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

I purchased the C Crane CCRadio Plus Multiband Portable AM/FM/Weather/TV Band Radio for my mother, and it has quickly become her favorite! She loves how easy it is to use and is especially thrilled with its ability to pick up stations from hundreds of miles away. The sound quality is excellent, clear, and crisp, and the reception is outstanding even in areas with weak signals. The multiband feature is very versatile, allowing her to enjoy AM/FM radio as well as weather updates and TV audio. It’s compact, lightweight, and portable, making it convenient for her to use anywhere in the house or even take outdoors. She listens to it daily, and it’s been reliable and durable. If you’re looking for a high-quality radio with exceptional range and versatility, this is a fantastic choice. It was the perfect gift for my mom, and she couldn’t be happier with it! Highly recommend!

I'd heard this is "the" radio, especially for AM, especially for good reception. After trying various table-top radios (Bose, etc.), this is the first to totally *delight* me. Big volume knob (not buttons), bass and treble knobs (great for switching from AM/talk to FM/music, nice big ergonomic preset buttons, great reception, solid sound, lots of extra options (optional external antenna jack, line in/out, headphone jack, etc.), nice built-in ergonomic carrying "grip". There are a few "hidden" surprises, like coded beeps as you switch bands, so in the dark you always know what band you've just switched to. There are so many lousy products on the shelves; it's a treat to be able to praise one that appears to have been thoughtfully designed. I've had mine for a year, and so far none of the LCD failures others have complained of (fingers crossed); perhaps they've addressed that issue.

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! ****

I waited before writing this review to give myself some time to get aquainted with this much advertised radio. I found that the AM reception was about as good as other radios I own; nothing special. The FM reception is fine. The long battery life is a great feature but the unusual shape of the rear battery compartment makes laying it on it's back a problem. My complaints are with the user interface. I found that the station preset buttons are annoying. More often than not, you can press a button, feel and hear the click but the station does not change. I've designed a lot of electronic products during my career. When you have both a tactile and sound feedback in response to a button-push, you expect the function to be executed. The LCD backlight is also annoying. When you turn on the unit while it is connected to an AC outlet, the light automtically comes on. I find myself turning it off every time. Also, if the backlight is on and you unplug the unit, it stays on even when you turn the radio off.

Not happy at all. Didn't work right from day one. Told to put in new batteries (which they sent with the radio and we used) so we put new ones in and the problem remained. What batteries have to do with clearing up a speaker issue is beyond me. Needless to say the radio sits in the closet and I'm out the money (more than I wanted to spend but it was a gift for someone that wanted this specific radio).

Several factors make this Radio a little disappointing. The various settings such as timer clock frequency etc.are very difficult and time consuming to program. I am still unable to get the timer on timer off working 100%. A call to C Crane was no help. The reception is not as good as my 40 year old GE. I have tried the suggestion on the outside antenna which caused a better signal however with noise and interferance with other stations. All in all to me it is very over rated.