Portavision 4 1/2" Television with Cassette Recorder
(160-0128)              Hints and Tips                Faxback Doc. # 31565

STORING YOUR CASSETTES

Follow these suggestions when storing your cassettes:

    Keep cassettes away from excessive dust and dirt.

    Do not expose cassettes to moisture or high humidity.

    Keep cassettes away from strong magnetic fields that can be generated
    by other electronic devices (transformers, motors, and so on).

    Store cassettes in protective plastic containers.  Your local Radio
    Shack store offers a complete selection of tape storage containers.

ERASING TAPES

Each time you make a recording, the previous recording is automatically
erased.

If you want to erase a tape without making a new recording, set TV/RADIO/
TAPE FUNCTION to TAPE.  Press RECORD. The deck erases the tape as the tape
passes the record head.

NOTE:  The system records any noise made in the room, so choose a quite
       location.

If you want to quickly erase several tapes, you can use a bulk tape eraser,
which erases an entire tape on both sides in a few seconds.  You can find
bulk tape erasers at your local Radio Shack store.

Accidental Erasure Protection

All cassettes have erase-protection tabs.  When in place, these tabs let
you record on the tape.  Once you remove these tabs, you cannot press
RECORD.

To avoid erasing or recording over Side A (or 1), break off the Side A's
tab with a screwdriver.  If you wish to protect Side B (or 2) remove the
Side B's tab.

To record on the tape again, place a piece of strong plastic tape over the
erase-protection tab holes.

NOTE:  Removal of the erase-protection tab does not prevent a bulk eraser
       from erasing the tape.

CAUTION:  When using a cassette that has had the erase-protection tabs
          broken off, do not try to force RECORD.  Doing so might damage
          the recording mechanism.

TAPE TENSION 

If you play one cassette several times, the tape can become tightly wound
on either hub.  Before playing the tape again, fast-forward the entire tape
and then completely rewind it.

A tape that is tightly wound can become tangled, cause tape distortion, or
uneven tape movement.

CLEANING THE TAPE MECHANISM

Cleaning and demagnetizing the parts of the cassette deck that come into
contact with the tape prolong the life of your tape and maintain its high
quality sound.

After repeated use, your cassette deck can accumulate dust, lint and tape
oxides on its tape-handling mechanisms.  For the best performance and sound
quality, clean all the tape-handling mechanisms after every 20 hours of
use.  You can use recorder cleaner and cleaning swabs or a convenient
headcleaner cassette.  All these cleaning products are available at your
local Radio Shack store

Items To Clean

*   Capstan
*   Erase Head
*   Pinch Roller
*   Record/Playback Head

LONG-PLAYING CASSETTES

Long-playing cassettes (longer than 90 minutes)  use very thin tape.
Because of this, the tape can be more easily caught in the capstan or pinch
roller.  To prevent this, proper maintenance of the tape-handling parts is
necessary.


(EB 3/28/96)