C Crane CCRadio-SW (Model CSW-TCF)

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Price: $138.95    

Product Feature

• AM, FM, and shortwave radio
• RF Gain Control, Bandwidth Control, Bass and Treble Controls
• Clock radio with snooze alarm
• 50 radio presets (10 per band)
• Built-in charging circuit will recharge optional NiMh batteries right inside the radio, saving you both time and money

Product Description

This phenomenal radio offers the best combination of sensitivity, selectivity and audio performance ever for any radio of this price and 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. This radio also features RF gain control, bandwidth control, bass and treble controls, fast and slow tuning, 50 station memories, lighted buttons, a clock radio with snooze alarm, stereo line output and a headphone jack. It runs on four D-size batteries or four backup AA batteries (not included). The built-in charging circuit will recharge optional NiMh batteries right inside the radio, saving you both time and money. AC adapter and antenna connectors are also included.

C Crane CCRadio-SW (Model CSW-TCF) Review

I originally purchased this radio about a month ago from C. Crane. The positives of this radio are:
1) Excellent AM reception, nearly equal to the legendary Panasonic RF-2200, which I also own. Hum and tuning are best adjusted by turning the radio. This radio probably has the nearly the best if not the best AM reception (internal antenna) of any current production portable radio made. I do not classify an 8 lb desk top radio as 'portable' for this comparison. Commenters have compared to the Sangean PR-D5, which some say has better AM reception. I don't have this particular Sangean radio, but it is much better than the Sangean 818, which I do have.
2) Outstanding FM reception. Better than any other current production portable FM radio off the whip. Better than Sangean (I have the 818), except maybe a modified 909. But I do not classify a modifed 909 as a production model. Better than the Kaito 1103 (I have this unit) which is legendary in its own right, and most likely the best for its size. Better than Eton/Grundig. Have that too. You most likely will not even have to raise the whip for stations located within 30 - 50 miles of your location depending on the initial FM station signal strength (50 k watts vs. 100 k watts).
3) Shortwave reception. Much better than than the Sangean 818, and even somewhat better than the venerable Panasonic RF-2200.
4) Outstanding sound. The speaker sound is better than any portable that I have heard except maybe for the GE Superadio III (now RCA), which I also have. The sound is rich and warm and very 'listenable' for extended periods. Much better than the Sangean 818, which is a similarly sized radio and speaker. Do not underestimate sound quality when buying a shortwave or AM dx radio primarily for talk. Even though you may not be using it primarily for music, a poor sounding radio will gradually get 'tiresome' to listen to after a while. The Sangean 818 fit this category for me, and got tiring to listen to after a while. Note this comparison is to similarly sized radios. For example, a Kaito 1103 sounds great for its size, but will not sound as good as the C. Crane by any means. Again the Sangean PD-R5 is praised for its sound, but it doesn't have shortwave, an essential in this category.

Dissappointments:
The production of this radio clearly has some QA/QC problems. The first unit I received had a sticking on/off power button. It would inadvertently send you into sleep mode. For the price of the radio, this should not be happening, and I sent it back. On the replacement unit, the AM tuner (fast speed) was about 1 khz off. This was also a deal breaker because though 1 khz doesn't sound like much, it directly affected the sound and tuning strength of the stations. I did not feel like switching it to 'slow' everytime I wanted to tune an AM station. I tried to switch the 9 khz/10 khz switch in the back several times and reset the radio to no avail. This radio was also returned. However, I was determined because of the positives listed above. My persistence paid off. The 3rd one was perfect without issues. You may wish to purchase directly from C. Crane due to the QA/QC problems as they will readily work with you in getting good working unit to you if you have problems. Request that the unit be fully tested before it is sent to you. Also, it may be easier in getting warranty work done as noted elsewhere if you have problems later on.
In conclusion, if you want a top notch performing portable radio, and by 'top notch' I mean one that has class leading reception capability and sounds great too, then this is it. Yes, there may be ergonomic issues with key pad entry, memories, and lack of SSB tuning (BFO switch), but these are secondary to me. The big tuning knob with fast/slow speed tuning makes this not much of an issue at all. Stations can be accessed very quickly without the use of memories on AM and FM; memories are available (though not as plentiful as other digital units) for shortwave. It is analogous to a cell phone. If a cell phone can play mp3's, take pictures, etc, that is fine, but if it isn't able to place a call (good rf capability), it is essentially useless. Likewise with a radio. If it has all the ergonomic features like key pad entry, lots of memories, but doesn't have great reception and/or great sound, it is essentially useless; ergonomics or not.

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