Optimus CTR-110 User manual

Cat. No. 14-733
OWNER’S MANUAL
Extended Bass AM/FM
Please read before using this equipment.
CTR-110
Cassette Recorder
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2
FEATURES
© 1997 Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
Optimus and RadioShack are registered trademarks used by Tandy Corporation.
Your Optimus CTR-110 Extended
Bass AM/FM Cassette Recorder is a
versatile, easy-to-use music system
with many useful features. You can
record live or from the radio, or just
enjoy the radio or cassette player's
high quality sound.
The CTR-110's compact design and
handy carrying handle let you take it
almost anywhere. Its features in-
clude:
Dual-Source Recordin
g
— lets you
record from the radio or use the built-
in microphone to make a live short-
distance recording.
Automatic Level Control — auto-
matically adjusts the recording level.
One-Touch Recordin
g
— lets you
start recording quickly and easily.
Soft Cassette Tape E
j
ect — gently
opens the cassette compartment
cover so the cassette does not pop
out.
PHONE Jack — lets you connect op-
tional earphones so you can listen in
privacy.
Extended Bass Switch — boosts
low frequency sounds.
Three Power Sources — let you
power the CTR-110 from internal
batteries, standard AC power (using
an optional AC adapter), or a vehi-
cle’s DC power (using an optional DC
adapter).
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CONTENTS
Preparation ..................................................................................................... 4
Power Sources .......................................................................................... 4
Using Batteries .................................................................................... 4
Using AC Power .................................................................................. 5
Using Vehicle Power ........................................................................... 5
Using Earphones ....................................................................................... 6
Listening Safely ................................................................................... 6
Traffic Safety ....................................................................................... 7
Radio Operation ............................................................................................. 8
Cassette Pla
y
er Operation ............................................................................. 9
Loading a Cassette Tape ........................................................................... 9
Playing a Cassette Tape ............................................................................ 9
Recording ................................................................................................ 10
Recording from the Radio ................................................................. 10
Making Live Recordings .................................................................... 10
Tape Tips ................................................................................................. 11
Recommended Tapes ....................................................................... 11
Recording Over or Erasing a Cassette Tape ..................................... 11
Preventing Accidental Erasure .......................................................... 11
Restoring Tape Tension and Sound Quality ...................................... 12
Care and Maintenance ................................................................................. 13
Cleaning the Tape Handling Parts ........................................................... 14
The FCC Wants You to Know .................................................................. 14
Specifications ............................................................................................... 15
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PREPARATION
POWER SOURCES
You can operate the CTR-110 using:
• Internal battery power (using
four C batteries)
• AC power (using an optional AC
adapter)
• Vehicle battery power (using an
optional DC adapter)
Note: Internal batteries automatically
disconnect when you connect an
adapter.
Using Batteries
You can power the CTR-110 from
four C batteries (not supplied). For
the best performance and longest
life, we recommend alkaline batter-
ies, such as RadioShack Cat. No. 23-
551.
1. Turn the CTR-110 on its face,
pull the tabs on the battery com-
partment’s cover and remove
the cover.
2. Put four C batteries in the com-
partment, as indicated by the
polarity symbols (+ and –)
marked inside.
Cautions:
• Use only fresh batteries of the
required size and recom-
mended type.
• Do not mix old and new bat-
teries, different types of bat-
teries (standard, alkaline, or
rechargeable), or recharge-
able batteries of different
capacities.
3. Replace the cover and snap it
shut.
If the CTR-110 does not operate
properly or if the sound weakens or
distorts, replace the batteries.
Cautions:
• Dispose of the old batteries
promptly and properly. Do not
bury or burn them.
• Never leave dead, old, or weak
batteries in the CTR-110. Batter-
ies can leak chemicals that can
destroy electronic parts.
Illustration
Illustration
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• If you do not plan to use the
CTR-110 from battery power for
a month or more, or if you plan
to use only an adapter, remove
the batteries to protect the CTR-
110 from possible battery leak-
age.
Using AC Power
You can power the CTR-110 from
standard AC power using an optional
AC adapter, such as RadioShack
Cat. No. 273-1663.
Cautions:
• The recommended AC adapter
supplies 6 volts and delivers at
least 400 milliamps. Its center tip
is set to negative, and its plug
correctly fits the CTR-110’s DC
6V jack. Using an AC adapter
that does not meet these specifi-
cations could damage the CTR-
110 or the adapter.
• Always plug the adapter into the
CTR-110 before you plug it into
the AC outlet, and always
unplug the adapter from the AC
outlet before you unplug it from
the CTR-110.
1. Set the AC adapter’s voltage
switch to 6V.
2. Insert the AC adapter’s 5.5 mm
outer diameter/2.1 mm inner
diameter barrel plug into the
adapter cord’s small end so it
reads –TIP, then insert the
adapter’s plug into the DC 6V
jack on the back of the CTR-110.
3. Plug the adapter into a standard
AC outlet.
Using Vehicle Power
You can power the CTR-110 from
your vehicle’s battery using an op-
tional DC adapter, such as Ra-
dioShack Cat. No. 273-1802.
