Radio Shack TAD-798 User manual

Cat. No. 43-798
OWNER’S MANUAL
Please read before using this equipment.
TAD-798
Digital Telephone Answering System
with Call Breakthrough
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2
FEATURES
Your RadioShack TAD-798 Digital Tele-
phone Answering System is a high-
quality telephone answering device
(TAD) that you can also control remote-
ly from any touch-tone phone. With an
optional pocket tone dialer, you can
even use it from a rotary phone.
The TAD-798 stores messages on a
computer chip. This gives you better
performance than tape-based answer-
ing machines. For example, you can de-
lete an individual message while saving
the rest. Because your TAD is fully digi-
tal, there are no tapes to bother with
and no tape mechanisms to wear out.
The TAD-798’s 16-minute capacity lets
you store a lot of messages. And its
unique, space-saving design makes it
ideal for any office or nightstand.
The TAD-798 has these features:
Hi
g
h Capacit
y
— lets you record up to
16 minutes of messages and memos.
Each incoming message can be up to
60 seconds long.
Voice Time/Da
y
Stamp — announces
the time and day that each message
was recorded.
Call Breakthrou
g
h (CBT) — alerts you
to an important call when the caller en-
ters a code you set.
Two-Wa
y
Recordin
g
— lets you record
both sides of a phone conversation.
Memo Recordin
g
— lets you leave
messages for yourself or others in your
home or office.
Dual Announcements — let you
choose between playing an outgoing
message then recording the caller’s
message, or just playing an announce-
ment without recording a message.
And, when the TAD’s memory is full, it
switches automatically to just playing an
announcement. Each announcement
can be up to 32 seconds long.
Ad
j
ustable Rin
g
Number — lets you
set the TAD to answer the phone after
two, four, or seven rings.
Toll-Saver — lets you avoid unneces-
sary charges when you call by long-dis-
tance to check your messages.
©1998 Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
RadioShack is a registered trademark used by Tandy Corporation.
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3
Remote Operation — lets you use a
touch-tone phone (or rotary phone and
pocket tone dialer) to operate the TAD
while you are away from your home or
office.
Phone Pick-Up Detection — stops re-
cording when you pick up any phone on
the same line as the TAD.
Call Screening — lets you listen as a
caller leaves a message so you can de-
cide whether or not to answer the call.
Remote On/Off — lets you turn the
TAD on or off even when you are away
from your home or office.
LED Message Counter — clearly
shows the number of messages the
TAD has recorded.
Programmable Remote Operation
Security Code — lets you set your own
security code for remote operation.
Remote Answer-On — lets you call the
TAD from a remote location and set it to
answer calls.
Room Monitor — lets you listen from a
remote phone to the room where the
TAD is installed.
Memory Backup — protects stored
messages in case of a power failure.
Your TAD is ETL listed to UL standards
and meets all applicable FCC stan-
dards.
This symbol is intended to alert you to
the presence of uninsulated danger-
ous voltage within the product’s enclo-
sure that might be of sufficient
magnitude to constitute a risk of elec-
tric shock. Do not open the product’s
case.
This symbol is intended to inform you
that important operating and mainte-
nance instructions are included in the
literature accompanying this product.
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 reduce the risk of
fire or shock hazard, do not ex-
pose this product to rain or mois-
ture.
CAUTION
!
!
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4
READ THIS BEFORE IN-
STALLATION
Your TAD conforms to federal regula-
tions, and you can connect it to most
telephone lines. However, each device
you connect to the phone line draws
power from the phone line. We refer to
this power draw is the device’s
ringer
equivalence number
, or REN. The REN
is on the label on the bottom of the TAD.
If you are using more than one phone or
other device on the line, add up all the
RENs. If the total is more than five (or
three in rural areas), your phone(s)
might not ring and your TAD might not
answer. If ringer operation is impaired,
remove a device from the line.
FCC STATEMENT
Your TAD 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 label on the bottom
of the TAD.
