Optimus CTR-114 User manual

Cat. No. 14-1120
OWNER’S MANUAL
Please read before using this equipment.
CTR-114
Auto Reverse
Voice-Activated
Cassette Recorder
with Two-Speed
Recording
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FEATURES
Your Optimus CTR-114 Auto-Reverse Voice-Activat-
ed Cassette Recorder offers the greatest conve-
nience in recording technology. You can have
recording begin and end according to the sound level
in a room, which gives you hands-free operation
while recording. The CTR-114’s microphone is sensi-
tive enough for the boardroom, a seminar, or a lec-
ture hall. And it’s small enough to fit in your briefcase
or purse, so it can go wherever you go.
The CTR-114’s other features include:
Two-Speed Recording — lets you record at normal
or extended speed to maximize your recording time.
Automatic Reverse — automatically changes the
tape direction at the end of a tape side so you can
continuously play or record both sides of a cassette
tape.
Voice Activated Recording — lets you choose
hands-free operation which saves tape.
Voice Zoom Switch — lets you record voice sounds
clearly and reduce noises outside the voice range.
©1998 Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
Optimus and RadioShack are registered
trademarks used by Tandy Corporation.
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Playback Speed Control — lets you adjust the play-
back speed of your tape.
Built-in Microphone — lets you make quality re-
cordings without having to use an external micro-
phone.
External Microphone Jack — lets you connect an
optional external microphone for unidirectional re-
cording, reducing background noise.
One-Touch Recording — lets you start recording
with the press of a button.
Cue/Review — lets you listen to recordings at high
speed to help you find a particular section and stop
there.
Mic Sensitivity Switch — lets you select low or high
microphone sensitivity for recording specific sounds,
like a one-on-one interview, or for recording broader
sounds, as in a lecture hall.
Tape Direction Control — lets you change the
tape’s direction at any time without having to eject
the tape and turn it over.
Battery Check Indicators — show you the amount
of power remaining in the batteries.
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Tape Counter — helps you quickly find a specific
section on the cassette. It resets with the touch of a
button.
Automatic Level Control — automatically sets the
correct recording level.
Three Power Sources — let you power your cas-
sette recorder from internal batteries (not supplied),
standard AC power (with an optional AC adapter), or
your vehicle’s battery (with an optional DC adapter).
Automatic Shut-Off Mechanism — automatically
shuts off the recorder at the end of the reverse side
of the tape while playing or recording.
We recommend you record the CTR-114’s serial
number here. The number is on the label inside the
cassette compartment.
Serial Number: ___________________________
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CONTENTS
Preparation ........................................................... 6
Connecting Power .......................................... 6
Using Battery Power ................................ 6
Using AC Power ...................................... 9
Using Vehicle Battery Power ................. 11
Connecting an Earphone .............................. 13
Listening Safely ..................................... 14
Traffic Safety .......................................... 14
Connecting an External Microphone ............ 15
Attaching the Wrist Strap .............................. 16
Operation ............................................................ 17
Loading a Cassette Tape .............................. 17
Recording ..................................................... 18
Playing a Cassette Tape ............................... 23
Using Fast Forward and Rewind ........... 27
Using the Tape Counter ................................ 28
Tape Tips ...................................................... 29
Erasing Tapes ........................................ 29
Preventing Accidental Erasure .............. 29
Restoring Tape Tension
and Sound Quality ................................. 30
Care and Maintenance ....................................... 31
Cleaning the Tape-Handling Parts ................ 32
Specifications .................................................... 34
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PREPARATION
CONNECTING POWER
You can power your CTR-114 from:
• internal batteries
• AC power (with an optional AC adapter)
• vehicle battery power (with an optional DC
adapter)
Note: Connecting an adapter automatically discon-
nects internal batteries.
Using Battery Power
You can power the CTR-114 with two AA batteries
(not supplied). For the best performance and longest
life, we recommend alkaline batteries, such as Ra-
dioShack Cat. No. 23-557.
You can also use rechargeable nickel-cadmium bat-
teries (Cat. No. 23-125). These batteries and a bat-
tery charger (Cat. No. 23-133) are available at your
local RadioShack store.
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Cautions:
• Use only fresh batteries of the required size and
recommended type.
• Do not mix old and new batteries, different types
of batteries (standard, alkaline, or recharge-
able), or rechargeable batteries of different
capacities.
Follow these steps to install batteries.
1. Press down and slide the battery compartment
cover in the direction of the arrow, then lift open
the cover.
2. Put the batteries in the compartment as indi-
cated by the polarity symbols (+ and –) marked
outside the compartment.
3. Close the cover.
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The CTR-114 has three colored battery indicators
which show how much power is left in the batteries.
The battery indicators light when you press STOP,
PLAY, RECORD, or .
When the red (L) battery indicator lights, replace both
batteries.
Caution: Always dispose of old batteries promptly
and properly. Do not burn or bury them.
BATTERY
Indicators Green ➜
F (full) Orange ➜ M (medium) Red L (low)
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Important: This product is capable of using re-
chargeable nickel-cadmium batteries. At the end of a
nickel cadmium battery’s useful life, it must be recy-
cled or disposed of properly. Contact your local,
county, or state hazardous waste management au-
thorities for information on recycling or disposal pro-
grams in your area. Some options that might be
available are: municipal curbside collection, drop-off
boxes at retailers such as your local RadioShack
store, recycling collection centers, and mail-back
programs.
Using AC Power
To power the cassette recorder from a standard AC
outlet, you need an AC adapter such as Cat. No.
273-1663.
