Widex SCOLAbuddy User manual

User instrUctions
SCOLAbuddy

23
Contents
INTRODUCTION ........................................
PACKAGECONTENTS ...................................
THESCOLASYSTEM ....................................
SCOLAbuddyRECEIVER .............................
OVERVIEWOFBUTTONSLEDSANDJACKS . . . . . . . . . . . 
GETTINGSCOLAbuddyREADYTOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
CHARGINGTHEDEVICEFORTHEFIRSTTIME . . . . . . . . . . . . .
BATTERYLEDANDACOUSTICINDICATORS . . . . . . . . . . . 
OPERATION ............................................
RECEIVINGONTHETRANSMITTERCHANNEL . . . . . . . . . 
CONNECTINGTOTHEFMTRANSMITTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
ACOUSTICINDICATORS .................................
RANGEOFTHEFMSIGNAL ..............................
CUSTOMISINGYOURSCOLAbuddy .......................17
CHANGINGTHECOLOUR ............................
APPLYINGSTICKERS ................................
SPECIALCONFIGURATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
EXTENDEDUSEADDITIONALINFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . .
RECHARGEABLEBATTERY ...........................
CONNECTINGDEVICESTOTHEAUDIOINPUT . . . . . . . . . 
CHANNELSYNCHRONISATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
CONNECTINGHEADPHONESTOTHEAUDIOOUTPUT
(SPECIALSETTING) .................................
TIPSFORUSINGTHESCOLAFMSYSTEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
GETTINGSTARTED .................................
MAINTENANCEANDWARNINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IFTHESCOLAFMSYSTEMDOESNOTWORK . . . . . . . . . . . . .
GUARANTEE ...........................................
REGULATORYINFORMATION ............................
SETTINGS .......................................... 
IntroduCtIon
Our mission at Widex is to give people with hearing
loss the same opportunities for communication as
people with normal hearing. A Widex hearing aid
combined with the SCOLA™ FM system helps opti-
mise listening comfort and speech comprehension.
SCOLA provides hearing aid users with additional
opportunities in difficult listening situations.
This FM system has been specifically developed for
children and educational environments, and these
instructions therefore primarily address parents
and teachers.
This booklet contains important information and in-
structions. Please read this booklet carefully before
you start using the FM system.
IMPORTANT
The FM system and accessories shown in these
user instructions may differ from the ones you
have. We also reserve the right to make any chang-
es considered necessary.

45
paCkage Contents
TheSCOLAbuddy
inclasetofcovers
Box
Charger
Box
Audiocable
USBcable


Box
setsofextra
covers
Userinstructions

67
the sCoLa system
Using this FM system requires a SCOLAbuddy re-
ceiver and a SCOLA transmitter, which can either
be a SCOLAtalk or a SCOLAteach. The SCOLAbuddy
receiver and the transmitter must be set to the
same channel to work correctly.
SCOLAbuddy RECEIVER
In SCOLAbuddy’s standard mode, hearing aids with
telecoils are required, such as BTE or ITE models,
bone-anchored hearing aids or cochlear products.
The hearing aid programme must be set to either
the MT or the T programme.
IMPORTANT
Hearing aids without a telecoil will NOT work with
SCOLAbuddy.
SCOLAbuddy can also receive FM signals from other
FM transmitters, as long as the same channel/fre-
quency is used for transmitting and receiving.
SCOLAbuddy may be connected to devices such
as MP3 players using the audio cable.
If SCOLAbuddy is configured to the headphone
mode, headphones should be used rather than
hearing aids.
OVERVIEW OF BUTTONS, LEDS AND JACKS
Inductive neck loop
Battery LED
FM LED
On/o and scan button
Volume up
Volume down
Audio jack
3.5mm
Charging jack,
mini USB
Removable
colour covers,
front and rear
Loop connector

89
GETTING SCOLAbuddy READY TO USE:
Set your hearing aid(s) to MT or T (according to the
user’s instructions for your hearing aid).
The SCOLAbuddy device
must be worn around the
neck.
Pull it over your head or
open the neck loop at the
connector. The plug opens
easily to prevent any kind
of injury.
Switch on (and off):
Press and hold (1 sec.) the
power ON/OFF button. The
battery LED will glow green if
the battery has been suffi-
ciently charged.
To switch OFF, press and hold
the power ON/OFF button
(1sec.). The battery LED will
turn off.

