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CCRadio-SW AM/FM Shortwave Radio |
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- CCRadio-SW
- AC Power Adapter
- 2 PAL Antenna Connectors
- Instruction Manual
- One Year Limited Warranty
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The CCRadio-SW AM/FM/Shortwave Radio is a powerhouse, portable radio from C. Crane. Thanks to the built-in Twin Coil Ferrite® AM Antenna, this masterful radio has AM reception in the same class as the legendary CCRadios. It also delivers outstanding FM, and – here's the big news – Shortwave! This radio offers the best combination of sensitivity, selectivity and audio performance for any radio of this size. Shortwave is excellent right off the whip antenna. The five-inch speaker is accurate, pleasant and reproduces deeper bass than any portable of similar size. The CCRadio-SW comes with a large, easy-to-read LCD display and all the adjustments necessary for excellent performance under various conditions. C. Crane provides a clear, straightforward manual to get you started. Here are some of its outstanding features: RF Gain Control, Bandwidth Control, Bass and Treble Controls, Fast and Slow Tuning, 50 Memories, Lighted Buttons, Clock Radio with Snooze Alarm, Stereo Line Output and Headphone Jack, IF Output for Input to Computer. Runs on 4 "D" size batteries or 4 backup "AA" batteries (not included). Built-in charging circuit will recharge optional NiMh batteries right inside the radio-saving you both time and money. AC Adapter and antenna connectors included. One-year limited warranty. The acrylic radio stand is sold out and is no longer being included free with the purchase of the CCRadio-SW. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Weight: 4.2 lbs. Size: 11.25" W x 7.25" H (9" H with handle) x 3.5" D.
Features- AM/FM/Shortwave [SW1, SW2, SW3 (1711 - 30,000 kHz)]
- Built-in Twin Coil Ferrite® AM Antenna
- 50 Memory Presets (10 Per Band)
- 5-Inch Speaker (5-Watt/8-ohm)
- Treble Control
- Bass Control
- Headphone Jack
- Large Easy-to-Read Lighted Digital LCD Display
- Digital Clock (12 and 24 Hour)
- Alarm (Buzzer or Radio)
- Five Minute Snooze Feature
- Sleep Timer with Nine Operational Settings: 90, 60, 45, 30, 15, 10, 5, 1 (minutes) and "ON" (continuous).
- Tuning Knob Speed Control
- 9k & 10k Tuning
- Lighted Buttons
- Ground Jack
- Lock Feature
- DC Input
- Dual RCA Stereo Line Output
- RF Gain Control
- Bandwidth Control
- IF Output for Input to Computer
- Built-in charging circuit charges optional NiMh batteries
- Powered By AC Adapter (included), four "D" size batteries (not included) or four backup "AA" size batteries (not included)
- Dimensions: 11.25" W x 7.25" H (9" H with handle) x 3.5" D (290mm x 185mm x 70mm)
- Weight: 4.2 pounds without batteries
- One-year Limited Warranty
Optional Accessories |
You can set the sleep timer for 90, 60, 45, 30, 15, 10, or 5 minutes or even just 1 minute.
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No, the last choice in the sleep timer selection is on. Select 'on' and the radio will continue to play continuously.
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A set of AA Alkaline batteries rated at 2500 mAh would provide roughly 30 hours of runtime if the radio is played at a moderate volume level.
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A set of D Alkaline batteries rated at 14000 mAh would provide roughly 175 hours of runtime if the radio is played at a moderate volume level.
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No. The CCRadio-SW does not have Single Side Band. The CCRadio-SW covers:
SW1: 1711-10010 kHz
SW2: 9990-20010 kHz
SW3: 19990-29999 kHz
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No. The CCradio-SW does not have a line-in jack. However, the CCRadio-2 and the Gozo radios do have line-in jacks. If you would like to know about more C. Crane radios with line-in jacks, please Contact Us.
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The CCRadio-SW has a frequency range from 1,711 kHz to 29,999 kHz.
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Yes, the CCRadio-SW has 1 kHz tuning on both the AM and SW bands.
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To disable the "BEEP" you hear when you push any of the buttons on your CCRadio-SW, you first have to turn off the radio. With the radio off, press and hold down the SNOOZE button until you hear a short beep. This procedure should disable the beeps. You can enable the beeps again by pressing and holding down the SNOOZE button until you hear the short beep - also with the radio turned off.
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No. To activate the charging circuit, first turn the radio off and then press the memory/charge button to activate the charging circuit. The charging cycle will run for 12hrs before shutting off. If you are charging high-capacity D-size NiMH batteries it can take up to 3 to 4 charge-discharge-and-recharging cycles to get them up to full capacity.
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When you have no D size batteries in your CCRadio-SW and move it, the springs in the battery compartment can make a slight rattling noise.
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Dual Conversion, A dual conversion receiver filters and amplifies the incoming radio signal from the transmitter twice. This double filtering helps the receiver to ignore unwanted signals that are close to the frequency being used. This is not protection against another transmitter sending a signal on the same frequency. Instead, it is protection against other transmitters transmitting on frequencies that are close to the one being used. Dual Conversion typically makes a receiver more selective without reducing sensitivity. This can really help if you have a strong unwanted station nearby the bleeds into the station you want.
