{"id":31316,"date":"2018-03-23T08:18:41","date_gmt":"2018-03-23T12:18:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=31316"},"modified":"2018-03-23T08:18:41","modified_gmt":"2018-03-23T12:18:41","slug":"an-initial-look-at-the-c-crane-ccradio-ep-pro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/an-initial-look-at-the-c-crane-ccradio-ep-pro\/","title":{"rendered":"An initial look at the C. Crane CCRadio-EP Pro"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Earlier this week, I took delivery of the latest radio from C. Crane: the CCRadio-EP Pro<\/strong>. C. Crane sent me an early production model for evaluation.<\/p>\n

Since posting an announcement last November<\/a>, several SWLing Post<\/em> readers have contacted me and asked if I would take a look at this next iteration of the venerable CCRadio-EP.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Yesterday, I started a proper evaluation of the EP Pro by taking it to a park where I compared it with my trusty Tecsun PL-660 on AM\/mediumwave.<\/p>\n

First impressions are favorable in terms of sensitivity, stability and audio, but with a number of caveats.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Silicon Labs SI4734 diagram<\/p><\/div>\n

The EP Pro is not a true analog set like its predecessor–it’s based on the\u00a0Silicon LabsSI4734 DSP chip.<\/p>\n

In other words, much like the Degen DE321<\/a>, the Degen DE32<\/a>, the Tecsun R-2010D<\/a>, the Kchibo KK9803<\/a> and the ShouYu SY-X5<\/a> (which I review in a shoot-out here<\/a>), the CC-Radio EP Pro is a mechanically-tuned DSP receiver<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

On the plus side, the new EP Pro will not drift like its analog ancestor (a common complaint from EP owners).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

But truth be told, I’m not the biggest fan of mechanically-tuned DSP radios. Why? For one thing, it’s nearly impossible to eliminate muting between 10 kHz frequency steps on the AM band. Note here that\u00a0the EP Pro is fixed at 10 kHz steps, though C. Crane tell me a future production run will have a 9\/10 kHz step toggle.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the EP Pro produces false peaks\/images on either side of a strong AM or FM signal. In fact, C. Crane includes the following informational insert with the EP Pro:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This is going to be a quirky radio.<\/p>\n

The tuning mechanism is…well…unusual<\/em>…and takes some getting used to. I’ve also discovered that the top half of the AM dial is inaccurate. Here’s the EP Pro centered on WTZQ at 1600 kHz:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I estimate that the slide rule dial is off by about 40-50 kHz at the top end of the band. It’s much more accurate below 1,200 kHz, however. I plan to hook the EP Pro up to a signal generator and note the results in my forthcoming review.<\/p>\n

Speaking of an EP Pro review, I plan to publish it within the next two weeks, so stay tuned!<\/p>\n

Follow CCRadio-EP Pro posts by bookmarking this tag: CCRadio-EP Pro<\/a><\/p>\n

Click here to check out the CCRadio-EP Pro on C. Crane’s website.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Earlier this week, I took delivery of the latest radio from C. Crane: the CCRadio-EP Pro. C. Crane sent me an early production model for evaluation. Since posting an announcement last November, several SWLing Post readers have contacted me and asked if I would take a look at this next iteration of the venerable CCRadio-EP. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[373,3781,433,836,3,26,129],"tags":[318,6651,6917,6650],"class_list":["post-31316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-am","category-fm","category-mediumwave","category-new-products","category-news","category-radios","category-reviews","tag-c-crane","tag-c-crane-ccradio-ep-pro","tag-c-crane-ccradio-ep-pro-review","tag-ccradio-ep-pro"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-896","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":31454,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/video-band-scanning-with-the-c-crane-ccradio-ep-pro\/","url_meta":{"origin":31316,"position":0},"title":"Video: Band scanning with the C. Crane CCRadio-EP Pro","author":"Thomas","date":"April 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm in the process of writing up a review of the C. Crane CCRadio-EP Pro, but a number of readers have been asking about how pronounced muting is between frequencies while band scanning. To be clear, the CCRadio-EP Pro is not a true analog set like the original CCRadio-EP (even\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/CCRadio-EP-Pro-Dial-e1521806501474.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/CCRadio-EP-Pro-Dial-e1521806501474.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/CCRadio-EP-Pro-Dial-e1521806501474.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/CCRadio-EP-Pro-Dial-e1521806501474.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":29272,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/11\/c-crane-ccradio-ep-pro-a-new-enhanced-version-of-the-ep\/","url_meta":{"origin":31316,"position":1},"title":"C. Crane CCRadio-EP Pro: a new enhanced version of the EP","author":"Thomas","date":"November 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel, who notes that C. Crane has developed an enhanced version of the original CCRadio-EP AM\/FM portable. C. Crane includes the following description on their website: The new CC Radio-EP PRO is an enhanced version of the original EP. It has the same\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/C.Crane-CCRadio-EP-Pro.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/C.Crane-CCRadio-EP-Pro.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/C.Crane-CCRadio-EP-Pro.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":33917,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/09\/c-crane-updates-the-ccradio-ep-pro\/","url_meta":{"origin":31316,"position":2},"title":"C. Crane Updates the CCRadio-EP Pro","author":"Guy Atkins","date":"September 1, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to reviewer Jay Allen for sharing the news that a significantly updated version of the CCRadio-EP Pro is now available: https:\/\/radiojayallen.com\/c-crane-cc-ep-pro-am-fm-analog-tuned-radio\/ The update eliminates the \"false signal peaks\" (images) of the EP Pro, a tuning anomaly that was widely criticized at introduction of this model. In addition, a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Portable Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Portable Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/portable-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/CCrane-CCRadio-EP-Pro-300x241.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":31633,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/a-full-review-of-the-c-crane-ccradio-ep-pro-am-fm-portable-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":31316,"position":3},"title":"A full review of the C. Crane CCRadio-EP Pro AM\/FM portable radio","author":"Thomas","date":"April 15, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"UPDATE (05 November 2018): Please note that we have posted a second production run update to this initial review. In short, C. Crane addressed all of the major issues I noted in the review below. Click here to read the CCRadio-EP Pro update. Without a doubt, C. Crane Company has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/CCRadio-EP-Pro-dial.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/CCRadio-EP-Pro-dial.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/CCRadio-EP-Pro-dial.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/CCRadio-EP-Pro-dial.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":34688,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/11\/review-update-ccradio-ep-pros-major-improvements\/","url_meta":{"origin":31316,"position":4},"title":"Review Update: CCRadio-EP Pro’s major improvements!","author":"Thomas","date":"November 5, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"In April, I posted a review of C. Crane's latest iteration of the much-loved EP series: the C. Crane CCRadio-EP Pro. Although the new Pro model had the makings of a great, simple DXer-grade receiver, the first production run was plagued with issues that, in the end, prevented me from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/CCRadio-EP-Pro-Front-Right-1024x831.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/CCRadio-EP-Pro-Front-Right-1024x831.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/CCRadio-EP-Pro-Front-Right-1024x831.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":34122,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/09\/updated-and-original-versions-of-the-ccradio-ep-pro-briefly-compared\/","url_meta":{"origin":31316,"position":5},"title":"Updated and Original Versions of the CCRadio-EP Pro Briefly Compared","author":"Guy Atkins","date":"September 11, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Remember the American television game show To Tell The Truth? This very long-running show challenged four celebrity guests and viewers to identify the real \"central character\" in the midst of two impostors.I was reminded of this game show when attempting to tell the difference between the original and recently updated\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mediumwave"","block_context":{"text":"Mediumwave","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/mediumwave\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/ToTellTheTruth-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31316"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31316\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}