Radio Shack TAD-285 User manual

Cat. No. 43-785
OWNER’S MANUAL
Please read before using this equipment.
TAD-285
Microcassette Telephone Answering System
with Big Button Phone, Memory, and
Remote Operation
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2
FEATURES
Your RadioShack TAD-285 Microcas-
sette Telephone Answering System
with Big Button Phone, Memory, and
Remote Operation is ideal for your
home or office. With its extra loud ring-
er and big buttons, the system is per-
fect for anyone who has a hard time
hearing or seeing. This telephone an-
swering system is also easy to use
and has many special features.
ANSWERING SYSTEM
Di
g
ital Out
g
oin
g
Messa
g
e— en-
sures the clearest possible recording
of the message you leave for callers.
Call Screenin
g
— lets you listen
while a caller leaves a message so
you can decide if you want to answer
the call.
Auto-Reset — stops recording when
you pick up any phone in the house.
Remote Operation — lets you use a
touch-tone phone (or rotary phone
and pocket tone dialer) to operate the
answering system while you are away
from your home or office.
Remote Answer-On — lets you call
from a remote location to set the an-
swering system to answer calls.
Selectable Toll Saver — lets you
avoid unnecessary toll charges when
you call long-distance to check your
messages.
VOX (Voice-Activated Recordin
g
)
— stops recording after 7 seconds of
silence to conserve tape space for
other messages.
TELEPHONE
Ad
j
ustable Rin
g
er — allows you to
set the volume level of the ringer or
turn it off.
Li
g
hted Rin
g
er Bar — flashes to indi-
cate that there is an incoming call.
3 Priorit
y
Memories — let you store 3
emergency telephone numbers in
memory and quickly dial them by
pressing a single button.
10 Standard Memories — let you
store 10 phone numbers in memory
so you can quickly dial them.
Redial — dials the last number dialed,
with the press of a button. Useful
when trying to reach a busy number.
Flash — generates a timed switch-
hook signal for use with special servic-
es, such as Call Waiting.
© 1996 Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
RadioShack is a trademark used by Tandy Corporation.
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3
Touch-Tone or Pulse (Rotary) Dial-
ing — you can use this telephone with
either type of service.
This answering system has been test-
ed and found to comply with all appli-
cable UL and FCC standards.
We recommend you record your an-
swering system’s serial number here.
The number is on the bottom of the
answering system.
Serial Number:
This symbol is intended to alert you
to the presence of uninsulated dan-
gerous voltage within the product’s
enclosure that might be of sufficient
magnitude to constitute a risk of
electric shock. Do not open the
product’s case.
This symbol is intended to inform
you that important operating and
maintenance instructions are in-
cluded in the literature accompany-
ing this product.
READ THIS FIRST
We have designed your answering
system to conform to federal regula-
tions, and you can connect it to most
telephone lines. However, each de-
vice you connect to the phone line
draws power from the phone line. We
refer to this power draw as the de-
vice’s
Ringer Equivalence Number
, or
REN. The REN is on the bottom of
your answering system.
If you are using more than one device
on the line, add up all the RENs. If the
total is more than five, your phones
might not ring and your answering
system might not answer. In rural ar-
eas, a total REN of three might impair
ringer operation. If ringer operation is
impaired, remove a device from the
telephone line.
FCC STATEMENT
Your answering system complies with
Part 68 of
FCC Rules
. You must, upon
request, provide the FCC registration
number and the REN to your phone
company. Both numbers are on the
bottom of your answering system.
Note: You must not connect your an-
swering system to:
• Coin-operated systems
• Party-line systems
• Most electronic key phone sys-
tems
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK.
DO NOT OPEN.
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF
ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE
COVER OR BACK. NO USER-SERVICE-
ABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVIC-
ING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.
Warning: To prevent fire or shock
hazard, do not expose this product
to rain or moisture.
CAUTION !
!
