4-1122.fm Page 1 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM Cat. No. 14-1122 OWNER’S MANUAL Please read before using this equipment.
14-1122.fm Page 2 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM FEATURES Your Optimus CTR-116 Voice-Activated Cassette Tape Recorder uses the latest in recording technology to make recording easy and convenient. Recording begins when the CTR-116 detects sound and ends when sound subsides, for hands-free operation. The CTR-116’s microphone is sensitive enough for the boardroom, a seminar, or a lecture hall.
14-1122.fm Page 3 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM External Microphone Jack — lets you record using either the built-in microphone or an external microphone. Supplied Earphone — lets you listen to recordings in private. Record Indicator — lights when you are recording. Three Power Sources — you can power the recorder from internal batteries, or from a vehicle’s cigarette-lighter socket or standard AC power (using the appropriate optional adapter). We recommend you record the CTR-116’s serial number here.
14-1122.fm Page 4 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM CONTENTS Preparation ............................................................................ 5 Powering the CTR-116 ...................................................... 5 Installing Batteries ....................................................... 5 Using AC Power .......................................................... 7 Using Vehicle Battery Power ....................................... 8 Connecting the Earphone ..................................
14-1122.fm Page 5 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM PREPARATION POWERING THE CTR-116 You can operate your CTR-116 from any of these power sources: • four AA batteries (not supplied) • standard AC power (using an optional AC adapter) • vehicle battery power (using an optional DC adapter) Note: Using an adapter automatically disconnects the internal batteries. Installing Batteries You can power the CTR-116 with four AA batteries. For the longest life, we recommend alkaline batteries.
14-1122.fm Page 6 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM 1. Press down on the battery compartment cover and slide it off in the direction of the arrow. 2. Put the batteries into the compartment as indicated by the polarity symbols (+ and –) marked inside. 3. Replace the cover. The REC/BATT indicator at the upper left corner of the front panel lights when you record. If the indicator lights dimly or not at all, replace the batteries.
14-1122.fm Page 7 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM • Dispose of old batteries promptly and properly. Do not burn or bury them. Note: At the end of a Ni-Cd rechargeable battery’s useful life, it must be recycled or disposed of properly. Contact your local, county, or state hazardous waste management authorities for information on recycling or disposal programs in your area.
14-1122.fm Page 8 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM Follow these steps to power the CTR-116 with an AC adapter. PLAY F FASTCUE RECORD D REWIN REVIEW STOP T EJEC PAUSE MIC REC /BAT T EAR PH MIC RE MO T DC 6 DC 6V 1. Insert the adapter’s 5.5 mm outer diameter/2.1 mm inner diameter barrel plug into the adapter’s cord, with the tip set to negative. 2. Insert the barrel plug into the CTR-116’s DC 6V jack. 3. Plug the adapter into a standard AC outlet.
14-1122.fm Page 9 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM adapter from the cigarette-lighter socket before you unplug it from the CTR-116. Follow these steps to power the CTR-116 from your vehicle’s cigarette-lighter socket. PLAY F FASTCUE RECORD D REWIN REVIEW STOP T EJEC PAUSE MIC REC /BAT T EAR PH MIC RE MO T DC 6 DC 6V 1. Set the adapter’s voltage switch to 6 volts. 2. Insert the adapter’s 5.5 mm outer diameter/2.1 mm inner diameter barrel plug into CTR-116’s DC 6V jack. 3.
14-1122.fm Page 10 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM CONNECTING THE EARPHONE You can use the supplied earphone to listen privately to the CTR-116. You can also connect an external or pillow-type speaker (not supplied) to this jack. Note: Your local RadioShack store sells a wide variety of speakers. Insert the earphone’s or speaker’s 1/8-inch (3.5-mm) plug into the EARPHONE jack. This automatically disconnects the internal speaker.
14-1122.fm Page 11 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM • Set the volume to its lowest level before you begin listening. After you put on the earphone, adjust the volume to a comfortable listening level. • Do not increase the volume once you have established a comfortable listening level. Over time, your ears adapt to the volume level, so a volume level that does not cause discomfort might still damage your hearing. Traffic Safety Do not wear the earphone while operating a motor vehicle or riding a bicycle.
14-1122.fm Page 12 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM PLAYING A CASSETTE TAPE 1. Press STOP/EJECT ment door. to open the cassette compart- PLAY STOP T EJEC -F FAST CUE RECORD ND REWI REVIEW PAUSE MIC /BATT REC EA RP H STOP EJECT MI C RE MO T DC 6 2. Use your finger or a pencil to turn the cassette’s hub and take up any slack in the tape. Do not touch the tape. R R EW E V IN IE D W P L A Y R E C O R D 3.
14-1122.fm Page 13 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM 4. Rotate VOLUME to its lowest setting (MIN). PLAY STOP T EJEC -F FAST CUE RECORD ND REWI REVIEW PAUSE MIC /BATT REC MAX VOLUME MIN EA RP MI RE H C MO T DC 6 5. Press PLAY . The tape begins to play. PLAY STOP CT EJE -F FAST CUE RECORD ND REWI REVIEW PAUSE MIC ATT REC/B EA RP MI RE H PLAY C MO T DC 6 6. Adjust VOLUME to the desired listening level. 7. The CTR-116 automatically stops at the end of the tape.
