Radio Shack TAD-799 User manual

Cat. No. 43-799
OWNER’S MANUAL
Fully Digital Telephone Answering System
Please read before usin
g
this equipment.
TAD-799
with Day/Time Voice Stamp
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2
FEATURES
Your RadioShack TAD-799 Fully Digital
Telephone Answering System stores all
messages on a computer chip — there
arenotapemechanismstowearoutand
no tapes to bother with. This gives you
capabilities not available in tape-based
answering machines. For example, you
can delete individual messages without
listening to every one.
The TAD-799’s 16-minute memory ca-
pacity lets you store more messages
than many other TADs (telephone an-
swering devices). Its unique, space-sav-
ing design makes it ideal for home and
office use. Your TAD’s remote control
features let you retrieve messages from
almost any touch-tone phone. With an
optional pocket tone dialer, you can
even use it from a rotary phone.
Your TAD’s features include:
Voice Da
y
/Time Stamp — announces
the day and time when each message
was recorded.
Call/Messa
g
e Counter — displays the
number of messages recorded.
© 1998 Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
RadioShack is a registered trademark used by Tandy Corporation.
Selectable 3-Di
g
it Remote Operation
Securit
y
Code — helps prevent unau-
thorized remote operation.
Di
g
ital Out
g
oin
g
Messa
g
e— gives
you a clear outgoing message than can
be up to 60 seconds long.
Memor
y
Backup — protects messages
stored in memory in case of a power
failure.
Automatic Toll Saver — answers the
phone after two rings when you have
new messages. Otherwise, it answers
after four rings. This lets you hang up
before the TAD answers to avoid charg-
es when you call by long-distance to
check your messages.
Room Monitor — lets you listen from a
remote phone to the room where your
TAD is located.
Call Screenin
g
— you can listen to in-
coming calls so you can decide whether
or not to answer.
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3
Phone Pick-Up Detection — the TAD
automatically stops if you answer a call
after the TAD answers.
DELETE Button — lets you quickly
erase messages individually or all at
once.
Memo Recording — lets you leave
memos for your family, roommates, or
co-workers as messages on the TAD.
To take advantage of all the TAD’s fea-
tures, we recommend that you read this
manual completely before you use the
TAD.
This TAD has been tested and certified
to comply with applicable UL and FCC
standards.
This symbol is intended to alertyou to
the presence of uninsulated danger-
ous voltage within the product’s en-
closure 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.
CAUTION
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.
!
!
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4
READ THIS BEFORE
INSTALLATION
We have designed your TAD-799 to
conform to federal regulations, and you
can connect it to most telephone lines.
However, each device you connect to
the phone line draws power from it. This
powerdrawis thedevice’s
Ringer Equiv-
alence Number
, or REN. The REN is
shown on the bottom of the TAD.
you use more than one telephone or
other device on the line, add up all of
the RENs. If the total is more than five,
your telephones might not ring. In rural
areas, a total REN of three might impair
ringer operation. 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 telephone company. Both
numbers are marked on the bottom of
the TAD.
Note: You must not connect the TAD to:
• coin-operated systems
• party-line systems
• electronic key telephone systems
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5
CONTENTS
Installation .............................................................................................................. 6
Choosing a Location ......................................................................................... 6
Installing the Backup Battery ............................................................................6
Connecting to the Telephone Line .................................................................... 7
Connecting to Power ......................................................................................... 8
Preparation .............................................................................................................9
Setting the Day and Time .................................................................................. 9
Recording the Outgoing Message .................................................................. 10
Basic Operation ................................................................................................... 11
Setting the Number of Rings ............................................................................11
Setting the TAD to Answer Calls ......................................................................11
Recording Incoming Messages .......................................................................12
Screening Calls ...............................................................................................12
Playing Messages ...........................................................................................12
Repeating Messages ................................................................................13
Skipping Messages .................................................................................. 13
Pausing Message Playback .....................................................................13
Stopping Message Playback ....................................................................13
Erasing Messages ..........................................................................................14
Recording a Memo ..........................................................................................14
Remote Operation ...............................................................................................15
Using Toll-Saver...............................................................................................15
Changing the Remote Operation Security Code .............................................15
Remote Answer-On ........................................................................................16
Using Remote Commands ..............................................................................17
Remote Commands ........................................................................................18
Troubleshootin
g
.................................................................................................. 19
Care And Maintenance ........................................................................................20
The FCC Wants You to Know .........................................................................21
Lightning .........................................................................................................21
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6
INSTALLATION
CHOOSING A LOCATION
Select a location that is near a modular
telephone jack and an AC outlet.