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CONTENTS
Installation ............................................................................................................ 5
Selecting a Location ........................................................................................ 5
Loading the Cassette ....................................................................................... 5
Connecting Power ........................................................................................... 6
Recording the Outgoing Message ................................................................... 6
Checking the Outgoing Message .............................................................. 7
Placing the Phone on a Desktop ..................................................................... 8
Mounting the Phone ........................................................................................ 8
On a Wall Plate ......................................................................................... 8
Directly on the Wall ....................................................................................9
Connecting the Handset ................................................................................ 10
Setting the Ringer Switch .............................................................................. 11
Setting the Dialing Mode ............................................................................... 11
Answerin
g
S
y
stem Operation ........................................................................... 12
Setting the Answering System to Answer Calls ............................................. 12
Setting the Number of Rings ......................................................................... 12
Setting the System’s Volume ......................................................................... 13
Screening Calls ............................................................................................. 13
Playing Messages ......................................................................................... 13
Telephone Operation ......................................................................................... 15
Using REDIAL ............................................................................................... 15
Using FLASH ................................................................................................. 15
Using Tone Services with a Pulse Line .......................................................... 15
Memory Dialing .............................................................................................. 16
Storing a Number .................................................................................... 16
Dialing a Stored Number ......................................................................... 16
Remote Control Operation ................................................................................ 17
Remote Answer-On ....................................................................................... 17
Remote Playback .......................................................................................... 17
Erasing the Messages ................................................................................... 18
Troubleshootin
g
................................................................................................. 19
Care and Maintenance ....................................................................................... 22
Cleaning the Tape-Handling Parts ................................................................. 23
The FCC Wants You to Know ........................................................................ 23
Lightning ........................................................................................................ 23
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INSTALLATION
SELECTING A
LOCATION
You can set the TAD-285 on a flat sur-
face (such as a desktop or counter-
top), or mount it on a wall plate or
directly on the wall.
Select a location that is:
• Near an AC outlet
• Near a modular telephone line
jack
If the phone line jack is not a modular
jack, you must update the wiring. You
can convert the wiring yourself, using
jacks and adapters available at your
local RadioShack store. Or, you can
let the phone company update the wir-
ing for you. The USOC number of the
jack to be installed is RJ11C.
LOADING THE
CASSETTE
Your answering system comes with an
MC-60 cassette tape (30 minutes of
recording time per side). You can buy
additional and different length cas-
settes at your local RadioShack store.
1. Turn the supplied cassette’s hub
with the tip of a pencil to take up
any tape slack.
2. Lift open the cassette compart-
ment door.
3. Put the cassette in the compart-
ment with its full reel toward the
front of the answering system and
its open edge to the left.
4. Close the compartment door.
Note: Replace the tape at least once
a year, or more often if it is used fre-
quently.
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CONNECTING POWER
Use the supplied AC adapter to power
your answering system.
Cautions:
• You must use an AC adapter that
supplies 9 volts of power, delivers
at least 500 milliamps, and has a
plug that properly fits the TAD-
285’s POWER SOURCE jack. The
supplied adapter meets these
requirements. Using an adapter
that does not meet these specifi-
cations could damage the answer-
ing system.
• Always plug the adapter into the
answering system before you plug
it into an AC outlet. Always unplug
the adapter from the AC outlet
before you unplug it from the
answering system.
1. Plug the small end of the supplied
AC adapter into the answering
system’s
POWER SOURCE jack.
2. Plug the other end of the adapter
into a standard AC outlet.
The red light on the PLAY button turns
on while the answering system checks
for an outgoing message.
If an outgoing message is already re-
corded, the answering system auto-
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matically plays it back. If there is no
outgoing message, the answering
system sounds a continuous tone until
you record a message (see “Record-
ing the Outgoing Message” on
Page 6).
Note: When the answering system
has power, if the cassette tape is bro-
ken or is not inserted properly, the
system sounds a continuous tone. To
stop the tone, unplug the adapter from
the AC outlet. Reinsert or replace the
cassette tape, then plug the adapter
back into the AC outlet.