You must not connect the TAD to any of
the following:
• coin-operated systems
• party-line systems
• most electronic key phone systems
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5
CONTENTS
Preparation ...................................................................................................... 6
Connecting the TAD ................................................................................... 6
Installing a Backup Battery ........................................................................ 7
Setting the Day and Time ........................................................................... 8
Setting the Number of Rings ...................................................................... 9
Basic Operation ............................................................................................ 10
Recording the Outgoing Messages .......................................................... 10
Listening to the Outgoing Messages ................................................. 10
Setting the TAD to Answer Calls ............................................................... 11
Using the Announce-Only Feature ............................................................ 11
Recording Incoming Messages ................................................................ 12
Playing Messages .................................................................................... 12
Recording a Memo ................................................................................... 13
Recording a Conversation ....................................................................... 14
Deleting Messages .................................................................................. 14
Screening Calls ........................................................................................ 15
Using Call Breakthrough .......................................................................... 15
Changing the CBT Code ................................................................... 15
Changing the Remote Operation Security Code ...................................... 16
Remote Operation ........................................................................................ 17
Toll-Saver ................................................................................................. 17
Using Remote Commands ....................................................................... 17
Remote Command List ...................................................................... 18
Troubleshootin
g
........................................................................................... 20
Resetting the TAD .................................................................................... 21
Care and Maintenance ................................................................................. 22
The FCC Wants You to Know .................................................................. 23
Lightning .................................................................................................. 23
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6
Select a location for the TAD that is
near both a telephone jack and an AC
outlet, and is not in the way of normal
activities.
CONNECTING THE TAD
Notes:
• Your TAD connects directly to a
modular phone line jack. If your
phone line jack is not modular, you
can update it yourself, using jacks
and adapters available at your local
RadioShack store. Or, you can let
the phone company update it for
you.
• The USOC number of the jack to be
installed is RJ11C.
1. Unplug the telephone’s modular
cord from the modular phone line
jack and plug it into the PHONE jack
on the back of the TAD.
2. Plug one end of the supplied modu-
lar cord into the LINE jack on the
back of the TAD.
LINE
Jack AC 9V
Jack
PHONE
Jack
PREPARATION
3. Plug the cord’s other end into a
modular phone line jack.
4. Insert the supplied AC adapter’s
barrel plug into the AC 9V jack on
the back of the TAD.
Caution: The supplied AC adapter
was designed specifically for your
TAD-798. Use only the supplied
adapter.
5. Plug the other end of the adapter
into a standard AC outlet.
When you first connect power, the TAD
announces “Please wait.” The mes-
sage counter counts from 0to 18. The
TAD beeps, and 0appears in the mes-
sage counter window.
Note: The TAD’s message counter usu-
ally shows the number of recorded mes-
sages. That number alternates with
other displays to tell you the status of
the TAD.
•A1 appears if you have not record-
ed an outgoing message 1.
•A2 appears if you have not record-
ed an outgoing message 2.
•Lo appears if the backup battery is
weak or missing.
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7
INSTALLING A BACKUP
BATTERY
If the AC power fails or you unplug the
TAD, a 9V backup battery (not supplied)
saves the messages, time and day set-
tings, and the CBT and remote opera-
tion security codes. We recommend you
use an alkaline battery, such as Ra-
dioShack Cat. No. 23-553.
Caution: Always use a fresh battery of
the required size and recommended
type.
1. Use a Phillips screwdriver to re-
move the screw on the battery com-
partment cover, then remove the
cover.
2. Snap the battery’s contacts firmly to
the battery connector and place the
battery in the compartment.
3. Replace the cover and secure it
with the screw.
Replace the battery when Lo appears.
Cautions:
• Always remove an old or weak bat-
tery. Batteries can leak chemicals
that can destroy electronic parts.
• Dispose of the old battery promptly
and properly. Do not bury or burn it.
• To avoid losing stored information,
be sure the AC adapter is plugged
in and connected to the TAD before
you replace the battery.
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8
SETTING THE DAY AND
TIME
When you set the TAD-798’s clock, the
TAD records the day and time each
memo and message is recorded.
Notes:
• To avoid losing the day and time
settings if AC power is lost, we rec-
ommend you install a backup bat-
tery before you set the day and time
(see “Installing a Backup Battery”
on Page 7).
• If you do not complete each step
within 8 seconds, the TAD sounds
four beeps and exits setup. Start
again at Step 1.
• To adjust the TAD’s volume, slide
VOLUME toward +or –.
Follow these steps to set the day and
time.
1. Hold down TIME SET. CL (clock) ap-
pears briefly, then a number from 1
to 7 (the day of week) appears, and
the TAD announces the currently
set day.
2. To change the day, hold down RE-
PEAT to move backward or SKIP to
move forward until the TAD an-
nounces the desired day.
3. Press TIME SET. The TAD announc-
es the currently set hour.
4. To change the hour, hold down RE-
PEAT or SKIP until the TAD an-
nounces the desired hour.
5. Press TIME SET. The TAD announc-
es the currently set minute.
6. To change the minutes, hold down
REPEAT or SKIP until the TAD an-
nounces the desired minute.