10 11
Check the loop connection
Increase or decrease the vol-
ume using the volume but-
tons, and listen as the beeps
in the hearing aid grow loud-
er or quieter.
ChargIng the devICe for the
fIrst tIme
Connect the charger to
the mains supply.
Plug the charger’s plug
into the charging jack.
The battery LED glows
constant red.
Alternatively, the USB
cable may be used to
connect the device to a
PC.
Wait until the battery
LED begins to flash
green.
Remove the charger from the mains supply, and
take out the charger plug.
After charging, SCOLAbuddy is switched off.
Charging for the first time takes about 10 hours.
Rechargings take about 4 hours.

12 13
BATTERY LED AND ACOUSTIC INDICATORS
BatteryOK Constantgreen
Batteryalmostempty-
needsrecharging
Redflashing
Warningbeeps(high-low)
everyminutes
Charging Constantred
Chargingcompleted Greenflashing
operatIon
RECEIVING ON THE TRANSMITTER CHANNEL
SCOLAbuddy should be
placed around the neck
and the hearing instru-
ments set to the MT or the
T programme.
CONNECTING TO THE FM TRANSMITTER
Switch on SCOLAbuddy.
Both LEDs flash briefly,
indicating that its self-test
result is OK. A green light
in the LED indicates the
power is on.

14 15
Switch on the FM transmitter
(SCOLAtalk or SCOLAteach).
If the FM LED is off, press the
SCAN button (same as the
ON/OFF button) and the de-
vice will find the transmitting
channel.
When SCOLAbuddy is receiv-
ing the FM signal, the FM LED
will be green.
When speaking into the FM transmitter’s micro-
phone, the speech must be audible in the hearing
aid.
Press the ▼ or ▲ button to
adjust the volume up or down
to an appropriate reception
volume.
Alternatively, hold the button
down for rapid adjustment.
The device will remember the
setting after switch-off.
aCoustIC IndICators
After switching on, a start-up jingle will indicate
connection to the hearing aid.
Adjusting the volume up or down:
• High or low-pitched beeps are heard during vol-
ume adjustment.
• At maximum or minimum volume setting, the
beep tone will be constant.
Channel scanning:
During channel scanning, brief “scanning beeps” in-
dicate that the channel scan is in progress.
• A double beep indicates that a transmitting
channel has been found.
• A long beep indicates that no transmitting chan-
nel can be detected.

16 17
range of the fm sIgnaL
The distance between the transmitter and the
SCOLAbuddy receiver can be up to 15 metres, de-
pending on various factors, such as whether the de-
vice is being used indoors or outdoors. If the signal
gets too weak or noisy, the FM LED will switch off.
NB: Due to the nature of the FM signal, drop-outs
may occur in the FM signal at certain spots within
its range. Try to avoid being located in these “dead”
spots.
CustomIsIng your sCoLabuddy
CHANGING THE COLOUR
SCOLAbuddy is supplied
with covers in black,
white and blue. There is
a front and a rear cover
in each colour. You can
change these covers in-
dividually, but remember
to choose the cover with
the LED symbols for the
side of the SCOLAbuddy
unit where the LEDs are
placed.
To remove a cover:
Lift off the cover from
the top, using the nail
grip in the middle.

18 19
Lift out the cover from
the two holes in the bot-
tom.
To attach a cover:
First, attach the cover at
the bottom, locating the
two locks in the holes in
the unit.
Next, click and fasten
the cover at the top.
APPLYING STICKERS
You can also personalise your SCOLAbuddy by
placing small stickers on the covers.
This is very popular among children, in particular,
but remember not to place the stickers over the
LEDs.
When removing the stickers, first remove the covers
from the SCOLAbuddy unit, then clean the covers
with warm water. (Alcohol must NOT be used).
SPECIAL CONFIGURATIONS
The SCOLAbuddy device is very flexible and can be
configured in many different ways. Channels can be
installed/removed, various frequencies for beep
tones are available, and the LEDs can be perma-
nently switched off.
All of the special settings can be configured by your
SCOLA provider.

