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

43-785.fm Page 1 Monday, August 16, 1999 7:54 AM

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

ital Out

oin

Messa

e— en-

sures the clearest possible recording

of the message you leave for callers.

Call Screenin

— 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

)

— stops recording after 7 seconds of

silence to conserve tape space for

other messages.

TELEPHONE

ustable Rin

er — allows you to

set the volume level of the ringer or

turn it off.

hted Rin

er Bar — flashes to indi-

cate that there is an incoming call.

3 Priorit

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.

RadioShack is a trademark used by Tandy Corporation.

43-785.fm Page 2 Monday, August 16, 1999 7:54 AM

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 !

43-785.fm Page 3 Monday, August 16, 1999 7:54 AM

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

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

................................................................................................. 19

Care and Maintenance ....................................................................................... 22

Cleaning the Tape-Handling Parts ................................................................. 23

The FCC Wants You to Know ........................................................................ 23

Lightning ........................................................................................................ 23

43-785.fm Page 4 Monday, August 16, 1999 7:54 AM

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.

Illust.

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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-

Illust.

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.

43-785.fm Page 6 Monday, August 16, 1999 7:54 AM

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.

Illust.

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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.

Illust.

43-785.fm Page 8 Monday, August 16, 1999 7:54 AM

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.

Illust.

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.

Illust.

43-785.fm Page 9 Monday, August 16, 1999 7:54 AM

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.

Illust.

43-785.fm Page 10 Monday, August 16, 1999 7:54 AM

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