Radio Shack Caller ID System 350 User manual

Cat. No. 43-959
OWNER’S MANUAL
Please read before using this equipment.
Caller ID System 350
with Memory Dial
43-959.fm Page 1 Monday, August 16, 1999 3:26 PM

2
This symbol is intended to alert you to the presence of un-
insulated dangerous 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 operat-
ing and maintenance instructions are included in the litera-
ture accompanying this product.
For your records, we urge you to record the system’s serial
number in the space below. The serial number is located on
the bottom of the system.
Serial Number: _______________________
!
©1995 Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
Radio Shack is a registered trademark used by Tandy Corporation.
43-959.fm Page 2 Monday, August 16, 1999 3:26 PM

3
FEATURES
Your Radio Shack Caller ID System 350 offers the latest in
telephone technology. The system displays the current date
and time, and call information as provided by your local phone
company.
The system has these features:
Caller ID Memory—stores and displays up to 99 incoming
phone numbers, or up to about 50 incoming names and phone
numbers (actual capacity depends on information sent).
VIP Call List with Distinctive Ring—lets you store the
phone numbers and names of up to 20 important callers and
set the system to ring with a distinctive tone when those call-
ers call.
Caller ID Memory Dial—lets you select a stored phone num-
ber from Caller ID memory, then dial it with the touch of a but-
ton.
Review Scrolling—lets you easily scroll through all call
records in Caller ID memory.
Large Liquid Crystal Display—displays three full lines of in-
formation, including the time and call information.
Trilingual Operation—lets you set the system to display
messages in English, French, or Spanish.
43-959.fm Page 3 Monday, August 16, 1999 3:26 PM

4
Notes:
• Your system requires four AAA batteries (not supplied) to
protect its memory.
• If you subscribe to your phone company’s message wait-
ing service, you must connect an optional AC adapter
(not supplied) to the system to power the message wait-
ing function.
Important Information
• To use the System’s Caller ID and message waiting fea-
tures, you must be in an area where Caller ID and mes-
sage waiting service is available and you must subscribe
to those services.
• Where Caller ID is offered, one or more of the following
options are generally available:
– Caller’s number only
– Caller’s name only
– Caller’s name and number
For your System 350’s Caller ID memory dial feature to
operate, you must receive either the caller’s number only
or the caller’s name and number.
43-959.fm Page 4 Monday, August 16, 1999 3:26 PM

5
READ THIS BEFORE INSTALLATION
We have designed your system to conform to federal regula-
tions, and you can connect it to most telephone lines. Howev-
er, each device that you connect to 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 shown
on the bottom of your system.
This telephone has been tested and found to comply with all
applicable UL and FCC standards.
FCC STATEMENT
This system complies with Part 68 of FCC Rules . You must,
upon request, provide the FCC Registration Number and the
REN to your phone company. These numbers are located on
the bottom of your system.
Note: You must not connect your system to any of the follow-
ing:
• Coin-operated systems
• Party-line systems
• Most electronic key telephone systems
43-959.fm Page 5 Monday, August 16, 1999 3:26 PM

6
CONTENTS
Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Installing Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Connecting an Optional AC Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Resetting the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Connecting to a Single Phone Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Connecting to a Two-Line Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Connecting to an Answering Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Setting the Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Adjusting the Display Contrast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Storing Your Local Area Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Receiving and Storing Calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
New Calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Messages Waiting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Repeat Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Long Distance Calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Forwarded Calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Out of Area Calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Private Calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Name- or Number-Only Calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Line Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Call Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Reviewing Call Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Dialing Numbers in Call Records . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Deleting Call Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
VIP Call List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Storing Call Records in the VIP Call List . . . . . . . 24
Reviewing and Deleting VIP Call Records . . . . . 25
43-959.fm Page 6 Monday, August 16, 1999 3:26 PM

7
Dialing from the VIP Call List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Turning On/Off the VIP Call Special Tone . . . . . 26
Care and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
The FCC Wants You to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Lightning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
43-959.fm Page 7 Monday, August 16, 1999 3:26 PM

