ISO: Basic Field Equipment

[Margaret Ronkin]

Hello all,

Please excuse a posting that's slightly off-topic until
the very end.

I'm looking to beg some used equipment--tape recorders
and a laptop--for use in South Asia beginning this fall.
Assuming that any paperwork to do this is manageable,
I'd definitely want to donate the equipment to a NGO
or educational institution before returning to the USA.

Recommendations from friends as to what I'd need are:

Tape recorders:  One of Sony's or Marantz's professional
portable ones; I need a good workhorse for transcription
with a built-in mic.  Also, a few cheap portable ones.

Computer:  A friend wrote that she also couldn't afford
a new computer and exchanged a 5-year old Toshiba plus $500
for a (recommended) two-year-old Thinkpad (more powerful,
w/Windows 98).  I could look into something like that.

Please correspond directly with me; I'll be happy to share
any information of general interest.

In addition, I hope to make and take along an American
language kit, consisting of basic (and fun) materials for
high school and university students.  I just haven't gotten
this far in my planning yet.

Many thanks,

Maggie Ronkin
Ph.D. Candidate, Sociolinguistics
Georgetown University
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