C Crane CCRadio Plus Multiband Portable AM/FM/Weather/TV Band Radio, Black

• AM/FM/weather/TV band radio specifically engineered for high-end AM radio reception
• Precise digital tuning, ferrite antenna, and advanced circuitry provide topnotch long-range AM sound
• 24-hour NOAA weather service info; built-in weather alert sounds during weather emergencies
• Receives VHF TV channels 2 to 13; 5 memory preset buttons with 5 memories per band (20 total)
• Built-in clock with alarm and sleep timer; measures 11 x 6.5 x 4 inches (W x H x D); 1-year warranty

I last reviewed this radio after my initial purchase... almost one year ago. My original opinion (for the most part) hasn't changed. Compared to other portable radios, its reception capabilities (on AM) is above average. I DID however purchase a TERK AM Advantage antenna to use with it, because AM reception is really important to me. THAT makes a world of difference!! The TV & FM reception are good. The weather band does a fairly good job as well (depending on your location). Overall sound is good... but I wish the bass were a big stronger. Battery life is SUPERB!

Now for its downfalls. Similar to what another reviewer said, sometimes the station preset buttons have to be given a good "push" to change the channel.. (but they always work). I also wish there were jacks on the back for an external FM antenna AS WELL as an AM antenna. Last but not least........... another reviewer complained of an earlier model losing the digital display from time to time. THIS HAS ALSO HAPPENED TO MY RADIO. On several occasions, some of the digits have suddenly vanished! Then after a little while, they returned. It's VERY, VERY tempermental. It may go months with NO problems, then suddenly it'll act up for a day or so, then correct itself and be fine again. I was all set to return it to C Crane, then thought I'd wait to see if it did it again. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I've knocked my rating down to 3 stars following the "vanishing digit incident".

APRIL 15th UPDATE --2006

Late last Fall I became so frustrated with the LCD on this radio, that I called C Crane. They were familiar with this issue & gave me a repair # with intsructions to send it back to them. I did, & after about 6 weeks or so, it returned with a NEW LCD and has had NO problems since! The best thing of all...... they repaired it for FREE!!!!!!!!!! Absolutely FREE!!! So if I were you, still having this issue, I'd stop complaning and CALL THEM!

I would also like to also add a 4th star to my rating! ****

Buy C Crane CCRadio Plus Multiband Portable AM/FM/Weather/TV Band Radio, Black Now

I'm on my second cc radio since 1999, both have had LCD failures when using it in my camper. Other then that, it has been a fine AM and Fm receiver in the back country of Idaho, Montana and Northern California. It does not have the speaker quality sound of my GE Super III with it's larger 2 speaker system, but it will filter out more backgound noise on FM and AM stations. However the smaller size, clock, alarm, and WX band keeps the Super III at home and the CC with me.

After lengthy talks with C. Cranes techs today, they tell me high condensation has caused LCD failures in some observed conditions. Condensation in a camper closed up at night from ones breath is quite a problem, especially in the Winter or at high altitude with wide temperature changes. The LCD failures I've had are always in the Camper on battery power, after 3 or 4 days of camping. This last incident was in Idaho with a freak cold rain storm for two days in July. The radio when brought home seems to "heal" itself within a day, and the LCD works again. So the condensation theory seems plausable. C. Crane has also stated some LCD units had problems in some shipments of 2000, so they are going to replace the LCD in my out of warranty radio, with the later LCD, for free, after a call to them today, 7-19-05. 5 years later, what more could I ask for. Well, perhaps the new Mini CC, they tell me it will sound better than the cc with a smaller speaker, like a Tivoli Song Book.................

Footnote:

Researching LCD's in general, I found the following about them:

"Condensation at terminals will cause malfunction and possible electro-chemical reaction. Relative humidity of the environment should therefore be kept below 60%." Other sites mention limits of 10% to 80% limits with "No" condensation.

Perhaps those camping, or using the radio in other high condensation areas like a bathroom etc. Should consider radios with analog tuners. I now remember my LCD alarm clocks won't work at all below certain temperatures when camping in the Winter.

Read Best Reviews of C Crane CCRadio Plus Multiband Portable AM/FM/Weather/TV Band Radio, Black Here

I had a repetitive problem with the CCRadio Plus and had returned it for repair. That repair was made at a cost to me as it was outside of the warranty period. The repaired radio failed in exactly the same manner, albeit in a much shorter time frame, and I reacted by tossing the radio and writing a rather negative, yet accurate IMO review. That review was read by a Crane Customer Service Rep over a year later and they offered to replace the original radio at no cost to me. I took them up on it and the new radio was received yesterday. Our boat goes in next month and I will be evaluating the radio once again during our weekend camping trips in the boat. Hopefully, they got it right this time in regards to fixing whatever generic problem was causing my earlier failures.