RECORDING THE
OUTGOING MESSAGE
Before you can set the answering sys-
tem to answer calls and record mes-
sages, you must record the message
the caller hears when the answering
system answers a call.
In the message, ask for the caller’s
name, phone number, and message.
The maximum length for your outgo-
ing message is 30 seconds.
Warning: To help protect your home
or office, do not tell callers you are
away. Instead, say you cannot come
to the phone at this time.
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Follow these steps to record the out-
going message.
1. Rotate VOLUME toward HI until it
clicks. The red light turns on.
2. Lift open the cassette compart-
ment door.
3. Press and hold OGM REC/PLAY
until the red light turns off, then
release the button. The answering
system beeps once.
4. When the red light turns on again,
speak clearly in a normal volume
from about 12 inches away from
the microphone.
5. When you finish recording your
message, press OGM REC/PLAY
again. The red light turns off, then
the answering system beeps twice
and plays back the message.
The message is first saved on a digital
chip, and is then recorded onto the
cassette tape. Wait until the answer-
ing system plays back the message
before you continue installing your an-
swering system.
The answering system saves all infor-
mation, including the outgoing mes-
sage, on tape so it will be saved
during a power failure. When power is
restored after a power failure, the an-
swering system plays the tape auto-
matically to restore the outgoing
message to the digital chip.
Checking the Outgoing
Message
Press OGM REC/PLAY at any time to
hear the outgoing message. The an-
swering system beeps once and plays
back the message, then beeps twice.
To adjust the volume, see “Setting the
System’s Volume” on Page 13.
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PLACING THE PHONE
ON A DESKTOP
To use your answering system on a
desk, table, or shelf, plug one end of
the supplied telephone cord into
PHONE JACK and plug the other end
into a modular phone jack, then pro-
ceed to “Connecting the Handset” on
Page 10.
MOUNTING THE PHONE
Using the supplied mounting bracket,
you can mount the TAD-285 on a
phone jack wall plate or directly on the
wall.
On a Wall Plate
1. Plug one end of the supplied mod-
ular cord into PHONE JACK.
2. Align the adapter’s power cord
with the left slot on the top and
bottom of the mounting bracket.
Align the modular cord with the
right slot on the top of the mount-
ing bracket. Pull the other end of
the modular cord through the
large hole in the center of the
bracket.
3. Insert the mounting bracket’s tabs
into the slots on the bottom of the
answering system. Then pull the
bracket up until it snaps into
place.
4. Coil all the excess modular cord
into the recess of the mounting
bracket by pushing it back through
the large hole. Leave only about
1–2 inches of the cord outside the
bracket.
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5. Plug the exposed end of the cord
into a modular phone jack wall
plate.
6. Line up the keyhole slots on the
bracket with the studs on the wall
plate, then slide the bracket down
onto the wall plate until it is
secure.
7. Pull the handset holder toward
you as far as it will go. Hold it out
as you rotate the holder 180°,
then let it snap back in place.
The holder’s tab helps hold the
handset in the cradle while the
answering system is mounted on
the wall.
8. Proceed to “Connecting the Hand-
set” on Page 10.
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Directly on the Wall
Using a drill and screws (not supplied)
and the supplied mounting bracket,
you can easily mount your TAD-285
directly on the wall.
1. At the desired mounting location,
drill two holes 31/4inches apart,
one above the other.
2. Thread a screw into each hole
until the screw’s head extends
about
1/8inch from the wall.
3. Plug one end of the supplied mod-
ular cord into PHONE JACK.
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4. Align the adapter’s power cord
with the left slot on the top and
bottom of the mounting bracket.
Align the modular cord with the
right slot on the top and bottom of
the mounting bracket.
5. Insert the mounting bracket’s tabs
into the slots on the bottom of the
answering system. Then pull the
bracket up until it snaps into
place.
6. Plug the modular cord into a mod-
ular phone jack.
