What is TTY

[taron]

Hi all,

On the phone parameters menu, there is a tab named TTY. Do you know what is it? Because the French translation is not great ...

Thanks!

[pof]

It is the same in the english version. I don't know what is it for.

[ ] Enable TTY support

Attention: Enabling TTY support may decrease the quality of voice calls through a wired headset.

Have you looked if there's any info about this in the manual? I don't have it with me right now.

[taron]

Neither do I...
We definitely need a PDF version of the manual :)

[goestoeleven]

I could be wrong, but isn't TTY a technology for assisting the deaf/hard-of-hearing?

[snalbansed]

It can refer to the text phones or 'minicom' that are used by deaf people.

If the TyTN can make calls straight to landline minicom's, that would be great!

[snalbansed]

Did anyone look in their manual?

If not - I will try calling my minicom with it next week when I get mine... can't wait :D

[gpstoloff]

It can refer to the text phones or 'minicom' that are used by deaf people.

If the TyTN can make calls straight to landline minicom's, that would be great!

Exactly correct! The TTY or Minicom (UK version) service uses an old 5-bit Baudot coding rather than ASCII or Unicode; this would allow messaging to / from TTY units.

Just a case where the needs of the disabled community have again been recognized!

[snalbansed]

I'm afraid gpstoloff might be rejoicing too soon :(

When I got my TyTN, I tried to enable TTY. Doing so just creates the message: Unable to change TTY mode. Please try again.

I contacted HTC User support, which produced the following response:
Dear Sir

The option of TTY will allow you to connect the TyTN to a TTY compatable device for use. You will not be able to enable TTY support until the TTY device is connected.


I replied to ask what TTY compatable devices existed, and what they were. I then got the following email:
Dear Sir

At present we do not have a list of TTY compatable devices, but I will look into this and request information from out technical team. Once I have some information I will contact you.


I shall wait and see... :?

[jrowlandstuart]

I suspect it is to enable a TTY to be linked to the mobile phone to make normal TTY calls, where there is no landline. I have a TTY that can do that, but whether it's compatible with the HTC is another matter (it will work with my Nokia 6310i) and you can usually get the appropriate data cable from the TTY manufacturers. Not all TTY can work with GSM phones.

I also have a Nokia 9210i which can make TTY calls direct as it has TTY software onboard. TTY software on the HTC would be a better option than a plugged in TTY in my view.

[yuri_su]

TTY stands for Text Telephone. It is also sometimes called a TDD, or Telecommunication Device for the Deaf. TTY is the more widely accepted term, however, as TTYs are used by many people, not just people who are deaf.

A TTY is a special device that lets people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired use the telephone to communicate, by allowing them to type messages back and forth to one another instead of talking and listening. A TTY is required at both ends of the conversation in order to communicate.

To use a TTY, you set a telephone handset onto special acoustic cups built into the TTY (some TTY models can be plugged directly into a telephone line). Then, type the message you want to send on the TTY's keyboard. As you type, the message is sent over the phone line, just like your voice would be sent over the phone line if you talked. You can read the other person's response on the TTY's text display.

If you don't have a TTY, you can still call a person who is deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired by using the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS). With TRS, a special operator types whatever you say so that the person you are calling can read your words on his or her TTY display. He or she will type back a response, which the TRS operator will read aloud for you to hear over the phone. Toll free TRS services are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

You can visit the Ultratec website for information about a wide range of TTYs for home, office and personal use. Or, visit these great online stores for all your assistive device needs.

Yuri_su