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Rechargeable batteries will NEVER show a full charge on your radio display. Most of our radios are calibrated to read the charge of your Alkaline batteries - which is 1.5 volts at full charge. Rechargeable batteries, however, are fully charged at just 1.25 Volts, and so your radio will show a partial charge even if the rechargeable batteries have been fully charged.
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You can set the alarm on the CCRadio-SW to go off to the buzzer or the radio. If you set the alarm to go off to the radio, you'll get the station and the volume setting that you listened to before turning the radio off.
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The alarm instructions in earlier versions of the CCRadio-SW manual are incomplete. The proper directions for setting the alarm are:
1. To set the alarm time: press and hold "ALARM" button until word the Timer A and the alarm hour begin to flash on the display.
2. While "Timer A" and the alarm hour are flashing, press the "HOUR"
button to set the hour and the "MINUTE" button to set the minutes.
3. With the word "Timer A" still flashing, press and release the "ALARM"
button to set the alarm mode. The first icon to appear on the display next to the word "Timer A" will be __ . Selecting this icon sets the alarm to Buzzer mode. Press this button again and the__ icon will appear on the display, setting the alarm to Speaker mode. This activates the radio to turn on and play a radio station when the alarm goes off. Press the button again and both icons will disappear from the display, indicating that the alarm is "off". You have about four seconds between pressing the buttons or you must start over.
4. When you are finished setting your alarm you must confirm your settings by pressing "Timer A".
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With the radio off, press and hold the "Hour /\" button for approx. 5 seconds. The time displayed will then be in a 24 hour format and confirmed by a double beep. Follow the same procedure to return to a 12 hour clock format.
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| Input Power: | AC Adapter: 9V DC 500mA tip negative
Batteries: (4) AA or D size (not included) | | Audio Output: | 2.5 Watt | | Speaker: | 5", 8 ohm, 5W | | Frequency Coverage: | AM 520 - 1710 kHz (10KHz Steps)
AM 522 - 1620 kHz (9KHz Steps)
FM 87.0 - 108.0 MHz
SW1 1711 - 10010 kHz
SW2 9990 - 20010 kHz
SW3 19990 - 29999 kHz | | Rotary Tuning Knob Resolution: | AM - 1 kHz, 9 kHz or 10 kHz
FM - 10 kHz or 100 kHz
SW - 1 kHz or 5 kHz | | AM Tuning: | 10 kHz or 9 kHz steps | | FM Tuning: | 100 kHz steps | | SW Tuning: | 5 kHz steps | | AM Antenna: | Internal Ferrite Bar - 10mm x 160mm (6.3") long with Twin Coil Ferrite® technology | | FM, SW Antenna: | Telescopic whip antenna | | AM Dual Conversion: | 55.845 MHz 1st IF; 455 kHz 2nd IF | | AM IF Output: | For input into a computer for decoding DRM, SSTV, SSB, CW and more. | | AM Sensitivity: | 0.2 mV/m | | FM Sensitivity: | > 5 uV | | SW Sensitivity: | > 20 uV | | Selectivity (Wide): | Wide > 40 db (100x) | | Selectivity (Narrow): | > 60 db (1000x) | External Antenna
Terminals: | AM Spring loaded wire terminals
FM/SW PAL Connector | | FM Stereo/Mono Switch: | Yes | | Earphone Jack: | 1/8" (3.5mm) Stereo 32 ohm | | Line Out Jack: | Dual RCA | | Presets: | 50 Total (10 per band) | | Lock Switch: | Yes | | Sleep Timer: | 1-90 minutes | | Alarm: | Yes, dual | | Snooze: | 5 minutes | | Clock: | 12/24 Hour Modes | | Dimensions: | 11.25" W x 7.25" H (9" H with handle) x 3.5" D | | Weight: | 4.2 lbs. | | Warranty: | 1 Year Limited Warranty | | Included Accessories: | AC Adapter
(2) PAL Connectors
Manual |
Note: Specifications are subject to change without notice.
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1. Make sure the "LOCK" is off.
2. Check the "BATTERY SELECTION" switch to make sure it is in the proper position.
3. Be sure that the batteries are installed correctly.
4. Make sure all batteries are good.
5. If using the AC Adapter, make sure that it is plugged fully into the power jack.
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1. Check the "FM/SW ANTENNA" switch on the right side of the radio for the proper setting.
2. Check the position of the "AM SENSITIVITY" switch for "LOCAL" or "DISTANT" setting.
3. Check the position of the "AM RF GAIN" control. It should be fully clockwise.
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1. Check the position of the "AM RF GAIN" control. I should be fully clockwise.
2. Rotate the radio for the best reception.
3. Concrete, brick and metal buildings can greatly reduce radio reception. Try the radio outside. If the reception is improved, add an external AM antenna like C. Cranes Twin Coil Ferrite Am Antenna.
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You must press the "RESET" to activate the change. To press the "RESET", use the end of a paperclip and push it into the hole briefly.
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We are sorry, this sometimes happens with a new radio manufacturer. Pull the knob straight off. Make a little ball out of a 1" square piece of paper. Push it in the shaft hole on the knob. Line up the flat edges of the knob and shaft and replace the knob.
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Check the Local/DX switch. The switch should be set to DX for the best AM reception. The Local position is used when you are near a transmitting tower and it is distorting a nearby station on the dial.
