C. Crane Radio Christmas Gift List 2024
by Jeffrey Reed, Editor, LondonOntarioSports.com

With Christmas around the corner, our friends at C. Crane continue to offer some of the best and most innovative radios and radio accessories that tempt Jolly Old Saint Nick to hold Rudolph’s reigns with one hand and a portable radio in the other. With year-round access to a cornucopia of Christmas gifts, Santa Claus might even have hands-free radio communications with all nine of his reindeer. At the very least, you can bet he has Christmas music blasting in his sleigh.

Of course, C. Crane, headquartered in Fortuna, Calif., provides radio aficionados with everything from antennas to headphones all year long, so we don’t have to wait until the Holiday Season to fill our shacks with the latest radio gear. But what better excuse than the Holidays to purchase a shortwave radio, like the new portable CC Skywave 2 with AM, FM, shortwave, aviation and weather plus weather alert? It’s one of the gift suggestions reviewed below.

Whether you’re shopping for yourself or for someone else on Santa’s nice list, here are some great products from C. Crane which are sure to put smiles on faces Christmas morning. You can find all of these products in C. Crane’s new 2025 catalogue at https://ccrane.com/catalog-request/.

SoftSpeaker-3K Amplified Speaker with Kevlar

With health and wellness so much in the spotlight, many of us seek a sure-fire way to relax in order to promote a better sleep. Sometimes, music or even late-night talk radio is the cure.

Pillow speakers aren’t new, but the SoftSpeaker-3K amplified speaker with Kevlar from C. Crane amplifies audio from modern devices like iPads, Kindles, iPhones, Samsung handheld devices and Chromebooks. That doesn’t mean you’ll be jolted from your pillow. Rather, the SoftSpeaker-3K is able to push the audio from these devices so they are heard at a desirable level.

The SoftSpeaker is larger – 4 in. x 3 in. – and softer than C. Crane’s other pillow speakers, and you can lay directly on your ear or under your pillow. The cable from the amplifier to the speaker is now Kevlar reinforced for durability. The controls are very easy to use at night. A stereo signal is fully combined so there is no drop-out loss from the right or left channel. A neodymium magnet speaker provides superior clear audio – I tested it and found this to be accurate to the degree where it outperforms any other pillow speaker I have tested. The tone control switch can be set for voice or music, and a rotary wheel adjusts the in-line volume control.

A great stocking stuffer, the SoftSpeaker-3K works with any device with a 3.5 mm (1/8-in.) stereo headphone jack or line out. The automatic sleep timer can be set to 1, 4 or 8 hours and it remembers your preference to save batteries. Battery life is about 80 hours when using the Voice setting. And it has a built-in battery level checker.

Price: $29.99 US

VOZ Headphones

I am constantly using headphones, whether I am online at my desk, listening to recorded interviews or monitoring shortwave radio broadcasts. Like many of you, I detest heavy headphones, especially during marathon listening sessions. Yet it’s difficult to find a lightweight, inexpensive set of headphones that perform admirably.

Make way for the VOZ headphones from C. Crane. They’re advertised as boasting very good bass response for music and accuracy when listening to talk radio, and as probably bettering a similar pair you might find at a big box store – and for less money.

I tested the VOZ headphones with my digital recorder (MP3 files) and with my portable radio – testing with AM, FM and shortwave broadcasts – and it did measure up to my current workhorse Sony headphones which cost twice as much as the VOZ headphones.

The sound quality of the Voz cans is especially apparent when listening to a good, digital source such as a CD or a high-bit-rate MP3 recording. They’re also excellent headphones for use with a laptop or desktop computer, portable radio or MP3 player. The adjustable headband, large ear cushions, 1/8-in. stereo tip plug and 7-ft. cord are all great features.

Bottom line: the VOZ headphones are lightweight, comfortable and sound great. For the price point, they’re top-notch performers.

Price: $14.99 US

TERK AM Advantage Loop Antenna

As a commercial AM radio DX listener, I am constantly trying to pull in numerous stations from U.S. states bordering the Great Lakes and into the Boston and New York markets, as well as into the St. Louis, MO area. An external antenna allows me to achieve maximum reception. But indoor portable loop antennas are often the solution.

The TERK AM Advantage portable loop antenna from C. Crane performs admirably and it doesn’t break the bank. Aesthetically, it doesn’t look out of place in an office, den or living room. With a 9 ¼ – in. loop diameter, it doesn’t take up a lot of space beside your radio, either.

The TERK antenna is advertised to normally double the audio from a weak AM radio signal, and at nighttime reduce fadeout by 90 per cent. In fact, I found it outperformed those estimated measures. Simply by placing it beside my C. Crane CCRadio 2E – already the best AM radio on the market for pulling in distant stations – I was able to turn weak reception into intelligible, pleasant talk radio reception.