Notes:
• Your TAD-799 connects directly to a
modular telephone line jack. If your
telephone wiring does not have a
modular jack, you can update it
yourself using jacks and adapters
available at your local RadioShack
store, or have the telephone com-
pany update it for you.
• The USOC number of the jack to be
installed is RJ11C (or RJ11W for a
wall plate jack).
Caution: The supplied AC adapter was
designed specifically for your TAD-799.
Use only the supplied adapter.
INSTALLING THE
BACKUP BATTERY
The TAD requires AC power to operate.
However, if AC power fails, or you un-
plug the TAD, a 9-volt battery (not sup-
plied) provides backup power so the
TAD can maintain the correct time and
memory information. We recommend
you use an alkaline battery, available at
your local RadioShack store.
Cautions:
• Use only fresh batteries of the
required size and recommended
type.
• Do not mix old and new batteries,
different types of batteries.
Follow these steps to install the battery.
1. Use a flat-blade screwdriver to
unlatch the battery compartment
cover (as shown), then slide the
cover in the direction of the arrow
and lift it off.
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7
2. Snap the battery’s terminals to the
connector inside the compartment.
3. Replace the cover.
When Lo and the two-digit number of
calls in memory alternately flash on the
display, replace the battery. When you
replace the battery, be sure the TAD is
connected to AC power so you do not
lose any stored information.
Cautions:
• Dispose of old batteries promptly
and properly. Do not burn or bury
them.
• Always remove old or weak batter-
ies. Batteries can leak chemicals
that can destroy electronic parts.
CONNECTING TO THE
TELEPHONE LINE
To connect the TAD to the phone line,
plug one end of the supplied modular
cord into the TEL LINE jack on the back
of the TAD. Then plug the other end into
a modular phone jack.
You can also connect a telephone to the
TEL SET jack on the back of the TAD us-
ing a second modular cord (not sup-
plied).
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8
CONNECTING TO POWER
Insert the supplied adapter’s barrel plug
into the AC 9V jack on the back of the
TAD. Then plug the AC adapter’s other
end into a standard AC outlet.
Caution: You must use a Class II power
source that supplies 9 volts AC and de-
livers at least 400 mA. Its center tip must
be set to positive and its plug must fit the
TAD’s AC 9V jack. The supplied adapter
meets these specifications. Using an
adapter that does not meet these speci-
fications could damage athetoid or the
adapter.
When you first connect power, __
flashes on the display, then the TAD
runs a self-test. You cannot operate the
TAD during this test. When the test is
complete, the TAD beeps once, then
Lo flashes.
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9
PREPARATION
SETTING THE DAY AND
TIME
Follow these steps to set the day and
time so the TAD records the correct day
and time of the call with each phone
message.
Notes:
• To avoid having to reset the time if
AC power is lost, we recommend
you install a battery before you set
the day and time.
• If you do not complete any step
within 8 seconds, the TAD sounds a
three-tone beep and stops setting
the day and time. Start over at Step
1
1. Press and hold SET until the TAD
beeps. The TAD announces, “Sun-
day,” and 01 appears on the dis-
play.
Note: If necessary, adjust VOLUME
on the right side of the TAD to the
desired listening level.