20 21
extended use / addItIonaL
InformatIon
RECHARGEABLE BATTERY
Fully charged, the battery will last for about ten
hours.
To charge the battery, use the charger included or
connect the USB cable to a PC to use the PC as the
charging supply.
When the battery is fully charged (the battery LED
flashes green), it will NOT harm the battery if the
charger remains connected.
When the FM transmitter is switched off or out of
range (the FM LED turns off), SCOLAbuddy will
switch to its “sleep mode” to save battery power.
As soon as the FM signal is received again, it will
“wake up”.
NB: The built-in battery is not replaceable. In case
of battery malfunction, contact your SCOLA pro-
vider.
CONNECTING DEVICES TO THE AUDIO INPUT
You can listen to mobile audio devices such as MP3
players, mobile phones, etc., by connecting these to
the audio input.
Connect the audio cable
to the 3.5 mm jack sock-
et in the SCOLAbuddy
unit. The FM reception
will be interrupted.
Connect the other jack
of the audio cable to the
audio unit.
Adjust the volume on the SCOLAbuddy to an ap-
propriate level.
The setting will be remembered by the
SCOLAbuddy device after switch-off.
The volume setting is specific for the audio input,
and will not affect the volume setting of the FM sig-
nal.

22 23
Using SCOLAclassmate
Using SCOLAclassmate,
the classroom synchronis-
er, it is possible to re-
motely and automatically
synchronise the
SCOLAbuddy’s receiving
channel to the channel
used in the classroom.
For further information, please see the user’s in-
structions for SCOLAclassmate.
A beep indicates successful channel synchronisa-
tion.
CHANNEL SYNCHRONISATION
Using SCOLAteach
With the SCOLAteach trans-
mitter, it is possible to manu-
ally, but remotely, synchro-
nise the SCOLAbuddy’s
receiving channel with the
transmitting channel.
Synchronise the channels as
described in the user’s
instructions for SCOLAteach.
Even if the receiving channel is not within the stand-
ard channel range for the SCOLAbuddy unit, it will
still be possible to set it to any channel used by the
SCOLAteach device.
SCOLAbuddy can be configured either to start up
on the channel last used, or on a specific channel.
The default setting is the “last used” channel.

24 25
CONNECTING HEADPHONES TO THE AUDIO
OUTPUT (SPECIAL SETTING)
NB: The following setting is only possible
when SCOLAbuddy is configured using a SCOLA-
programmer at your SCOLA provider.
SCOLAbuddy can be supplied with the 3.5 mm jack
socket configured as an output, for use with stand-
ard headphones. In this case, when the headphones
are connected, the FM signal will be routed to the
audio output instead of to the telecoil.
Without headphones connected, the tele-loop
function will be active.
Connect the headphones to the 3.5 mm jack socket
in the SCOLAbuddy unit.
With the FM transmitter switched on and receiving
on the correct channel, listen to the FM signal in the
headphones.
Adjust the volume on the SCOLAbuddy to an ap-
propriate level.
The setting will be remembered by the
SCOLAbuddy device after switch-off.
The volume setting is specific for the headphone
output, and will not affect other settings.
tIps for usIng the sCoLa fm
system
GETTING STARTED
SCOLAbuddy is primarily intended for use in edu-
cational institutions, but can naturally also be used
in other locations where noise, poor acoustics or
other factors restrict speech comprehension.
To get the best out of the SCOLA system, it is im-
portant to do the following:
1. Practise using FM, and try out various listening
situations in secure surroundings. This obviously
also applies to the parents and teachers of a
hearing impaired child.
2. Inform others that you are using an FM system
for your hearing aids, so that they understand
why they may have to speak into a microphone.
Talk to the teacher or lecturer in advance; tell him
or her that you are a hearing aid user and explain
the way that SCOLA works. Check that the set-
tings and the use of accessories with both
SCOLAbuddy and SCOLAteach/SCOLAtalk are
correct.
In the following, we have compiled a list of various
listening situations and recommended settings for
the FM system and hearing aids:

