No Recording Answering Machine won't record messages from incoming calls.

If your Phone service is recording messages, that disconnects your line. You need to have them turn that feature off, OR set the answering machine to answer is less rings, say two or three. If the FAX machine listens to the line, it can still be set at a higher amount of rings, say four, and should still answer any FAX signal as it's sent to the answering machine.

You may download a copy of the manual here. If you want to play your own outgoing message, see page 27. If you want to play incoming messages, see page 29.

maybe you didn't choose it. go back to settings call and click on record incoming calls

nschutz,

Remote Operation

You can operate your answering system from a remote location (when you are away from home, or from another room using a handset).

Use this function to check for recorded messages, to play or delete message. When using any touch-tone telephone, you can even record a new greeting message.

Remote Access away from Home
You can operate your answering system from a remote location using any touch-tone telephone.

1) Call your telephone number.
2) During the greeting message, press 0 and enter your PIN code
3) The answering system announces the current time and the number of messages stored in memory. Then you hear "To play incoming messages, press zero two.
For help, press one zero."
4) You may continue to listen to the voice prompts, or you may select a command from the following chart:

*For Memo Record and Greeting Message Record function, the first time you enter the corresponding command, it starts the Recording function. If you want to stop the recording, enter the command again.
5) After all of the voice prompts have been played, you hear intermittent beeps indicating that the system is in the command waiting mode. You may enter another command at this time from the chart.
6) When you are finished, hang up to exit the system. The answering system automatically returns to standby.

0 then 1 Repeat a Message
0 then 6 Answering System On
0 then 2 Play Incoming Messages
0 then 7 Memo Record/Stop*
0 then 3 Skip a Message
0 then 8 Greeting Message Record/Stop*
0 then 4 Delete a Message 0 then 9 Answering System Off
0 then 5 Stop Operation
1 then 0 Voice Prompts

Turn on the Answering System Remotely
If you have forgotten to turn on your answering system, you can turn it on remotely from any touch-tone telephone.
1) Call your telephone number.
2) Wait ten rings until the system answers. You hear intermittent beeps.
3) Press 0 and then enter your PIN code. The answering system announces the number of messages stored in memory. You hear "To play incoming messages, press zero two. For help, press one zero."
4) Press 0 then 6 to turn the answering system on. You hear the outgoing message and a confirmation tone.
5) Hang up the phone; subsequent calls will be answered by the system.

Respectfully,

Adam04

The "recording outgoing messages" is the first thing on the second page of the manual at
http://www.radioshack.com/graphics/uc/rsk/Support/ProductManuals/4303829_PM_EN.pdf

Here are the instructions you need to follow:

If you want to be able to play your messages from a remote location, you need to enter a two-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN) code (01-99).
To select a PIN, perform the following steps:
1) With the phone in standby, press [menu/clock] twice.
The system announces "Security code," and the current PIN code is announced as it is displayed on the base.
Then the system announces the instructions for setting the PIN code.
2) Press [volume/select/ ] or [volume/select/ ] until the desired number appears.
3) Press [set] to select the PIN code. You hear a confirmation tone, then the announcement "Security code" followed by the new PIN code is announced. After a few seconds, the system announces "To set ring time, press menu again."
Note: The PIN code is set to "80" at the factory.

Remote Operation
When you are away from home, you can operate your answering machine with any touch-tone telephone. Use this function to check for recorded messages, to play or delete messages, even record a new greeting message.
1) Call your telephone number.
2) During the greeting message, press [0] and enter your PIN code
3) The answering machine announces the current time and the number of messages stored in memory. Then you hear "To play incoming message, press zero two. For help, press one zero."
4) You may continue to listen to the voice prompts, or you may select a command from the following chart:
Command Function Command Function
[0] then [1] Repeat a Message [0] then [6] Answering Machine On
[0] then [2] Play Incoming Messages [0] then [7] Memo Record/Stop*
[0] then [3] Skip a Message [0] then [8] Greeting Message Record/Stop*
[0] then [4] Delete a Message [0] then [9] Answering Machine Off
[0] then [5] Stop Operation [1] then [0] Voice Prompts
* For Memo Record and Greeting Message Record functions, the first time you enter the corresponding command, it
starts the Recording function. If you want to stop the recording, enter the command again.
Note: Once you enter the remote access menu, you must enter a command within 15 seconds, or the
answering machine automatically hangs up and returns to standby.
5) After all of the voice prompts have been played, you hear intermittent beeps indicating that the system is in the
command waiting mode. You may enter another command at this time from the chart.
6) When you are finished, hang up to exit the system. The answering machine automatically returns to standby.

Turn on the Answering Machine Remotely
If you have forgotten to turn on your answering machine, you can turn it on remotely from any touch-tone telephone.
1) Call your telephone number.
2) Wait ten rings until the system answers. You hear intermittent beeps.
3) Press [0] and then enter your PIN code. The answering machine announces the number of messages stored in memory. You hear "To play incoming message, press zero two. For help, press one zero."
4) Press [0] then [6] to turn the answering machine On. You hear the outgoing message and a confirmation tone.
5) Hang up the phone; subsequent calls will be answered by the system.

Settings:
In Settings dialog you can set the following options for Best Answering Machine:

* Greetings - allows setting up the greetings played on pick-up;
* Active in profiles - defines in which profiles the application will pick-up the phone and record messages;
* Storage - allows selecting on which disk the records will be saved;
* Pick up after - sets the time after which the call will be answered;
* Record time - maximum amount of time the message is being recorded;
* Format - message file format (amr,wav);
* Icon - configures the visibility of the icon displaying application activity and presence of new messages; depending on this parameter, can be shown in standby screen only (Phone application) or in any application;
* Play volume - play volume for the greeting;
* Records lifetime - automatically removes old messages;

Messages:
In this view you can listen to new and old messages, delete unnecessary messages, send the recorded messages and call the person directly from this view.

During the call:

When Answering Machine is processing an incoming call, you will see a dialog showing the application's progress with the ability to stop it:

* Answer - when this command is chosen during a call, it stops greeting playback or message record and you can continue talking to the caller;
* Hang up - stops greeting playback or message recording and terminates the call; hope this will be helpful...

Record Time sets the duration for recording the incoming messages. You have three
record time options. The options "1 minute" or "4 minutes" set the duration for
recording the incoming messages. "Announce only" answers the call but prevents
the caller from leaving a message.
1) Enter the Answ. Setup menu, and then the Record
Time submenu (see "Entering the Menu" on page 16).
2) Press volume up/down to select Record Time
(1 Minute, 4 Minutes, or Announce Only)
3) Press the OK soft key. You will hear a confirmation tone.

unplugging the unit from the power source and waiting 30seconds seems to be the answer. the answering machine is working and i can call out again.
thanks you to everyone who posted that answer in different parts of FixYa.

The 25414RE3 isn't the model with the answering machine. The one that has the answering machine is the 25415RE3.

As for the problem, does the answering machine part of the unit actually pick up the line? Does it announce your pre-recorded message? Does it just not record the caller's response?