CCRANE Skywave SSB Review - A Travelers Dream Radio
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- Опубликовано: 26 авг 2024
- The CCrane Skywave SSB is to my knowledge the best highly portable traveler receiver on the market today. Its has a simple interface and lots of features for those packing light.
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Mail: P.O Box 5101 Cerritos, Ca. 90703-5101. (If your send me something PLEASE include a name or something you want me to give a shoutout to!)
Thanks!
Band coverage:
AM 520 - 1710 kHz (10 kHz Steps)
AM 522 - 1620 kHz (9 kHz Steps - International)
FM 87.5 - 108 MHz (Regular Mode)
FM 76 - 108 MHz (When 9kHz is Selected)
Shortwave 1711 - 29999 kHz
Aviation 118 - 137 MHz
Weather channels
ELPA ER-C57WR only have Longwave or LW: 153 - 279 MHz. No Weather Channels on ELPA.
@Klaus Sperger That or a plane is nearby transmitting.
I love c crane ever since I was a little kid listening to The Kingdom of Nye.
RIP art.
I miss the ghost to ghost shows
Art Bell, one in a bazillion. I miss his voice on the radio so much. He was nuts about CCrane. I must admit there was a small part of my selection and buying process that linked back to Art Bell and CCrane.
Couldn't agree more. Loved Art Bell and Art loved CCrane. As a result, so do I. Just picked up the Skywave SSB. One of the things Bell did so well is treat his guests with respect, regardless of how out-there some of their stories were. He was one-of-a-kind.
I got three radios from C Crane thanks to hearing about their business on Art's show;
Two BayGen Freeplay radios ( Model A & Model B)
Sangean 606 ATS
I still use these radios after 22 years and I'll probably buy the Skywave when the government sends another stimulus check.
Coast to Coast is what started the chain of events that led to me becoming a ham. I used to own the CCrane FM transmitter as well, thanks to their ad on the show...
Bob Crane is awesome.
He was good friends with Art Bell
I knew Art but he told me Bob is one of the very best in radio.....
Art was a ham for years and worked with all types of radios, commercial, private and Ham....
I talked to Bob many years ago and he was a real knowledge base and a awesome gentleman.
I never got to personally know Bob and become good friends like I did Art.
RIP Art Bell
God bless yall....
I used to have the Tecsun 660, but gave it away to an ex-ham who is living in a nursing home. I think the CCRANE is going to be the perfect one for backfilling the Tecsun!
Every time I hear cw it reminds me of my Saturday and Sunday morning with my father that used to be a ham radio VE2 FCN and he was trying to contact other radio stations from far far away... I'm missing those days.
I picked the the CC Skywave SSB radio back in December and I instantly fell in love with it. The radio has a lot of great features that I enjoy a lot like it's really small, takes only 2 AA batteries that last a long time and more... To me I think it's worth every penny I spent for it.
It's really not though. It's way over priced. The Xhdata is the same thing from the same chinese sweatshop C crane contracted but with better features and external antenne jack for much less price.
@@KandiKlover 0
Great video! I remember listening to Art Bell Coast to Coast and one of his sponsors was CCrane. I have one of these as well and it's one of the radios in the EMP proof bag. With so many bands and the ability to scan and create presets so easily makes this radio very useful in a new location. It's size is mostly what your are paying for given how small. I also have a couple of Kaito radios that have several power options including crank as alternatives, but not as small. As others have posted, only having RX does ding it a bit. But if "The Event" does occur and a person is not willing to invest time in comms, learning what is going on or has happened (SSB/SW) is still valuable.
Not to mention this runs of AA cells, which will always be plentiful and easy to charge. You this as a primary rx then move to amateur as needed when calling out.
I have had one of those little guys for about 6 months now and I absolutely LOVE IT. Amazing radio and it even performs well in a high RF environment.
Its really great for its size!
PS: I have been using a Sony ICF-SW7600GR PLL synthesized receiver for about 8 years now. But has gotten too heavy for me on very regular travel; so I may well go for the CCRANE after your splendid review of that particular model here. Cheers again!