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Make sure the "Battery Size" switch located on the left side of the radio is set to "D."
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We currently have two different ways that you can review a product that you purchased from us.
We do look at all reviews/testimonials for content and only refuse those with profanity or inappropriate content. All
others usually get approval for posting (good and bad) within 48 hours. If you have a problem with any of our products please contact us
as we are able to resolve most issues.
| Alex H. |
5/12/2013 |
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Chesterfield, NJ
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| Stephen R. |
5/11/2013 |
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Gray, ME
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OK reception, on FM
not good on AM
Recently the radio quit working
Removed the battery then it was ok, but battery
was fully charged
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| Chengjie C. |
4/20/2013 |
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Shanghai, FN
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Excellent shortwave receiving capability. I am from China.
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| Robert Y. |
4/17/2013 |
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Columbia, MO
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| John H. |
8/26/2012 |
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Fairbanks, AK
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The wife and I love this radio it's works great out at our cabin which gets terrible reception.Judy & John
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| Barry E. |
8/8/2012 |
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Milford, OH
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For the past 5 years I've been looking to replace my old AM/FM/SW radio and upgrade to something better. The CC Radio SW is the radio I chose and it is an excellent radio on all counts. Very easy to set up & program (as long as you take the time to read the user guide), well built, range is outstanding on all channels, especially AM & SW.
Last night on short wave I was picked up some crazy militia guy in West Virginia that scared the bejesus out of me. It’s things like this that make for a completely unique listening experience that you can only get from buying a quality product.
Well worth the money spent.
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| Robert B. |
6/26/2012 |
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Sterling Heights, MI
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I have had this radio for about 3 months now and I just love it. The reception is fantastic for both AM and FM. I live a short distance from Detroit, but I have no trouble getting good reception for any of the local stations that I choose to listen to. I also like the digital aspect of the radio. The display is easy to read. I can change the stations by just pressing a button, which obviously, is a lot easier than using the turning dial. I haven't gotten into using the Short Wave yet.
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| Ronald J. |
4/13/2012 |
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Newport Beach, CA
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Not my cup of tea, sent it back and ordered the CCRadio-2, should have read the info more closely or called customer service.
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| Daniel B. |
3/15/2012 |
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Copley, OH
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I'm quite pleased. This is one of the very few shortwave receivers that provides decent sensitivity on the regular AM/Medium Wave band.
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| Joseph V. |
1/25/2012 |
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Rego Park, NY
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This radio is the best in the field. The only little thing I could find that could be improved was pointed out by my Father-in-law. That was that the dials failed to have white indicator markings making it was easier to use in dim light, or if your eye sight isn't what it used to be. He actually made those marks on his radio and then offered to do mine. Looks great.
Otherwise, this rig is just about perfect in every respect. Highly recommended.
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| Gene R. |
1/16/2012 |
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Suisun City, CA
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| Linda H. |
1/7/2012 |
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Bordentown, NJ
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| Paul C. |
12/28/2011 |
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Columbus, OH
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| Michael K. |
12/21/2011 |
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Wayne, MI
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good Shortwave and radio
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| Ted A. |
12/2/2011 |
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Battle Ground, WA
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***** Five Star
Love this radio!
Ted
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| William H. |
11/25/2011 |
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Delaware, OH
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| Mark S. |
10/29/2011 |
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Mount Holly, NC
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Great radio, controls are a little hard to figure out, like presets and alarms.
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| Anthony A. |
10/11/2011 |
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San Bruno, CA
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I received it within 48 hours of ordering it on-line. Unit was very easy to operate, nice design, good reception on the SW channels. AM & FM quality sound and instructions are easy to follow an understand. I am very much impressed with CCrane and will continue to purchase my radio needs from them.
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| Harvey M. |
10/11/2011 |
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Wheaton, IL
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I did a lot of research before buying this radio, mostly user reviews at Crane and Amazon. This seemed like a fine radio for long distance AM reception, good FM reception and good short wave reception. I wanted it mostly for long distance AM and FM reception. The short wave is a bonus.
The radio arrived and performed very well. The only flaws were a number of cosmetic blemishes on the silver faceplate. They in no way affected the performance of the radio but marred the appearance and gave me a negative feeling whenever I went to use it.
I contacted Crane for a possible solution without returning the radio but that was the only solution. I sent them pictures of the four flaws and they were surprised at seeing them. They offered to send a replacement radio which would be hand-checked for cosmetics and function and a return shipping label for me to return the flawed radio.
Not only is the radio a fine radio for all the reasons detailed by the other reviewers but I discovered that the customer service is superb. They addressed my problem in a timely fashion and resolved it in the best manner possible. The customer service department could not have done a better job.
I am very happy with this purchase and most especially with the impressive customer service. Crane will be my first source for any radio related purchase in the future.
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| Dean P. |
10/6/2011 |
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Milldale, CT
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| Stephen B. |
9/20/2011 |
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Portland, OR
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I have owned my CCRadio SW for about a year now and I am very impressed with it. It has an amazing ability to pull in distant AM stations from my location in Portland Oregon. I have listened to stations in Seattle, Boise ID, Tri Cities WA, San Francisco and Los Angeles along with Reno NV and a station in Wyoming. Shortwave and FM performance seem well above average as well but I mainly listen to AM. Build quality of my unit seems good and Audio fidelity is very good. I like the ability to fine tune a station.
