Max Payne

It's fun, but it gets a little uncomfortable when Bill starts crying.

MAX & OPHELIA PAYNE WILL BE THERE! (Of Course!).

I bought my 1st 39A in 1966 for $72.50. Bought my 2nd one in 2002 for $600.

Ouch!

I wore Starkeys for about 10 years, upgrading to the latest models during that time. I did some trials with other brands during that time, but nothing I tried was any better, & my hearing was getting worse all the time. If the hearing aids would have continued to work, I wouldn't have taken the big step to the Cochlears. My hearing made that decision for me.

You are welcome, Fast Man!

When I got mine, greater than 40% hearing loss qualified for insurance or medicare, each ear. I was way beyond that for each. My hearing aids just didn't do it anymore. I couldn't be involved in conversations with multiple people or in restaurants, so I was completely left out of conversations. After insurance I paid about about $2,500 total for each ear. Insurance paid the rest of the $80,000 for each ear. I can hear well enough now that I often Posse Marshal, & I run the timer a lot. With the Cochlears, I've PM'ed multiple times at Ga State, Ala St, SE Regional, & at 2021 EOT (with Fast Eddie).

I take 'em out when I go to bed. As far as the implants themselves, no problem at all. And, if I want to read when my wife is watching TV, or if we're in a noisy restaurant, I take them off. I'm deaf as a hammer without them. There are some benefits.

I've had a fair amount of communication with Capt Baylor because I've been wearing them for a few years. He's actually the one I wrote this piece for.

The surgeries were no big deal, & there are no scars. They probably look stupid on my head, but I just don't care. When asked about them, I say I get Netflix on 'em.

It's tricky. Some hats work, & some don't. I use a hat stretcher & place poker chips where the implants will be to form "pockets". Works pretty well for most hats. DBJ Hats formed one for me that's my favorite. It can be worked out.