26 27
Listening
situation
Useof
SCOLAbuddyand
transmitters
Possiblesettingsfor
thehearingaid’s
telecoilprogrammes
Kinder-
garten
Asktheteacherto
usetheSCOLA
transmitterandto
placethemicro-
phoneasdescribed
intheinstructions
Foryoungerchildrenwe
mainlyrecommendthat
thehearingaidissetto
microphoneandtelecoil
(MT)sothatthechild
canhearbothhisorher
ownspeechandthatof
others
Teaching Ingroupwork
situationsorwhere
thereareseveral
teacherswe
recommendtheuse
ofSCOLAteachwith
theTeamTeach
function
Lectures Checkthatthere
isnointerference
fromanyotherFM
systemsonthe
channeltowhichthe
systemissetFind
andsetboth
transmitterand
receivertoanoise-
freechannel
Explaintothe
speakerhowthe
SCOLAtransmitter
worksAskthe
speakertoplacethe
microphoneasclose
aspossibletohisor
hermouth
Ifthereisalotofnoisein
theroomandyouonly
wanttoheartheteacher
orspeakeritcanbe
beneficialtosetthe
telecoilprogrammeto
telecoilalone(T)
Ifthereislessnoiseand
youalsowanttohear
whatisbeingsaidaround
youselecttheMT
programme
Listening
situation
Useof
SCOLAbuddyand
transmitters
Possiblesettingsfor
thehearingaid’s
telecoilprogrammes
Athome TheSCOLAtransmittercanbeconnectedtothe
TVPCetcusingtheaudiocableYoucanalso
speakintothemicrophoneatthesametime
thespeechistransmittedtogetherwiththe
music
IfyouhavetheTeamTeachversionof
SCOLAteachandanadditionalFMmicrophone
suchasaSCOLAtalkbothparentscan
communicatewiththechildviaFM
Inthecar TheSCOLAsystem
isparticularly
effectiveinthecar
Howeversomecars’
electricalsystems
caninterferewith
thehearingaid’s
telecoilreception
Ifasapassenger
youwishtolistento
somemusicfrom
forexampleanMP
playeritcanbe
usedinthesame
mannerasdescribed
above(under“At
home”)
Ifitisonlynecessaryfor
thechildtohearthe
parentselectthehearing
aid’sTprogramme

28 29
maIntenanCe and warnIngs
In relation to maintenance, the same advice applies
to the SCOLA FM system as to hearing aids. It is a
good idea to clean the system every day and re-
move dirt and dust from the whole FM system. In
addition, there are some special precautions:
1. Remove any dirt from the SCOLAbuddy using a
soft, dry cloth.
2. Do not take apart the SCOLAbuddy or the hear-
ing aid, as this will invalidate the guarantee.
3. Never clean the FM system with water, alcohol
or the like (with the exception of the SCOLAbuddy
front and rear covers).
4. Avoid knots in leads and cables.
5. Avoid exposing the SCOLA system to cosmetics,
hairsprays, water, detergents or other chemi-
cals.
6. Always ensure that the batteries for the hearing
aids and SCOLAteach or SCOLAtalk are out of
reach of small children, who might put them in
their mouths. Do not change the batteries in
front of children, and do not let them see where
you store your batteries.
7. All batteries must be disposed of in accordance
with the relevant environmental rules.
8. If the SCOLA FM system is used in conjunction
with any equipment which is connected to an
electrical outlet, the safety regulations for this
equipment, as set out in the IEC 60065 stand-
ard, must be followed.
9. Avoid setting several FM transmitters to the
same channel/frequency in the same area.
10. Be aware that what is transmitted from SCOLA
transmitters may be picked up by other FM
equipment.
11. Note that there is a risk of interference from oth-
er radio services, especially if the system is used
abroad.
12. When travelling abroad, be aware that the use
of certain channels may be illegal in some coun-
tries.
13. Do not switch on the SCOLA transmitter in hos-
pitals, aircraft, etc., where it may interfere with
other electronic equipment.

30 31
If the sCoLa fm system does
not work
On the following pages are some tips on what to do
if the SCOLA system fails to work as it should.
Check the following before contacting your SCOLA
system provider:
IfthereisnosoundfromSCOLAbuddyortheaudio
equipmentorifthesoundisdistorteditmaybebecause
ThehearingaidSCOLAbuddyorSCOLAtransmitterisnot
receivingenoughelectricalpowerCheckthatboththe
transmitterandreceiverareturnedonwithpowerfromall
batteriesRechargeifnecessarythebatteriesforthe
SCOLAtransmitterorSCOLAbuddyandreplacethehearing
aidbatteries
SCOLAteachandSCOLAbuddyarenotsettothesame
channelCheckthattheSCOLAbuddy’sFMLEDisonand
thatthereisanFMsignaltoitfromthecorrecttransmitter
(egturnoffthetransmitterandcheckthattheLEDgoes
off)Ifnotselectanotherchannel
TheplugontheSCOLAbuddyneckloopisnotproperly
connectedCleantheplugwithasoftclothandcheckthat
thebeeptonessoundcorrectlywhenthevolumecontrolis
adjustedupordown
TheearmouldorthetubeisblockedCheckthatthetube
andearmouldaresecurelyconnectedandseewhether
waxmoistureorotherdebrisisblockingtheearmouldor
tube
Ifthereisnoiseinthehearingaiditmaybebecause
Youareoutsidetherangeofthetransmitteroratits
peripheryReducethedistancebetweenthetransmitterand
theSCOLAbuddy
Thehearingaidissettothetelecoilprogramme(Tposition)
andtheFMmicrophonesignalorthesignalfromtheaudio
equipmentisweakorinterruptedSetthehearingaidtothe
MTprogrammeCheckthattheSCOLAtransmitteris
switchedonplaceitclosertothepersonspeakingorturn
uptheaudiosignal
Reception is impaired or blocked by noise or whistling,
possibly because two or more FM transmitters are
transmitting on the same channel on which you are
receiving (interference). Try turning off the SCOLA
transmitter. If you can then hear a second FM signal, this is
what is causing the noise. There are three possible ways to
prevent interference:
 OnlyhaveoneFMtransmitterturnedon
 Switchtoavacantchannelandsetsynchroniseboththe
SCOLAtransmitterandtheSCOLAbuddytothischannel
 IncreasethedistancetotheinterferingFMtransmitterso
thattherangebecomessogreatthatthetransmitted
signalsdonotinterferewithoneanother