Thanks for watching!
I just got this today and saw your video! I was using a Radio Shack DX-396 and doing well but wanted to explore SSB which it doesn't have. Thanks for posting!
Nice review. Also liked your take on the antenna! 👍👍
I really enjoyed the review. I just ordered the non-SSB version, but your review definitely gives me something to think about!
It's 10 times more enjoyable with SSB, because there is a ton of ham radio guys talking in the 3.7 to 4mhz range on SSB, that you can hear nightly..
that screen in the radio becomes see through due to the green background, and it really looks weird.
I like radios with SSB but I also like to see synchronous detection ability too. Synchronous detection, to explain things, allows you to listen to a full AM station ( both side bands with the center carrier ) but select just the carrier and only one of the side bands. For example, let's say you're listening to either a traditional AM station in the old AM band or a regular AM shortwave station from Europe or something. If you are on an AM station on 560 on the dial, let's say you also have a strong station on 550 on the dial that is interfering with your station on 560. With synchronous detection you would select the 560 station you wish to listen to but set it on synchronous and select the upper side band to listen to.
Because it's on the top side, farther away from 550 this minimizes that interference from the lower frequency station on 550. You are literally "on the other side" of the interference. If you had a station on 570 that also interfered equally, well then God help you. In that case just listen to the full station on both upper and lower side bands because "SD" would not help in this case!. But normally, this can work wonders and I fell in love with synchronous detection back in the day listening to my old Drake SW8 shortwave receiver. Those were the days and wish I still had that SW8!!!
I have a Sony ICF-7600 and I love it. It is bigger than the CCrane, but cheaper. I don't do a lot of traveling, but it is a nice radio to take to the park.
David Harden wow I have the same radio I bought it in 1991.
I have the same radio. I don't even know how old it is because I bought it so long ago. It still works like a charm. Best radio purchase I have ever made.
@@outbackeddie see
That moment when your green screen makes your radio look transparent... O.O
I bought one of these at at REI mine seems to be working but I think it's a good thing for emergency preparedness it has every little thing that you need in order to get news and weather importance I will have to try to get that wire antenna it was shown in this video I thought that was pretty cool thanks for the information I have one of the original versions of the sea crane skywave
Well damn me. I just yesterday tried to find basically this very video. Remembered seeing a CCrane radio in a stream or two of yours and wanted to see if you had done a review on any of those. Much appreciated!
This is a fantastic little radio❗️
I’ve got several radios, including the PL-600.
( I had a PL-660)
One of the things about the C.Crane, it is very high quality. So , that is part of the price.
This is well worth the price.
(( the CCSKywaveSSB also has the Weather Band - nice . I think it’s the only Short Wave radio that does))
That Radio Havana Cuba show was DXers Unlimited with Arnie Coro.( not much of a fan of RHC, but Arnie has a great show for Short Wave Radio listeners).
📻🙂
"Had"???? a PL-660?? May i as why? I also had one, in fact i still have its useless carcass out in the store room. Ran fine for about 50 hours and then quit, dead, no resurrection. Love to hear your story.
Made in the USA
@@fredcarter2894
C.Crane❓
Dude. Weird. I've been looking up portable shortwaves the past week or so. Never even knew about this model but it has everything I want!
Its like I know what you're thinking...
I found a new Grundig G6 aviator for 50 bucks that basically has most of these features. No weather band but my local weather station booms in loud and clear on the aircraft band and it has external antenna jack plus a bass boost that eliminates the tinny sound. It isn't as easy to use as this though and has lots of bugs in the memory and such. It's a great AM receiver though. I was very impressed with that. I just wish it had an RF gain control. Listening to amatuer radio bands without it is frustrating and impossible with a longwire. It overloads sometimes even using the tiny whip. I ruined my good radio with RF gain by leaving the batteries in it after a hurricane. I don't have the money to spend hundreds on another one at the moment.(EDIT) I found out that switching the tone switch to voice eliminates overloading on SSB. Apparently it`s a narrow/wide filter. The G6 has no soft mute or muting on tuning and it`s a breeze to quickly scan the shortwave and AM bands manually to find signals. It`s a non DSP PLL tuner.