COCHLEAR TIPS FOR COWBOY ACTION SHOOTERS The following are things I’ve learned through experience with my two Cochlear implants while Cowboy Action Shooting. My wife & I shoot every weekend, rain, sleet, snow, heat, etc. I’ve had my first implant for about 4 years & my second one for about 2 years. We’ve been shooting CAS since November, 2011. To wear or not to wear while shooting The Cochlears cap the sound, so there’s no reason due to decibels to not wear them while shooting. I believe I actually hear better than the other shooters on my posse because they’re wearing hearing protection, & I don’t need it. When I had hearing aids, this was not the case. I really couldn’t wear the hearing aids, which meant I was deaf as a hammer while shooting. Someone was always trying to talk to me while we were shooting a stage. I would tell them I couldn’t make out a word they were saying. Then, they would continue to talk to me anyway. Even though I don’t need hearing protection for decibels, they are a big help due to compression of the shotgun blasts & larger bullet calibers. So, I also wear ear plugs. Since my eardrums are no longer in use, it doesn’t affect my hearing one way or the other. Excessive sweat I have always sweated a lot, even while in the best shape of my life. Sometimes on the hottest days, I sweat so much that the Cochlears begin to work/not work erratically. Sometimes just wiping them off helps. Sometimes I have to switch to my backup instrument. Other times, I have to spray the instrument with CRC Electronic cleaner. Walmart - $5-$6 a can. This stuff is wonderful, & it won’t hurt anything. It helps to remove the coil & the microphone cover before spraying. This is also a great product to use on anything electronic that starts to behave badly. For instance, if you have a flashlight with very old batteries that have begun to leak, & all of the connectors are corroded, you can spray this stuff on everything, & it will likely fix it. The “QD” stands for quick dry, which it does. I also use it to clean my guns. It’s super for spraying the carrier & chamber in my rifle, then following with a little Break-free. I know lots of people use brake cleaner, but I’m partial to this, as I’ve been using it for about 9 years now. I also use it on my pistols. I buy it by the case. Occasionally, one of the Cochlears may just start to act up for no apparent reason. The CRC will usually correct these situations also. And, it’s important to put the instrument(s) in the Zephyr dryer every night. The button on the instrument will often fail My Audiologist tells me this is one of the most common parts of the instrument to fail. You can get it fixed under warranty. One of mine works, & the other doesn’t. It’s not worth it to me to send it back. I can change the settings with the phone if I need to. The insulator on the Coil will split Happens to all of them after awhile. They’ll send you a new coil with no hassle & very quickly under warranty if this happens. It happens enough, I don’t worry about it, as it doesn’t seem to hurt anything. I don’t even make the call now when it happens. The additional programs on the instrument don’t add value for me Such as, the restaurant setting, etc. I really can’t tell a difference, so I only use the one. Your mileage may vary. Two Cochlears is better than one This is obvious. However, what’s not obvious is how much better it is. Seeing with both eyes isn’t twice as good. It’s five times as good. This is the same with the Cochlears. Two is five times as good as one. So, anytime you can qualify for a second one, that’s the way to go. The surgery isn’t a big deal It’s always disconcerting to “go under the knife”, but there’s no pain (or, almost no pain) or discomfort. So, any fear or dreading as a reason to not get it done just isn’t justified. You’ll hate it at first Your brain has to get used to the new method of communication. Voices will sound like a combination of a computerized voice (which it is), a cartoon character, & an echo chamber. It gets better over time. If you never do the exercises, it will never get better, & you won’t use it. It is very important to be diligent about doing the exercises. Hearing aids, while not as good as natural hearing, are more natural-sounding than the Cochlears. However, you get used to the Cochlears, & when hearing aids don’t do it for you anymore, Cochlears are better than being deaf. Even with the hearing aids, there came a point where I just couldn’t be involved in conversations anymore. That has all changed. Your sense of direction as to where the sound is coming from will be gone That’s just how it is. You’ll hear a loud noise or someone talking to you, & you won’t know which direction it’s coming from unless you can see it. If you get lost in the woods & are dependent on hearing where any sounds are coming from, you’ll be out of luck. I don’t use the TV gizmo I prefer the captions on the TV. I got used to them before Cochlear, & I just don’t care for the TV thing. “To each his own”. I’ve never used the waterproof setup & never will It’s just too involved. If I were younger than 75, maybe I would. But, I don’t see myself water skiing or even swimming anymore. I keep my backup instruments in the console of my truck Sometimes, if one acts up during a match, it’s easier to just get a backup out instead of wrestling with the offending instrument. Same with my guns. Change the microphone covers regularly They contain fine filters, & your sound will diminish greatly when they get old. Cochlear recommends every 6 months. My experience says that 6 months is the right frequency for replacement. Keep all batteries on the charger(s) when you’re not using them They’ll last longer. And, if you have to replace them, they’re $245 each. Ouch! Cochlear Tips for Cowboy Action Shooters 062022.docx

I lived thru this over 10 years as first my Right ear completely went away, & then my left. I practiced a lot prior to COVID, & did work out a solution that was okay for practice, but not for matches. For matches, I had to do the shoulder routine. Finally, I got a Cochlear implant, which made a tremendous difference & pretty much fixed my problem for matches. Then, when I got my 2nd Cochlear, about 2 years ago or so, it was GREAT! The Cochlear caps the sound, so you don't even have to wear earplugs. I do, some of the time, for the SG compression on my ear drums. My ear drums don't work anymore, but they can be sensitive (sometimes) to a SG blast. So, I hope your hearing doesn't get any worse, but in the unfortunate event you end up with Cochlears, they'll really open up your hearing world. I wrote an informational piece on the Cochlears for a buddy just getting them, & I've been threatening to post it on the wire. I think this just gave me the push to do it. If you're interested, look for it.

Hog, since you won't be able to ship these until August 5, I'm going to pass. People who buy & sell on the Wire are pretty much "right now" people. Just a suggestion: You might want to wait till you get back from Alaska & then run your ad then when you can conclude the deal. No offence intended. And, good luck with your sale. They look like nice guns.

I got your PM. I'll get the money & ffl out tomorrow.