CCrane SSB radio radio

Once again CCrane’s reputation in quality radios has achieved another first with the release of the Skywave AM/FM portable in a SSB [single side band] format. The Skywave can receive the AM, FM, Weather and Air Bands. As well, shortwave radio stations can now be decoded using upper and lower sideband tracking (with six variable bandwidths) to make garbled radio broadcasts easier to understand.

Owners of large, legendary receivers such as the GE Superadio, Grundig, and Sony will marvel that such a tiny CCrane handful (about the size of a packet of cigarettes)  can perform up to their standards. With

SSB, you can even tune into ham (amateur radio) broadcasts from around the world, airport control towers, and aircraft flying overhead.

The Skywave’s manual provides an easy understanding of its many buttons and other features. The keyboard is user-friendly and required no special training. (There is battery power, but an 110 volt power adaptor has to be purchased separately.) The audio quality is is crisp and balanced, and does justice to the FM band. The filters and bandwidth controls do an excellent notch function and handle most of the RF overspill, when a nearby powerful station threatens to drown out the distant station you’re trying to listen to.

In this age of iPads, cellphones, iPhones, Androids and other sources of portable lightweight entertainment, it may seen a bit out of date to revisit the analog radio bands. But the fact is that radio provides all kinds of information that you won’t always come across on the web. With the CC Skywave SSB you have all the world at your fingertips, over a vast range of frequencies [shortwave is 1711-29999Khz; air bands 118-137Mhz]. This is a toy that will be hard to put down!

For more information, go here

— James & Anthony Careless (Written with my radio-loving big brother)