HCO is designed for those who are unable to speak but can hear.
Hearing Carry-Over (HCO) is the ideal solution for you if you want to listen and type on your phone calls.
You type on your text telephone/teletypewriter (TTY) and the relay operator reads your words aloud to the other party.
This relay service is available in English-to-English and Spanish-to-Spanish.
The TRS Customer Profile allows you to store your relay call preferences and helps speed up call processing.
How Does Hearing Carry-Over (HCO) Relay Work?
It’s a cinch!
Just dial 711 (or 800-662-1220 for English or 877-662-4886 for Spanish) on your text telephone/teletypewriter (TTY) and the relay operator will answer with “New York Relay”.
Type the area code and telephone number you wish to call and type “GA” (“Go Ahead”). The relay operator will dial the number and connect to the other party.
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Type your message on your TTY phone to the relay operator. Type “GA” (“Go Ahead”) at end of each message. The “GA” indicates that it is the other party’s turn to respond.
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The relay operator reads your typed message aloud to the other party.
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The other party listens and speaks directly to you. The other party says “Go Ahead” to indicate that it is your turn to respond.
To conclude the call, type “GA to SK” (“Stop Keying”) to indicate that you are ready to hang up.
Video: How does a Hearing Carry-Over (HCO) call work?
Here’s how an HCO user, Don, communicates with a standard phone user named Dennis at an auto shop.
Other HCO Features
Relay operators specialize in the different types of HCO calls listed here. Please specify to the relay operator the HCO call type you would like to make.
HCO to TTY
You, the HCO user, listen while the relay operator reads aloud the TTY user’s typed words. You type directly to the TTY user.
HCO to HCO
The relay operator reads aloud both of the HCO users’ typed words.