Review: C. Crane CC Pocket Radio
by Jeffrey Reed, Editor, LondonOntarioSports.com

Many radio enthusiasts saw the start of their passion for the radio hobby with a pocket radio in their hands. As a pre-teen growing up in Southwestern Ontario, my obsession with radio communications was launched one Christmas morning, when my parents (or was it Santa?) gave me a Westinghouse AM-FM transistor radio. In fact, that radio was manufactured just a block away at a London, Ontario Westinghouse plant.

As a child, I would lie in bed at night under the covers with my radio and listen to Major League Baseball games from Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, New York and Boston. In fact, despite the plethora of pocket devices we enjoy today, the romanticism of the pocket radio has not waned.

Perhaps the best pocket radio on the market today is the CC Pocket Radio from C. Crane, the California-headquartered company known world-wide for its industry-leading AM-reception radios. The CC Pocket Radio doesn’t disappoint in that spectrum – AM reception is excellent, thanks to its C. Crane internal ferrite bar antenna, combination of excellent selectivity and maximum sensitivity, selectable narrow or wide AM filter for local or distant listening, and respectable 1.2-inch, 16 ohm 0.5 watt speaker.

In fact, the CC Pocket Radio is much more than just an AM radio. It offers rich FM stereo, NOAA weather broadcasts and weather alert, plus a clock with alarm and sleep timer. Included with the package are nice performing CC Buds ear buds, a removable belt clip, external FM wire antenna plus instruction manual.

Measuring just 2.5 in. x 4.2 in. x 1 in. and weighing in at just 3.8 oz. without the required two AA batteries, the CC Pocket Radio is a tiny but mighty performer with great voice and music quality – performing well beyond its size. The front of this sharp-looking radio features a speaker, five page buttons for saving no fewer than 50 AM/FM radio stations, two buttons (up, down station search) and a crystal-clear LCD display.

The display window shows remaining battery power, station reception power, memory page/station memories accessed, selectable time or frequency, band (AM/FM/Weather), plus icons for FM stereo, speaker, alert, alarm, sleep timer and key lockout activation. A sliding switch on one side offers three settings: FM stereo for earbuds or headphones; FM mono for same; and front speaker activation. The opposite side features band and alert buttons, as well as a key lock.

The top of the CC Pocket Radio houses an on/off/sleep button, volume control and ear buds/headphones jack. The rear of the radio houses the belt clip connector and battery compartment. I really like the contemporary aesthetics of this radio, including its rubber protected sides.

This nifty little radio features not two but three selectable tuning steps at 1, 9 or 10 KHz. The ability to turn off the LCD light is a nice addition, too, as it can sometimes reduce radio noise – a welcomed addition when searching for distant stations. In total, it promises about 100 hours of play with ear buds and about 80 hours using built-in speaker. Of course, battery life depends greatly on volume level. Note: do not use Lithium batteries with the CC Pocket Radio.

The CC Pocket Radio from C. Crane carries a MSRP of $69.99 US.

If you’re looking for a versatile, compact radio with AM/FM/Weather offerings, you won’t be disappointed with this solid offering from C. Crane. Putting it through the test, I was surprised at its AM reception, pleased with its FM audio and impressed by its memory, weather, snooze and alarm features.

Here’s betting the CC Pocket Radio will inspire youngsters to begin a lifelong passion for radio, and will please even the most seasoned of listeners.

For more information on the CC Pocket Radio, visit ccrane.com.