C. Crane CCRadio-2E Enhanced Portable AM FM Weather and 2-Meter Ham Band (Black) CC2BE

Speaking as a guy who has loved radios forever, I purchased the original Sangean CCRadio way back in the Art Bell days. I'm happy to say that is it working, as is the 2E, the focus of this review. The 2E is a vast technical improvement over the original with the addition of the twin coil ferrite loop and more informative (and much brighter) display. The 2E is very sensitive on both AM and FM. My original Sangean CCRadio has developed problems with the top mounted buttons, often pushing the button will result in something unrelated to a memory channel. Also, the tuning knob has become intermittent. Fortunately, the 2E has not developed the same problems. However, if you live in a dusty area, it may be a good idea to cover it when not in use. I've owned the 2E for nearly eight years, and by my experience I can recommend it. However, it's 2026 and we haven't seen an update from C. Crane for quite a while. Here's an idea for C. Crane CEO Jessica Crotty, if you're listening: Looking at the photo, you can see a tiny QODOSEN DX-286, which uses the powerful TEF6686 automotive chip. The little '286 is a receiving marvel. Combining the functionality of the TEF6686 chip (variable selectivity, etc) used by the QUDOSEN in a form factor similar to that of the 2E including that wonderful twin coil antenna and current fantastic audio would not only offer something not currently on the market, but would be a dream portable for many, including myself. Bruce, N7BWB

After 2 months I remain pleased with my purchase of the C Crane 2E clock radio. Sound was an important consideration for me. No surprise, it does not sound as good as my big, fancy hi-fi system. However, it sounds good for its ilk (mono) through its built-in speaker, and it sounds quite a bit better (exellent stereo!) through decent in-ear monitors, including my very affordable (aka, cheap..) Panasonic ErgoFits. It sounds much better than the little Kaito KA-1107 (RIP) it replaced, and it sounds better than a Sangean RCR-40 that I bought and then sent back because its menu functions went haywire soon after I got it up and running. Bottom line, the 2E’s sound is good enough to allow me to listen past the radio, itself, to the program. The main thing I wanted from this radio was FM, particularly for listening to jazz and classical music at night via IEMs, and I am very happy using it for this, also cranking up the volume and listening via the (single, large-ish) speaker while I work at my desk. I also use and appreciate the radio alarm-clock functions. Again, for me, the clean, very selective FM reception is the main thing, and the top quality AM and the sensitive shortwave reception are bonuses. I’ve owned (and still own) a number of radios purchased over the decades. This is a substantial, solidly built radio. All the controls and functions work well, and they are easy to learn. The booklet that comes with the radio told me everything I’ve needed to know about the C Crane 2E radio. Happy Camper here! Update, 09-14-2025: Three years in and I like this radio even more. I gambled on Sennheiser HD650 headphones, and it is definitely worthy in terms of sound quality, with the excellent tone controls making for a "perfect curve"; very nice, indeed. All buttons and user interface functions are substantial and easy - intuitive - in use.

I bought this radio for AM and FM DXing after reading a review on it at "www.radiojayallen.com". I absolutely love it. To me. this is the new Superadio! The audio is excellent with plenty of bass and treble on tap so you don't always have to have the bass and treble controls maxed out. This is one of the few radios I own that picks up all my local FM stations with zero static, despite (or maybe because of) the shorty whip. The MW DX is superb as well, and I have had some astonishing daytime DX receptions. What is not mentioned in the reviews, or shown clearly in the photos, is the way the radio flares out at the base. The 2 rows of D cell batteries, instead of being placed one row on top of the other up/down, has the batteries instead side by side at the bottom of the radio. This results in the base being extended out the width of a D cell from the top and middle of the radio. I really like the looks of the radio this way. Also, it provides a considerable amount of stability to the radio such that it is almost impossible to accidentally tip it over. The overall construction is very solid and high quality; there is nothing that feels cheap, or screams "crap" at you when you hold the radio. Another feature not advertised is that this radio is capable of self-alignment. It is shown in the manual under the trouble shooting section for the question as to what to do if there is a drop in volume when tuning in a station. To realign the radio, when tuned to any AM station, press and hold the "Display Clock and Frequency" button until the weather alert LED starts flashing (top left on front of radio). At this point, release the "Display Clock and Frequency" button, then give it a short press. Leave the radio alone while it auto aligns. mine takes about 5 minutes to do. You are always assured of razor sharp alignment with this feature, no matter how old the radio. While I do not listen to the 2 meter ham band, the weather channels are a welcome addition. This has turned out to be my favorite radio in a very short time. It is well worth the price.