Tom Jones
I have the C.Crane, as well as the Buzz Aldrin.
The CCrane blows the G-6 completely away on performance [ all bands],
( and no sticky, gooey rubber coating to remove❗️😁).
Great Review. My Grundig Yacht Boy Shortwave just died on me after decades of travel from Beijing to Berlin and everywhere in between. Thanks, I am ordering this on Amazon right now.
Thanks for all the great info and reviews on your channel. I'm an airline pilot and fly all over the world and wanted something to bring with on trips to dink around with in the hotels to see what I could pick up. I just ordered this one over the Tecsun so we'll see how it does. Thanks again for all the great info on your channel.
I’m liking the ISP for feathering in the lower bands. I like to work 40 meters myself and there’s plenty to listen to outside the amateur bandwidth. 6 megs is always fun!
My EDC (Every Day Carry) radios are an ICOM IC-7000 All Band in my truck, a Yaesu FT-7900R in my wife's car, an Alinco DJ-580T handie-talkie for 2 meter/70 CM (plus Wx and Air) and the excellent little CCrane CC Skywave SSB for getting out of the truck at the farm or in the woods on a camping remote trip or short RXpedition - the Skywave SSB is an excellent AM/FM/WX/AIR/SW/SSB receiver and adds a lot of info obtaining capability when away from my vehicle on foot or inside the house. I also use a Grundig Satellite 800 and a Realistic DX-302 at home on occasion but over the last year and a half I've exclusively used the Skywave with great satisfaction. KC5DOV
Nice review. I was looking at this radio for travel also. Thanks!
Exellent radio. I dont' expect PL-880 or ATS-909x2 sound quality on this small a radio, but the Skywave is a great combination of size, bands, pull-strength, intuitive adjustments, and quality. Sometimes you actually get what you pay for. Worth every penny for my road warrioring.
I will show this video when people ask me "Why you buy so expensive radio??" Great Vid!!!!!
Thanks for the kind words! Feel free to use me to justify any radio purchases. 👍
Thanks! My ICF-SW7600 has died, and my ICF-4910 is pretty basic, so I'm looking for a replacement. Amazing that this receiver is closer in size to the 4910 but has the capabilities of the 7600 (except for synchronous detection). This looks like a good solution.
By contrast to others commenting, I have ordered this and it will be my first C Crane ever! I love all the functions and am hoping I will see what all the fuss is about!!! :0)
This is one of the best radios for prepping and bug out bags, forget emergency radios. Just pair this with rechargeable batteries, protective case, and of course some portable solar panel like nomad 7, and/or hand crank generator, like Torch 250 Flashlight from Goal Zero.
Your videos are great and very helpful. I like the live streams, but really like to see these reviews. Hope to work you some day
73's
Thanks for watching! Appreciate the good feedback.
great little receiver! I gave one to my dad for Christmas and he loves it!
Its really cool for the size.
@@HamRadioCrashCourse Yeah my dad loved it since he is a pilot and this rig covers the aviation band. its got to be the smallest shortwave receiver I've ever seen that covers such a wide variety of bands. Might have to get another one for myself.
great review. I have the CCRANE Skywave SSB .got direct from CCRANE. I like the NiMh AA battery's . will charge from USB 5V Big Blue folding solar panel. how I charge. my camping radio. I also have the PL880 and that super. much better receive and runs on a 18650 battery. also have a Alinco DJ-X11 receiver .I like them all . fit in my backpack .Boston NY ,73's
Cool, thanks!
Enjoyed this! I have a Kaitlin KA1103 that I have had for 14 years now. I enjoy listening to shortwave and have had great success with it. But I am always on the lookout for something new. I have the coil antenna also. And a antenna a friend made for me. Shortwave where I am is a bit harder for some reason but it could be that I am on the tundra in Alaska
I use tecsun 660 as portable but I love the size of your c crane.
I like both those radios. At home, when I don’t need to be portable I use the 660, great with the antenna jack. But yes, the CCrane is really for its size.