-1122.fm Page 14 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM however, we recommend that you do not pause the tape for longer than about 5 minutes at a time. PLAY STOP CT EJE RECORD ND REWI REVIEW -F FAST CUE PAUSE MIC REC/B ATT EA RP H PAUSE MI C RE MO T DC 6 • To rapidly advance or rewind the tape, press FAST-F/ CUE or REWIND/REVIEW . The button locks down and the tape continues moving until you press STOP/ EJECT .
14-1122.fm Page 15 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM • If you press FAST-F/CUE or REWIND/REVIEW while the tape plays, you hear the sound at high speed. This can help you locate a specific portion of the tape. USING THE TAPE COUNTER You can use the tape counter to give you an indication of the tape’s position. Before playing a tape, press the tape counter reset button to set the counter to 000.
14-1122.fm Page 16 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM RECORDING Note: For the best performance, use only regular length (60- or 90-minute) cassette tapes. We do not recommend long-playing cassette tapes, such as C-120s, because they are extremely thin and can tangle easily. VOX RECORDING When you select VOX recording, the CTR-116 automatically begins recording when it senses a voice or other sound, and automatically stops when the sound stops.
14-1122.fm Page 17 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM At HIGH, a soft sound turns on the recorder. At LOW, it takes a louder sound to start recording. Experiment to find the best setting for VOX in your recording environment. 3. Press RECORD . RECORD and PLAY lock down. Recording starts and the REC/BATT indicator lights when the microphone receives a loud enough signal (voice or other sound). Recording stops and the REC/BATT indicator fades when the signal ceases. This continues throughout recording.
14-1122.fm Page 18 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM 4. To momentarily stop recording, press PAUSE PAUSE to resume recording. PLAY STOP CT EJE -F FAST CUE . Release RECORD IND REW REVIEW PAUSE MIC ATT REC/B EA RP H PAUSE MI C RE MO T DC 6 5. To stop recording press STOP/EJECT . Notes: • If you hold down REWIND/REVIEW or FAST-F/CUE while recording, the RECORD button releases and the tape rewinds or advances. You hear the sound at high speed so you can locate the desired segment.
14-1122.fm Page 19 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM MANUAL RECORDING Manual recording is like VOX recording, except you control when recording begins and ends. Set VOX to OFF, then press RECORD to begin recording. Press STOP/EJECT to stop recording, or press PAUSE in to temporarily stop recording. USING AN EXTERNAL MICROPHONE The CTR-116’s built-in microphone works well in most situations, but you can connect an external microphone (not supplied) with a 1/8-inch (3.5-mm) plug to the recorder’s MIC jack.
14-1122.fm Page 20 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM RECORDING FROM EXTERNAL SOURCES You can record directly from a tuner, a radio, or a TV that has a 1 /8-inch (3.5-mm) jack. Use a dubbing patch cord (such as Cat. No. 42-2152) to connect the CTR-116’s MIC jack to the headphone output jack of an external component. Set VOX to OFF, then proceed with manual recording.
14-1122.fm Page 21 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM TAPE TIPS ERASING A RECORDING If you want to erase an entire cassette or a portion of a recording, insert the supplied erase plug into the MIC jack. Then set VOX to OFF and record silence over the previous recording. PLAY STOP CT EJE T-F FASCUE RECORD IND REW REVIEW PAUSE MIC ATT REC/B EA RP MI RE H C MO T DC 6 MIC Or, you can quickly erase both sides of a cassette tape using a bulk tape eraser, available at your local RadioShack store.
14-1122.fm Page 22 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM To prevent accidental erasure of a tape recording, use a screwdriver to remove one or both of the cassette tape’s eraseprotection tabs. This prevents RECORD from being pressed. If you later decide to record on a tape side after you have removed its erase-protection tab, place a piece of strong plastic tape over that side’s erase-protection hole. Be sure you cover only the hole originally covered by the erase-protection tab.
14-1122.fm Page 23 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM RESTORING TAPE TENSION AND SOUND QUALITY After you play a cassette tape several times, the tape might become tightly wound on the reels. This can cause playback sound quality to deteriorate. To restore the sound quality, fast-forward the tape from the beginning to the end of one side, then completely rewind it. Then loosen the tape reels by gently tapping each side of the cassette’s outer shell on a flat surface.
14-1122.fm Page 24 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM CARE AND MAINTENANCE To enjoy your CTR-116 for a long time: • Keep the CTR-116 dry. If it gets wet, wipe it dry immediately. • Use and store the CTR-116 only in normal temperature environments. • Handle the CTR-116 gently and carefully. Don’t drop it. • Keep the CTR-116 away from dust and dirt. • Wipe the CTR-116 with a damp cloth occasionally to keep it looking new.
14-1122.fm Page 25 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM 2. Press STOP/EJECT door. to open the cassette compartment 3. Press the protection tab sensor, then press RECORD The tape head assembly moves out. . 4. Use a cotton swab dipped in tape head cleaner or denatured alcohol to clean the record/playback head, pinch roller, tape guides, erase head, and capstan.
14-1122.fm Page 26 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM SPECIFICATIONS Tape System .............................. 2-track, Monophonic Cassette 7 Tape Speed .......................................... 1 /8 ips. (4.75 cm/sec.) Wow and Flutter ............................................... 0.25% (WRMS) Signal-to-Noise Ratio (Rec/Play) ..................................... 44 dB Erase System ................................................................ Magnet Record System ......................................
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14-1122.fm Page 28 Wednesday, May 17, 2000 9:55 AM Limited Ninety-Day Warranty This product is warranted by RadioShack against manufacturing defects in material and workmanship under normal use for ninety (90) days from the date of purchase from RadioShack company-owned stores and authorized RadioShack franchisees and dealers.