AT&T 1820 User Manual

ANSWERING SYSTEM TELEPHONE 1820

Installation
Telephone Operation
Memory Dialing
Answering System Operation
Remote Operation

Installation

Setting Up the System

1.
Install the batteries:
the batteries, making sure they are oriented properly. The batteries are used to save your messages in the event of a power failure.
2.
Set the DIAL MODE switch:
tone) unless you have dial pulse (rotary) service. If you have dial pulse servic e, set the DIAL M ODE switch to DP.
DIAL MODE:
or rotary telephone service. It can be set to work directly with long-distance or certain other services that require tone signaling, including some tone-activated computer services.
3.
Continue unit installation:
Installation”. To install the unit on a wall, go to “Wall Installation”.
Open the battery door on the bottom of the unit by pulling on the tabs. Insert
Set the DIAL MODE switch on the bottom of the system to TT (touch
This telephone has a selectable push-button dial which will work with either tone
To install the unit on a table or desk, continue on to “Table/Desk

Table/Desk Installation

Follow the steps below to install your new system on a table or desk.
1.
Complete Steps 1 through 3
2.
Connect the handset cord:
into the jack on the left side of the unit.
3.
Connect the line cord:
back of the unit, and plug the other end into a modular wall jack.
4.
Connect the power cord:
switch. The Message Window counts down from 6 to 0, then “0” flashes to indicate that you need to record an announcement.
in “Setting up the System” in the previous section.
Plug one end of the coiled handset cord into the handset and the other end
Plug one end of the 7-foot telephone line cord into the TEL LINE jack at the
Plug the power cord into an electrical outlet that is not controlled by a wall

Wall Installation

Follow the steps below to install your new system as a wall unit.
1.
Complete Steps 1 through 3
2.
Reverse the handset tab:
tab holds the handset when you hang up. While holding down the switchhoo k, slide the ta b up and out of its slot. Turn the tab so that the curved end is up and insert the tab back into its slot.
3.
Reposition the base bracket:
a) Turn the unit upside down. b) Remove the bracket by pressing the movable tabs (with arrows) while lifting off the bracket. c) Turn the bracket around and insert the non-movable tabs into the slots at the other end of the unit. d) Press the movable tabs while lowering them into the slots. The bracket should snap firmly into
place.
4.
Connect the line cord to unit:
at the back of the unit.
5.
Place telephone on wall jack:
on the wall jack mounting studs and pull down until it holds securely in place.
in “Setting Up the System”.
To mount the telephone on a wall, you must reverse the handset tab. This
Plug one end of the 8-inch telephone line cord into the TEL LINE jack
Plug the free end of the line cord into the wall jack. Position the unit
6.
Connect the handset cord:
the unit and plug the other end into the handset.
7.
Connect the power cord:
wall switch.
The Message Window counts down from 6 to 0, then “0” flashes to indicate that you need to record an announcement.
Plug one end of the coiled handset cord into the jack on the left side of
Plug the power cord into an electrical wall outlet that is not controlled by a

Telephone Operation

Ringer Volume Control

The RINGER volume control (on the left side of the unit) allows you to turn the telephone ringer OFF or to set it to ring at LO or HI volume.
NOTE:
If the answering system is on, it will answer calls whether the ringer is on or off.

Handset Volume Control

Adjust the HANDSET (receiver) volume control (located on the left side of the unit) for a comfortable listening level when using the handset.

Redial

The telephone memory stores the last number you dialed (up to 18 digits). To redial the number, lift the handset, then press and release REDIAL.
NOTE:
To erase the redial memory, lift the handset, press any digit, then hang up.

Mute

Hold down MUTE during a call to turn off the microphone of the handset. You will be able to hear the caller, but the caller will not hear you.
When you release MUTE, your caller will be able to hear you again.

Flash

Press and release FLASH instead of pressing the switchhook to activate services such as Call Waiting or 3­Way Calling. You may have to press other buttons before or after FLASH, as explained in custom calling instructions provided by your local telephone company. FLASH is used only as a substitute for pressing the switchhook.