I listen to mine every night.
I have accumulated a drawer full of those reel type antennas , tried one a couple of times, reeled it in the threw it in the junk drawer with the rest.
You are very interesting and informative to listen to. Thanks .
.
Appreciate the comment and thanks for watching!
Hi. Thank you for this video. Have you checked out the XHData D808 which is slightly larger, cheaper and an excellent performer. There's also the recently released Radiwow R108 which is similar in size and performance to the CCrane but lacks ssb.
Nice review, I enjoy mine. Though I use my regular Skywave more often.
Interesting. What makes you reach for the regular version first? That's the one I use. Just curious.
I find myself wanting to listen to broadcast SW & MW more than SSB of late.
I have this radio and love it
Hello, thank you for sharing your video of the Skywave SSB. I do have a question, do you use alkaline AA and/or NiMH AA batteries? If you have used both, do you notice any difference in receiver performance? I do really like this receiver, and still deciding which radio I plan to purchase... Thank you Sir...
Good radio I have the C Crane SSB 2 radio its a great radio too good sensitive selective radio too
Updated Skywave releases December 2022. Improved speaker, external antenna Jack, new charging port and improved charging circuits.
USB charging is a great upgrade.
Bluetooth would be a great wireless upgrade.
good review Josh Thanks!
Thank you!
Just ordered one.
Im new to shortwave radios with a SSB. Just bought one for its portability. But i don't fully understand the function of the METER button. Great video. Please help. Thanks
Great video.looks like a nice radio.please do a comparison withPl880 and the Xhdata808.
The Xhdata is the same thing from the same chinese sweatshop C crane contracted but with better features and external antenne jack for much less price.
Kandi Klover
And a pain in the *^#•$$ warranty.
C Crane is a 1 year trouble free , and out of California, so you don’t have to ship back to China. They are easy to deal with if there’s ever a problem.
That C.Crane spent time and effort in the development of the technology, and an American company,
To ME, is worth the premium,...... And I have BOTH radios, and the PL-880.
📻😁
Good Review,
I like the size of it. I wish the 817 had the WX channels as that is the only thing, imo, that keeps it from being the perfect travel radio. I have the X5105 too but it's hard to leave the 817 at home. 73 KF7VUT
If you can pack all that with you, a proper HF station even QRP is very valuable.
It mutes during manual tuning. Might be a deal breaker for me. Otherwise it seems like a great little radio. I have considered the Tecsun 660 but i keep hearing of quality control problems.
Thank you once again. Looking for something smaller than my Grundig Satellit 500 and bouncing between the Tecsun and the Skywave. The Tecsun's lack of NOAA WX band is leaning me toward the CCrane but I am thinking what are the chances I am not going to have a VHF HT with me 99% of the time. Decisions, decisions....
I'd like a radio for hiking and camping that gets a weather band and is strong enough to pull in a few distant radio stations for entertainment. The thing is, I hike in the Olympics and Cascades in Washington state, and sometimes I might be eighty miles away from a powerful station. Is the Skyway strong enough to catch stations that far away? The CCRadio 2E definitely is, but it's a boat anchor for a hiker to carry around.
I would say so. Make sure to pack that reel antenna is comes with!
I just bought this radio!
That 660 is well loved. :-)
Very nice. Thanks.
I have to admit it is a nice radio. How does it compare in sensitivity and selectivity with the Tecsun?
Super product review. I'm mostly interested in CW. Would this radio be satisfactory? Thanks 3s
It really depends on what you're trying to do. You can reduce the skywave bandwidth and pick up CW clearly. It would also depends on the antenna you use and location of deployment.
What kind of BNC connector is that for the Antenna? Having trouble finding one
Nice radio..
Doesn't it have a CW mode, too?
I went ahead and bought a retekess radio and the ccrane reel antanna since it was cheap. I'm hoping that will help me
Have you tried XHDATA D-808? It's not too big too. I have Tecsun PL-660 and XHDATA D-808. Sometimes it works much better.
