary Groups according to ANSI C63.19-2019

The software installer will be available on November 15th.

For further information, please contact us at info@speag.swiss or any of our sales channels.