Realistic CTR-51 User manual

Cassette lane ecorer
OWNER'S
ty MANUAL
REALISTIC*
CUSTOM MANUFACTURED FOR RADIO snack Ba ADIVISION OF TANDY CORPORATION

YOUR REALISTIC CTR-51
_is an excellent battery/AC cassette recorder with
anumber of helpful features.
The built-in condenser microphone is perfect for
portable recording. For dictation, there’s aremote
control microphone jack and an Auxiliary input lets
you record directly from aradio or record player.
The Review/Cue feature lets you move the tape
rapidly either in the forward or reverse direction
(Fast-Forward or Rewind) while in the Play mode
and thus easily find adesired portion of the tape.
Ultra-convenient 3-way power —use either with
AC, built-in batteries or from an external source of
6volts DC (for example, our optional Car Adapter
lets you use it in vour vehicle).
Adigital tape counter helps you find any selection
on atape easily.
Built-in Automatic Level control(ALC)automatically
sets the recording volume. No need to adjust any
control during recording sessions.
ALC is switchable, so you can adjust the recording
level if you desire.
One-touch record operation simplifies recording
—just press Record button! There’s no need to
use two fingers to activate record function.
Auto-Stop prevents damage to the recorder and
cassettes by turning the CTR-51 completely off at
the end of record or play.
And don’t forget theose “‘little” features that make
abig difference-Tone control, aMeter that shows
recording level and battery condition and external
speaker or earphone output.
WARNING: TO PREVENT FIRE OR SHOCK
HAZARD DO NOT EXPOSE THIS TAPE
RECORDER TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.

PREPARING YOUR CTR-51
FOR USE
Your recorder can be used with any of three power
sources.
Batteries
1. Remove the battery compartment cover by
pressing the grip and pushing the cover in the
direction indicated by the embossed arrow.
2. Install 4‘’C’’ cells as shown on the chart inside
the battery compartment.
3. Snap the battery cover on again.
3
The LEVEL/BATTERY meter shows the condition
of the batteries whenever you press PLAY
button. As long as the pointer stays in the black
area, the batteries are OK. If the pointer falls into
the green area, replace the batteries. We recom-
mend Radio Shack catalog number 23-581 or
23-551 for extra life. Never leave weak or dead
batteries in your unit —they may leak, causing
permanent damage.
HOUSEHOLD CURRENT
Whenever AC power is available, plug the Line
Cord into the AC POWER receptacle on the
CTR-51’s right side and plug the cord into awall
outlet. When using AC power, the internal batteries
are automatically disconnected.
Never leave the AC cord plugged into AC power source
if other end is not connected to CTR-51 (the uncon-
nected end has dangerous AC voltage available at it).

MOBILE OPERATION via the cigarette lighter socket). Use the DC 6V jack
You can conserve battery power by using the power on the side to connect the adapter plug and set
adaptor, Radio Shack Catalog Number 14-844C the switch on 14-844C to the 6volt position.
(to connect 12 volts DC from your vehicle, Connecting the adapter will automatically disconnect
the batteries.

CONTROLS AND FEATURES
.STOP/EJECT
Press to stop tape movement: press again to eject
the cassette (after tape has stopped).
.RECORD
Press to make recordings.
.PLAY
Push to play tapes.
.REWIND/ REVIEW
Push to rewind tape. You can use this while
PLAY in engaged —thus you can move the tape
rapidly in areverse direction and listen to the tape
and continue with this handy ‘review’ function
until you find the desired portion of the tape.
.FAST-F/CUE
Push to fast-forward tape. You can use this while
PLAY is engaged —thus you can move the tape
rapidly in aforward direction, release and listen to
the tape and continue with this handy “cue”
function until you find the desired portion of the
tape.
10
.PAUSE
Press to temporarily stop tape movement. Press
again to release.
.TONE Control
Adjusts balance of high and low frequencies (bass
and treble).
.VOLUME Control
Adjusts playback volume.
.LEVEL/BATTERY Meter
Shows recording level and battery condition.
.ALC IN/OUT Switch
Set to out to adjust the recording level if you desire.
-CONDENSER MlICrophone
(Behind Grille On Front)
Speak into this for recording with the built-in
microphone.
12.Tape COUNTER
Shows relative location of selections on tape.
Push button to reset.

