Setting the Time and Greeting

By trial and error I figured out how to set up the Conairphone TAD 2014 digital answering system. My neighbor has one, and he asked me to help him out. Much to my surprise, a web search turned up no online manual or instructions. Here is how to reset the outgoing message and set the correct date and time.

Factory Greeting
This answering machine allows you to record your own outgoing message to replace the factory-installed greeting. I'll tell you how to do that later. First, here is how you clear your personal greeting and get back to the factory message.

The only way I know to get back to the factory message is to reset the TAD 2014. To do this, unplug it from the transformer and momentarily disconnect the 9-volt backup battery that maintains it's settings.

The factory message is, "Hello! Please leave your message after the beep. BEEP!"

Replace the Backup Battery
To disconnect the backup battery, turn the unit over and observe the translucent battery door with 15 small bumps on it. Press VERY firmly down with your thumb and push the door in the outboard direction. The door will slide open, allowing access to the 9-volt battery.

Powering On
Once you have replaced the battery, plug the unit in and push the On/Off button. The Messages display will count down from 9 to 0 to show you that the unit is initializing.

Hear the Greeting
To hear the current outgoing message, press and release the Greeting button. The unit plays the greeting message.

Modify the Greeting
To record your own outgoing message, press and continue to hold the Greeting button. When you hear the beep, speak your outgoing message. When you are done, release the Greeting button. Your new outgoing message will play back.

Hear the Day and Time
To hear the current day and time, press and release the Repeat button. If you have powered on the unit after replacing the battery, you will hear the message, "Time is not set. Monday, 12 AM."

Set the Day of the Week
To begin the process of setting the day and time, press and hold down the Repeat button. Keep holding the Repeat button down until the unit has finished announcing that it is Monday. You are now in Day of the Week mode. If you didn't hear anything, you probably need to turn up the volume, which is located on the right side of the unit.

If it isn't Monday, you'll need to tell the unit the correct day of the week. Each time you press the On/Off button you'll advance to the next day of the week. Do this quickly: if you wait too long, the On/Off button goes back to its usual function, and the unit powers off.

Set the Hour
Once you have selected the correct day, you must next set the correct hour of the day. Press the Repeat button once to indicate that you are ready to do this.

Just like before, press On/Off to advance through the hours of the day until you reach the current hour.

Set the Minute
Once you have selected the correct hour, you must set the correct minute of the hour. Press the Repeat button once to indicate that you are ready to do this.

Press On/Off to advance through the minutes. This is quite slow, because the unit speaks each choice. If you hold down the On/Off button the unit will continue to advance through the minutes until you reach the desired value.

Set AM/PM
Once you have selected the correct minute, you must select AM or PM. Press the Repeat button once to indicate that you are ready to do this.

Press On/Off to switch between AM and PM. When you have selected the correct value, press the Repeat button once again. You are done setting the time! The unit will read back the current day and time.