Sony TC-50
This is the Sony TC-50 cassette recorder. This unit came out in 1968, and was the smallest cassette machine produced at the time.
This model is famous as it was the model chosen by NASA to be taken aboard the command module of the Apollo moon missions.
There is a strong possibility this unit has actually been used by NASA, but not apparent in the pictures. The units used by the Apollo program (there was more than one) had a metal sticker on the front with operating instructions, as well as a special serial number stamped. The jacks were taped to make then unuseable. Velcro was affixed to the rear of the unit to facilitate the machine being stuck to the wall in the microgravity environment.
I have acquired two TC-50's. One was found at an estate sale back in 2007 or so. It was in very good cosmetic condition, but the motor had a problem that I made worse when trying to fix (it was my first attempt at a TC-50 repair). Later in 2013, I went to a now out-of-business place called "The Black Hole" in Los Alamos, New Mexico.
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Sony TCM-737
This unit is the Sony TCM-737 recorder, I believe aimed more at the business and dictation market. It has that classic look that if could just be sitting on some executive or other office worker's desk along with his papers, notes, and best of all, mechanical pencils.
This unit very nice in that it has a mechanical pause feature, for a nice, clean start and stop during record or play. The unit is auto level control with AC bias and permanent magnet erase.
It also boasts a tape counter and cue/review. The recording quality is excellent and does a pleasant job recording the articulate sounds of the human voice.
That is simply one of the pleasures about tape recording--there is something just pleasing about hearing, coming from one of the machines, the rich clear sound of the human voice speaking.