2. To change the day of the week,
repeatedly press REPEAT to move
backward or SKIP to move forward
until the TAD announces the
desired day of the week.
3. Press STOP. The TAD beeps once
and announces the time format,
“AM” or “PM.”
4. To change the hour, repeatedly
press REPEAT until you hear the
desired hour.
5. Press STOP. The TAD beeps once
to confirm the hour setting.
6. To change the minutes, repeatedly
press REPEAT until you hear the
desired minute setting.
7. Press STOP to confirm the settings.
The TAD beeps and announces the
day and time.
To check the current day and time at
any time, press SET.
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10
RECORDING THE
OUTGOING MESSAGE
Before you can set the TAD to answer
calls, you must record the outgoing mes-
sage (OGM) the caller hears when the
TAD answers a call.
Note: The maximum outgoing message
length is 60 seconds.
1. Hold down ANNC. The TAD beeps.
Note: When memory is full, the
TAD displays FL and announces,
“Memory is full,” and you cannot
record the outgoing message.
Delete old messages to make room
in memory (see “Erasing Mes-
sages” on Page 14).
2. Speak in a normal voice about 8
inches (20 cm) away from the front
of the TAD. Ask for the caller’s
name, phone number, and mes-
sage. The display counts down the
seconds as you record.
Hint: Do not tell callers that you are
not home. Instead, say that you
cannot come to the phone right
now.
3. When you finish recording, release
ANNC. The TAD beeps and repeats
the outgoing message so you can
verify it.
To play the outgoing message at any
time, press ANNC. If no outgoing mes-
sage is recorded, the TAD says “No an-
nouncement.”
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11
BASIC OPERATION
SETTING THE NUMBER
OF RINGS
The ring select switch on the bottom of
the TAD controls how long the TAD-799
waits before it answers a call. Slide the
switch to the appropriate position.
4— The TAD answers after four rings.
7— The TAD answers after seven rings.
TS (Toll Saver) — If there are new mes-
sages, the TAD-799 answers after two
rings. Otherwise, the TAD answers after
four rings.
SETTING THE TAD TO
ANSWER CALLS
To set the TAD to answer calls, press
ANSWER.
• If an outgoing message is
recorded, the TAD announces,
“Answer on,” and the display lights.
• If no outgoing message is re-
corded, the TAD says, “Answer off,
no announcement.” You must
record a message (see “Recording
the Outgoing Message” on
Page 10).
To have the TAD not answer calls,
press ANSWER again. The TAD says
“Answer off,” and the display turns off.
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12
RECORDING INCOMING
MESSAGES
The TAD can record an incoming mes-
sage of up to 60 seconds. If a recording
reaches 55 seconds, the TAD beeps
once to notify the caller that time will be
up soon. If the recording reaches 60
seconds, the TAD beeps three times,
then disconnects.
The TAD automatically stops and hangs
up if the caller is silent more than 8 sec-
onds.
SCREENING CALLS
Your TAD lets you listen as callers leave
messages. If you want to speak to a call-
er, pick up any phone on the same line
and begin speaking. The TAD detects
when you pick up the phone and auto-
matically resets to answer the next call.
Note: If you pick up the phone exactly
when the TAD answers, you might need
to press STOP to stop the TAD.
PLAYING MESSAGES
If there are new messages, the display
flashes until those messages have been
played. The display shows the total
number of messages.
To play all the messages, press PLAY.
Or, to play only the new messages, hold
down PLAY. The TAD announces the
number of messages.
Note: If you hold down PLAY whenthere
are no new messages stored, the TAD
says, “No message.”
Before playing each message, the TAD
announces the message number and
the day and time it was recorded. After
all messages play, the TAD says, “End
of message(s)” and saves all the mes-
sages.
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13
Repeating Messages
To review a message while you are lis-
tening to it, press REPEAT. The current
message plays from the beginning.