Temporary Tone

If you have dial pulse (rotary) service, you can temporarily change to tone dialing during a call by pressing * TONE.
Example:
1. Dial a number with the DIAL MODE switch set to DP.
2. Press and release * TONE. Each number you dial after this will be sent as a touch tone signal.
3. After you hang up, the phone automatically returns to dial pulse service.

Memory Dialing

Memory Features

A number will remain stored in memory unless you change it by entering another number.

Capacity:

The telephone can store 9 telephone numbers, each up to 18 digits long.

Directory Card:

Remove the directory card. Write in your telephone number where indicated by THIS NUMBER, and the numbers (or names) that you want to store in the numbered boxes. Reinstall the card and the clear plastic cover in the space provided.

Speed Dialing

Once a number is stored in memory, you can dial it by pressing MEMORY and then the memory location key (1 – 9). If your system is disconnected from the telephone line for approximately 72 hours or more, memory dialing numbers will be lost.
NOTE:
dialing is provided only as a convenience. AT&T assumes no responsibility for customer reliance on this memory feature.
Although testing the programming of emergency numbers is not a recommended procedure, if you do make a call to an emergency number:
You must remain on the line and briefly explain the reason for the call before hanging up.
Programming/testing of emergency numbers should be performed in the early morning or late
You may choose to store emergency numbers in memory locations. However, speed
evening (off peak hours)

Storing Numbers

1. Lift the handset.
2. Press and release PROGRAM.
3. Enter telephone number to be stored.
4. Press and release MEMORY.
5. Press and release the memory location (1 – 9) where the number is stored. You cannot use 0, # or * as
memory locations.
6. Hang up.
Repeat the above steps to store another number.

Dialing Stored Numbers

1. Lift the handset.
2. Press and release MEMORY.
3. Press and release the memory location (1 – 9).

Storing Numbers Just Dialed

Whenever you make a telephone call, the number you dialed can be stored in a memory location without entering the number again.
1. Lift the handset.
2. Press and release PROGRAM.
3. Press and release MEMORY.
4. Press and release the memory location (1 – 9)
5. Hang up.

Answering System Operation

Recording Your Announcement

Before usi ng your new answering system, you should record the announcement that c allers will hear when the system answers a call. The system will not answer calls unless an announcement is record ed.
1.
Prepare your announcement.
your name, telephone number and a message after the beep. I will return your call as soon as I can. Thank you.”
NOTE:
2.
Lift the access cover
3.
Press and release ANNC.
microphone in a normal tone of voice, from about 9 inches away. While you are recording, “-“ flashes in the message window.
4.
Press STOP
The unit automatically plays back your announcement. If necessary, adjust the VOLUME control (on the right side of the unit).
After your announcement plays back, the number in the Message Window should be on steady. If it is flashing, follow steps 2 – 4 to record your announcement.
Your announcement can be up to 2 minutes long.
and press and release CHANGE. The message window displays “C”.
when you are finished.
Example: “Hello. I can’t come to the phone right now. Please leave
The system beeps to indicate that it is recording. Speak toward the

Reviewing Your Announcement

To review your announcement, press and release ANNC. If necessary, adjust the VOLUME control (on the right side of the unit).

Changing Your Announcement

To change yo ur announcement, follow the steps under “Recording Your Announcement”. The old announcement is deleted when a new announcement is recorded.

Setting the Clock

The Clock records the day and time when each message was received. Before using your new answering system, set the answering system’s Clock.

To Set the Day and Time:

1. Set the VOLUME control to the middle.
2. Press and release CHANGE. The Message Window displays “C”.
3. Press and release CLOCK. The current day setting is announced (for example, “Sunday”).
4. To change the day setting, hold down FORWARD or REPEAT until the correct day is announced.
Then, release the button.
5. Press and release CLOCK. The current hour is announced (for example, “One AM”).
6. To change the hours setting, hold down FORWARD or REPEAT until the correct hour is announced.
Then, release the button. Check that the hour is correctly set for AM or PM. If it is not, hold down FORWARD to advance 12 hours.
7. Press and release CLOCK. The current minutes setting is announced (for example, “oh three”).
8. To change the minutes setting, hold down FORWARD or REPEAT until the correct minutes setting is
announced. Then, release the button.
9. Press and release CLOCK. The new day and time are announced. You are done setting the day and
time.