Cautions:
• You must use an AC adapter that supplies at
least 3 volts DC power and delivers at least 400
mA. Its center tip must be set to negative, and its
barrel plug must properly fit the CTR-114’s DC
3V jack. The recommended adapter meets these
specifications. Using an adapter that does not
meet these specifications could damage the
cassette recorder or the adapter.
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• Be sure you connect the adapter to the cassette
recorder before you plug it into the AC outlet,
and unplug the adapter from the AC outlet
before you unplug it from the cassette recorder.
Follow these steps to connect the cassette recorder
to AC power.
1. Set the adapter’s voltage switch to 3V.
2. Insert the adapter’s 3.4 mm outer diameter/1.3
mm inner diameter barrel plug into the adapter’s
cord, with the tip set to negative.
3. Insert the plug into the cassette recorder’s DC 3V
jack.
4. Plug the adapter into a standard AC outlet.
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Using Vehicle Battery Power
To power the recorder from your vehicle’s battery,
you need a DC adapter, such as Cat. No. 270-1562.
Cautions:
• You must use a DC adapter that supplies at least
3 volts DC power and delivers at least 400 mA.
Its center tip must be set to negative, and its bar-
rel plug must properly fit the recorder’s DC 3V
jack. The recommended adapter meets these
specifications. Using an adapter that does not
meet these specifications could damage the
recorder.
• Be sure you plug the adapter into the cassette
recorder before you plug it into the cigarette-
lighter socket, and unplug the adapter from the
cigarette-lighter socket before you unplug it from
the cassette recorder.
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Follow these steps to power the cassette recorder
from your vehicle’s battery.
1. Set the adapter’s voltage switch to 3V.
2. Insert the adapter’s 3.4 mm outer diameter/1.3
mm inner diameter barrel plug into the adapter’s
cord, with the tip set to negative.
3. Insert the plug into the cassette recorder’s DC 3V
jack.
4. Plug the other end of the adapter into the vehi-
cle’s cigarette-lighter socket.
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CONNECTING AN EARPHONE
You can use an optional earphone with a 1/8-inch
(3.5-mm) plug to listen to a tape in privacy. Insert the
earphone’s plug into the cassette recorder’s EAR
jack.
Notes:
• You can also use an earphone during recording
to listen to what the recorder is picking up
through the internal or an external microphone.
(See “Recording” on Page 18.)
• Your local RadioShack store carries a wide
selection of earphones.
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Listening Safely
To protect your hearing, follow these guidelines
when you use an earphone.
• Rotate the volume to the lowest setting 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.
Traffic Safety
Do not wear an earphone while operating a motor ve-
hicle or riding a bicycle. This can create a traffic haz-
ard and could be illegal in some areas.
Even though some headphones let you hear some
outside sounds when listening at normal volume lev-
els, they still can present a traffic hazard.
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CONNECTING AN EXTERNAL
MICROPHONE
You can connect an external microphone (not sup-
plied) with a 1/8-inch (3.5-mm) plug to the recorder’s
MIC jack. Connecting an external microphone auto-
matically disconnects the built-in microphone.
Note: Your local RadioShack store sells a variety of
microphones.
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ATTACHING THE WRIST STRAP
Attach the supplied wrist strap to the CTR-114 to
make it easier to carry and to reduce the risk of acci-
dentally dropping it.
Thread the strap’s small loop around the metal pin on
the corner of the CTR-114. Then insert the opposite
end of the strap through the slim loop and pull it until
the slim loop tightens around the metal pin.
Hint: If you have difficulty threading the slim loop
around the medal pin, use the end of a straightened
paper clip to hook onto the loop and pull it through.
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OPERATION
You can use the recorder to play normal bias, high-
bias, and metal tapes. However, you should only use
normal bias (Type I) tapes for recording. If you record
on metal or high-bias tapes, the recorded sound will
not erase properly.
LOADING A CASSETTE TAPE
1. Take up any slack in the tape by turning the cas-
sette’s hub with a pencil. Do not touch the
exposed tape.
2. Lift open the cassette compartment door.
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3. Insert a cassette into the door’s tape guides with
the cassette’s open edge facing up.
4. Close the door.
RECORDING
You can record using the built-in microphone or an
optional external microphone. For the best perfor-
mance, use any normal bias (Type I) tape up to 90
minutes long. We do not recommend 120-minute
tapes because they are thin and can easily tangle.
Notes:
• The ALC (Automatic Level Control) circuit auto-
matically sets the recording level.
• If you set DIRECTION to REV, the cassette
recorder records on only the reverse side and
stops at the end of that side.
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• If you want to record on only one side of a tape,
load the tape so the side you want to record on
faces inside the cassette compartment, set
DIRECTION to REV, then start the recording.
Caution: If you load a cassette with the erase-pro-
tection tabs broken off, do not try to force down
RECORD. This can damage the recording mecha-
nism. (See “Preventing Accidental Erasure” on
Page 29.)
Follow these steps to record.
1. Load a blank cassette tape, or one you want to
record over, into the cassette compartment.
2. Slide MIC SENSITIVITY to LO or HI, depending on
the sound source you want to record.
LO (Low): Select LO when the sound source is
near the recorder.
HI (High): Select HI when the sound source is far
from the recorder, as in a board room, a semi-
nar, or a lecture hall.
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3. To record specific voices without background
interference, slide VOICE ZOOM to ON. The CTR-
114 cuts off higher and lower frequency signals
(background noise) and enhances the mid-
range.
4. Slide
REC SPEED to NORM for normal recording,
or to EXT for extended recording (twice the nor-
mal recording time). At the EXT setting, the
recorder puts the recording in half the space
used during normal speed.
Note: Tapes recorded at the EXT setting can
play only on this recorder or on another recorder
that has the extended recording feature.
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