7. Press TIME SET. CL appears, and
the TAD announces the day and
time, then beeps. CL disappears.
To check the current day and time set-
ting at any time, press TIME SET. CL
(clock) appears, and the TAD announc-
es the day and time, then beeps.
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9
SETTING THE NUMBER
OF RINGS
Set the ring select switch on the right
side of the TAD to 2, 4, 7, or TS to set
how long the TAD waits before it an-
swers a call (2 rings, 4 rings, 7 rings, or
toll-saver).
If you plan to check your messages by
long distance, set the ring select switch
to TS (see “Toll-Saver” on Page 17).
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BASIC OPERATION
RECORDING THE
OUTGOING MESSAGES
Before the TAD can answer calls and
record messages, you must record an
outgoing message (OGM). The TAD-
798 lets you record two separate mes-
sages, and it operates differently based
on the message you select (see “Using
the Announce-Only Feature” on
Page 11).
• OGM 1. After playing your outgoing
message, the TAD lets callers
record a message.
• OGM 2 (announcement-only). The
TAD plays your outgoing message,
but does not let the caller record a
message.
Hint: Do not tell callers that you are out
of town or not home. Instead, say that
you cannot come to the phone right
now.
Notes:
• The maximum length for each out-
going message is 32 seconds. As
you record, the message counter
shows the recording time.
• If you plan to use the TAD’s an-
nouncement-only feature, OGM 2
should clearly state that the caller
cannot leave a message.
Follow these steps to record an outgo-
ing message.
1. To record an outgoing message,
hold down OGM 1or OGM 2until the
TAD beeps and the timer starts
counting.
Note: As soon as the TAD beeps,
release OGM 1 (or OGM 2) quickly.
Otherwise, the TAD records a “pop”
sound at the beginning of the outgo-
ing message.
2. Release OGM 1(or OGM 2) and
speak your message from about 8
inches in front of the TAD.
3. When you finish recording, press
STOP. The TAD beeps and plays
back the outgoing message.
Listening to the Outgoing
Messages
To hear an outgoing message, press
OGM 1 or OGM 2. The TAD beeps, A1 or
A2 appears, and the outgoing message
plays.
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11
If no outgoing message is recorded
when you press OGM 1or OGM 2, the
TAD announces “You have no an-
nouncement one” (or “two”) and sounds
four beeps.
SETTING THE TAD TO
ANSWER CALLS
To set the TAD to answer or not answer
calls, press ANSWER. The TAD an-
nounces “Answer on” (or “off”) and
plays the outgoing message. If the AN-
SWER indicator is lit, the TAD is set to
answer calls.
Notes:
• You must record an outgoing mes-
sage before you can set the TAD to
answer calls.
• If you have set the TAD to not an-
swer calls, you can use a remote
phone to set it to answer calls (see
“Using Remote Commands” on
Page 17).
USING THE ANNOUNCE-
ONLY FEATURE
When the announce-only feature is on,
the TAD-798 plays OGM 2 but does not
let callers leave a message. (You must
have recorded an OGM 2 message be-
fore you can use this feature.)
To set the TAD to announce-only, be
sure the TAD is set to answer calls, then
press OGM 2. The TAD says “Announce
only,” and plays the second outgoing
message. The number of recorded
messages and Ao appear alternately.
To turn off the announce-only feature,
press OGM 1. The TAD beeps, says
“Answer on,” and plays OGM 1.
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12
RECORDING INCOMING
MESSAGES
Each incoming message can be up to
60 seconds long. At 55 seconds the
TAD beeps to notify the caller that time
will soon be up. At 60 seconds it sounds
one long and four short beeps, says
“Thank you for your call,” and hangs up.
Additionally, the TAD stops recording
and resets to answer the next call when:
• The caller hangs up.
• There are more than 8 seconds of
silence.
• You pick up any phone on the same
line as the TAD.
If the TAD’s memory is full, FL and the
number of recorded messages alter-
nately appear. It answers calls after 3
rings and plays the second outgoing
message (OGM 2). If no OGM 2 is re-
corded, the TAD says “Memory is full.
Thank you for your call.”
Note: The maximum recording capacity
is 16 minutes or 59 recorded messages.
PLAYING MESSAGES
The message counter shows the total
number of messages, both old (ones
you have listened to and saved) and
new. If there are new messages, the
ANSWER indicator flashes.
To play all messages, press PLAY. The
TAD announces the number of messag-
es recorded, the message number and
the day and time the message was re-
corded, and then plays the message.
To adjust the TAD’s volume, slide VOL-
UME toward +or –.