I have no idea what Crane did to fix the problem that I had experienced but to say they did is an understatement. The radio now seems to live forever on a battery load. We use it extensively each 3 day weekend on our boat and also for our two week stays in the islands. Reception is phenomenal. It's like a Timex it just keeps "ticking". Only downside, and it is no fault of Crane, is the loss of my local TV station's audio due to the FCC mandated switch to all digital transmissions. I would buy another CCRadio Plus in a heartbeat were I to lose this one. Kudos to Crane both their customer service and their technical staff.

For some strange reason, my computer will not allow me to change the rating it should show 5 stars now. dated September 1, 2009

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I've owned this product for two years, and I do not recommend it. In fact, it's one of the worst purchases I've ever made. Let me explain . . .

The much-hyped AM reception is vastly overstated in Crane's advertising. I tested this unit against my car radio (which is nothing special). The standard radio in my car does MUCH better at pulling in distant stations on both AM and FM bands. This C. Crane unit is 80% hype and 20% performance. Like Bose, it's "better sound through marketing".

Within a year the alarm function failed and the station quick-select buttons sometimes don't work unless you really bear down on them. The antenna is fragile and snapped off.

I sent the unit in for repair ($50) only to find out C. Crane needs at least 4 weeks to do the work. Absurd! They don't give a damn about service. I sent the president/manager of the company an email and never got a response.

Update 3/15/2005: When I received the radio back from Crane's repair depot, I discovered that they had in fact NOT made the repair and didn't even test the unit before it was returned to me. They agreed to repair again, but it took two additional weeks for them to send me a return UPS label. Now, I'm waiting again with no radio.

Update: 4/11/05: After almost four more weeks of "priority" service for the second repair from C. Crane, I finally got my radio. It works. That's about all I can say. Have a sour taste in my mouth from this whole experience and every time I use the radio, I think about it.

Update: 11/18/05: Push buttons to set clock and alarm have failed. As other reviewers have reported, there seems to be a real problem the controls on this unit. No more clock radio in the morning.

Final update: When I complained to KGO radio in San Francisco, one of the big stations that advertises C. Crane products, I got a call from C. Crane's owner. He promised to send me a check for $50 to reimburse me for the botched repair experience. Over a year later, guess what . . . no check. I'm still waiting. Soon after, the radio stopped working. Just a flashing LED display, no working controls (again) and no audio. It's not worth repeating the repair experience with C. Crane, so I pitched it in the trash.

The bottom line is that this product is a dog. And C. Crane Company is slow, incompetent, and doesn't keep their promises. I will never buy another product from them and you shouldn't either.

By the way, this radio is nothing more than a re-branded Sangean. Sangean makes a nicely-designed radio, although the reliability of this particular model is POOR.

I repeat: save yourself some grief and buy something else.

If you want a decent small-format (travel) radio, consider the Kaito models -much smaller than the C.Crane/Sangean reviewed here, perhaps too small for a desk radio, but better quality and half the price. See the Kaito reviews on this site for more information. For a table-top unit, consider other Sangean models. By the way, I tried the Tivoli and found it to be very poor.

Look for products that have many excellent user reviews. That's the best way to steer clear of the manufacturer and retailer marketing hype. It's disapointing, but often the products you hear the most about are actually the worst choice.

Thanks for listening!

I found the AM reception better than any other "average" radio I've had. There's nothing special about FM reception but I don't think they make any special claims to superior FM. But I'll never purchase another product from Crane. I purchased my first CC Plus a few years ago. It worked fine for a little over a year or so, then it died. All attempts to reset the radio failed. Since the CC is expensive, I didn't go right out and get another one. The problem is I use it in my company vehicle which doesn't have a radio. If you've tried this you know it's difficult to get good AM reception from portable radio inside a vehicle.

Many months later I purchased their pocket version which claims to be the best AM pocket radio on the market. It does OK but I found nothing remarkable about it's performance. Their claim it works almost as good (reception wise) as the CC Plus just isn't true. Desparate for a decent radio I broke down several months ago and purchased my second CC Plus. This one only worked for about 4 months and died. Any attempt at resetting it has failed.

These radios are not cheap, so buyer beware. Again, I was pleased with the performance of CC Plus while it worked. Maybe it's just my bad luck, but I'm through with Crane.