8
PREPARATION
INSTALLING BATTERIES
Your system uses four AAA batteries for power. For the long-
est operation and best performance, we recommend you use
alkaline batteries (Radio Shack Cat. No. 23-555).
The batteries protect the system’s memory during power fail-
ures. If you do not connect an AC adapter, the batteries also
power all system functions except message waiting (see
“Connecting an Optional AC Adapter”).
Cautions:
• Use only fresh batteries of the recommended size and
type.
• When you replace the batteries, have fresh batteries on
hand before you begin. You must install fresh batteries
within 2 minutes after removing the old batteries. Other-
wise, you might lose the information stored in the sys-
tem.
• When you replace the batteries, do not press any but-
tons on the system after you remove the old batteries.
Doing so might erase all stored information from the sys-
tem.
• Never leave dead or weak batteries in the system.
• Dispose of old batteries promptly; do not bury or burn
them.
43-959.fm Page 8 Monday, August 16, 1999 3:26 PM

9
1. Unplug the system from the telephone line.
2. Use a Phillips screwdriver to loosen the screw in the bat-
tery compartment cover on the bottom of the system,
and remove the cover.
3. Insert fresh batteries into the compartment as indicated
by the polarity symbols (+ and –) marked inside the com-
partment.
4. Replace the cover and secure it with the screw.
Notes:
• The system automatically tests the batteries when it
receives each new call.
• When appears on the display or the display dims,
replace the batteries.
43-959.fm Page 9 Monday, August 16, 1999 3:26 PM

10
CONNECTING AN OPTIONAL
AC ADAPTER
If you subscribe to a message waiting service, you need an
AC adapter (such as Cat. No. 273-1455, not supplied) to pow-
er the system.
Note: You must also keep fresh batteries in the system to pro-
tect the information stored in memory during power failures.
Cautions:
• You must use an AC adapter that supplies 9 volts DC
and at least 50 milliamps. Its center tip must be set to
negative, and its plug must correctly fit the system’s DC
9V jack. The recommended adapter meets these specifi-
cations. Using an adapter that does not meet these
specifications could damage the system or the adapter.
• Always connect the AC adapter to the system before you
plug it into the AC outlet, and unplug the adapter from
the AC outlet before you unplug it from the system.
43-959.fm Page 10 Monday, August 16, 1999 3:26 PM

11
Follow these steps to connect an AC adapter.
1. Insert the AC adapter’s barrel plug into the DC 9V jack on
the back of the system.
2. Plug the other end of the AC adapter into a standard AC
outlet.
RESETTING THE SYSTEM
Before you use the system the
first time or to reset the sys-
tem’s clock any time, use a
pointed object, such as a
straightened paper clip, to
press
RESET on the backof the
system. 12-00 and Aappear.
Note: If the system does not work after you reset it, remove
the batteries, disconnect the system from the phone line and
the AC outlet, replace the batteries with fresh ones (if neces-
sary), then reconnect it and try resetting it again.
43-959.fm Page 11 Monday, August 16, 1999 3:26 PM

12
CONNECTING TO A SINGLE
PHONE LINE
The system connects to the phone line and your phone using
two modular phone-line connectors. If your phone does not
have this type of connector, you can get the necessary adapt-
ers at your local Radio Shack store. Or you can have the
phone company update your phone wiring.
Note: The phone company can charge you to update phone
wiring. The USOC number of the jack to be installed is RJ11C
(for a single-line phone) or RJ14C (for a two-line phone).
Follow these steps to connect the system to the phone line.
1. Unplug the existing telephone’s modular cord from the
modular phone jack and plug this cord into the system’s
PHONE jack.
2. Plug the supplied modular cord into the system’s TEL.
LINE jack.
3. Plug the other end of the cord into the modular phone
jack.
43-959.fm Page 12 Monday, August 16, 1999 3:26 PM

13
CONNECTING TO A TWO-LINE PHONE
To record information about calls received on a two-line
phone, you can connect two systems using a triplex adapter
(Cat. No. 279-402). Each system only records information
about calls received on the line to which it is connected.
Follow these steps to connect two systems to a two-line
phone.
1. Unplug the existing telephone’s modular cord from the
modular jack and plug it into L1 + L2 on the triplex
adapter.
2. Plug the triplex adapter into the modular jack.
3. Plug one end of the supplied modular cord into the TEL.
LINE jack on one of the systems.
4. Plug the other end of the modular cord into either L1 or
L2 on the triplex adapter.
5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 to connect another system to the
remaining open jack (L1 or L2) on the triplex adapter.
43-959.fm Page 13 Monday, August 16, 1999 3:26 PM

