Sometimes simple works . . . really well! Exploring the CCrane EP PRO

By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM

This particular adventure began about three weeks ago with an email from CCrane. “Timeless, Easy to Use with Long Range Radio Reception” the headline read. Further, the accompanying text promised: Comes with needle and dial tuning, one button for power, one button for a bright display light, and has no clock or alarm.  The radio in question was the C.Crane CCRadio-EP PRO.

The “Long Range Radio Reception” initially caught my eye, but the simplicity of an old-fashioned “needle and dial” – what I call “slide rule” – tuning” also appealed to me, so I emailed CCrane, asked them if they would like to send me one for review, which they did, without charge.

While waiting for the EP PRO to arrive, I examined the photos of the EP PRO on the CCrane website, and I noticed something peculiar: a switch on back for choosing between 9 kHz tuning steps and 10 kHz tuning steps. Whaaat?! Why in the world would you need such a thing on a radio with needle and dial tuning?

We’ll get to the answer to that question shortly, but first let’s take a tour of the CCrane EP PRO.

The case is a rectangle with rounded corners that measures 11.4″ W x 7.3″ H (8.4″ H with handle) x 2.75″ D and weighs 4.5 pounds without batteries. Starting on the left front panel, you’ll find a 5-inch speaker. To the right of that, there is the slide rule (needle and dial) tuning setup, with a small red light on the right side that illuminates when a station is found. Below that is a CCrane logo and further below is a switch for selecting AM (520 – 1710 kHz, 10 kHz steps; 522 – 1620 kHz, 9 kHz steps), FM (87.5 – 108 MHz), or FM stereo; a knob for adjusting bass, a knob for adjusting treble, and a knob for choosing between narrow (2.5 kHz) and wide (6 kHz) filter bandwidths.

On top of the EP PRO are a red POWER button, a black button for lighting the tuning dial, a flip-up carry handle, and a 36-inch telescoping antenna for FM reception. (Inside the case is a ferrite bar antenna – 12mm x 200mm (7.9″) long with CCrane’s Twin Coil Ferrite® technology.)

On the right side of the case at top is the tuning knob, below that a knob for fine-tuning the internal antenna for AM reception, and at the bottom a knob for volume. On the left side of the case, you’ll find a 1/8” stereo headphone jack, a line-in jack, and a socket for plugging in an external 6-volt AC adaptor which is provided with the EP PRO.

On the back of the radio is a hatch for installing four D-cell batteries (CCrane says it will run for about 175 hours at moderate volume with the dial light off), external antenna connections: spring loaded for AM and “F” connector for FM, a switch for selecting internal or external AM antenna, and the switch for selecting 9 or 10 kHz tuning steps.

That’s it. The EP PRO is almost Zen-like in its simplicity. There are no seek buttons, no automatic storage functions, no memories, no key pad. And there is a darn good reason for that. It turns out that the immediate predecessor of the EP PRO, the CCrane EP, was created by Bob Crane because his mother wanted a very simple radio that was easy to operate. The CCrane EP, a true needle and dial analog radio, was the result.

Bob believed that, besides his mother, there was a market for such a radio, and there was. Unfortunately, after a time, the analog chips necessary to build the CCrane EP became unavailable. As a result, the radio was redesigned internally using modern digital chips (essentially the same as those in CCrane’s model 2E and 3 radios) while keeping it simple and easy to operate. So inside what looks like an old-fashioned analog radio beats the heart of a high-performance digital radio that combines the high sensitivity needed to hear distant stations with excellent selectivity to block signals from the side.

In my view, the EP PRO is great fun to operate. In the predawn hours on a weekend morning with the rain falling softly outside, I started tuning slowly across the AM dial with the EP PRO in my lap. Near the bottom end, a couple of sports mavens were chatting about a pitcher who had a couple of rough two initial outings and then had “settled in.”

A bit further up the dial Dionne Warwick was telling me to “walk on by.” Then I ran into a music station competing with a talk show considering “the Bible, angels, and UFOs.”

Up the dial some more, apparently a good deal on a high performance car could be had at a dealership in Connecticut; then an air quality report for New York City, a female voice delivering a long discourse in French and so on up the dial.

I was impressed at the number of stations that the EP PRO was pulling in, and it brought me back to the simple joy of tuning around to see what’s on the air.

Each time a discernible station appeared, the red tuning LED would light up. As needed, I used the antenna tuning knob and the bandwidth selection switch to tweak the signal. The needle and dial tuning gives an approximate indication of where on the band the radio is tuned, so if you want a positive ID, you need to listen for a station ID or some other clue to the station’s location.

