#1. No link to base. #2. Short distance usage.

not knowing what phone it is make this hard. It will be in the setup menus but most systems will probably be limited to 6.

can you tell me me the main problem? or your question?

Read your manual on how to choose more rings before your answering machine picks up...usually 7 is the most you can set it for.

When someone calls you and your phone behaves this way, does the caller get disconnected? The phone may be causing this, but it may also be due to trouble in the telephone line itself. The trouble is caused by defective wiring, a partial short circuit. When you pick up your phone to call out, the voltage on the phone line is low and it works normally. When you get an incoming call, a high voltage is sent to ring the phone. Because of the partial short, the phone company's equipment thinks you've answered the call as soon as the ringing starts. But you haven't picked up the phone, so the phone company's equipment thinks you've hung up and disconnects the call. The result is that short burst of ringing.

Disconnect the cordless phone base unit from the line and try another phone. If you still have the trouble this confirms the line is at fault. You'll need to contact your phone service provider for service. If it's in the outside wiring, they're responsible for repair. If the problem is in your home wiring, you may need to pay them unless you have a wiring maintenance plan.

If the problem goes away when the cordless base is disconnected, then it's time for a new phone.

There should be a switch towards the bottom on the right hand side
Setting ring time switch The ring time/toll saver switch allows you to set the number of rings the caller hears before the answering system plays your outgoing message. You can set the switch to answer af ter two rings or af ter four rings. Once the greeting has star ted, you can stop it when you pick up the call at the handset or base. In the TS (Toll Saver) position, the answering system picks up af ter two rings if you have new messages, and af ter four rings if there is none. This way, if you call long distance to check your messages, you can hang up af ter the third ring to avoid billing charges.

Setting the Number of Rings (Excerpt from the Uniden Dect 1580 Phone manual

The ring time setting allows you to set the number of rings the caller hears before your answering system plays the outgoing message. You can set the ring time to answer after two, four, or six rings. If you enable the Toll Saver (TS) setting, the answering system picks up after two rings if you have new messages, and after four rings if there are
none. This way, if you make a long distance call to check your messages, you can hang up after the third ring to avoid long distance billing charges.

1. Press Menu/Select.
2. Select the Ans. Setup menu, and then the Ring Time submenu.
3. Move the cursor to select a ring time (Toll Saver, 2 Times, 4 Times, or 6 Times).
4. Press Menu/Select. You will hear a confirmation tone.

thanks

Setting the Number of Rings (Excerpt from the Uniden Dect 1580 Phone manual

The ring time setting allows you to set the number of rings the caller hears before your answering system plays the outgoing message. You can set the ring time to answer after two, four, or six rings. If you enable the Toll Saver (TS) setting, the answering system picks up after two rings if you have new messages, and after four rings if there are
none. This way, if you make a long distance call to check your messages, you can hang up after the third ring to avoid long distance billing charges.

1. Press Menu/Select.
2. Select the Ans. Setup menu, and then the Ring Time submenu.
3. Move the cursor to select a ring time (Toll Saver, 2 Times, 4 Times, or 6 Times).
4. Press Menu/Select. You will hear a confirmation tone.

http://pdf.textfiles.com/manuals/FAXMACHINES/Panasonic%20KX-FHD331%20Plain%20Paper%20Fax.pdf

The handsets are reading out of range because they have lost connection with the base. This happens mostly during peak power demands or power outages, but can also happen when the phone is unplugged for any amount of time. This can also cause, at times, the answering machine to stop picking up calls. To remedy this issue, reset the phone system. Please follow the instructions below:
To reset the phone:
1. Disconnect the power adapter, phone line, and remove all batteries from the base and all handsets. Leave it disconnected for 30 seconds to reset the base.
2. Place the batteries in the handsets first and then plug in the power adapter and phone line. Do not place the batteries back in the base yet.
3. Put the handset in the charge cradle.
4. It may take up to 1 minute for the "Out of Range" to clear from the display.
5. Once the "Out of Range" is cleared from the handset place the back up batteries back into the base.