14
CONNECTING TO AN ANSWERING
MACHINE
1. Unplug the answering machine’s modular cord from the
modular jack and plug this cord into the system’s TEL.
LINE jack.
2. Plug one end of the supplied modular cord into the sys-
tem’s PHONE jack, then plug the other end of the cord
into the answering machine’s modular jack.
3. Set the answering machine to answer calls after at least
two rings.
43-959.fm Page 14 Monday, August 16, 1999 3:26 PM

15
SETTING THE LANGUAGE
You can set the system to display messages in English,
French, or Spanish.
1. Repeatedly press MODE until the system displays
CALLER ID MODE.
2. Press either REVIEW button. The system displays the
total number of stored calls.
3. Refer to the following table to select the language
Note: If the system is set to a language other than English, the
first time you do Step 3 the language changes to English. Sim-
ply do Step 3 again to select the language you want to use.
To Select: Press and hold for 6 seconds:
English Both REVIEW buttons.
French REVIEW
Spanish REVIEW
t
t
43-959.fm Page 15 Monday, August 16, 1999 3:26 PM

16
ADJUSTING THE DISPLAY CONTRAST
1. Repeatedly press MODE until the system displays
CALLER ID MODE.
2. Press either REVIEW button. The system displays the
total number of stored calls.
3. Press and hold READ for about 6 seconds. The system
displays CONTRAST : XX.
4. Press REVIEW to increase contrast (up to 15) or
REVIEW to decrease it (down to 00).
5. Press READ to confirm the setting.
STORING YOUR LOCAL AREA CODE
To correctly redial local calls, you need to store your local area
code in the system. Follow these steps to store the area code.
1. Repeatedly press MODE until the system displays
(AREA CODE):___.
2. Press REVIEW to increase or REVIEW to decrease
the first digit.
3. Press READ to confirm the selected digit, the next digit
flashes.
4. Repeat Steps 2-3 to set the next digits.
5. Press MODE to save the area code.
t
t
t
t
43-959.fm Page 16 Monday, August 16, 1999 3:26 PM

17
OPERATION
RECEIVING AND STORING CALLS
The system displays the current time and date sent by the
telephone company as it receives its first caller ID record. The
system also automatically displays all received caller ID infor-
mation for every incoming call, including the call’s time and
date. As it receives calls, it stores the information in the sys-
tem’s memory for later recall, numbered with the newest
records first. When the system’s memory becomes full, old
messages are deleted to make room for new messages.
New Calls
If the system has received a call since the last time it was re-
viewed (see “Reviewing Call Information”), and the call in-
formation appear on display. The message indicator also
blinks.
43-959.fm Page 17 Monday, August 16, 1999 3:26 PM

18
Messages Waiting
If you have a voice-mail message waiting (if you subscribe to
the telephone company’s message waiting service), MES-
SAGE lights steadily until you retrieve the message.
Repeat Messages
If you have received calls from the same phone number more
than one time, appears to show the number of repeat calls
(to a maximum of 99).
Long Distance Calls
The system displays L-D-C with each long distance call.
43-959.fm Page 18 Monday, August 16, 1999 3:26 PM

19
Forwarded Calls
The system displays Call Fd instead of the phone number
if the call was forwarded to you from a number set to forward
all calls (using the phone company’s call forwarding service).
It displays Call Fd BUSY if the call was forwarded by the
phone company’s busy call forward service.
To see the telephone number of the original caller, press
READ.
Out of Area Calls
The system displays –OUT OF AREA– when:
• The call originates from an area or long-distance carrier
that does not support Caller ID.
• The call is an operator-assisted call.
• The call is from a cellular phone.
• The call was made using a calling card.
43-959.fm Page 19 Monday, August 16, 1999 3:26 PM

20
Note: This list mightnot include all instances that cause –OUT
OF AREA– to appear, and some instancesincluded in the list
might provide a Caller ID record in some areas.
Private Calls
In some areas, callers have the option of blocking their Caller
ID information. When a caller has blocked Caller ID, the sys-
tem displays –PRIVATE CALL– instead of their call infor-
mation when they call.
Name- or Number-Only Calls
If the Caller ID information provided includesonly the name or
only the number, the system displays dashes instead of the
missing information.
43-959.fm Page 20 Monday, August 16, 1999 3:26 PM