RCA 390 owner manual Video Cassettes

RCA recommends that RCA cassettes be used with this

unit. The tape in RCA cassettes is of high-quality formula- tion, intended for use with multi-speed VHS video cas-

sette recorders. It has been manufactured to RCA's critical specifications for excellent performance with RCA VCR's, Use of tape not meeting these specifications could considerably reduce the performance of your VCR.

Use of poor quality tapes or tapes that have been dam- aged or mishandled can contaminate the VCR heads. This can cause a snowy picture or a missing picture dur- ing playback. Because RCA has no control over the type of tape purchased or rented by consumers, head cleaning

is not covered by RCA'swarranty. It is considered normal

maintenance.

Playing a new RCA tape for approximately 30 minutes often will clean the VCR heads and improve your picture. If a snowy picture or missing picture condition persists, consider the use of a chemical non-abrasive head clean-

ing tape (RCA Stock No. AVO09). It is available from your dealer and many electronic supply stores.

Video Cassettes

Cassette Playing Times and Speeds

The playing times and counter readings below are approximate, Also, it is assumed the counter is set to 0000

at the start of the tape.

		T-60 CASSETTE	(VK125)
SPEED		SP	LP	SLP
		Co4mte_	Counter	Counter
Time		Reading	Resdlng	Reading
1	hour	2080 (end)	1120	760
2	hours		2080 (end)	1460
3	hours			2080 (end)
		T-120 CASSETTE (VK250)
SPEED		SP	LP	SLP
		Counter	Counter	Count_
Time		Reading	Reading	Reading
1	hour	3520	2100	1520
2	hours	5680 (end)	3520	2600
3	hours		4660	3520
4	hours		5680 (end)	4300
5	hours			5000
6	hours			5680 (end)
		1"-160 CASSETTE (VK330)
SPEED		SP	LP	SLP
		Counter	Counter	Count_
Time		Reading	Realdlng	Reading
1	hour	3740	2160	1560
2	hours	6120	3740	2740
3	hours		5020	3740
4	hours		6120	4640
5	hours			5400
6	hours			6120
7 hours				6760
8 hours				7420 (end)

Erase Protection

To prevent erasing a recording you want to keep, remove the safety tab from the back of the cassette as shown in the illustration. Recording is impossible when this tab is removed. To record again on a cassette that has the tab removed, simply cover the hole with vinyl tape.

Safety tab	To prevent	erasure,	To	record again, cover
	break off	the tab	the	hole with vinyl
			tape

Recording Speed

This information will help you decide which tape speed to use when recording.

•SP: Standard Play uses the most tape. Video recorded at this speed has the least "picture noise" (snow) in normal playback. Pre-recorded tapes use SP for this reason and also because all VHS recorders have this speed.

•LP: Long Play uses one-half as much tape as SP. This speed is provided primarily for playing tapes recorded on older machines that do not have SLP.

•SLP: Super Long Play uses one-third as much tape as SP. SLP has slightly more "picture noise" than LP in normal playback (which may not be noticeable). Your VCR's special effects (search, stop action, slow motion, and frame advance) are dealgned for optimum performance at the SLP speed.

Cassette Care and Storage

Follow these directions for continued high-qualityper- formance from your cassettes.

•When you are finished with a cassette, rewind it and remove it from the VCR.

•Never attempt to force open the cassette door.

•Store cassettes vertically in their protective boxes at normal room temperatures. Avoid extreme heat and humidity. Extreme heat can warp the cassette or cause the tape to stretch excessively.

•Be especially careful to keep dust from entering the cassette and the VCR mechanism. All dust is abrasive

and it will cause excessive wear of both the tape and the VCR's recording/playback heads.

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