The ability to recharged the batteries inside the radio is also appreciated. Highly Recommended.
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| Don S. |
9/15/2011 |
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Fort Wayne, IN
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excellent reception across the entire MW and SW bands...FM is excellent ,too.
rejection of adjacent splatter is good...external antenna installation very easy...have it on a 250 long wire and stations from 1000s of miles at night are like locals on MW and SW is excellent as well...(of, course, depending on band conditions)...the slow and fast tuning make it easy to tune and get stations that are off frequency a bit...called a CE on one station that was reading off and he confirmed that the xmtr was drifting...a good catch...overall an excellent radio
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| David S. |
8/23/2011 |
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York, PA
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| Larry L. |
8/19/2011 |
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Houston, TX
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| Charles H. |
8/7/2011 |
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Gardner, KS
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| Ronald L. |
8/3/2011 |
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Grantsburg, WI
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Brilliant design and functionality. Superior AM reception and precise station acquisition. A real pleasure to own.
Great Job CCRANE.
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| Kathleen B. |
6/13/2011 |
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Denton, TX
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Thank you C Crane and John for helping me find and listen to my favorite radio stations on my CCRadio-SW at work. I asked for help on Monday and on Tuesday, John from C. Crane calls me. Now that is awesome customer service! He was able to pinpoint the two radio stations I listen to and Voila....perfect reception with my CCRadio-SW! I am now a happy employee as I can now get one station on AM, as long as I put it in the corner of my office near a vertical window, and the other station I can listen to on FM. I will be buying more products from C. Crane because of your great products and your fantastic customer service. Thank you so much.
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| Joseph S. |
4/11/2011 |
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Clearlake, CA
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Four stars due to the plastic knob and handle very cheap feeling. The SW preforms very well from am, fm and sw. The clock and all the features are awesome.
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| Kenneth M. |
3/17/2011 |
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Oxnard, CA
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CCRadio-SW
I have used an old 'CCRadio Plus' for years and also enjoy listening to shortwave broadcasts on occasion. I finally decided to simplify my life and get a CCRadio-SW.
I only use the built in antenna and do not have any test equipment, so this review and comparison will not be too scientific. I will use my favorite receivers, a Sony ICF-SW7600GR and the older CCRadio Plus, for relative comparison.
Here is my version of "CCRadio-SW, CCRadio Plus, and Sony ICF-SW7600GR compared". To be fair I must note that the CCRadio Plus has been replaced by a newer CCRadio-2 which has improved performance.
Audio Quality:
For listening to news radio, the older CCRadio Plus is a winner although it is a little flat on the FM band. The CCRadio-SW has a wide/narrow bandwidth switch and good bass/treble but it does not quite match the older radio's voice performance. For music and FM the CCRadio-SW's audio is superior. The Sony7600 has clear audio but is just small and is not something you would want to listen to AM on for a long time. The SSB audio of the Sony is outstanding. I have listened, comfortably, to SSB on the Sony for hours on end. The CCRadio-SW has no built in SSB capability.
AM Broadcast band:
This part was hard; my location has a good deal of electronic noise in the AM broadcast band. I tried to find the weakest stations and make a comparison from that. The CCRadio Plus seemed to have the least sensitivity of the three radios. The CCRadio-SW had the most sensitivity; I needed to use the RF-Gain control to dial it down a bit. With the Ionospheric fading and moderate RF noise, all three radios delivered understandable audio. For the marginal listening conditions, the Sony7600 would have to be my favorite. For reasonably strong/weak AM music, the CCRadio-SW wins. For reasonably strong news/talk radio the CCRadio Plus wins.
FM Broadcast band:
The CCRadio-SW had the best sensitivity and audio quality. The CCRadio Plus and the Sony7600 were about the same for sensitivity. The Sony’s FM audio was poor as expected for such a small radio. The CCRadio Plus had good audio but did not match the CCRadio-SW for fidelity (audio bandwidth).
Shortwave AM bands:
For the comparison, I tried to find weaker broadcast stations across about 5-15 MHz. I also used the 5, 10 and 15 WWV time broadcasts as a relatively constant signal source. The CCRadio Plus has no shortwave band so it is not mentioned here.
To my surprise, the CCRadio-SW had, equal to or only slightly lower sensitivity, below about 10 MHz, and had slightly better sensitivity at about 14 MHz as compared to the Sony7600. I was unable to locate any stations that could not be heard by one or the other radio.
To be fair:
I want to be absolutely clear that these comparisons were all made while operating on internal battery and antenna. I say that because I have an old Grundig Satellit 800 receiver that performs poor, in the sensitivity department, along side the Sony SW7600GR, on the internal antenna. HOWEVER, when a long wire antenna is connected to the Grundig, the Sony gets demoted to the status of a toy. I did not test the CCRadio-SW with an external antenna.
My Conclusion:
The CCRadio-SW. This one awesome radio for the price. It has a dual internal battery capability of both 4-AA and 4-D cells. I like to operate on rechargeable battery power (less power line noise). The drawback of that is, rechargeable batteries tend to maintain a constant voltage right up to their end, then die. The 'battery strength' meter is mostly useless, as is, for these cells. Having an option to switch over to a backup battery of AA
cells is a strong selling point.