32 33
IftheSCOLAbuddyisconnectedtoaudioequipmentbut
nosoundcanbeheardfromit
Checkthattheplugoftheaudiocableisproperlyconnected
totheaudioinputoftheSCOLAbuddyoraudioequipment
Ensurethatbothconnectorsaresecure
ThesignalfromtheaudioequipmentistooweakTurnup
thevolumeoftheaudiosignalusingthevolumecontrolof
theaudioequipmentifpossible
IfthebatterieshavebeenchargedbutthebatteryLED
doesnotshowthatthebatterieshavebeenrechargedthis
maybebecause
ThereisnopowerinthepoweroutletCheckthattheoutlet
works
ThechargercableorplugmaybedefectiveContactyour
SCOLAFMsystemsupplier
guarantee
The product is supplied with a two-year interna-
tional guarantee. The guarantee covers all defects
in materials and workmanship. Faults which arise
due to mishandling or repair by unauthorised per-
sons are not covered by the guarantee.
SERIAL NUMBER
We recommend that you write down the apparatus
serial number at the end of this guide.

34 35
reguLatory InformatIon
Hereby, Widex A/S declares that this SCOLAbuddy
is in compliance with the essential requirements
and other relevant provisions of Directive 1999/5/
EC.
A copy of the Declaration of Conformity can be
found at: http://www.widex.com
SAFETY WARNING:
This device can be powered by an external power
supply.
• Only connect a power supply that is compatible
with the SCOLAbuddy.
• The power supply must have an output rating of
5VDC, 200mA and mini USB connector.
• The power supply input rating voltage must
match the mains power voltage in your region
and the power supply must have a mains male
plug that is compatible with the AC wall outlet in
your region.
• The power supply must be certified for ITE use
and must have the certification marks from an
agency acceptable in your region.
Widex strongly recommends that you always use a
power supply that is delivered by your Widex Dis-
tributor to ensure safe and efficient use of your
SCOLAbuddy.

36 37
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION AND
INDUSTRY CANADA STATEMENT
FCC ID: U28NAU01
IC: 5676B-SBU
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules
and with RSS-210 of Industry Canada. Operation is
subject to the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference,
and (2) this device must accept any interference re-
ceived, including interference that may cause unde-
sired operation.
NOTE:
This equipment has been tested and found to com-
ply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pur-
suant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against
harmful interference in a residential installation.
This equipment generates, uses and can radiate ra-
dio frequency energy and, if not installed and used
in accordance with the instructions, may cause
harmful interference to radio communications.
However, there is no guarantee that interference
will not occur in a particular installation. If this
equipment does cause harmful interference to ra-
dio or television reception, which can be deter-
mined by turning the equipment off and on, the
user is encouraged to try to correct the interference
by one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment
and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a cir-
cuit different from that to which the receiver is
connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV
technician for help.
NOTE:
This equipment complies with FCC radiation expo-
sure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environ-
ment. This transmitter must not be co-located or
operating in conjunction with any other antenna or
transmitter.
This equipment complies with the Industry Canada
RF radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncon-
trolled environment as per IC RSS-102.
Changes or modifications to the equipment not ex-
pressly approved by Widex could void the user’s
authority to operate the equipment.

38 39
FM systems and hearing aids, accesso-
ries and batteries should not be dis-
posed of with normal household waste.
Please consult your national Widex dis-
tributor for advice on how to dispose of
these items.
settIngs
Serial number: _______________________
Gain adjustment: _____________________
Starting channel: _____________________
Channel scan possible: yes [ ] no [ ]