Update to original post: The original radio that I received had a problem with one of the presets - I contacted C Crane and was shipped a replacement radio in 5 days. To date the radio appears to be working fine. I only use the radio to listen to AM and FM and I do not use the clock or alarm function. Having said that I was somewhat confused by the instructions in the instruction manual in trying to get the LAC panel to display and hold the frequency when I was listening to various stations. Under the Clock/Frequency Setting section (page 15) the directions should be edited to read: To change the display to show frequency turn on the power and then PRESS AND HOLD the Clock/freq button and then press the Memory 1 button until you hear a beep. It took me about 10 minutes to get this setting correct until I realized that AND HOLD was necessary. This radio, like my previous C Crane radio is a nice radio although a bit expensive for what it does. In addition it is a battery hog. I only use it on battery power and it goes through batteries 2-3 times as fast as one of my other non-LCD radios. Previous posting: Good luck getting one that works correctly. I just received the CCRadio-2E radio and it has a tuning problem. Once I set the presets to my favorite stations the radio is having difficulty maintaining the volume on one of the presets. If I just barely move the tuning knob the volume will return to normal but if I select a different preset and then come back to the original the volume is reduced again. I contacted C Crane and they are going to replace my "new" radio with another one that has been returned and "tested". I hope that it has been tested better than the new one that I just received. I previously had the same C Crane model radio and after several years the segments on the LCD display panel stopped working and because it was out of warranty I chose to replace it with this one. This radio is very expensive and I am disappointed that it was not working correctly "right out of the box".

Update from 1st review: Overall an excellent radio for the price and features. that said, it could benefit greatly from some minor improvements... As this company touts it's radio line to have best in class AM reception, it has overlooked the FM reception ability a little. To capture the longest FM wavelength in the 108 and above range a 31 inch antenna will do the best as, this is the range of the longest FM sine wave. This falls short of that. When I ran signal tests the best reception I could receive averaged 10 DBF. Good FM receivers should have a signal sensitivity of 11 DBF or better. Although the speaker does deliver very nice near HD quality sound it falls way short in the bass response the product description says it can produce. At minimal cost to production a few minor things to enhance the speaker could be done. Higher quality voice coil ( better quality copper windings) and a stronger magnet to re-center the cone faster. Best bet is to consider a better grade of speaker altogether. These are picky observations, I realize this. I personally get really picky about sound quality having worked the field for so long. As far as the sometimes poor FM reception, maybe a longer antenna and better shielding around the signal modulating circuit board. Those picky things said, I really like this radio a lot. It lasts forever during power outages. It has great stereo sound when using head phones. It is simple to set up and operate. And looks really nice with any décor.

To mention right off the bat, I am not even an amateur radio operator, just someone who enjoys radio. I find radio to be far more romantic and compelling than modern methods of broadcasting. Staying up late in the night and turning the dial with the soft glow of the tuner, the sound of static and mystery that can sometimes accompany radio broadcasts offers something truly genuine that you can't get anywhere else today. That feeling is priceless and not duplicable (If that was even a word). Anyway, this radio is good quality and contains the capability needed to reach further than most others. If you enjoy radio as I do, a clock radio, ghetto blaster or home stereo won't cut it. If you know what I am talking about, then this radio is for you. I've stayed up many nights listening to Coast to Coast AM on the internet, but it lacked the feeling something like this radio will bring you. I was unable to pick up a station on my home stereo to listen to CTC and was forced to use the internet. The internet provided a clear, stereo sounding broadcast and was very clear. The CC Radio has been spoken about on the program for many years. I finally picked one up and am very pleased with it's performance. I can now pick up the radio broadcast of Coast to Coast AM and with all the nuances I expect of a a late night radio broadcast. When interesting speakers talk about compelling topics, a crystal clear internet broadcast does not move you inside. However, using the CC Radio, the slight static, the slight fading in and out and all other fantastic experiences you can only receive using a real radio, it has the ability to make you feel and even send chills up your spine. There is just something a good solid radio can do for you that nothing else can and the CC Radio delivers on that 100%. You will not be disappointed and I really need to get my license.

