Scott HoffmanMy name's Scott and I use my Sony MZ-R37 to copy my favorite classic rock songs to MiniDisc. I am in the U.S. Marine Corps and deploy frequently. Not only is space at a premium while packing, the general conditions of some of our venues are less than desirable for portable electronics. MiniDiscs are not only durable, but they save space and keep my hard-to-find CDs at home and damage-free! He adds: I think I started a trend at my squadron! I bought my MZ-R37 over a year ago. I was the only Marine in a unit of over 90 Marines to have one. Now, there are four of us, hopefully with more to come! I asked Scott if he was an aviator: No, I don't fly 'em I just work on 'em. I am a helicopter mechanic stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. I work on the CH-46e Sea Knight helicopter. It's a rather funny looking jobbie if you're not familiar with them. It's got two main rotor heads, mounted in tandem.
June 2001
AndreMy name is Andre, I have been in the Navy for about nine years and we often go on deployments that last up to a six month period. For a music fanatic like myself this can be deadly because the latest music is out on the streets and I can't hear it. Luckily I now have my Minidisc portable which enables me to have a compact audio storage device that I can take to my office on the ship and plug into speakers and also take and plug into my audio rack. The best part of it all is that now when I get my music magazines and want to hear the latest sounds all I have to do is email my wife and ask her buy it. She copies the tracks as wav. files and E-mails them to me. Once I have the .wav file I just plug in my nifty MZ-R50 and record each track. In addition, now I don't have to bring any regular CD's out to sea because I always have access. Minidisc is a great toy!!!!
January 1999
Jason WardI've been in the AF for about 8 yrs now and I can really agree with my Marine Corps and Navy Brethren about not having a lot of space for things while on deployments and such. I flew Airevac for 4 1/2 years and although space wasn't really a problem for me, I just had too many things to carry on board. Between my pubs bag [a backpack or bag that you keep your regulations regarding your job and the aircraft that you are qualified to fly in] my luggage, my "goodie" bag, and my "box nasty" [flyer's term for a premade boxed lunch purchased from the inflight kitchen (think of it as a cafeteria for the aircrew members)], I never had room to carry my big CD case, my CD player and my big headphones. My old boss (who just happens to be my best friend) turned me on to MD. He had one and he loved it. It didn't take up too much space and it never skipped!!! Well, to make a long story short, I left that unit and headed west to Travis AFB, CA. I didn't have a car at the time, so I rode a bike to and from the hospital (which was 2 miles from the dorms!!) After about the 3rd month of being here, I decided to plunk down $200 for my MZ-R37 and went to town on recording my CD collection. It fit perfectly in my windbreaker. I would go over some rough terrain to get to the hospital and it never missed a beat!!! After I bought my car I decided to get an in-dash MD player. Ever since that day I bought my portable MD player, I have been one of the BIGGEST advocates for MD to all that I know.
June 2001