7. Line up the keyhole slots on the
bracket with the screws on the
wall, then slide the bracket down
onto the screws until it is secure.
8. Pull the handset holder toward
you as far as it will go. Hold it out
as you rotate the holder 180°,
then let it snap back in place.
The holder’s tab helps hold the
handset in the cradle while the
answering system is mounted on
the wall.
9. Proceed to “Connecting the Hand-
set” on Page 10.
CONNECTING THE
HANDSET
Plug one end of the coiled handset
cord into the answering system’s
handset jack. Plug the other end into
the jack on the handset. Place the
handset on the cradle.
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11
SETTING THE RINGER
SWITCH
To set the volume of the telephone’s
ringer, set the ringer switch on the
back of the answering system to LO or
HI.
To turn off the telephone’s ringer, set
the ringer switch to OFF. You can still
make out-going calls. If you hear an
extension phone ring, you can still an-
swer calls.
SETTING THE DIALING
MODE
Set P/T for the type of service you
have — Pfor pulse (rotary) or Tfor
tone. If you are not sure which type
you have, do this test once you con-
nect the phone to power.
1. Set P/T to T.
2. Pick up the handset and listen for
a dial tone.
3. Press any number other than 0. If
the dial tone stops, you have
touch-tone service. If the dial tone
continues, you have pulse ser-
vice. Set P/T to P.
Notes:
•The
#button does not function
when
P/T is set to P.
• If you have pulse service and
want to use a special service that
requires tone signals (such as
bank-by-phone), see “Using Tone
Services with a Pulse Line” on
Page 15.
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12
ANSWERING SYSTEM OPERATION
SETTING THE
ANSWERING SYSTEM
TO ANSWER CALLS
Rotate VOLUME toward HI until it
clicks. When the red light on the PLAY
button stays on without the answering
system sounding a tone, the system is
ready to answer calls.
The answering system hangs up and
resets to answer the next call when:
• The caller hangs up.
• The maximum message length of
about 60 seconds is reached.
• There are more than 7 seconds of
silence.
The answering system can record up
to about 29 minutes of incoming mes-
sages on the supplied tape. If the tape
reaches the end while a caller is leav-
ing a message, the answering system
beeps twice and hangs up.
If the incoming message tape is full,
the answering system answers a call
after ten rings, plays back the outgo-
ing message, then waits 7 seconds for
the remote operation security code. If
the correct code is not entered, the
answering system beeps twice and
hangs up. See “Remote Control Oper-
ation” on Page 17.
To have the answering system not an-
swer calls, rotate VOLUME to STOP.
The red light turns off.
SETTING THE NUMBER
OF RINGS
You can select the number of rings the
answering system waits before it an-
swers calls. Set 1.4.9.TOLL SAVER to
the desired position.
The system answers calls in 1, 4, or 9
rings, or if you set the switch to TOLL
SAVER (the last position), the answer-
ing system answers in four rings if no
messages are saved or in two rings if
you have messages. This feature can
save you long-distance charges be-
cause, if there are no new messages,
you can hang up before the answering
system answers.
Note: If you subscribe to Caller ID, do
not set 1.4.9.TOLL SAVER to 1(the first
position), because Caller ID informa-
tion is sent between the first and sec-
ond rings.
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13
SETTING THE SYSTEM’S
VOLUME
Adjust the answering system’s VOL-
UME to a comfortable level. (This does
not affect the volume of the message
the caller hears.)
SCREENING CALLS
To screen calls, let the answering sys-
tem answer them. Listen to the caller’s
message through the answering sys-
tem’s speaker. If you decide to answer
the call, pick up any phone on the
same phone line as the answering
system. The answering system stops
recording and resets to answer the
next call.
Note: If you pick up the phone just as
the answering system answers, the
answering system might not stop play-
ing the message. If this happens,
hang up the phone for a moment then
pick it up again.
PLAYING MESSAGES
When you have messages, the red
light on the PLAY button blinks. If you
have four messages or less, the light
blinks once for each message stored.