At one point I jumped to the FM dial and found I could easily pick up many FM stations even with the whip antenna collapsed. In all, I am of the opinion that both the AM and FM sides of the receiver are pretty “hot,” and at no time did I find myself wishing for an auxiliary antenna for more signal.  Further, the sound through headphones or the speaker is very pleasant indeed. In my mind, the relatively unadorned exterior of the EP PRO belies its outstanding performance. To stretch an analogy, it’s a nitro-burning funny car in the body of a Honda Civic, and you don’t have to be a genius to drive it.

If you’re looking for a high-performance radio that is easy to use and sounds good through speaker or headphones, the CCRadio EP PRO delivers the goods. For a content DXer like me, the EP PRO encourages me to tune around and discover the magic of radio all over again.

CCRadio-EP Pro Retailers:

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Radio Waves: DW Launches “Sudan Now” on Shortwave, Mayor Saves AM Station, Tape Measure Turnstile Antenna, and Where Does AM Go From Here?

Radio Waves:  Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio

Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Dennis Dura and David Iurescia for the following tips:


“Sudan Now” – DW Arabic launches new radio program for Sudan (DW)

DW is now broadcasting a 30-minute daily Arabic-language radio program entitled “Sudan Now” on shortwave, Hotbird and SES-5 satellites and via the DW Arabic website.

As an unbiased radio program, “Sudan Now” will provide listeners in the target region with unbiased coverage of current issues in the region and will promote political, social and cultural dialogue through interviews, talk shows and reports.

Given the lack of independent information sources in Sudan and the limited ability of established media to broadcast due to internet outages and ongoing fighting, “Sudan Now” was specifically designed to be broadcast on shortwave and via the Hotbird- and SES-5 satellites. The satellite broadcast enables listeners in the target region to receive the program via their TV sets.

DW Managing Director Programming Dr. Nadja Scholz: “The conflict in Sudan is ongoing and has far-reaching effects on the entire region. It is absolutely necessary to provide the people there with a dedicated program that enables them to access independent, current and in-depth information. With shortwave radio, we further increase our ability to reach as many people as possible.”

Manuela Kasper-Claridge, DW editor-in-chief, said: “The humanitarian situation in Sudan remains catastrophic. There is a lack of everything – including free, independent information. This Arabic-language radio program is therefore urgently needed.”

The program broadcast will begin on Monday, June 26, 2023. It will air daily from Monday to Friday at 2:30 pm (local time, GMT+2) for a duration of thirty minutes. A repeat of the radio program will air daily at 8:30 pm.

“Sudan Now” can be heard in the afternoon on shortwave 15275 kHz/17800 kHz and in the evening on shortwave 15275 kHz/17840 kHz.

In addition, all broadcasts will be available on the DW Arabic website.

AM Matters: This CO Mayor Saved His Town’s Station (Radio Ink)

[…]Radio Ink: When Justin Sasso briefly mentioned KLMR’s story at Hispanic Radio Conference, it piqued the room’s interest. That’s a powerful AM story. How did this come to pass with you both?

Dan: So about a year ago in late July, KLMR was blown off the air from a micro-downburst. The previous owners couldn’t fix it and they were in danger of losing the license. When I saw the building, half the roof was gone and the antenna was dangling in the wind.

I’ve been in the radio business in Colorado for 40 years, with the last 20 in Colorado Springs, but I’ve never owned a radio station. And so when this opportunity came about, I reached out to Kirk. We had talked about possibly buying a company in Lamar previously. He’s not just the mayor, he’s my brother-in-law, but it was great that the mayor wanted to get involved in it too. So we’re off and running.

Radio Ink: For a mayor to step up and say, “This AM station is so important to my community that if nobody else will save it, I will,” is a huge testament to AM radio’s power and value.

Kirk: It’s vital. That’s what I had mentioned to Justin in that meeting about AM. When we look at rural Colorado and the ag market there, there’s a necessity for that. [Continue reading…]

A Quick And Easy Tape Measure Turnstile Antenna For Milsat Snooping (Hackaday)

The number of satellites whizzing by over our heads at any moment is staggering, and growing at a rapid rate as new constellations are launched. But sometimes it’s the old birds that are the most interesting, as is the case with some obsolete but still functional military communications satellites, which thanks to a lack of forethought are largely unsecured and easily exploitable. And all that’s needed to snoop in on them is a cheap ham radio and something like this simple and portable satcom antenna.