I wish I could make your decision easy, but, it all depends on how you want to use you radio. All of these radios are good.
Ken Miller
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| Charles M. |
3/2/2011 |
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Cedar Hill, TX
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| Hudson A. |
2/18/2011 |
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Franklin, TN
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| Evelyn G. |
2/10/2011 |
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Mooreville, MS
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My husband loves it and I get to sleep without listening to the radio at night with the pillow ear phone.
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| John D. |
2/2/2011 |
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Zelienople, PA
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Over hyped.
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| Sergio D. |
12/29/2010 |
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Cananeia, FN
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My congratulations for this set, which allies high sensitivity, well sound performance, and wide range of frequencies to SW. It is only regrettable that the light does not remain on during tuning.
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| David H. |
11/3/2010 |
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Beltsville, MD
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pretty good radio
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| Poppa Poppa |
5/8/2012 |
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Birmingham, AL
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The radio has good reception but really needs a direct entry keypad for frequencies. A pain to rotate tuning knob to your frequency you are looking for.
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| Doug H. |
5/7/2012 |
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Burton, MI
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This radio rocks! The radios I own to compare the CCRadio-SW to are: Drake SW8, Grundig S350, Grundig G3, GE Superadio 1 and superadio 3. The CCRadio-SW holds its own with all of them and blows away both Grundigs. AM and SW reception is Great. FM is just ok. I have tested the SW against the GE Superadios and the CCRadio-SW is just as good on AM. But it sure is nice to have it lock right on a frequency with the PLL tuning. Shortwave broadcast band comes in great right off the whip. Now the down sides of the CCRadio-SW: Speaker does not sound as good as the GE superadios, the light for the display is dim and only lights about half of the display. Also No SSB, but I went on eBay and bought a TG37 SSB BFO adapter and now SSB sounds great on the CCRadio-SW. If you want an all around good radio the CCRadio-SW is it!
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| W. D. |
4/25/2012 |
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Dubois, WY
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I recently purchased your CCRadio-SW. WOW, great reception compared to anything else I have used.
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| Richard Harriso |
4/10/2012 |
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Hewitt, NJ
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Excellent AM. Gets stations from all over Eastern half, plus Canada & Latin America. Great SW: including many English broadcasts from the Balkans, plus a new one, Radio Dabanga, 7315, from Sudan. FM quite good as well, could be a bit more selective. Very fine audio. One complaint: antenna doesn''t stand up. Well worth the price. Recommended improvements for the next version: SSB capability. Direct keypad tuning. Individual memory buttons. RDS on FM. Narrow band selectivity switch for FM, if available. Display to show both time and frequency at the same time. All in all, a really fun radio.
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| Robert Raimo |
4/7/2012 |
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Blue Island, IL
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As far as reception, this radio is excellent on all bands. Especially on FM I can DX stations in Michigan easily. AM DX is incredibly good. The buttons could be easier to push. At times it takes super strength to make contact. The buttons could be bigger. With the large face plate it seems ridiculous to make the buttons so small. The memories could be greater. Ten per "band" is too little. If it weren''t for these drawbacks I''d give it 5 stars.
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| Jerry Robinson |
12/29/2011 |
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Mars Hill, NC
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I work as an electrical engineer specializing in radio frequency-related design. My buddy at work always enjoyed his CCRadio and recommended that I purchase one when I mentioned that I was interested in buying a portable shortwave radio. Frankly I expected more. My radio failed to come on about ten months after purchasing it. Sent it back to CCrane (at my expense) and they returned it "fixed" in about five weeks. Mechanical connection for the external antenna came back loose.
Overall the radio is fair. Sensitivity on shortwave fair. Sensitivity on AM good to excellent. Sensitivity on FM is lousy. Work in Charlotte NC. Sensitivity of my late father's 35 year-old Sears AMFM portable far exceeds that of the CCRadio on both AM and FM. FM reception without distortion requires you to physically manipulate the radio in a position that accomodates the station on FM (changes day to day). This is with local stations! I've been an active Ham radio operator now for 42 years and kinda know what a good radio (even at $100) should sound like. Panel layout is good but controls and functions are hard to figure out. Switches feel as if they'll not last long (floppy action).
OK, here's the good part. Great audio! When you finally get the antenna positioned, the captured audio is great. It's a good looking radio.
I'm sorry, I must have got a bad one.
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| William Patalon |
11/16/2011 |
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Fallston, MD
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I'm a longtime SW and MW DXer from Baltimore who recently purchased two of your CC Radio-SW receivers and one of your new CCRadio-EP. I'm thrilled with the purchases. On my first night with the EP radio, with the slight aid of a Radio Shack Tunable Induction Loop, I pulled in a 1,000 watt AM station from Georgia with pretty solid signal strength and clarity. I'd arrived home late from work, and just wanted to give this a "test drive," and made this reception as a lark. I'd never even HEARD that station before. I also own several of your Twin Coil Ferrite AM Antennas.... I love the antennas. My goal during the next warm weekend is to see how to mount the ferrite bar unit outdoors, and with some elevation. I think that will really enable it to bring the AM band to life. Or I may keep it indoors, but find a way to mount it high on the wall of my house.
