Recently I was given the opportunity to test drive both the CCraneRadio-2 and the CC WiFi Radio. Here's my review of their emergency services model, the CCraneRadio-2 (pictured above).
Out of the box, the build is robust. All controls, both buttons and dials, react smartly to the touch and if you happen to somehow "cross the wires" when setting up there's a reset button that returns the unit to factory specs.
Also included is an AC power cord and a thorough 32pp instruction book. Of course, if you need more info or some guidance, CCrane is always available by phone or email to help.
The CCRadio-2 runs on (4) “D” size NiMH or alkaline batteries or on
120V AC house current using the included power cord. The batteries are necessary to retain the timer, clock, and memory settings if the power cord is removed from the radio for more than three minutes.
The only thing missing, in my opinion, is a permanant flash memory to record and hold frequency presets without batteries or AC power. A removable SD card could also be used as a recording medium for radio programming for later playback.
The radio provides access to four bands: standard US broadcast AM & FM, 2meter ham and NOAA Weather stations.
The included telescoping FM antenna provides clear reception locally and to stations at a bit of a distance. There is no provided external AM antenna (Crane provides a choice of several at additional cost) but the internal AM receiver includes a twin-coil ferrite antenna and audio optimized for voice clarity. After you select a station, the CCRadio-2 evaluates the AM signal for several seconds and then locks in for the highest signal possible.
Long distance reception on the CCraneRadio-2 is phenomenal.
Previous versions of this model included TV audio. Since analog television is now a thing of the past, Crane has replaced it with access to the 2-Meter VHF Ham band. You'll quickly discover that, during times of quiet, there's almost no activity there. But it's in this band that, during times of crisis, amateur radio operators get active, relating emergency information and comminicating with federal agencies and the Red Cross. 90% of emergency coordination at the local level takes place on this band.
Finally, the radio offers access to local NOAA Weather Radio. Unfortunately, even though the radio allows you to to set an alarm for weather alerts, it drains batteries rapidly when in this mode. If your batteries are dead and AC power is off, the WX Alert Alarm will not work. This could be a serious issue if you're using the CCRaneRadio-2 on a camping trip with no AC power available.
Each band allows you to program five presets and access them via buttons on the top of the cabinet.
Bottom line: For $160, this is a wonderful package and the shortcomings are likely to be resolved in the CCraneRadio-3.
If I had serious money I'd buy a half-dozen of everything CCrane sells and make sure every member of my entire family had one of each.
Buy it here.