As proof of the global nature of the radio hobby, the design in the video below by Brit [Tech Minds] borrows heavily from previous work by Italian ham [Ivo Brugnera (I6IBE)], which itself was adapted to use 3D-printed parts in a German blog post a few years ago. [Continue reading…]

Not just cars: Where does AM radio go from here? (YouTube)

Joe and Jeff Geerling discuss AM radio station ownership, emergency use, rural listeners, and more.


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The return of Radio London on 1206 kHz (July 29 – August 14, 2023)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, WD3C, who shares the following announcement:

RADIO PIRATE: The return of Big L Radio London on 1206 kHz, 24 hours a day, from July 29th to August 14th. Back with, in my pocket, a temporary license issued by OFCOM. This time Big L will be broadcasting not from a ship but from studios in a double decker red bus installed in Felixstowe’s Spa Pavilion car park on the seafront. This is an initiative of Ray Anderson, RadioFab and the Spa. Radio Caroline will no longer be the only pirate to have boarded for the 17 days of this special broadcast which will also broadcast all the hits of the years “Pirate Radio” with many famous DJs of the past!

You can tune in to 1206 kHz or find out more at www.biglradiolondon.co.uk ( RadioFab.com Facebook)

On August 12th, catch “Roger “Twiggy” Day’s Pirate Radio Hits Show” on stage at the Spa
Pavilion Felixstowe with Dave Berry, Vanity Fare and Chris Farlowe.

Many former DJ’s from pirate station are participating in the event. August 14 marks the 56th anniversary of the adoption of the “Maritime Offenses Act”. This will be, once again, the last day of broadcast of this ephemeral radio on 1206 khz.

Online and more info at www.biglradiolondon.co.uk
Subscribe to Radio Magazine it’s free!

Thank you for the tip! 

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Radio Waves: RTI Test Broadcast Today, Messages to North Korea, Exploring Space Weather Book, Vintage Radios at Auction, and WMLK

Radio Waves:  Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio

Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Dennis Dura, Sten Odenwald, Paul Walker, and David Iurescia for the following tips:


RTI test broadcast July 1, 2023

Many thanks to David Iurescia who shares the following announcement (translated from French):

Dear listener,

The French service of Radio Taiwan International is pleased to inform you that during the month of August 2023, we will be broadcasting directly from the Tamsui transmission center in northern Taiwan to Europe and South Africa. north.

In order to better prepare for this radio activity in French, a test broadcast will be carried out on Saturday July 1 on short waves, at the following times and frequencies:

    • Frequency 11995 kHz (325°), 5:00 p.m.-5:10 p.m. then 5:30-5:40 p.m., universal time
    • Frequency 9545 kHz (315°), 6:00 p.m.-6:10 p.m., universal time
    • Frequency 7240 kHz (315°), 6:20 p.m.-6:30 p.m., universal time
    • Frequency 7250 kHz (315°), 6:40 p.m.-6:50 p.m., universal time

Your listening reports on these 10-minute segment tests will help us identify the two optimal frequencies for August’s “Live from Tamsui” broadcast under the best possible listening conditions.

Thank you for your valued input!

A special QSL card is produced for all the listening reports that you will send us by post, email to the French service or via the stations’s online form, both for the test broadcast and during the August broadcast.

Thank you for listening and for your loyalty.

Cordially,

French Service, RTI

[email protected]

Abductees’ relatives record radio messages for broadcast to North Korea (NHK)

Family members of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea have recorded encouraging messages for a radio broadcast aimed at the country.

The messages were recorded in Tokyo for Free North Korea Radio, a shortwave broadcaster. Its daily radio program is run by a group of people who defected from the North to South Korea.

The abductees’ relatives called on their loved ones never to give up until they are rescued.

The leader of the relatives’ group, Yokota Takuya, is a younger brother of Yokota Megumi, who was abducted in 1977 at the age of 13. He asked his sister how she is doing. He also said he is sorry that she has had to spend a long time in North Korea without freedom.

He added that the relatives will never give up until they achieve the return of all the abductees.

His twin brother, Yokota Tetsuya, told his sister about their parents. He said that their father, who died three years ago, thought about rescuing his daughter every day.

He added that their 87-year-old mother often falls over, but is doing well. He vowed to get back his sister and asked her to stay healthy until she can be reunited with her mother.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio said last month that he wants to start high-level talks under his direct control to hold a summit with North Korea at an early date.

Yokota Takuya said after the recording that he wants the Japanese government to continue its steady diplomatic efforts until all the abductees are returned.

