RCA 3-5818 Cleaning the Tape Heads, Playing a Cassette Tape, Recording from the Radio, Tape Care

STOP/EJECT	F.FWD	REWIND
PAUSE		PLAY

RECORD

PHONES		TAPE FM	AM
PAUSE STOP / EJECT F. FWD	REWIND	PLAY	RECORD

Cleaning the Tape Heads

Iron oxide particles from the magnetic tape can build up on the parts that come in contact with the tape. These deposits can cause incomplete erasure, muffled playback sound, and might prevent automatic stop.

To clean a cassette tape deck, open the compartment door, press PLAY and gently clean the heads, capstan, and pinch wheel with a liquid head cleaner.

Always unplug the power cord before cleaning, and allow 30 minutes drying time when using a liquid cleaner.

Clean heads after every 25 hours of use.

•Demagnetize the head occasionally with a head demagnetizing cassette (available from many audio equipment stores).

•Never use any metal objects on or near the tape heads. Do not allow any cleaning material to fall into the tape assembly.

If you know what each button does, it’s easy to figure out how to operate the tape deck. RECORD — Press to record from the radio.

PLAY — Press to play the loaded cassette tape.

REWIND — From stop mode, press to rewind the tape toward the beginning. F. FWD — From stop mode, press to advance the tape toward the end.

STOP/EJECT — Press to stop current tape activity, or to open the cassette compartment door when no buttons are active.

PAUSE — Press to interrupt tape play or record mode. Press a second time to resume tape play or tape record mode.

Playing a Cassette Tape

1.Move the function switch to TAPE.

2.Press STOP/EJECT to open the cassette compartment door.

3.Insert cassette tape into the compartment with the open edge facing up and the full reel on the right.

4.Close the door securely.

5.Press REWIND or F. FWD to move tape to the desired starting point.

6.Press PLAY to begin playing the tape. The cassette tape plays until it reaches the end of the side, then unit automatically stops.

Erase Protection			A
When you record new material, the cassette deck	60	A
records over whatever is on a tape. To protect a tape
from accidental erasure, break off one or both plastic
tabs (one for each tape side) on the top of the cassette
tape. If you decide later to record on the tape, seal the		A	A

Problem	Solution
Unit doesn’t turn on	• Make sure power cord is securely plugged into the AC power
	outlet (or that the batteries are fresh).
	• Unplug the unit for a moment, and then plug it back in.
	• Check the outlet by plugging in another device.
No sound	• Adjust volume setting.
	• Make sure you’ve selected the correct function: TAPE or RADIO
	(AM/FM).
Poor radio reception	• Adjust the FM whip antenna for better FM reception.
	• Rotate the unit to achieve better AM reception.
	• Try turning off electeical appliances near the unit, such as hair
	dryers, vacuum cleaners, or fluorescent lights.
Distorted or noisy recordings	• Inspect the recording head and clean it if necessary.
	• Demagnetize recording head (as explained in the “Care and
	Maintenance”).

hole with a piece of cellophane tape.

Quit Slacking

A little bit of slack in your tapes can cause scratches on the tape, or worse yet, the tape could break. If you notice some slack in the tape, use a pencil to tighten it up before you insert it.

Recording from the Radio

A

1.Insert a cassette tape into the tape deck and close door.

2.Move the Function switch to the desired band: AM or FM.

3.Tune to the desired radio station by adjusting the Tuning knob.

4.Press RECORD to begin recording. Both the RECORD and PLAY buttons are now depressed.

5.To stop recording, press STOP/EJECT.

6.To turn off radio, slide Function Switch to TAPE.

Pause for a Moment

Use PAUSE on the cassette deck instead of STOP to momentarily interrupt recording gives a much cleaner sounding recording!

Tape Care

•Don’t expose tapes to sunlight or store in hot places. High temperatures may warp the shell or damage the tape itself.

•Keep cassettes in their boxes when not in use.

•Cassette tapes can be erased by magnetic fields produced by magnets, electric motors, elecrtical transformers, and other devices. Keep tapes away from magnets and magnetic fileds.

3-5818 2 1/5/00, 10:12 AM