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| Bob Ziel |
6/13/2011 |
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Rigby, ID
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A decent performer with exceptionally good shortwave reception. I especially like the continuous coverage from the medium wave band clear through the entire shortwave broadcast spectrum. FM reception is better than average.
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| Michael Francioli |
6/1/2011 |
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Clearwater, FL
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It would be an under statement to say I like the CCRadio-SW.I would advise a new comer SW listener to get this radio. It has bass and treble controls which my $500 receiver lacks. In all one great radio!!
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| Jef Eichner |
5/11/2011 |
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Bloomsburg, PA
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I''ve own two of these, the 1st for 2 years the 2nd for a year. They''re very easy on batteries. Sensitivity with the whip antenna is very high, but suffers from MW ghosting from my local blowtorch station. With an external antenna the problem goes away, even with a significant antenna (135'' wire) I only had problems with occasional harmonics above 25mhz (from other HF stations), which were easily solved with a tuner. Sensitivity with an external antenna (usually a 3'' mag. loop) is equal to that of my Yaesu 817. This radio is nearly idiot proof to use, my 5 year old Granddaughter was able to master it in only a few minutes. On MW sensitivity is the best I''ve seen so far. The audio is excellent (better than my home stereo, although admittedly I have a cheap stereo). The two bandwidths are well chosen. Minor quibbles are that on both radio''s the tuning dial wobbles, and both have a software oddity. On one the freq. would shift several hundred kHz, but only with the wall wart and only every few months or so. with the other the light (under some conditions) stays on after being unplugged and must be turned on in order to turn it off. Neither of these is a deal breaker, just interesting. Lack of an audio input is strange, considering it''s excellent audio. Overall this is an excellent radio rivaling much more expensive ones in performance, and is best used with an external antenna. The catalog now says "limited production" but doesn''t explain what that means, but if you want one I''d act quickly.
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| James |
4/8/2011 |
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Pownal, ME
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To Whom it may concern,
I'm writing to say how pleased I am with my recent purchase of the CC Radio-SW.
I listen to radio every day and it's been a long time since I've had a radio that I actually like. In fact, the last good radio that I had was bought for me by my father way back in 1972, when I was in high school. I had that radio for many years and have always missed it. But, I can honestly say that the CC Radio-SW is the nicest radio that I have ever owned.
It is pleasant to look at and is even more pleasant to use. It has a nice, clean and functional design. It has great sensitivity and wonderful sound. It will make a good companion.
I first heard of your company many years ago (listening to late night radio). I have always wanted to purchase one of your radios and all I can say is, 'better late than never'.
The entire experience has been a good one...thought you might like to know.
Thank you for such a great product.
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| Dan Ashworth |
4/8/2011 |
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Tucson, AZ
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No reason not to give the CCRadio-SW five stars since both the product and the company seem totally satisfactory. The manual is well written and easy to understand which is good because there are many functions available. AM-FM reception and sound quality is great.
Shortwave reception is quite good from the whip antenna alone but for max fun and listening a simple "long wire" external antenna is far better. The full shortwave capability of this radio (or any other) won''t be realized without an external antenna. It doesn''t need to be expensive or cumbersome. Much info on line regarding SW antennas.
The digital tuner is exceptional: fast, smooth, and accurate. It has obviously been designed to make SW tuning quick and easy. The Dial Speed function enables fine tuning and works well.
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| Bennett Wilson |
2/26/2011 |
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Brooklyn, NY
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Well, I do love my CC Radio SW. It is a fine radio. I bought it to drown out the (C)rap music of my coworkers. I''m a Ham Radio Operator and with proper antennas, my home station is better than this radio, DUH! I only have a few nits to pick about the unit. My handle broke, it snapped off cleanly at both ends where it folds down behind the FM whip. I''d like the two band selector knobs to be more like the other ones because I''m afraid they might get sheared off if they get bumped. Put some white paint in the grove of the gain, treble and bass control. The way they are now you cannot tell the setting from more than a couple of inches. The sensitivity is very good on all bands but the out of band rejection needs improvement. If you have your cell phone within several feet of the CC it will experience serious interference when your phone logs into it''s network. Very annoying. I think the PLL on mine may be a little off frequency on broadcast AM. When I tune to 1600kHz, I get the best sound with the dial set to 1598kHz. I only notice the difference when set to AM narrow. Overall I am very very happy with the radio. I love having backup batteries installed so I can take out my D cell Ni-MH set for recharging, this way I don''t lose station presets or time. I can only think of one major improvement that can be made to this radio, add HD digital on AM and FM. I still recommend that everyone that loves to listen to the radio buy this one.
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| Travis Moore |
1/22/2011 |
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Ringgold, VA
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I Purchased this radio nearly 2 years ago and I must say It has provided me with many hours of listening pleasure!!! The speaker sounds great and with a couple of feet of wire you can get nearly any short wave station in the world! Great reception, great speaker! I only wish it had WX/SSB and audio inputs. Other than that it''s flawless!!
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| John W |
12/14/2010 |
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CHARLOTTE, NC
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I just wanted to let you know that I got a CCRadio-SW radio for x-mas and its the best radio I have ever had. I have had a few SW radios from radio shack and I had a 818CS and a 909 and the cc radio just blows them all out of the water just using the whip antenna and the lady that helped us place the order and helped us track it was super nice and a real credit to your company, all I can say is wow.