AC POWER Receptacle
Accepts power cord for AC operation.
DC OV Reeaptadts AC Romer Reeaprcle
DC 6V Receptacle
Use to connect aspecial 6-volt DC Adapter for
using the CTR-51 in avehicle. Use only Radio
Shack’s 14-844C.
EAR Jack
Accepts miniature plug for earphone or external
speaker.
AUX Jack
Accepts miniature plug from external high level
record signal source (tape out jack on receiver,
etc.).
M1iCrophone/REMote Jacks
MIC jack accepts miniature plug from remote
(optional) microphone. REMote jack accepts
subminiature plug from on/off switch on remote
control microphones.
|!
MIGZREMOlmE Jack

USING THE CTR-51
LOADING CASSETTES
Press the STOP/EJECT button to open the
Cassette Cover.
Holding the open end of the cassette toward you,
press it down and into the Cassette Compartment.
(The side you want to play should be facing up —
full reel to the left). Snap the Cassette Cover
closed. Each cassette has two ‘‘sides’’. So after
you've finished one side, remove it, turn it over
and play or record the other side in the same way.
PLAYBACK
Load the cassette (see left). Press the PLAY
button and ajust the VOLUME and TONE
controls to suit your taste. Press STOP/EJECTto
stop tape motion (use between
FAST-F/REWIND and PLAY). Press STOP/ EJECT
button to remove the cassette. Use the FAST-F or
REWIND button to fast-forward or rewind the tape.
See REVIEW and CUE on page 9.
The built-in AUTO-STOP feature will
automatically stop tape movement and will turn
the unit off at the end of the tape. press the
STOP/EJECT button to remove the tape.
Play the other side of the tape in the same way.

RECORDING
Your CTR-51 can
sources:
1. Using the built-in mike —follow the
procedure below. Ideally the recorder should
be about one foot (30cm) away and you
should speak in ain anormal vice directly
into the CONDENSER MlICRophonegrille.
2. Using an external microphone (not supplied)
—Plug the microphone into the MIC jack. If
you are using aremote control mike, put the
smaller plug into the REMote jack. This will
let you turn the recorder’s motor on and off
with the switch on the microphone. Stop by
your Radio Shack store for such amic.
3. Recording directly from arecord player,
radio, etc. —Connect the AUX jack to the
Tape Output jack of the source you are trying
to record. If the source doesn’t have atape
output, use the earphone jack and set the
source’s volume to alow output.
Once you've decided on the source, the recorder
sets its record level automatically. The VOLUME
and TONE controls will have no effect on the
sound.
To begin recording, press the RECORD button.
The recorder will stop automatically at the end of
record using three basic
the side or you can press the STOP/EJECT
button at any time. Press the STOP/EJECT
button to remove the tape. Record the other side
in the same way.
SWITCHABLE ALC (Automatic Level
Control)
The ALC switch is combined with the VOLUME
control. To remove the ALC action, just set the
ALC IN/OUT switch to OUT position then you can
control level of the recording signal with the
VOLUME control. Often with ALC out of circuit
you can obtain more natural recordings —
whether from the built-in mic, an external mic or
an auxiliary source.
To obtain proper recording levels, press PAUSE
and then RECORD button. Now adjust
VOLUME control for the desired level of recorded
signal as indicated on the VU Meter.
Too high alevel will cause distortion and too low a
level will result in apoor signal-to-noise ratio. It
is normal for asoft passage to barely deflect the
meter, but make sure the loud parts only rarely
swing into black area.
Release the PAUSE and proceed with recording.