The TERK antenna is best used with a portable radio, and as I wrote, no attachment is necessary because it induces a stronger signal into the ferrite antenna inside the radio. With simple experimentation, you will find the best position in relation to your radio. Just tune your portable or clock radio to a weak AM station, place the antenna 1-in. or 2-in. away from your radio and adjust the tuning knob.

The TERK loop antenna responds remarkably well to AM frequencies from 520 KHz to 1710 KHz. In fact, C. Crane was started with this type of antenna in 1983. Forty years before that, this type of antenna was mounted on several types of WWII aircraft to find their way home after a bombing run. It was tuned to a radio signal for an approximate direction and then swiveled 90 degrees so the pilot could fly what’s known as the “null” (no signal) which was within one degree of the correct way to fly home. Of course, there was the possibility they were flying in the exact wrong direction even with a compass. If the signal got weaker, they would turn around. Remember: there were no satellites, GPS or computers at that time.

The TERK comes with a 6.75-in wire with twin leads so you can connect it directly to your stereo or radio.

Price: $49.99 US

CC Skywave 2 AM/FM/Shortwave/Aviation/Weather + Alert Portable Radio

There has been a lot of buzz surrounding the CC Skywave 2 AM, FM, shortwave, aviation, weather and weather alert portable radio. It’s proof that good things come in small packages – it measures just 4.8 in. x 3 in. x 1 in., and weighs only 6 ounces minus the required two AA batteries (or optional 5 V, 300 mA AC adaptor). But don’t let its size fool you: reception rivals that of larger radios offering similar band coverage.

Now with a new shortwave antenna mono jack that can noticeably improve shortwave reception when used with an external long antenna wire, the CC Skywave 2 is an even better radio than the original CC Skywave which has a cult following amongst radio junkies. It doesn’t offer SSB listening like its partner product from C. Crane – the CC Skywave SSB 2 – but it deserves a serious look from those who want a sensitive receiver with multiple functions.

Offering a rotary volume dial, voice/music tone control, sleep timer, stereo headphone jack and fold-out back stand, the CC Skywave 2 offers 400 memory presets and about 60 hours of run time on two AA alkaline batteries. It comes with C. Crane’s high-quality CC Buds earphones and a carrying case. Optional accessories include a charging adaptor (make sure to use rechargeable batteries when charging this radio), and a wire terminal adaptor with a 1/8-in. (3.5-mm) male mono tip and two screw terminals to use a long wire and ground wire to improve shortwave reception.

I used an external antenna when monitoring the VHF aviation band, then listened with just the 19-in. whip antenna. Obviously, the external antenna outperformed the built-in antenna, but the CC Skywave 2 performed better than expected on this band with the whip. The sound is solid, too, coming from the 1.5-in. 0.5-watt speaker. And with a minimal footprint, this radio makes for a terrific travel companion, a nightstand radio or an addition to your radio shack.

Price: $89.99 US

CC Radio Solar BT AM/FM/Weather +Alert Windup/Solar Portable Radio

In today’s world, emergency preparedness is a must. The CC Radio Solar BT radio has you covered with professional-sounding audio amongst its class, AM/FM/Weather and Weather Alert, a flashlight, USB port for phone charging, Bluetooth reception, alarm clock plus a solar panel on top of the brick-size radio for green listening via 3.7 V Lithium-ion battery. It also runs on three AA batteries.

My CC Radio Solar BT sits on my office window sill and provides hours of listening – I used it as a patio radio this summer for Cool Jazz listening and evening baseball games. The CCRadio Solar BT has two modes – one which conserves battery power in a true emergency and a high-power mode for an even better audio experience. Reception is good for the size. The unique UV-resistant rubber perimeter is concave on the bottom which makes it stable. The flashlight is above average in brightness and colour because of the high-quality LED. And the hand crank folded and inlaid in the back is the only visible clue that it’s an emergency radio.

The included Lithium-ion battery can be recharged by wind-up, solar panel, your USB port or optional AC charging adapter (not included). When the Lithium-ion battery is fully charged, the radio will run more than 50 hours, or charge your phone from the approximately 50-per-cent level to 100 per-cent-level. AA alkaline battery power offers about 50 hours use in low power mode or 35 hours in high power mode. And as I’ve mentioned, audio out of this 2-in., 4Ω, 3-watt speaker is excellent. FM and Weather reception is pulled in via telescopic antenna, and AM radio relies on an internal ferrite bar.

Price: $99.99

For information on all of these products and more from C. Crane, visit ccrane.com.