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| Charlie Christie |
12/7/2010 |
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Emerson, NJ
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I want to let you know that the quality of your products is unbelievably good. My wife does most of our ordering as gift items for me. The combination of my radio, the CCRadio-SW, and the top of the line "dual ferrite" external antenna make for incredible listening experiences. I listen to A.M. stations 1,500 miles away at night. Thank you,
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| A. M. |
5/2/2010 |
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Dear C. Crane, I am writing to thank you for designing and building such a quality product in the C. Crane SW radio, which I purchased recently. For months I have been looking for a well-built radio that performs as it should, and with the CSW my search is over. It is truly a phenomenal radio, and well-worth its price tag. Keep it up!
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| W. H. |
3/30/2010 |
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Salem, OR
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A few weeks ago I purchased a CCRadio-SW, I always had GE's before and they were good radio's, I live on the Oregon desert and this radio that I bought from you blows the GE’s out of the water for pulling in stations that I didn't even know were available, I'm so happy with my purchase, it's all that you said it was, thank you.
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| Steve Murphy |
12/23/2009 |
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Butte, MT
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This CCRadio-SW radio is tops. This is my fourth CC radio so far and it is fantastic.
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| Kenneth Kraly Jr. |
11/24/2009 |
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Elyria, OH
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Dear C. Crane Company, Hello I love my new CCRadio-SW I can pick up my stations loud and clear. I live about 75 miles from the 50 mega watt WTAM 1100 in Cleveland Ohio and with this radio I can pick up WTAM crystal clear and also FM is really good on the CCRadio-SW. Thank You CCrane Company for such a good product. I will definitely be buying more products from C Crane Company in the future; thanks and take care. Sincerely,
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| Mike Waters |
11/5/2009 |
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South Greenfield , MO
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I just wanted to say how much I love the CCRadio-SW. I'm a perfectionist, and I showed it to a friend who is more of a perfectionist than I am. We both agreed that the quality and design is absolutely superb! Your company is to be commended for such outstanding quality.
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| Bernadette Dayger |
10/13/2009 |
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Syracuse, NY
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I ordered the CCRadio-SWPocket, love it! I just got my CCRadio-SW. WOW; I'm getting AM stations from all over the country. The sound is rich and deep. I wanted to let every one know that this radio really rocks. Keep bringing great quality products.
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| Charlie C. |
9/11/2009 |
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Emerson, NJ
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My C. Crane radio "SW" is the best radio I have ever seen. Show it to everyone. I am an A.M. radio "nut" and the A.M. reception is unreal. Thanks for the incredible quality. Quality that is rare today. Don't change anything. Thank you,
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| Dr. J. J. |
6/28/2009 |
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Rochester, NY
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Recd our radio and already am enjoying. It appears to be a wonderful product...
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| S.P. Martin |
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, CT
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This radio is a dream come true! It may be the best...no, it IS the best AM/FM
and SW portable I have ever owned. I love the built-in charger for the batteries.
I would like to see the clock radio-controlled (atomic clock), and some type of glow in the dark
hash marks on the on the RF gain, treble, bass, and volume knobs.Thanks again for an incredibly
great radio at a fantastic price!
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| Shelley |
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Ashtabula, OH
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I love my little SW radio and like to listen to it at night. The only drawback
is the volume control. I wish it was more sensitive. I don’t really like to use ear buds but may
have to get the in line volume control. I also have the CC Plus and love it too. I am thinking
about a wireless in the near future. Thank you,
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| Donald M. |
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Warner Robins, GA
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Good Afternoon, I would like to comment on my purchase of your CCRadioSW.
I received it today, and although I was somewhat anxious about ordering an "Orphan" I was pleasantly surprised.
Your radio is excellent. The build quality is first rate and its performance far exceeds my most critical expecations.
It does indeed receive AM and FM with remarkable sensitivity and selectivity. The audio quality is also excellent. Years
ago I purchased a Zenith Transoceanic AM/FM model 7000. This was the flagship of portable radios and remains a benchmark
to this day. It has performed flawlessly over the years. Your CCRadioSW is in this same league. It has the same heft
and feel as the Zenith and outperfoms it as well. (now thats saying a lot). Thanks for offering this fine product at
a very reasonable price. Sincerely,
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| Jim Fisher |
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I have had my CCRadioSW for two days. My favorite FM station
is a college station that plays straight ahead jazz but has a very weak signal. The FM reception for that station
on the Crane is equal to a Bose cabinet radio I own that has an external antenna. The sound quality of the speaker
is noteworthy and superior. I have not had an opportunity to try to get distant AM stations but local and regional
AMs come in very well. I have owned Grundig and Sony multiband receivers and this radio appears superior in sound quality
and ease of operation.
