C Crane Co CC2B Radio-2 AM FM/Weather and 2-Meter Ham Band (Black Mica)

Rating

A tremendous leap over,the original CCRadio plus,..which I owned,and discarded in disgust,…regarding the readout which died on me….get the newest version,CC-2…if you owned a troublesome,ccradio previously,try to get a discount,on the newest version ,..customer service will not let you down on the newest version.

Rating

If you listen to AM a lot and want a digital radio with presets, you don’t have a lot of options. You can spend about $75 on the Sangean PR-D5, a very good radio, or spend about $160 on the slightly better CCR-2. I find I like the bigger speaker on the CCR-2 than I do the small twin speakers on the PR-D5. Also the big presets on top of the CCR-2 are easy to find if you’re toggling in a dark bedroom and you won’t push the radio over. In contrast, the PR-D5 has tiny buttons on the front and it’s very easy to tip it over.

FM reception on my CCR-2 has proven to be well above average and even my weak station 89.3 KPCC comes in loud and clear. However, there is hiss on 89.3 through my earbuds, but no hiss on the other, more strong FM stations I listen to on the buds.

As far as a clock radio goes, the CCR-2 is better than the PR-D5 simply for the tip-over factor. If you’re not a big AM listener, you might want to look at the Boston Acoustics Horizon Solo, which costs about $90 and has far better fidelity, warmth, and richness of any other table radio I’ve had and/or tested.

I suspect most people will be happy with the CCR-2. Don’t take the great AM reception for granted on this strong radio. Most ferrite antennas are only about 3.5 inches or so and deliver at best mediocre AM. The PR-D5 and the CCR-2 are the only digital radios you can buy now that I know of that have a 200mm (8 inch) ferrite internal AM antenna. If you listen to AM, as I do, and are looking for a bedside radio, the CCR-2 is a strong choice.

Rating

The CCradio2 is a great improvement over the original CCradio. The AM reception sensitivity is slightly better than the original CCradio and the GE super radio 3 that I own. The twin coil ferrite is actually tuned to the desired AM frequency via a varactor diode automatically for about seven seconds after frequency is changed. The (Crane Twin coil ferrite amplified antenna)is also tuned in this way, only manually. The sound of this radio in general is also improved. The FM sensitivity is good. In Ventura county California you can receive Los Angeles FM stations without much difficulty.

Rating

I seem to be one of the few people who thoroughly liked the CCRadioplus, the predecessor of the CCRadio2. My window display never faded, and I was happy with the sound, reception, and variety of bands. I was all the more pleased, then, when the latest version of this radio was issued by C.Crane.

As with the previous version, the CCRadio2 offers excellent sensitivity and selectivity on AM, FM, and the NOAA weather band. In my area, I can pick up sometimes four different NOAA regions, which is a tremendous improvement over other NOAA radios I’ve used. It also offers a digital clock with a bright-to-dim display light (this time a much nicer shade of green – not slime green, as with the former model), an alarm offering either radio or a beeper, and automatic shut-off after either 120, 90, 60, 45, 30, or 15 minutes so you can fall asleep listening to the radio.

In my opinion, the tone of the radio has been slightly improved over the former version; it’s fuller and has a deeper bass range, which is especially nice for listening to classical music. I leave the bass and treble controls set all the way up, which gives the fullest and clearest tone.

Probably a primary reason for offering this new version was the elimination, due to a new federal law, of the availability of the TV band on radios. Well, the CCRadioplus had this TV band, and the newer version has replaced it with a VHF Ham band with a squelch control and a frequency range of 144 to 148 Mhz. This allows you to listen to normally mundane conversations between Ham operators – usually about women, dogs, pizza, or radio equipment. I would compare it to picking up the phone and unexpectedly hearing two guys chatting about their personal lives with unnerving detail. But the Ham band can also come in handy during storms and other emergencies when normal forms of electronic communication are no longer working. Then, suddenly, the Ham operators are primary sources of information.

Another improvement I’ve noticed is in the scanning. There are two types: either you can press the scan buttons on the front of the radio and have it scan either up or down to the next frequency and then stop, or else you can press the large tuning dial on the side of the radio and have it scan the entire band, pausing for several seconds on each frequency before moving on to the next. This is extremely useful for finding stations or Ham frequencies you’re not aware of, especially, say, while you’re lying in bed and unable to manually turn the dial and watch the digits in the display window. Using the constant scan, the radio will do this for you from one end of the band to the other.

Two more compliments: the CCRadio2 is heavy enough so that you need not brace the radio with one hand while you press its buttons with the other. It’s a weighty solid piece of equipment. In addition, the radio now offers a slightly longer antenna of 22 1/2 inches.