Ccrane radio was still off frequency when you tuned hams on 7.168 mgs.
9:12 CQ CQ CQ DE RADIO HABANA CUBA VVV CQ
DXers Unlimited. Love it.
The wire antenna packaging is identical to the one that came with the Sony SW100. The only thing I don't like about the CCrane is that, even with headphones on, I don't find any of the SW voice stuff readable / copiable... :-(
Let's not forget the incredible Battery 🔋 Life 👍
Can't seem to find one with all those bands (AM/FM, Shortwave, SSB, Weather Alerts, NOAA, Airband, and 2 meter but more designed to be a bedside radio.
Icom R30.
Love that show DXrs Unlimited Radio Havana!
Have you any experiance of the HanRongaDa 747?
How does this compare to the new TECsun pl-330? They are about the same size.
Question with this radio , does the digital display stay on showing the time when off or does it completely shut down? Only thing I don’t like with the Kaitlin is the clock feature.
Hai Sir, your videos very interesting and helpfull, thank you very much, i am from india and i trying to take ham radio licence, for the SWL which is the best receiver can you suggest me.. thanking you Jayan
I cannot imagine that I would want to listed to all that static. Does the SW ever clear up?
Oh yeah. Get away from homes and electronics and it gets really clear.
How do you think would this system work while out on a sailboat
Any ham ht radios have the wx alert feature? I know some gmrs radios have them.
Vary good ..thanks...from Baghdad iraq...yi1hra 73
Oh man I love my PL-660, but that little guy is TINY for what it does!
I def want one of those ccrane antennas now!
How is the battery life on the ccrane?
The battery life is very good. I put in rechargeables and it runs for a week to two weeks depending on how heavy I use it. It has a built in mini usb charge port for charging and smart charge so it'll shut off the charge when the cells are filled.
@@HamRadioCrashCourse outstanding!
Careful. The rude twat might mistake you writing tiny for tinny, and say you need earbuds
How does it compare to the Tecsun PL-330?
What antenna were you using in the demonstration?
I can't find an online comparison between the Eton Elite Executive vs C Crane Skywave SSB What are your thoughts? they are about the same price.
Great review sir, I have one of these myself. How does this compare with the Tucson PL880 for SW reception? I was thinking of getting a Tucson for dedicated SW.
The sky wave is similar to my Pl660 on sw.
What is your advice on a 2-way radio for long distances for hiking? Something that I can talk to like 4 people in a party and a base station.
Are they all amateur radio license holders?
Ham Radio Crash Course lolll guess not
Nice video thank you.how does it compare with my pl880 ?
I don't have the 880, but I did compare it to the 660 and while it did beat the 660 its comparable in performance. Its obviously much smaller too.
I am here in Iceland and could not get any shortwave / ssb broadcast. Please explain.
Do you have an outside antenna? The antenna on the radio might not be enough. Also shortwave is often best at night or in the early morning.
Great video! What do you think about the Tecsun Pl-365? It is very small and has SSB
I only used the non ssb when it came out years ago. Its OK. I heard the SSB and BFO has to switch back and forth to the same rotary button, so it can get confusing.
I used to use a Santean ATS808 but it and my other radios got destroyed by Hurricane Harvey. Is there a sub $100.00 SW radio with SSB that you can recommend?
The only thing around that price range is the Maratac countycomm.com/products/countycomm-gp-5-ssb-general-purpose-radio and the Tecsun PL-660. amzn.to/2Wryrl0 If you can swing for it, get the Tecsun, its a much better radio.
Do you mean Sangean?
greylocke100
The XHData D-808 is usually under $100.oo.
Is also an excellent radio,
Functions very similar to the C.Crane.
🙂📻
There's the Tecsun PL-330. No weather channels though. They sell for about $80 new
If travel was not the primary factor in choosing a small SSB capable radio would you pic this Skywave SSB or the PL-660 ? Or is there another choice roughly $200 or under with a lot of capability? East coast here.
Anthony Miller
There are several choices.
The Tecsun PL-880 is a fantastic radio to consider ( and is superior to the 660 in many ways).