Audible Clock

To hear the clock setting at any time, press and release CLOCK.

Turning the System On/Off

After you have recorded your announcement, the Message Window should be on, indicating that the system is ready to answer calls. The Message Window shows the number of messages stored in memory (“0” if no messages have been received).
If the Message Window is not on, press and release ON/OFF to turn the s ystem on.
If you do not want your system to answer calls, press and release ON/OFF so that the Message Window turns off.

Answering Calls

When the system answers a call, the caller hears the announcement you recorded, followed by a beep. After the beep, the system begins recording your caller’s message.
While the system is playing your announcement, the Message Window displays “ – “ (steady). While the system is recording the caller’s message, the Message Window displays “ – “ (flashing).
NOTE:
caller is still speaking after 2 minutes, is silent for more than 7 seconds, or the system’s memory runs out, the system beeps once and hangs up.
To conserve memory, messages are limited to a maximum of 2 minutes each. If the

Screening Your Calls

To screen your calls, set the system to answer calls and adjust the VOLUME control so you can hear the announcement and a caller’s message on the system’s built in speaker.
If you decide to take a call, lift the handset of any telephone on the same line. The system will stop recording and reset to answer calls.
NOTE:
switchhook or press STOP.
If the announcement does not stop right away, press and release the telephone

Ring Select (Toll Saver)

Use the RINGS switch under the access cover to select the number of times the phone rings before the system answers.
Set to 2 if you want the system to answer all calls on the second ring.
Set to 4 if you want the system to answer all calls on the fourth ring.
Set to TS (Toll Saver) if you want the system to answer on the second ring when the system
has new messa ges, but on the fourth ring when the system has no new messages.
Use Toll Saver if you will be calling from another location to check for messages.
Suppose that Toll Saver is selected and you call long distance or from a pay phone to check your messages. If the system has received new messages since the last time you checked your messages, the system answers after 2 rings. If you hear a third ring, you know the system has no new messages. If you ha ng up after the third ring, you can avoid paying for the call.

Audible Message Alert

If you want your system to beep once e very 10 seconds to notify you when new messages have been received, set the MSG ALERT switch, located under the access cover, to ON. If you do not want to hear the beeps, set it to OFF.

Message Window

The Message Window is used to display the number of messages that have been recorded. The Message Window can count only up to 9. If more than 9 messages are recorded, the display alternates between “9” and “-“.
The table below summarizes the information provided in the Message Window.
Message Window What it Means
Off System is off. 0 (steady) System is turned on, but no messages have been received. 1 – 9 (steady) Message Wind ow shows curr ent message count. 9 alternates with - More than 9 messages have been recorded. F (flashing) Memory is full. You must delete messages before new
messages can be recorded.
0 – 9 (flashing) No announcement is stored in memory.
- (flashing) An announcement, memo, phone conversation is being recorded.
- (steady) Your announcement is being playe d.
Counts down from 6 to 0 Digital memory is being formatted. RESET was pressed or
there was an AC power failure with no battery backup.

Message Volume Control

You can use the message VOLUME control, on the right side of the unit, to adjust the volume of the system’s speaker. Slide the switch until you find a comfortable volume level.
The VOLUME control does not affect the level of the announcement heard by callers.

Listening to Your Messages

To play all messages, press and release PLAY.
To play only new messages that have not been played before, hold down PLAY for about 2 seconds
until the system begins playing. (If no new messages have been received, you hear 5 beeps.)
As the system plays each message, the Message Window shows the number of the message. If there are more than 9 messages, the Message Window displays only the second digit (e.g. 0 for message 10). After the last message has been played, the system announces “End of messages.”

The following options are available during playback.

