However if you are not in proximity of a local 50 kW or 5 kW
station, the radio is
fine and is not prone to overloading as it is nearer to an antenna. I would
say that
this is the major problem with the CCRadio. The sensitivity is ever so
slightly better
than the GE Superadio III and selectivity less on the upper end of the band
than
the GE model.
This radio will perform very well though if not in the vicinity of any
strong RF
signals and if you are in an area where you don't have to deal with this it
is a
solid radio.
There is an issue with the memory display on the LCD that C. Crane and
Sangean needs
to address and is common on all three CCRadios I have used. Once the 5
memories on
the bands are set, and only on AM, if you press the memory buttons the
selection
comes right up and the memory number on the LCD is fine. However, for
example if
memory button 4 is set for 1450 kHz and you tune with the DIAL, at 768 kHz
the M-4
shows although this is not where the setting is. It has no bearing on the
operation
of the radio, it just is there. There are several places where memory
numbers show
up at odd places. Not good programming nor quality control to have this
issue show
up in a 160 dollar radio.
The reception on the weather band is adequate and nothing exceptional. On
most radios
that have the weather band, I get five different stations but generally I
only get
three on the CCRadio and sometimes four with a lot of antenna twisting.
I have found the TV section to be poor at best. For example, I have a
channel 4 in
Tucson that is easily receivable on the Optimus 12-604a which is NOT known
to be
a DX monster. The CCRadio has an image of KDKB 93.3 FM right on top of KVOA
4 Tucson's
signal rendering it unreceivable. Channel 7 from Prescott is doable with
other radios
but there is an image of KNIX 102.5 squarely atop its signal.
On FM I have found that this is your typical lackluster Sangean built FM
section
that is not only weak and lifeless but full of images. I have only seen one
Sangean
radio on FM that was not full of images and that is the DX-398 with RDS but
even
that is fairly dead and impervious to most DX.
I have two stations I use as a standard for FM reception. One is KAHM 102.1
in Prescott
[100 driving miles] as I am on the edge of its receivability and the other
is harder
to hear on a portable in Mesa, Arizona, KMGN 93.9 from Flagstaff [180
driving miles].
Both of these stations are fairly doable on a GE Superadio and for the
CCRadio costing
3 times as much as a GE Superadio, well I believe the reception should be
able to
be duplicated if not superior. Guess what? It isn't. KAHM is receivable
although
weakly and KMGN, forget it.
My take on the CCRadio. This is a good radio on AM reception for those who
are not
in close vicinity of an AM transmitter and tower. The radio when it is not
there
is not overloaded and quite selective. It will pull in DX and do a fair job
and somewhat
better than a GE Superadio under those conditions.
The TV / FM / and WX bands are usable in a local sense and do a good enough
job in
that role. This radio was not sold as a top of the line powerhouse in these
areas
and they are good enough to get the job done.
I believe that this radio is priced way too high for what you get and would
be better
if it were priced at nearer to $100 than $160. The radio has an advantage
over the
GE Superadios in that it has a digital readout and a clock plus the GE does
not have
WX or TV. However for the price, I believe that the GE offering is hard to
beat at
$50.
This CCRadio would be highly recommended if the new price was $120 or less
but it
is not the best AM radio ever made. It is a very good to fine set for
someone who
is a domestic DXer and is well made but it doesn't live up to the hype it
has received.
Its definitely a little better than the GE Superadio III but certainly not
as good
as a Sony 2010 with its ability to lock on to a signal.
I would not say that its a no buy, but will say that you should consider
whether
or not you can deal with a radio that overloads near strong RF more than
other radios,
and how much you want the TV, FM and WX reception before buying. At $160 you
might
want to consider waiting for a sale on the DX-398 at $30 more and get SW,
continuous
coverage from 153 kHz to 30 mHz and FM with RDS which is a very nice
feature.
Its like everyone always says, there is no such thing as a perfect radio. If
you
are considering one, this may work for you and do a fine job under the right
conditions
since this is still a good, but not great, receiver.
Kevin Redding
Mesa, Arizona
The original version of this text appeared in the AM Radio List on the NRC's
site.