I've owned this radio for several weeks now. The technical elements are excellent. Signal sensitivity, controls, connections and tuner performance all live up to it's great reviews. But this radio has ONE FATAL FLAW. Something so obvious, so badly needed, it's impossible to understand how it was omitted from the design. Anyone who listens to AM radio understands that picking up the radio to orient the internal antenna is a part of the AM listening experience. But this relatively heavy, bulky radio has NO HANDLE! It's got a smooth rounded finger-slot in the back of the housing which provides a very slippery insecure grip. No tacky rubber bumps, no secure grab-bar. In the weeks I've been using this radio I've needed to move it dozens of times to find the best places to set it down for clear listening around my home. It has slipped from that slippery rounded finger-grip several times. It slipped & tipped onto it's face on my dining table bending the flimsy whip antenna. It slipped from my fingers and luckily landed on the sofa yesterday. I can see what's coming. Maybe not today, not tomorrow, but this radio is going to end up on my hardwood floor or patio concrete, face down, broken and silent. I'll be in a rage since I really enjoy listening to it. How do these things happen? Since I've been following the portable radio offerings out there, I've seen Sanjean re-design their competitive radio model (PRD-15) to include a NEW HANDLE. All my Sony portable radios have handles or wrist straps for the reasons stated above. Same for the Grundig line. I can only imagine that some accountant said "this will do" in a cost-cutting revision. Phooey. People who use these radios are handling them all the time, that's why they're called 'portable'. If you can't get a secure grip on a portable device, it's NOT portable! With the unit full of 'D' batteries and your fingers sliding on that smooth-slippery plastic slot, you're going to have that same slow-motion nightmare I just narrowly avoided: Watching your new radio dropping onto the hard floor. BANG! Crash, it's over in an instant. So today I'm looking for a kitchen turntable to set the radio on. I'll carry it wherever the radio goes. Better than a broken radio. 3 Stars max. Frank

Awesome radio! CCrane is an American business. Solidly built with fantastic sound! Reception is outstanding! Only downside is it doesn't have a top strap to hang it, but as a table top radio? Yeah... fully recommend! Didn't need the 2 meter band since I am an Amateur radio guy, but needed the weather band since my old weather radio died. And the weather band reception was better than my old radio!

Es un buen radio pues cumple dentro de su categoría con lo esperado ya que está equipado con funciones útiles y fáciles de usar. En cuanto a su sonido es de buena calidad, obviamente por su tamaño no es un radio de potencia pero cuando se ocupan los controles de graves y agudos en los puntos más altos se alcanzan a percibir tonos musicales que otros radios de tamaño similar no registran. Escucharlo a un volumen moderado o bajo es muy agradable. Gusta la sobriedad de su diseño y el reloj de la pantalla principal es muy práctico porque aún estando el radio apagado el display se mantiene iluminado para ver la hora aunque si se requiere se puede apagar también. Lo malo, pierde las memorias pregrabadas cuando se desconecta. El precio es un poco elevado quizás porque cuenta con banda metereológica y de alertamiento por lo que si no se vive en una zona donde éstas se utilicen sería mejor buscar otras opciones que por el mismo precio ofrezcan radios sin alerta metereológica pero con algunas funciones a cambio como RDS o Bluetooth.

sensitive radio good for dxing

tres bonne radio à tous les niveaux.solide et fait pour durer

Excellent product. You can spend less on a radio but the C Crane CC radio is truly an impressive piece and worth every cent. It has weight to it and the feel of quality which you don't get from many of today's products. Designed and engineered by people who really like radio. The radio is able to pull in distant signals that other units only generate static. The unit also fine tunes the signal and eliminates background noise producing a clear signal. Highly recommend this unit.

Sensitivity on the MW band is amazing and it has above average selectivity although a narrow filter option would have been beneficial. Unfortunately FM lacks the razor sharp selectivity I'd expect in a radio that cost me £177 to bring into the UK. The sensitivity on the FM band is also slightly disappointing. Overall a good MW dx radio from a sensitivity stand point but there are better options if you need an exceptionally selective radio. For FM dx look elsewhere!