REVIEW (Rewind) and
CUE (Fast-Forward)
An extremely useful feature to the CTR-51 is its
ability to Review and Cue.
If you want to locate aparticular portion of the
tape very rapidly, and you are in the Play mode, no
need to release the PLAY key —just press
REWIND.
Need to Rewind more? Just hold down REWIND
alittle longer- release to Play again.
You can use FAST-Forward in the same manner
to Cue the tape. For example, to rapidly find the
end of apartially recorded tape- leave PLAY
pressed down and just press FAST-F to advance
the tape rapidly. Release to listen- repeat as often
as required.
You can use both of these features even while
Recording. Thus, if you want to go back to review
and re-record, press REWIND:RECORD key will
pop up, but PLAY will remain down. Then when
you release REWIND, playback will start
immediately. You can also use FAST-Forward to
advance the tape, without stopping the tape, etc.
Release and you're playing the tape.
NOTES
Digital Tape Counter
The counter gives arelative indication of where
you are on the tape —which is very useful for
indexing short selections. Just press the Reset
button at the beginning of each tape and note the
Counter reading at the start of each selection.
Erasing Tape
Each time you make arecording, any previous
recording is automatically erased from that portion
of the tape. If you do want to erase acassette, or
just aportion of recording, insert the special
Dummy Plug (provided) into the MIC jack. Then,
Operate the CTR-51 just as though you were
recording. As the tape moves, it will be erased
clean (no sound pick up from Mic when using this
Dummy Plug).
—
erae
|Dummy Plug
External Speakers or Earphone
Insert the miniature plug from an external speaker
or earphone into the EAR jack. This will
automatically disconnect the built-in speaker.
mig

Preventing Accidental Erasures
Cassettes have abuilt-in device to automatically
prevent erasure of aprevious recording. It is a
small plastic tab at the back of the cassette. To
activate the erase-protect feature, break off the
plastic tab with ascrewdriver. There is atab for
each side, be sure you break off the correct one. If
you want to record again on that cassette, just put
apiece of tape over the hole where you broke off
the tab.
CAUTION:
If you have loaded acassette with the tabs broken
off, don’t try to force the RECORD button down
—you may damage the recorder.
For SIDE 2
For SIDE 1
Plastic Tab
REMOTE CONTROL
If you use an external microphone with aremote
control on-off switch, you can control the Tape
Recorder right from the microphone. This is not
only handy for recording (such as dictation), but
also can be helpful during aplayback sequence.
The on-off switch actually controls the motor, so
you turn the tape movement on and off with this
switch.
DUAL TRACK RECORDING
Your CTR-51 uses the standard 2-track system
for cassette recording. Thus, when you have
played or recorded one side of the cassette,
remove it, turn it over and play or record the other
side. Thus, using both sides of aC-60 cassette,
you have 30 minutes on one side and 30 minutes
on the other- for atotal of 60 minutes.
TAPE HANDLING NOTE
If you have been using the same cassette a
number of times in a row, it is agood idea to tap it
against atable acouple of times before reloading
it. If you have been playing acassette over and
over anumber of times (especially athinner tape

iS
such as aC-90 or C-120), the tape has atendency
to wind up very tightly. Such asightly wound tape
can result in uneven tape motion, distorted tape or
even tape wrapups.
If you load acassette which has some tapeslack,
tape movement may be uneven (or you may get a
tape wrap-up). To avoid such problems, it is a
good idea to wind up the tape afew turns using a
pencil as shown. This will assure snug tape
wind-up.
9
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MAINTENANCE
Your CTR-51 is ruggedly built and uses
conservatively rated parts. So it will require little,
if any, service or repair if you care for it properly.
Don't expose it to temperature extremes —either
hot or cold. And don't use it in areas of
excessive dust or dirt.
When you use an external microphone with a
Remote switch, don’t turn it off and leave it off just
with the Remote switch. Always press
STOP/EJECT when you are done with the
Cassette. If you don't do this, the capstan remains
pressed against the pinch roller, and adimple or
flat spot will develop (which produces wavering
sound).
Periodically clean the tape heads and tape handling
parts with cotton tips (Radio Shack Catalog Number
44-1151) and Head Cleaner (44-1010). With batteries
and cassette removed, and with cassette lid up press
down the PLAY button, exposing the tape heads and
rubber drive wheel. Or much easier, use aCassette Head
i