To repeat an entire message, press and release REPEAT.
To back up to an earlier message, press and release REPEAT until the number of that message is
displayed.
To repeat part of a message (review), hold down REPEAT for a few seconds, then release it to resume
playing. (The system beeps while the button is held down.)
To skip to the next message, press and release FORWARD.
To skip part of a message (cue), hold down FORWARD for a few seconds, then release it to resume
playing. (The system beeps while the button is held down.)
To pause during a message, press and release STOP. To continue playing the message, press PLAY.
If you do not continue playing messages within 30 seconds, the system automa tically advances to the end of your last message and announces “End of messages.”

Saving Messages

The system sa ves your messages automati cally if you do not delete t hem.
NOTE:
memory is full, you must delete some or all of the messages before any new messages can be recorded.
The system can save about 9 minutes of messages (up to a total of 50 messages). When

Deleting All Messages

If you wish to delete all messages stored in memory, hold down DELETE after listening to all of your messages. The system beeps once and displays “0” in the Message Window; you can then release the button.
NOTE:
whether you have listene d to them or no t .
When you delete all messages, any messages that were stored in memory are erased,

Deleting Selected Messages

To delete only a specific message, press and release DELETE while the message you want to delete is being played. The system erases the message corresponding to the number shown in the Message Window, beeps once, and continues with the next message.
To make sure you are deleting the right message, you can press REPEAT to repeat the message after listening to it, then press DELETE while this message is playing.
After the system reaches the end of the last message, any messages that were not deleted are renumbered, and the Message Window shows the total number of messages remaining in memory.

Recording a Memo

You can record a memo to be stored by the system as an incoming message. Then, you can play the memo at home or from a remote tel ephone, like any other message. The memo can be up to 2 minutes long.
1. To record a memo, hold down MEMO/2WAY. After the beep, speak toward the microphone. While
you are recording, the M essage Window shows “- “ (flashing).
2. To stop recording, release MEMO/2WAY. The system stores the memo with your messages and
updates the message count.
To listen to the memo
, follow the instructions under “Listening to Your Messages”.

Recording a Telephone Conversation

You can record a phone conversation up to 2 minutes long.
NOTE:
recorded. To ensure that you are in compliance with any state and federal regulations that concern recording a telephone call, you should start the recording process and then inform the caller that you are recording the call.
1. To begin recording, tap (quickly press and release) MEMO/2WAY at any time during a phone
conversation. The system beeps once and then begins to record.
2. To stop recording, press and release STOP or hang up. The system stores the phone conversation with
your messages and updates the message count.
This unit does not sound warning beeps to let the other party know that the call is being

Priority Calling

If you do not want to be disturbed, your system will answer the phone for you. However if there is a particular call you would like to receive, inform the caller of Priority Calling.
When the caller enters the Priority Calling code from a touch tone telephone, the system beeps loudly to alert you to a priority call.
The Priority Calling code is set at 30 and cannot be changed.
To use Priority Calling, a caller should:
1. Dial your telephone number.
2. When the announcement begins to play, press and release 3 0.
3. The system beeps 3 times, then pauses. This pattern is repeated until the telephone is picked up. The
beeps are audible to the caller as well as in the home.
If the phone is not answered within 30 seconds, the caller hears 2 beeps. The caller can then press and release * and leave a message after the beep.

When Memory is Full

The system can record approximately 9 minutes of messages (including the time for your announcement) or a maximum of 50 messages. When memory is full or 50 messages have been recorded, “F” flashes in the Message Window. To make room for more message s, listen to your me ssages and delete some or all of them.
When memory is full, the system will answer calls after 10 rings and present 2 beeps instead of your announcement.

Remote Operation

Your Remote Access Code

You can use many features of your system when you are away from home. To protect your privacy, most features can be used only after you enter a Remote Access code.
NOTE:
touch tone telephone.
The Remote Access code is preset to 10. This number is printed on the label under the access cover. You can use the preset code or you can choose one of your own.
You can change this code by calling from a remote location. However, you cannot change this code at home.
NOTE:
Remote Access code returns to the factory setting of 10.
To enter your Remote Access code and use other remote features, you must call from a
If AC power fails and there is not battery installed, or the battery is low on power, the

Changing Your Remote Access Code

1. Dial your telephone number from a touch tone telephone.
2. When the system answers, enter your current Remote Access code. The system announces the number
of messages it has received then beeps twice.
3. Press and release 99. The system beeps once.
4. Enter your new Remote Access code (any number between 10 and 99, except 30 or 50).
If a valid code number is entered, the system changes the Remote Access code and beeps twice.
If an invalid number is entered, or no number is entered, you hear 5 rapid beeps, followed by 2
beeps. Repeat steps 3 and 4.