I have only one complaint: the CCRadio2 does not include the LED lamp input on the back of the radio that the former version provided. This was a huge disappointment to me, since my wife and I had found this feature very useful during power outages, such as we often have during the New England snow storms or summer thunderstorms. On several occasions we had been totally dependent on this feature – and the radio in general – to get us through the long nights without electricity. The LED bulbs had been quite bright, so that you could even read by them. What a loss, that this radio no longer provides them.

In spite of this omission, I would highly recommend the CCRadio2 to radio hobbyists, DXers, and anybody who simply enjoys spending a little time listening to a great radio. I liked the last version, and I like this new version even more. Yes, it’s expensive; but a fine radio is positively worth it.

Rating

The C Crane Co CC2B radio receiver is the best I have ever used. The reception is exceptional for all bandwidths. The quality is top of the line. The operation of the different functions is staight forward easy to understand and perform. In all this radio is an engineering work of art. I recommend this radio to anyone. I live in an area that is rural where reception is not consistent, and my house tends to inhibit good radio frequency reception. This radio is consistently picking up everything I want even without an added external antenna. Absolutely great product all around.

A very satisfied customer,

M.C.Steudl

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Bought this for my wife. She always listens to AM radio, and the reception was always bad. The CCrane radio solved that. Perfect clear reception, and the voices are very clear and easy to understand. I highly recommend.

Rating

If you are looking to get a top-of-the-line radio, this is the one to get. The only thing I can say negative about this radio is that the price is a little steep. Its not for everyone but for those serious radio people out there, get this radio. I heard there were some quality issues with the 1st Ccrane radio but they have all been resolved with this radio. It has weather, HAM, AM and FM. It also has an alarm, timer, sleep function and just about everything you need or can have in a radio except World Band. When I got this radio I was surprised how solid and heavy it feels, especially with the batteries in it (4-D cells) I got the black model (not silver) and was also surprised how good it looks. This radio also has a line out and line in jack and place for a external AM antenna. It has all the bells and whistles someone could possible want or ask for. I havent used the HAM radio function yet and probably wont too much but I hear it could come in handy if a natural disaster occurs and knocks out the local radio stations or other media. The weather channel works great and is a nice feature when you want to check the local weather. It also has a weather alert function that you can keep on and the radio will alert you if there is severe weather on the way. Again, probably not a feature you will use a lot but its great to have just in case. AM and FM work great and you probably wont find a radio that outperforms this radio or has all the features this radio has. It also has a built in light that you can keep on or turn off when you choose. I was debating on whether to purchase this radio because of the price but I am glad I did. I have it on all the time and like the timer feature because I can keep it on when I go to bed and can set it for 120, 90, 60, 30 or 15 minutes and it will turn off if I dose off at night and wont drain the batteries. Like I said, I have had this radio for about 3 months and absolutely love it. A feature I am the most surprised about, I forgot to add, is the sound quality is very, very good. I used to have a GE Super Radio III and thought the sound quality was good but this radio is even better. Well good luck if you purchase this radio and I hope this review has helped make your decision.

Rating

When I turned it on I was suprise by the reception the radio had on both the AM and FM bands. It was receiving stations that my $500.00 home stereo receiver could not get.

So far for the first week of having it. It gooding like a good buy for me.

It’s has a VHF radio band that is not needed and will not be using.

Rating

I had been toying with purchasing this radio for several months. Awaiting a price drop, which never happened, I figured this would pretty much be the standing price on this radio. Even the older model that has the TV band on it sells for only $10.00 less than this one. In any event, here I go. The main reason I purchased this radio was for AM DX’ing. C Crane sells itself on this radio for that feature. I have been listening to the radio for several nights now and have found that the AM performance meets or exceed other models; however, not by any larger margain. The daytime monitoring of distant stations did actually appear better than other AM models for certain stations. In general I would have to say that I do see an improvement in AM reception. The FM quality is actually pretty good as well. The addition of the Ham Band is a great idea as I am also a Ham radio Operator. The weather band works well as long as the antenna is raised, which I found I have to do with all my WX radios anyway. The radio is solid and heavy and does not draw much power on the D batteries. The AC plug that goes directly into tha back of the unit, beats the AC adpater type plus that are bulky and usually do not fit into a power strip. Pro’s, Good AM DX with minimal fade. Heavy and sturdy radio, well made. Nice and bright LCD backlight that can be adjusted. Con’s Only 5 memories per band. I used all the AM ones and needed 5 more. Price is more than expected for a radio with these these features. C Crane will not warranty the unit unless you purchase directly from them. Fortunately Smarthome will cover the one year warranty of the radio.

Other than that it appears to be a good radio. I will provide updates as necessary.

Rating

It is hard to find a quality radio that excels in tuning selectivity and sensitivity. Ever since the semi-conductor radio replaced the electron tube radio, the receiver quality has been lacking. A radios ability to capture weak or average signals and effect consistent AGC (automatic gain control) is one of the characteristics of a quality radio. The Crane CCRadio2 is the best radio I have owned in it’s price range and does an excellent job in all frequency bands provided. One pleased customer.