To hear the previous message, press
and hold REPEAT until that message’s
number appears. The TAD plays the
message.
Skipping Messages
To skip to the next message while you
are listening to a message, press SKIP
once. The next recorded message
plays.
Pausing Message Playback
To pause while listening to messages,
press STOP. PA appears on the display.
Wait at least 2 seconds, then press
STOP again to resume playing messag-
es.
Note: Ifyou do not resume playing mes-
sages within 60 seconds, the TAD
sounds a beep, the total number of
messages appears, and the TAD stops
playback.
Stopping Message Playback
To stop playing messages, press STOP
twice within 2 seconds. The TAD beeps
once and stops playback.
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14
ERASING MESSAGES
To delete a specific message, press DE-
LETE once while the message is playing.
The TAD beeps once and immediately
erases the current message, then plays
the next message.
To erase all messages, while playback
is stopped, hold down DELETE. The TAD
sounds a long beep and 00 appears on
the display.
Note: If you hold down DELETE without
playing all the new messages first, the
TAD announces, “New messages.” The
TAD does not erase messages that
have not been played.
RECORDING A MEMO
A memo is a message you can record on
the TAD without having to call in on the
phone.
Notes:
• The maximum memo length is 60
seconds.
• If the TAD’s memory is full (FL
appears), you must erase some
messages before you can record a
memo (see “Erasing Messages”).
Follow these steps to record a memo.
1. Hold down MEMO. The TAD beeps.
Speak into the microphone in a
normal voice (while still holding
down MEMO). The display shows
how much time is left for recording.
2. Release MEMO when you finish the
message. The TAD beeps once,
and the message display number
increases by one.
The memo is recorded along with the in-
coming messages. To hear the memo,
simply play back your messages.
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15
REMOTE OPERATION
While you are away from your home or
office, you can use a touch-tone phone
or a pulse (rotary) phone with a pocket
tone dialer (available at your local Ra-
dioShack store) to enter your remote
operation security code and do any of
the following:
• set the TAD to answer or not
answer calls
• listen to your messages
• record a new announcement
• delete messages
• monitor the room where the TAD is
located
Note: You cannot remotely operate the
TAD from another phone on the same
line as your TAD-799.
USING TOLL-SAVER
If the ring select switch is set to TS (toll-
saver, see “Setting the Number of
Rings” on Page 11), the TAD answers
after two rings if you have new messag-
es. If there are no new messages, the
TAD waits for four rings before answer-
ing. This gives you time to hang up be-
fore the TAD answers so you can avoid
unnecessary long-distance charges.
CHANGING THE REMOTE
OPERATION SECURITY
CODE
The TAD-799’s remote operation secu-
rity code is preset to 799. Follow these
steps to change the code.
Notes:
• Be sure to set each digit within 8
seconds. Otherwise, you must start
over from Step 1.
• We recommend you not use three
identical digits (such as 999) for the
security code. Such numbers are
too easy for others to guess.
• If AC power fails or if the backup
battery becomes weak, the remote
operation security code automati-
cally resets to 799.
1. Hold down CODE for about 2 sec-
onds. The TAD beeps and the first
digit of the preset code flashes.
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16
2. Press SKIP or REPEAT to set the
first digit, then press STOP. The sec-
ond digit flashes.
3. Press SKIP or REPEAT to set the
second digit, then press STOP. The
third digit flashes.
4. Press SKIP or REPEAT to set the
third digit, then press STOP. The
TAD beeps once and displays the
new security code in sequence.
REMOTE ANSWER-ON
Note: You must record an outgoing
message before you can remotely set
the TAD to answer calls.
Follow these steps to remotely set the
TAD to answer calls.
1. Dial your phone number.
• If the TAD is set to answer-off, it
answers the call after 60 seconds
and announces, “Answer off.”
• If the TAD is set to answer-on, it
answers according to the num-
ber of rings you set.