To play only new messages, hold down
PLAY for 2 seconds. If there are no new
messages stored, the TAD says, “You
have no new messages.”
After all messages play, the TAD says,
“End of messages.”
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13
To replay a message while you are lis-
tening to it, press REPEAT. The current
message replays from the beginning.
To return to a previous message, hold
down REPEAT until the desired mes-
sage number appears in the message
counter window. Release REPEAT to
play the selected message.
To skip to the next message, press
SKIP. The next message plays.
To pause while listening to messages,
press PLAY. PA (pause) appears on the
display. To resume playback, press
PLAY again within 60 seconds. Other-
wise the TAD beeps, says “End of mes-
sages,” and resets to answer calls.
To play the message at a faster speed,
hold down SKIP. The playback speed in-
creases, allowing you to quickly scan a
message or move to any place within a
message. To resume normal playback,
release SKIP.
To stop playback, press STOP. The TAD
beeps, says “End of messages,” and re-
sets to answer calls.
RECORDING A MEMO
A memo is a message you can record
by speaking directly into the TAD, with-
out having to call in on the phone.
Follow these steps to record a memo up
to 60 seconds long.
1. Press MEMO (and quickly release
it). appears briefly, the TAD
sounds a long beep, and the timer
starts counting. Speak into the mi-
crophone in a normal voice.
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14
2. Press STOP when you finish the
memo (or let the TAD automatically
stop recording after 60 seconds).
The TAD beeps once and resets to
answer calls.
The memo is stored with the incoming
messages. To hear the memo, simply
play back your messages.
RECORDING A
CONVERSATION
You can record both sides of a conver-
sation on any phone connected to the
same phone line as the TAD.
Note: It is illegal in some areas to
record a conversation without the con-
sent of all parties to the conversation,
including the phone company. Check
the laws in your area before you use the
two-way recording feature.
To start recording a phone conversa-
tion, hold down MEMO until the display
changes from to . The TAD
records until:
• you press STOP
• the TAD hears 8 seconds of a busy
signal or 25 seconds of silence
• the TAD’s memory is full
The recorded conversation is stored as
a message (see “Playing Messages” on
Page 12).
DELETING MESSAGES
To delete a specific message, press DE-
LETE while the message is playing. The
TAD beeps and deletes the message,
then plays the next.
To delete all messages, stop playback
then hold down DELETE (dL appears)
until the TAD says “Erase messages”
and sounds a long beep.
The TAD-798 does not delete new mes-
sages. If you have only new messages,
the TAD sounds four beeps when you
press DELETE.
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15
SCREENING CALLS
To screen calls, let the TAD answer,
then listen to the caller’s message
through the TAD’s speaker. To adjust
the TAD’s volume, slide VOLUME to-
ward
+or –.
If you do not want to take the call, sim-
ply let the TAD finish recording the call-
er’s message.
If you decide to answer the call, pick up
any phone on the same phone line as
the TAD. The TAD stops recording and
resets to answer the next call.
Note: If you pick up the phone just as
the TAD answers, the TAD might not
stop playing the outgoing message. If
this happens, press STOP.
USING CALL
BREAKTHROUGH
If you screen your calls but want to
know when calls come in from certain
people, give them your call break-
through (CBT) code (preset to 648).
When a caller enters the CBT code dur-
ing the outgoing message, the TAD
alerts you with a series of loud beeps for
35 seconds. To answer the call, pick up
the handset. If you do not answer, the
caller can leave a message after the
outgoing message plays.
Changing the CBT Code
The CBT code is preset to 648, but you
can change it by following these steps.
Note: If you do not complete each step
within 8 seconds, the TAD sounds four
beeps and exits setup. Start again from
Step 1.
1. Hold down CODE (Co appears) until
the TAD beeps once.
2. Press REPEAT. Cc (CBT code) and
the digits of the current code appear
in sequence, then the first digit re-
appears.
For example, if the CBT code is
648, the message counter shows
Cc,
–6, –4, –8, then –6.
3. Repeatedly press SKIP or REPEAT
to set the first digit, then press
STOP. The second digit appears.
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16
4. Repeatedly press SKIP or REPEAT
to set the second digit, then press
STOP. The third digit appears.
5. Repeatedly press SKIP or REPEAT
to set the third digit, then press
STOP. The TAD sounds a long beep
then announces and displays the
new CBT code.
CHANGING THE REMOTE
OPERATION SECURITY
CODE
The TAD’s remote operation security
code is preset to 798, but you can
change it by following these steps.