(If you have two messages, the light
blinks twice followed by a pause, then
blinks twice more, and so on.) If you
have more than four messages, the
light blinks continuously.
To play the messages, press PLAY.
The answering system beeps, re-
winds, then plays the messages.
To pause playback for up to 60 sec-
onds, press PLAY. To restart play-
back, press PLAY again.
Notes:
• If you do not restart playback
within 60 seconds, the tape fast-
forwards to the end of the last
incoming message, as though
playback was never started.
• If a call comes in while playback is
paused, the tape immediately
fast-forwards to the end of the last
incoming message and then
answers the call.
• After you play back all the mes-
sages, the answering system
beeps twice, rewinds to the begin-
ning, and resets to answer calls.
To save the messages, open the cas-
sette compartment door and press
SAVE before a new call is recorded.
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14
The answering system beeps once
and the red light turns off. The tape
fast-forwards to the end of all the mes-
sages and resets to answer calls. The
system beeps twice and the red light
blinks again.
To replay the messages, simply press
PLAY again.
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15
TELEPHONE OPERATION
You can make and answer calls with
this telephone as you would with any
other phone. Read this section to
learn about special features.
Note: When you receive a call, the
telephone rings and the lighted ringer
bar flashes.
USING REDIAL
To quickly dial the last number dialed,
press REDIAL. The redial memory
stores up to 32 digits in both the tone
and pulse modes so you can quickly
redial local as well as long-distance
numbers.
USING FLASH
Many special phone services, such as
Call Waiting, require a switchhook sig-
nal. Pressing FLASH provides the
electronic equivalent of a switchhook
operation.
For example, if you subscribe to Call
Waiting, you can put your current call
on hold and answer another call on
the same line by pressing FLASH.
Press FLASH again to alternate be-
tween the two calls.
Note: If you do not have any special
telephone services, pressing FLASH
might disconnect your current call.
USING TONE SERVICES
WITH A PULSE LINE
Some special services, such as alter-
nate long-distance and bank-by-
phone, require tone signals. If you
have pulse service, you can still use
special services by following these
steps.
1. With
P/T set to P, call the special
service.
2. When the service answers, press
.Any additional numbers you
dial are sent as tone signals.
3. Follow the normal procedures for
the special service you are using.
4. When you complete the call, hang
up the phone. The phone auto-
matically changes back to the
pulse mode.
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16
MEMORY DIALING
Your answering system has two types
of memory — priority and standard —
that let you store and easily dial up to
13 numbers.
You can store up to 3 numbers in pri-
ority memory and dial them with the
press of a single button. Priority mem-
ory is often used to store emergency
numbers.
You can store up to 10 numbers in
standard memory and dial those num-
bers quickly.
Storing a Number
1. Pick up the handset and press
STORE, then enter the telephone
number.
Note: You will not hear any tones
as you enter the phone number.
2. Press STORE again, then press
the memory location number (0–9)
on the keypad to store the number
in standard memory, or press any
one of the three direct memory
keys ( , , or ) to store the
number in that priority memory.
3. Hang up the phone.
Dialing a Stored Number
To dial a number stored in standard
memory, press MEMORY, then press
the memory location number. The
telephone automatically dials the
number stored in that location.
To dial a number stored in priority
memory, press one of the three direct
memory keys ( , , or ). The tele-
phone automatically dials the number
stored there.
Important: When testing a stored
emergency number, make the test call
during off-peak hours (early in the
morning or late at night). Stay on the
line to explain the reason for your call.
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17
REMOTE CONTROL OPERATION
While you are away from your home
or office, you can use a touch-tone
phone or a pulse phone with a pocket
tone dialer to:
• Set the answering system to
answer calls
• Play your messages
• Erase your messages
REMOTE ANSWER-ON
You can use any remote phone to set
the answering system to answer calls
if:
• The answering system has power.
• The cassette is loaded.
• The answering system is off.