He expressed hope that a Japan-North Korea summit can be held and that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will decide to hand over all the abductees. [Read the full story and watch the video here…]

New Book: Exploring Space Weather with DIY Magnetometers (Amazon)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Sten Odenwald, who writes:

Hi Thomas!

Thanks so much for your contribution to the History of Space Weather book I published several years ago!

I have just published a new book I think you might be interested in. It’s called Exploring Space Weather with DIY Magnetometers, and it’s now available at amazon.com (see below). It provides step-by-step designs for building six sensitive instruments for under $60.00 that can measure real-time changes in Earth’s magnetic field.

If you are interested in such a building project, or you know of a family member, teacher, or even a student looking for a science fair project, this book will show you how to build these instruments. I also provide examples of storm events that were actually detected by each design so you can see what typical data looks like. For additional examples and updates, visit my blog page at http://sten.astronomycafe.net/diy-magnetometers/

Thanks again for your help!
Sten Odenwald
Astronomer

Click here to check out this book on Amazon.com (SWLing Post affiliate link).

Schulman Auction Radios

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, who notes that a number of vintage and late model radios are up for auction at Schulman’s:

WMLK on the air (Paul Walker)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Walker, who shares the following tip:

It appears they are now operating at US night times now. For the longest time, as you may be aware, they were only on 9275 kHz during the day.

Sometime around mid last week, they were being reported on 15150 kHz as well.

And I finally logged them too.. nice signal on 15150 kHz here just after 0400!!


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Netflix shares trailer for “All the Light We Cannot See”

Many thanks to a number of SWLing Post readers who have noted that Netflix has now published a trailer for “All the Light We Cannot See.”

Click here to view on YouTube.

All the Light We Cannot See is a book written by Anthony Doerr a favorite read among radio enthusiasts who also love a little WWII historical fiction. If you haven’t read this book, I can highly recommend it. Click here to read Greg’s book review.

The movie appears to have a star-studded cast and I do hope it does this amazing book justice! You’ve got a few months to read the book before the movie starts streaming on Netflix in November 2023.

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July 2023 Broadcast Schedule for VORW Radio International!

Hello shortwave listeners! With a new month just around the corner, I wanted to provide an up to date broadcast schedule for my transmissions to North America.

This radio program is 1 Hour in length and features miscellaneous discussion (sometimes about current events, other times about random subjects on my mind) at the start of the program and is then balanced out with listener requested music. I hope for it to be an enjoyable light entertainment program with good music and discussion!

There are two new shows each week, along with various repeat airings for listeners who might not be able to catch the new shows as they first air.

Main Broadcasts:

Saturday 0600 UTC (2 AM Eastern / 1 AM Central) – 4840 kHz – WWCR 100 kW – North America

Monday 0400 UTC (12 AM Eastern / 11 PM Central Sunday Evening) – 4840 kHz – WWCR 100 kW – North America

Repeat Airings:

Tuesday 2000 UTC (4 PM Eastern / 3 PM Central) – 15770 kHz – WRMI 100 kW – Eastern North America

Thursday 1600 UTC (12 PM Eastern / 11 AM Central) – 15770 kHz – WRMI 100 kW – Eastern North America

Friday 2100 UTC (5 PM Eastern / 4 PM Central) – 9955 kHz – WRMI 100 kW – South America

Saturday 0700 UTC (3 AM Eastern / 2 AM Central) – 1300 kHz – WNQM 5 kW – Tennessee

Saturday 2200 UTC (6 PM Eastern / 5 PM Central) – 6115 kHz – WWCR 100 kW – Noth America

Saturday 2300 UTC (7 PM Eastern / 6 PM Central) – 5950 kHz – WRMI 100 kW – North America

Sunday 0100 UTC (9 PM Eastern / 8 PM Central) – 1490 kHz – WITA 1 kW – Knoxville, Tennessee

Monday 0000 UTC (8 PM Eastern / 7 PM Central) – 5950 kHz – WRMI 100 kW – North America

Listener reception feedback & reception reports are much appreciated at [email protected]

Happy Listening!

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93-95 was my number

Hi all the SWLing post community. All stops will be pulled out again this weekend with the broadcast of TOOTS vs WELK in a 2023 style via WRMI. This Imaginary stations episode will be a showdown of music from Toots Thielemans in the left hand studio and the great Lawrence Welk in the right. The transmission will be on air on 9395 kHz from 2200 utc on Sunday 2nd July 2023. Tune in for an encounter with 2 musical greats. Fastradioburst23 

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