C Crane CCRadio-SW (Model CSW-TCF)

by C. Crane

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.5 x 11.2 x 7.2 inches ; 4.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000VVJRDE
• Item model number: CSW-TCF
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,525 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 24, 2007

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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best FM of Any Radio I've Owned and AM is also Great, June 25, 2008

By 

M. JEFFREY MCMAHON "herculodge" (Torrance, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: C Crane CCRadio-SW (Model CSW-TCF) (Electronics)

I live in Los Angeles where 103.1, 89.3, and 88.9 FM stations can cause problems with most radios. This is not the case with the C.Crane CSW, a rebadged Kaito 2100, which I had to return after it went bonkers in first 3 weeks.

After a month, the CSW is still going strong and I hope my previous clone was a rare lemon.

CSW Performance:

The FM is the best I've ever experienced, better than my Eton S350DL (excellent) and Kaito 1103 (excellent). Evidencing its strong FM, it does not even need its telescopic antenna fully extended to grab hard to get stations.

AM is also very strong, much better than my Eton S350DL (very good) and a tad less powerful than my Sangean PR-D5. However, the advantage of the CSW over the PR-D5 is that the CSW has AM filters so you can fine-tune RF grain if you're getting AM overload. I haven't had overload problems on my PR-D5, but my friend who lives 2 miles away did have this problem and he was glad to sell his PR-D5 and replace it with the CSW.

Ergonomics

This is a bit weak in regard to preset memories which are half-baked. A radio of this caliber should have direct key entry. Another annoyance: The preset memory button scrolls upwards only so you have to scroll through all 10 presets before getting to the one you want. You'll get to your station just as quickly using the high-speed manual tuning dial.

Sound

The sound is loud, full, but a little flat and some say "harsh." This is not "high fidelity." If you're looking for warm lush sound and don't need short wave, you should check out the Boston Acoustics Horizon Solo ($90-100) or the Sangean PR-D5 ($80).

While not a great music radio, the CSW has treble and bass controls and I find that turning up the treble helps with music.

I think most radio buyers will be better served getting the $80 PR-D5, which gets better AM (but no filters) and 95% of the CSW's FM strength. But if you want SW and want the best FM I've ever tested, the CSW is well worth the $139 price tag.

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great cousin of the CC Radio, December 19, 2007

By 

Ben (Schenectady, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: C Crane CCRadio-SW (Model CSW-TCF) (Electronics)

I've been a fan of the original CC Radio Plus for a few years... but now the latest addition to the family is rising up the ranks.

The CC Radio SW, adding shortwave but removing the TV & Weather band, is as good (or better) than its CC-cousin. With many of the same features, incl., lighted dial, alarm & snooze functions, as well as terrific AM reception...and excellent sound, it outperforms most portables of similar size. It has many of the same extras as the Grundig S250, incl., an AM RF Gain knob. Also, separate switches for local & distant AM reception, in addition to operating on 2 types of batteries!! Either 4 AA's or 4 'D size. When plugged-in to the AC adapter, it has the ability to charge the batteries. This of course is only useful if you're using rechargeable cells in the unit. I haven't had this long enough to give a comment on battery usage, although if the key-pad lights are used too often, that will help to drain them quicker. The tuning ability is excellent. The large knob is easy to control and the ability to switch between slow & fast tuning (plus locking it on a frequency) is a nice addition. Another plus; it's very lightweight, and the built in (pop up)handle makes for easy transport.

The only gripes I have is that the small function buttons are a bit difficult to decipher at first due to the tiny print, and I wish there was a way to "lock out" the backlight display when tuning stations, on battery-power... like there is on the original CC.

If you like the CC Radio... you'll like this. Or, if you already have a Grundig, or similar brand, you may want to try the CC Radio SW!

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great radio, but...., December 29, 2008

By 

atomic240 (Baton Rouge, LA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: C Crane CCRadio-SW (Model CSW-TCF) (Electronics)

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.