To set the answering system to an-
swer calls, dial your phone number
and wait about 60 seconds until the
answering system answers. Then
hang up the phone.
Note: Be sure to turn on the system
when you get home, to play back any
recorded messages.
REMOTE PLAYBACK
You must know your remote operation
security code to play back your mes-
sages from a remote phone. This
code (a 3-digit number) is printed on
the bottom of your answering system.
To play back your messages from a
remote phone, follow these steps.
1. Dial your phone number.
If the answering system is set to
TOLL SAVER, it answers on the
second ring if there are mes-
sages. If there are no messages,
the answering system answers on
the fourth ring.
2. When the outgoing message
stops and a beep sounds, enter
the remote operation security
code within 5 seconds. Be sure
each button press is at least 1/2
second long. The answering sys-
tem sounds a tone while the tape
rewinds. If no tone sounds, re-
enter the code.
Note: If you do not enter the code
within 5 seconds, the answering
system hangs up.
The answering system plays back the
incoming messages. At the end of all
the messages, you hear various single
beeps and tones, then the answering
system sounds four short beeps.
Note: The answering system auto-
matically saves your messages after
remote playback.
To replay the messages, wait about 8
seconds after the four short beeps.
When you hear a single beep, enter
the remote operation security code
again.
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18
ERASING THE
MESSAGES
If you want to erase the messages af-
ter playback, enter the remote opera-
tion security code within 8 seconds
after the four short beeps at the end of
all the messages. After the answering
system beeps, hang up the phone.
Note: After you erase messages by
remote, you cannot recover them
(even if you press SAVE as soon as
you get back to your answering sys-
tem).
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19
TROUBLESHOOTING
We do not expect you to have any problems with your answering system, but if you
do, be sure you installed the tape correctly and turned on the system. If you still
have a problem, this chart might help. If not, take the answering system to your lo-
cal RadioShack store for assistance.
Problem Cause Solution
The answering sys-
tem does not answer
and record callers’
messages.
The system is turned off. Turn on the answering sys-
tem by rotating VOLUME
toward HI.
Record an outgoing mes-
sage.
The outgoing message
is not recorded.
Bad phone line connec-
tion. Check and reconnect the modular phone plug.
Check to see if the phone
works properly.
Be sure you have electrical
power.
The answering sys-
tem records a dial
tone, beeping, or the
operator’s voice
instead of the caller’s
message.
The caller hung up with-
out leaving a message
or without using the
maximum time, and
your phone company
does not send out CPC
(Calling Party Control)
signals.
If this happens often, dis-
cuss the problem with your
phone company.
The answering sys-
tem does not respond
to any button.
The answering system
has been turned on by
remote.
Turn on the answering sys-
tem by rotating VOLUME
toward HI.
The answering system
is locked up. Reset the answering sys- tem by unplugging the AC
adapter from the AC outlet
then plugging it in again.
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20
Recordings sound
distorted. You were too close to the microphone or you
spoke too loudly when
you recorded the outgo-
ing message.
Rerecord the message.
Speak clearly into the
microphone at a normal vol-
ume from about 12 inches
away.
The tape head is dirty. Clean the head using a
tape head-cleaning kit
(see “Cleaning the Tape-
Handling Parts” on
Page 23).
The tape is worn out. Unplug the adapter from the
AC outlet, replace the tape,
then plug the adapter back
into the AC outlet.
Remote control func-
tions do not work. The remote operation security code was not
entered correctly.
Enter the correct code.
You are using a pulse
dialing phone. Use a touch-tone phone or pocket tone dialer.
The tone output from
the phone or tone dialer
is not long enough.
Press and hold the buttons
for at least 1/2second or try
using another phone or
dialer.
The telephone line is
noisy. Enter the remote operation security code again to
retrieve the messages.
Seven seconds of
silence have passed so
the answering system
hangs up.
Call the answering system
and try again.
Problem Cause Solution
43-785.fm Page 20 Monday, August 16, 1999 7:54 AM