Cool Old Kit You Never Heard Of

[Alex_UK]

I love the look of it, kind of reminds me of CB radios around the same period. Pretty hefty power, too.

[Pigmy Pony]

A thing of beauty. I want one, though I don't know what I'd do with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B7QDm80IYI

[Alex_UK]

Never even used a Reel-to-Reel, but I agree, there is something almost magical about them!

[Pigmy Pony]

I've never owned one either, though I do remember my brother getting a used Philips mono reel to reel Christmas 1971.

We would place it on a dining chair next to the telly when TOTP was on, with its microphone hanging over the the chair back. It picked up everything, from T. Rex doing Telegram Sam, to the budgie's incessant chirping and the kitchen door with its creaky hinges opening and closing. These peripheral sounds became part of the recorded songs, such that when hearing the actual singles eventually, it sounded like there was something missing!

Happy days

[Macca]

We would place it on a dining chair next to the telly when TOTP was on, with its microphone hanging over the the chair back. It picked up everything, from T. Rex doing Telegram Sam, to the budgie's incessant chirping

I suppose the budgie's chirping would be appropriate if Budgie were on.

[Barry]

A thing of beauty. I want one, though I don't know what I'd do with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B7QDm80IYI

It's a Sony TC 510-2 portable tape recorder. One was sold in an auction, late 2019, for £280.

[Pigmy Pony]

I suppose the budgie's chirping would be appropriate if Budgie were on.

Budgie was being aired at that time. I watched all of them. They should put it back on. For me Charlie Endell (Iain Cuthbertson) was the star of the show.

It must have had some effect on me, when I started work the first thing I bought was a Mickey Mouse watch

[Macca]

Budgie was being aired at that time. I watched all of them. They should put it back on. For me Charlie Endell (Iain Cuthbertson) was the star of the show.

It must have had some effect on me, when I started work the first thing I bought was a Mickey Mouse watch

They were showing it on some channel last year (or maybe the year before that, it's hard to keep track) - think it might have been on Talking Pictures.

Anyway I meant the band not the TV show!

[Barry]

The tape recorder you were lusting after is a Sony TC 5210-2:

No doubt it was Sony's attempt to enter the professional portable tape recorder market for broadcasting outfits such as NHK, and the Japanese film industry. I have no idea if they were successful in that field, but any attempts to penetrate the American and European markets would have been unsuccessful.

The BBC, for example, used Uher 4000 Report recorders for interviews, and Nagra Series 4 portable recorders for wildlife programmes. Likewise the Nagra IV recorder was the de facto location recorder used by the film industry.

Som more information on the Nagra IV can be found here: https://theartofsound.net/forum/show...k-tape-machine .

[User211]

Let's face it they just look cool. I don't think any medium looks as cool as a full sized reel to reel spinning those huge spools of tape. End of.