Cautions:
• The recommended DC adapter
supplies 6 volts and delivers at
least 400 milliamps. Its center tip
is set to negative, and its plug
correctly fits the CTR-110’s DC
6V jack. Using a DC adapter that
does not meet these specifica-
tions could damage the CTR-
110 or the adapter.
Illustration
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• Always plug the adapter into the
CTR-110 before you plug it into
the cigarette-lighter socket, and
always unplug the adapter from
the cigarette-lighter socket
before you unplug it from the
CTR-110.
Follow these steps to use your vehi-
cle’s battery.
1. Set the DC adapter’s voltage
switch to 6V.
2. Insert the DC adapter’s barrel
plug into the CTR-110’s DC 6V
jack.
3. Insert the other end of the
adapter into your vehicle’s
cigarette-lighter socket.
USING EARPHONES
For private listening, you can con-
nect a pair of earphones (not sup-
plied) with a 1/8-inch plug. Your local
RadioShack store carries a wide se-
lection of earphones.
Illustration
Insert the earphones’ 1/8-inch plug
into the PHONE jack on the top of the
CTR-110.
Note: Connecting earphones auto-
matically disconnects the built-in
speaker.
Listening Safely
To protect your hearing, follow these
guidelines when you use earphones.
• Set the volume to the lowest set-
ting before you begin listening.
After you begin listening, adjust
the volume to a comfortable
level.
• Do not listen at extremely high
volume levels. Extended high-
volume listening can lead to per-
manent hearing loss.
• Once you set the volume, do not
increase it. Over time, your ears
adapt to the volume level, so a
volume level that does not
cause discomfort might still
damage your hearing.
Illustration
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Traffic Safety
Do not wear earphones while operat-
ing a motor vehicle or riding a bicy-
cle. This can create a traffic hazard
and could be illegal in some areas.
Even though some earphones are
designed to let you hear some out-
side sounds when listening at normal
volume levels, they still can present a
traffic hazard.
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RADIO OPERATION
1. Set FUNCTION to RADIO to turn
on the radio.
2. Set BAND to AM or FM.
3. Rotate the tuning control to
select the desired station.
Notes:
• The AM antenna is built-in. To
improve AM reception, reposi-
tion the CTR-110.
• For the best FM reception,
fully extend the telescoping
antenna and swivel it to the
position that produces the
best reception.
4. Adjust VOLUME MIN/MAX to a
comfortable listening level.
5. Set E-BASS ON/OFF to ON to
boost low frequency sounds. Set
it to OFF for normal bass sound.
6. Set FUNCTION to TAPE to turn
off the radio.
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CASSETTE PLAYER OPERATION
LOADING A CASSETTE
TAPE
1. Take up any slack in the tape by
turning the cassette’s hub with a
pencil. If you do not remove
excess slack, the tape could
become tangled in the record/
playback mechanism.
2. Press STOP/EJECT to open the
cassette compartment’s door.
3. Load the cassette with its open
edge facing up, its full reel to the
right, and the desired side
toward you.
4. Gently close the compartment’s
door.
PLAYING A CASSETTE
TAPE
1. Set FUNCTION to TAPE.
2. With a cassette loaded in the
compartment, press PLAY.
Notes:
•Press
PAUSE to temporarily
stop playback. Press PAUSE
again to resume playback.
•Press
FAST-F to fast-for-
ward, or REWIND to
rewind the tape to the desired
location.
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3. Adjust VOLUME MIN/MAX to a
comfortable listening level.
4. Set E-BASS ON/OFF to ON to
boost low frequency sounds. Set
it to OFF for normal bass sound.
5. Press STOP/EJECT to stop play-
back before it automatically
stops. Press STOP/EJECT again
to open the cassette compart-
ment and remove the cassette
tape.
RECORDING
You can record from the radio or use
the built-in microphone to make a live
recording.
Caution: Before you load a cassette
tape for recording, be sure its erase-
protection tabs are in place. If you
force down RECORD when a tape
side’s erase-protection tab is miss-
ing, you will damage the record
mechanism (see “Preventing Acci-
dental Erasure” on Page 11).
Notes:
• The CTR-110’s Automatic Level
Control (ALC) automatically
adjusts the recording level. VOL-
UME MIN/MAX has no effect on
recording.
• To record on the other side of
the tape, you must turn it over.
Recording from the Radio
1. Load a blank cassette tape, or
one you want to record over, into
the cassette compartment.
2. Set FUNCTION to RADIO.
3. Set BAND to AM or FM.
4. Adjust TUNING to the station you
want to record.
5. Press RECORD to begin record-
ing. PLAY and RECORD lock
down.
Note: To temporarily stop
recording, press PAUSE. To
resume recording, press PAUSE
again.
6. Press STOP/EJECT to stop
recording.
Making Live Recordings
Follow these steps to make live re-
cordings using the built-in micro-
phone.
1. Load a blank cassette tape, or
one you want to record over, into
the cassette compartment.
2. Set FUNCTION to TAPE.
Illustration
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