Note: If you do not complete each step
within 8 seconds, the TAD sounds four
beeps and exits setup. Start again from
Step 1.
1. Hold down CODE (Co appears) until
the TAD beeps once.
2. Press CODE again. Sc (security
code) and the digits of the current
code appear in sequence, then the
first digit reappears.
For example, if the security code is
798, the message counter shows
Sc,
–7, –9, –8, then –7.
3. Repeatedly press SKIP or REPEAT
to set the first digit, then press
STOP. The second digit appears.
4. Repeatedly press SKIP or REPEAT
to set the second digit, then press
STOP. The third digit appears.
5. Repeatedly press SKIP or REPEAT
to set the third digit, then press
STOP. The TAD sounds a long beep
then announces and displays the
new security code.
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17
REMOTE OPERATION
You can operate the TAD from almost
any touch-tone phone, or from a rotary
phone using a pocket tone-dialer (avail-
able at your local RadioShack store).
TOLL-SAVER
If the ring select switch is set to TS (toll-
saver), the TAD-798 answers after two
rings if you have new messages. If
there are no new messages, the TAD
answers after four rings. This gives you
time to hang up before the TAD an-
swers so you can avoid unnecessary
long-distance charges. See “Setting the
Number of Rings” on Page 9.
USING REMOTE
COMMANDS
Follow these steps to operate the TAD
from a remote location.
1. Dial your phone number.
Note: Even if the TAD is not set to
answer calls, it will answer after
about 9 rings.
2. When the TAD answers, enter your
remote operation security code.
The TAD beeps once to confirm that
you entered the correct code.
Note: If you do not enter each digit
of the security code within 8 sec-
onds of the last, the TAD hangs up.
3. Enter the remote command (see
“Remote Command List” on
Page 18).
4. When you finish, hang up. The TAD
resets to answer calls.
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18
Remote Command List
Press: To:
00 Set the TAD to not answer
calls. It beeps and says
“Answer off.”
01 Set the TAD to answer calls. It
beeps, says “Answer on” and
plays OGM 1. If no OGM 1 is
recorded, it beeps and says
“You have no announcement
one.”
02 Set the TAD to announce
only. It beeps, says
“Announce only,” and plays
OGM 2. If no OGM 2 is
recorded, it beeps and says
“You have no announcement
two.”
2 Play all messages. If there
are no messages, the TAD
says “You have no messag-
es.”
3 Play new messages. The
TAD announces the number
of new messages before
playback. If there are no new
messages, the TAD says,
“You have no new messag-
es.”
4 Monitor the room for 20 sec-
onds. Press 4 to repeat.
5 Delete all messages (except
new messages). Press 1 after
the TAD announces “Erase
messages,” then the TAD
beeps.
6 Stop playback or recording.
7 Record a memo.
81 Change OGM 1. After the
TAD beeps, begin speaking.
When you finish, press 6. The
TAD beeps and plays the new
OGM 1.
82 Play OGM 1. If no OGM 1 has
been recorded, the TAD
announces “You have no
announcement one.”
91 Change OGM 2. After the
TAD beeps, begin speaking.
When you finish, press 6. The
TAD beeps and plays the new
OGM 2.
92 Play OGM 2. If no OGM 2 has
been recorded, the TAD an-
nounces “You have no an-
nouncement two.”
Press: To:
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19
After pressing 2or 3to play messages,
you can:
Press To:
1 Replay the previous mes-
sage.
3 Skip to the next message.
4 Replay the current message.
5 Delete the current message.
6 Stop message playback.
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20
TROUBLESHOOTING
We do not expect you to have any problems with your TAD-798, but if you do,
try these suggestions.
If the TAD still doesn’t operate properly, try resetting it (see “Resetting the TAD”
on Page 21) or take it to your local RadioShack store for assistance.
Problem Remedy
The incoming message is incom-
plete. Be sure the memory is not full.
The incoming message is un-
clear. Be sure VOLUME is set to the desired
sound level.
The TAD does not answer after
two, four, or seven rings. Be sure the TAD is set to answer calls.
Lo appears on the display. The backup battery is weak. Replace the
battery (see “Installing a Backup Battery”
on Page 7).
The TAD does not respond to the
remote operation security code. Make sure the phone you used to dial the TAD is a touch-tone phone, or use a pock-
et tone dialer.
Re-enter your remote operation security
code, pressing each button for 2 seconds.
Make sure the remote operation security
code you entered is correct, or try entering
the default code of 798. The remote oper-
ation security code might have reset to the
default code due to a power failure and
weak backup battery.
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