2. Within 8 seconds, enter the remote
operation security code. The TAD
beeps. (If you do not enter the code
within 8 seconds, the TAD discon-
nects.)
3. Press #. The TAD beeps and
announces, “Answer on.” You can
hang up at this point or enter other
remote commands (see “Notes:” on
Page 17).
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17
USING REMOTE
COMMANDS
Follow these steps to operate the TAD
from a touch-tone phone or a pulse (ro-
tary) phone with a pocket tone dialer.
1. Dial your phone number.
2. When the TAD answers, enter your
remote operation security code.
The TAD beeps once to confirm that
you entered the correct code.
Notes:
• If you do not enter each digit of
the security code within 8 sec-
onds, the TAD hangs up.
• Even if the TAD is not set to
answer calls, it will answer after
about 60 seconds.
3. Enter a remote command (see
“Remote Commands” on Page 18).
4. When you finish, simply hang up.
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18
REMOTE COMMANDS
Press: To:
0Stop playback, recording,
and room monitoring.
1Play the outgoing mes-
sage.
2Record a new outgoing
message.
3Monitor the room where
the TAD is located for 30
seconds.
4Play all messages.
5Play only new messages.
6Delete messages. (The
TAD will not delete mes-
sages that have not been
played.)
#Set the TAD to answer or
not answer calls.
After you press 4or 5to play messag-
es, you can:
Press: To:
6Delete the current mes-
sage.
7Replay the previous mes-
sage.
8Replay the current mes-
sage.
9Skip forward to the next
message.
0Stop message play.
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19
TROUBLESHOOTING
We do not expect you to have any problems with your TAD-799, but if you do, the
following suggestions might help.
Problem Su
gg
estion
The incoming message is
incomplete. Be sure the TAD’s memory is not full.
The message was longer than 60 seconds.
The caller was silent for more than 8 seconds.
Lo flashes on the message
counter. The backup battery is weak. Replace the battery (see “Installing a Backup Battery” on Page 6).
TAD does not answer calls. Make sure the TAD is set to answer calls.
Check all phone line connections.
Make sure the AC adapter is properly connected.
TAD does not record callers’
messages. Memory may be full (FL appears). Delete some of
your messages.
No messages appear on the
message counter. This could be caused by a power failure. Reset the TAD by removing the AC adapter and the battery
from the TAD, then reconnect the adapter and
reinstall the battery.
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. (If it is not, you can use a
pocket tone dialer to enter the code and com-
mands.)
Make sure the remote operation security code you
entered is correct. Try entering the default code of
799. The TAD may have reset to the default code
because of a power failure.
Re-enter your security code, pressing each button
for 2 seconds.
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20
CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Your RadioShack TAD-799 is an example of superior design and craftsmanship. The
following suggestions will help you care for your TAD so you can enjoy it for years.
Keep the TAD dry. If it gets wet, wipe it dry immediately. Liquids might
contain minerals that can corrode the electronic circuits.
Use and store the TAD only in normal temperature environments.
Temperature extremes can shorten the life of electronic devices, dam-
age batteries, and distort or melt plastic parts.
Keep the TAD away from dust and dirt, which can cause premature
wear of parts.
Handle the TAD gently and carefully. Dropping it can damage circuit
boards and cases and can cause the TAD to work improperly.
Use only fresh batteries of the required size and recommended type.
Batteries can leak chemicals that damage your TAD’s electronic
parts.
Wipe the TAD with a damp cloth occasionally to keep it looking new.
Do not use harsh chemicals, cleaning solvents, or strong detergents
to clean the TAD.
Modifying or tampering with the TAD’s internal components can cause a malfunction
and might invalidate its warranty. If your TAD is not performing as it should, take it to
your local RadioShack store for assistance. If the trouble is affecting the telephone
lines, the phone company can ask you to disconnect your TAD until you have re-
solved the problem.)
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