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| Kerry F. |
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Greers Ferry Lake, AR
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My new CCRadio SW plus arrived yesterday. For years my bedside table looked like a weird
collection of radio reception parts with the old C Crane select
antenna; then the Twin
Coil Ferrite AM Antenna plus a shortwave setup. The new CCRadio-SW incorporates all of this into one compact vertically
integrated package with SW to boot. I own the CCRadio Plus and was skeptical that your new radio could be better. The
thought of getting my night stand back to normal after 20 years was too much. I live in the Ozarks in Central Arkansas
where reception can be intermittent at best. Last night on AM I pulled in Minneapolis, Chicago, Denver, Atlanta, San
Antonio, Dallas, New Orleans, Nashville, Tulsa, Cincinnati, and St Louis with very little tweaking. The SW and FM was
also excellent with clear reception and easy to tune. Most impressive and a real advancement in AM Radio reception from
anything else on the market. Your service department is great too - they fixed my five year old CCRadio Plus display at
no charge and paid shipping one way. Great company with great products. If you are wondering about the new CCRadio-SW's
reception qualities - they are superior and easy to tune. I would recommend an AM
Radio Turntable be purchased with this radio so you can rotate the set in the direction of the station.
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| Stephen H. |
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Dayton, WA
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Just got the CC plus SW radio yesterday and listened to it last night. It is the best radio that I have ever owned!
I listen to KGO at night and the signal is so strong and clear I could not fall asleep.
Thanks so much for the best radio of my lifetime! Thanks again!
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| T. J. |
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Brooklyn Park, MN
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C Crane Company, I just received my new CCRadio-SW late yesterday and ended
up spending several enjoyable hours cruising the bands late into the night! I easily pulled in numerous distant AM stations
from across the eastern 2/3 of the US as well as several weaker AM stations from central and western Canada. I believe
the built-in Twin Coil Ferrite antenna is superb for AM band DX'ing. Sound quality from the 5W speaker is full-bodied,
crisp and clear. I also fiddled with the SW bands a bit and pulled in US, Europe and Eastern Asia like they were
right next door. FM stations came in crystal clear and with excellent sound quality. And to top it off, the radio has
a sleek, handsome look to it! This radio is simply amazing in both form and function! Kudos to C Crane!
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| Paul R. |
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McMinnville, OR
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What a cool radio. I don’t even know where to begin there are so many great features in this radio. When I first received
it and opened the package, I was completely taken by the quality of the radio. The radio has a very solid feel. It
is obvious that workmanship and care were put into the design. The radio is easy to use and has superior voice quality
to other radios I have tried. I have been talking so much about it, I think my friends are kind of sick of hearing
about how wonderful it is. I can’t help. It is the perfect radio for its price range. I have been waiting a long time
for such a radio to come out with SW and all the features available with the CCRadio-SW. In my opinion, this is a
no-brainer. Best radio on the market for its price. Hands down.
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| Chris C. |
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Lancaster, CA
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Hi C.Crane, Thanks for your great CC Radio-SW!
I am, and have been a Radio Broadcast Engineer, for over 40 years, and an avid radio collector, and I also own my
own radio station, a lot of radio waves on my plate!
Some of the FM stations in my care are a great distance
from my home, and monitoring their signals has been a problem. Enter the CC Radio-SW. I know there are several very similar
radios out there on the internet, but don't be fooled! I have owned all variations of this radio, and the CCRadio-SW
version is in a class all by itself. The CC Radio-SW as I have been told has undergone many modifications that simply
blow away all the others! This radio has unparalleled MW-SW AM performance thanks to the built in "Twin Coil Ferrite"
antenna among other refinements. The FM selectivity and sensitivity can not be better, no matter what brand and
price, a good example is a station I built and take care of, KGZO 90.9, Shafter, CA is well over 100 miles from my
home in Lancaster, CA. I live within the 1MV contour of superpower KPFK 90.7 and on any other FM radio, I can not
hear anything on 90.9 except KPFK, until my purchase of the CCRadio-SW. This receiver separates the two signals
with ease, and using only the built in rod antenna! On AM it is remarkable as well. Another station I take care of,
KWDJ 1360 AM, Ridgecrest CA,1000 watts is 100 miles from my home, and in my city there is a station on 1380 AM with
1000 watts, less than 1 mile from my house, and I have no trouble hearing, with excellent clarity KWDJ 1360 using
only the built in antenna! Also, listening to Shortwave has never been more enjoyable and easy. Keep up the good work!
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| Bob Z. |
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Rigby, ID
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Greetings C. Crane, I have been an AM radio DXer for over 40 years and your
CCRadio-SW is the most sensitive and selective portable radio that I’ve ever owned! I live in SE Idaho where
we have relatively few AM stations. I listen to Salt Lake City and other northern Utah AM stations daytime on a regular
basis. Even though the SLC region is over 200 air miles to the south of my house with a tall mountain range in-between,
KNRS-570, KCPW-1010, KDYL-1060 and KSL-1160, to name a few stations, can be heard clearly throughout the day without
the aid of upper atmospheric skip. Occasionally, I’ll use the Select-A-Tenna to further enhance weak ground wave
signals but the radio does very well on its own with its built-in Twin Coil Ferrite Antenna. Also, I work weekends
as a DJ at a ‘60s and ‘70s classic rock ‘n roll FM station in Idaho Falls. I use the radio’s
FM stereo feature, with headphones, as an on-air monitor and it works very well! I haven’t listened much to
shortwave bands yet but I am looking forward to DXing with international stations. In summary, the CCRadio-SW is a
solid unit with many impressive features and it’s well worth the $149.95 price tag.
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Copyright © 2013 by
C. Crane Company, Inc.
1001 Main Street
Fortuna, CA 95540
(800) 522-8863
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