INDUCTION LOOPS FOR KINGDOM HALLS AND SMALL CHURCHES

Audio Frequency Induction Loops - The Law Has Changed
Did you know that in the UK it is now MANDATORY (Under the terms of the Disability Discrimination Act) for ALL public buildings to make adequate provision for the disabled (eg wheelchair access) and specifically, the hearing impaired? Did you also know that the international standard (IEC118-4) has recently been revised and that your loop system now needs to be louder?

Note the term MANDATORY. In other words, those responsible for running and maintaining the building, MUST make adequate provisions for the hearing impaired or they can be taken to court and prosecuted for non-compliance. Simply ignoring the problem altogether, or installing a badly engineered or non compliant system, is just not acceptable and is, quite simply, breaking the law. Fortunately, the solution to this issue is neither too expensive nor too complicated.

STANDARDS: All AFILS must be installed in such a way as to be of use to the end user and to meet the requirements of IEC118-4 which is a world standard for Induction Loop systems.

Unfortunately, this means that all loop systems supplied as part of the KH "Simplified Build" kit do not meet recognised standards and are therefore not standards compliant under the terms of the act..
Yes we did state ALL. Read more here

The reasons why are simple: There is too much metalwork in the floor slab (reinforcement) and suspended ceiling (grid) and the cable installed around the perimeter of the main meeting hall cannot provide enough energy to overcome losses induced by this metalwork. The result is that anyone trying to listen via the loop system will find it very difficult. The signal will be weak, patchy, muffled due to a poor frequency response and likely to be swamped by electrical noise (buzz and hum) from the electrical services. The result will be a user who hears little if any of the program and who frequently misses words or fails to understand what is being said. This is frustrating for the user.

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The Solution

Fortunately, the solution to the problem is neither too complex nor expensive and can be retro fitted to most locations. Take a look at York Clifton who have a standards compliant Phased Array. In their case, the loop uses flat copper foil laid in a special pattern underneath the carpet, but you can also fit rhe loop above a suspended ceiling if this is easier. You may wish to get an ILR3 portable receiver to check your loop system works.

At this point we used to offer an online design solution but due to some very sad individuals using gmail addresses, we have withdrawn the service due to misuse. Thanks guys.