The XHData D-808 is a fantastic little radio.
The Sangean ATS-909x
Is also worth a look.
All are premium radios and have similar features. A lot is personal preference, and not-picky quirks, as well as HOW the radio is to be used.
Check out many reviews on each radio, and especially read the comments.
🙂📻
Yes very good for size.... Often wondered with the pl660 and this radio, would they benefit from an earth ( with the pl 660 the jack can have an earth ?)
AH! GREAT point! The PL-660 does do better in that kind of application. The end fed I was using has a 52' radial. When I use the aerial clip versus going direct via the antenna jack on the same antenna there is a noticeable improvement. That is one feature I wish the Skywave had an antenna jack.
@@HamRadioCrashCourse Thanks for the info. from someone who's first shortwave set was an RCA 88LF ..... The pl660 is like a postage stamp in comparison, but doesn't have that nice voltage regulator valve ( tube) that glows blue !
@@HamRadioCrashCourse A 52 foot radial earth? ( Ground plain ) How does that work across the band ( listening )
hello i am from germany and i brought the first skywave without SSB from the usa. I like it very much and now I'm thinking about getting the new Skywave. Unfortunately it is expensive and I would also have to pay customs duties and taxes, because it easily comes to $ 220 ... Is it worth buying? are there any improvements besides the SSB?
You need SSB to hear all the ham radio operators talking.. It's very popular (even in Germany too) from 3.7mhz to 4mhz (but in SSB mode), you can hear many funny, interesting, some political talkl, and technical conversations amongst the several groupers there.
You’re radio may have a problem as it seems to be semi-transparent whenever you are holding it up. You may wish to get with an exorcist to work out those ghostly spirits! You‘lol likely wish to fine tune the green screen masking parameters a bit more in the future. But that’s just pedantic nit picking, it’s a great video and I really appreciate your sharing this review with all of us! Thanks for the work putting this video together and have a great day! 73 de KW4EK
Not much you can do with surfaces like that, no amount of tweaking has been able to correct it while stilling having a working keyer. Only solution would be to switch to a blue key.
Yes, excellent review, man!
So, the CCRANE Reel Antenna is streets ahead of other similar reel antennas, yes?? If so, I'll definitely go get.
It’s buttery smooth and hasn’t tangled. The clips are nice on the end too.
If size is not an issue, how do thee 660 and skywave ssb compare? I am thinking of buying one or the other. Mainly concerned about performance on all the bands. Don't want a radio that might be somewhat deaf on any of them.
660 is likely a better sw receiver for you.
@@HamRadioCrashCourse Thank you!! :)
, I can't find this listing on lazada and thus I don't know what it costs. What does this unit cost??? C. Crane is an American who makes little radios in high quality. I know one of the guys who knows his technology and reinforces this opinion.
Look up the American price and do a conversion?
$169.99 USD
Would be nice if you could show us the inside of this radio. Thank you
Why would that be helpful?
@@HamRadioCrashCourse well we will see the components the chips that they use for DSP/PLL, ferrite antenna length, type of capacitors used... And so on... For all of us into electronics would be interesting. Imagine a CCrane and a xh-data side by side., or a sangean 909x in Dave Jons from EEV Blog style: "don't turn it on... Take it apart!"
De VU3BQY. Please share the full frequency specs. I had grundig G6 before but had to replace it with PL 680. But PL 680 is too big. I need continuous SW full spectrum with air and AM/FM. Please suggest.
73 :)
AM 520 - 1710 kHz (10 kHz Steps)
AM 522 - 1620 kHz (9 kHz Steps - International)
FM 87.5 - 108 MHz (Regular Mode)
FM 76 - 108 MHz (When 9kHz is Selected)
Shortwave 1711 - 29999 kHz
Aviation 118 - 137 MHz
@@HamRadioCrashCourse Great. I think LW is missing with this radio but rest is super awesome for a radio that small in size..
Where to get the reel antenna?
It comes with the radio. 👍
What is the antenna extension called??
The C.Crane Portable Shortwave Antenna.