RCA SCT-550 owner manual Care, Tape Tips

CARE

To enjoy your RCA SCT-550 Dual Cassette Dubbing Deck for a long time:

•Keep the cassette deck dry. If it gets wet, wipe it dry immediately.

•Use and store the cassette deck only in normal temperature environments.

•Handle the cassette deck gently and carefully. Don’t drop it.

•Keep the cassette deck away from dust and dirt.

•Wipe the cassette deck with a damp cloth occasionally to keep it looking new.

Modifying or tampering with the cassette deck’s internal components can cause a malfunction and invalidate its warranty. If your cassette deck is not performing as it should, take it to your local RadioShack store for assistance.

TAPE TIPS

Tape Selection

For the automatic tape select function to work properly, metal and chrome (cobalt) tapes must have identification holes.

Normal Tapes

Chrome (Cobalt) Tapes

Tape Position Identification Holes

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.

Caution: Be careful not to damage the cassette when tapping it. Do not touch the exposed tape or allow any sharp objects near the cassette.

To prevent the tape from being twisted:

•Don’t pull the tape out of the upper opening of the cassette tape.

•If the tape is wound loosely inside the cassette, use the tape deck on fast forward or reverse to tighten the tape.

•If a small portion of tape is unwound from the cassette, tighten the tape using a pencil.

Use a pencil to

take up the slack

and rotate it in the

arrow direction.

Erasing Tapes

To record over a cassette tape, simply record as usual. The cassette deck records over the previous recording.

You can quickly erase both sides of a cassette tape using a bulk tape eraser available at your local RadioShack store.

Note: If you use metal tape, the recorded sound might not be erased properly.

Preventing Accidental Erasure

Cassette tapes have two erase-protection tabs — one for each side. When a tab is in place, you can record on that side.

To prevent accidental erasure of a tape recording, use a screwdriver to remove one or both of the cassette tape’s erase- protection tabs. This prevents REC from being pressed.

If you later decide to record on a tape side after you have removed the 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.

Caution: Removing the erase-protection tabs does not prevent a bulk eraser from erasing a cassette tape.

Environment

Avoid using the deck in the following conditions:

•In areas with high temperatures (near a heater, exposed to direct sunlight, for example).

•In areas with extremely low temperatures.

•In areas where there is excessive humidity.

•In a dusty atmosphere.

•In areas where power line voltage fluctuations are severe (in which case the use of a voltage regulator may be advisable).

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