Playing Messages

1. Dial your telephone number from a touch tone telephone.
2. When the system answers, enter your Remote Access code.
NOTE:
begins. If the announcement does not stop, enter the code again.
To bypass the announcement, enter your Remote Access code as soon as the announcement
When the Remote Access code is entered correctly, the system announces the number of messages it has received, then beeps twice. After the beeps, you can:
Wait 4 seconds and the system will automatically begin pla ying all of your messages.
Press and release 7 to begin playing all of your messages.
Press and release 6 to begin playing only new messages. If there are no new messages you hear five
rapid beeps.
The following options are available while you play your messages:
To repeat an entire message, press and release 2 while that message is playing.
To repeat part of a message, hold down 2. To resume playing the message, release 2.
To skip an entire message, press and release 5 while that message is playing.
To skip part of a message, hold down 5. To resume playing the message, release 5.
To interrupt message playback, press and release #. To resume playing messages, press and release 7.
To delete only a selected message, press and release 3 while that message is playing. To be sure you
are deleting the right message, you can press 2 to repeat the message and then press 3 when you are sure that the system is playing the message you want to delete.

Saving Your Messages

To save messages you’ve just heard, simply hang up the telephone. Any new messages will be record ed after the saved messages.

Replaying Your Messages

After all messages have been played and you hear “End of messages” followed by 2 beeps, press and release 7 to replay the messages.

Deleting All Messages

If you do not want to save any of your messages, press and release 3 3 after you listen to all your messages and hear “End of messages.” The messages are deleted immediately and the system beeps twice.

Recording a Memo

After you listen to your messages, you can recor d a memo to your self or other members of the househo l d.
1. After you hear “End of messages” followed by two beeps, press and release *.
2. Begin speaking after the beep.
3. Press and release # when you are finished.
This memo will be counted as a new message.

Changing Your Announcement

To change your announcement:
1. Dial your telephone number.
2. When the system answers, enter your Remote Access code during or after the announcement.
3. After you hear the 2 beeps, press and release 4 *. The system will beep and begin recording.
4. Speak into the telephone in a normal tone of voice.
5. When you are finished, press and release #. The system automatically plays your new announcement.
To listen to your announcement again, press and release 4 1 after the 2 beeps.

Bypassing the Announcement

People who call frequently can press * (on touch tone phones only) when the announcement begins. The system skips the rest of the announcement, beeps and begins recording.

Turning Off the System

Use the following procedure to turn off the system.
1. Dial your telephone number.
2. When the system answers, enter your Remote Access code during or after the announcement.
3. After the 2-beep signal, press and release 8 8. The system beeps twice. You can hang up and the
system will not answer incoming calls until you turn it on again.

Turning On the System

If you forget to turn the system on before leaving home, you can turn it on by calling from a touch tone telephone. (You do not have to enter your Remote Access code to use this feature.)
1. Dial your telephone number and wait for 10 rings. The system will answer and beep twice. (It will not
play your anno unce ment.)
2. Press and release 0. The system beeps twice to indicate that the system has been turned on. You can
hang up and the system remains on, ready to answer calls and record messages.
NOTE:
memory is full or no announcement is recorded.
If you press 0 and hear 5 rapid beeps instead of the normal 2-beep signal, then either

Memory Full/No Announcement

If the system answers after 10 rings and presents 2 beeps instead of your announcement, then the system may be off, or memory may be full, or your announcement may have been lost due to a power failure with insufficient battery power.
To set your system to answer calls and record messages:
1. Enter your Remote Access code after the 2-beep signal.
Listen to any messages that have been recorded and delete some or all of them.
2. Press and release 4 1 t o review your announceme nt . If you don’t hear your announcement, press and
release 4 * to record a new announcement.
3. Press and release 0 to make sure your system is on before you hang up.
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