Cleaner cartridge (44-1160). It is absolutely vital
that you keep the heads and tape handling parts
clean —or you'll end up with tape wrap-ups
(which may damage the tape), distortion and poor
frequency response.
If you use the longer, thinner tapes (C-90, C-120,
etc.), it is absolutely vital that you keep your
Recorder clean. Failure to do so will result in poor
tape handling and serious tape wrap ups.
It's agood idea to periodically demagnetize the
tape heads too. Use one of our 44-772 Tape
Head Demagnetizers.
You can clean and demagnetize in one simple ~
operation just by playing our Cassette Demagnetizer
Tape, 44-631. Our Cassette Head Demagnetizer
Cartridge. 44-1165, will demagnetize head in amatter
of second.
Never leave weak or dead batteries in your unit-
even ‘‘leakproof’’ types can leak damaging
chemicals.
If you are not going to use your recorder for a
period of weeks or months, remove the batteries.
—aie

SPECIFICATIONS
Power Requirements ........................
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Wow and Flutter..........................0005.
Recording Time
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Fast Forward/Rewind Time...............
Recording System......................:.:6005
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Frequency Range....................00..c0000s
Input Impedance...............................
Output Load Impedance....................
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Dimensions 2.2.eee
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AC: 120V, 60 Hz
(220/240V, 50 Hz for European and Australian
models as indicated on rear of unit.)
DC: 6V (4 type CBatteries)
External: DC 6V Jack
1
1
2
Cassette tape
1-7/8 ips (4.75 cm/s)
0.2% WRMS (typical)
60 minutes (Using C-60)
110 sec (C-60)
AC bias
DC erase
Monaural dual track
3”Permanent magnet, dynamic type
1,200 mW (Max.)
125 —6300 Hz
MICROPHONE: 800 ohm
AUX: 330K ohm
EXT. SP: 4ohm :
Built-in condenser microphone
2-3/16" X1X6-7/16"
[55(H) x252(W) x 163(D) mm]
3Ibs. 15 oz. (1.7 kg)
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SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM
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CONDENSER
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SPEAKER
R12 5.6K oe
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AUX. REM.
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R13 390K
C13 100
RECORD-PLAY
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EUROPEAN and AUSTRALIA
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(coo TA7628-P ~§1--RECORD/PLAY SWITCH (PLAY POSITION) Was ARan GACANADA
Fe .99
S2-- ALC ON/OFF SWITCH (ON POSITION) 645 7499-0
@1-—-~—-25C945-Por TRLN9014-D S3--CONDENSER MIC./AUX SWITCH (C. MIC POSITION) NOTES :
or 2SC458-D S4-- TAPE ON/OFF SWITCH(OFF POSITION) 1. ALL RESISTANCE VALUES ARE IN 2. K=10002 M=1000K2
VOLTAGE CHECK POSITION 2, ALL CAPACITANCE VALUES ARE IN yf. P= 10 “uF
2DN 2a8S3- AC/DC SWITCH (DC? POSITION) 3. ALL RESISTORS ARE 4WATT. UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED.
PLAY POSITION S2VC (U.S.A. and CANADA) 4. VOLTAGES MEASURED. EAOM ONIN OICATOR To CHASSIS GROUND
RECORD POSITION -S1WB10 (EUROPEAN and AUSTRALIA)
.WITH V.I.V.M AT LINE VOLUME CONTROL MINIMUI AND NO SIGNAL.
(SPECIFICATIONS AND CIRCUITS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE FOR IMPROVEMENT.)
=74 =

NOTES

RADIO SHACK LIMITED WARRANTY
This equipment is warranteed against defects for 90 days from
date of purchase. Within this period, we will repair it without
charge for parts and labor. Simply bring your sales slip as proof of
purchase date to any Radio Shack store. Warranty does not cover
transportation costs. Nor does it cover equipment subjected to
misuse or accidental damage.
This Warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other
rights which vary from state to state.
We Service What We Sell
RADIO SHACK Wn DIVISION OF TANDY CORPORATION
U.S.A.. FORT WORTH, TEXAS 76102
CANADA: BARRIE, ONTARIO L4M 4W5
TANDY CORPORATION
AUSTRALIA BELGIUM U.K.
é280-316 VICTORIA ROAD PARC INDUSTRIEL DE NANINNE BILSTON ROAD WEDNESBURY
10A0 RYDALMERE, N.S.W. 2116 5140 NANINNE WEST MIDLANDS WS10 7JN Printed in Singapore
645 -920 -0-01