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Any CCRadio-EP owners out there?

J

jammerdave

I was wondering if there were any CCRadio_EP owners on here.
http://www.ccrane.com/radios/am-fm-radios/ccradio-ep.aspx#.T9yQqBeiGa8

I bought one of these last year as a replacement for my old GE SuperRadio, which had died. I'm not really impressed. Seems very drifty when it's cold, and I do hear some strange noises when centering up the tuning on a station. The narrow mode for AM is nice, though. FM side seems to not be as sensitive as I would like, and it has no AFC, like the GE has. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

dave
 
http://earmark.net/gesr/ccep.htm

You may have an alignment issue like I did. Like you, I was looking for a GESR replacement. I've noticed the drift, too. It is mainly on the narrow setting for AM, and I suspect it is coming from the tuning voltage. That nice DC-DC converter in the Superadio 3 isn't available any more, and any other reasonable substitute is probably either noisy or drifts. I know a few folks who kludge in a 12 or 15V battery into GE SR's to get the ultimate noise floor and stability. Because of the low current draw, those extra batteries last virtually forever. I'd suggest one of those 12V remote batteries that are about half the size of a AAA.

Its tough to compare sensitivity. The GE's definitely seem superior, at least the original (1) and the Superadio 2. But after alignment, the CCEP gets everything the others do. I've done some really critical 500 mile plus DX in the day with it.

Another real shocker is the Sony SRF-59. http://earmark.net/gesr/srf59.htm Sony has thrown away everything that has been conventional in radio design for decades and has re-invented the superhet. What is really shocking is just how selective a radio can be with a 50 kHz IF. Sensitivity is amazing for a unit that size. Convenience dictates it goes on trips with me rather than a GE SR or the CC-EP.
 
Hey, thanks for the link to that site. Some good info there, and It just may have clued me in what's wrong with my SR3. The tuning got really funky on it, and a bit erratic. I have never opened it up to see what makes it tick. Must be a pot driving the varactor voltage? My guess is that is my problem. Worth looking at anyway. I just got lazy, and didn't want another repair job, as I do all sorts of that kind of thing for a living... I'll take a look at the alignment on my CCR'EP.

df
 
jammerdave said:
Hey, thanks for the link to that site. Some good info there, and It just may have clued me in what's wrong with my SR3. The tuning got really funky on it, and a bit erratic. I have never opened it up to see what makes it tick. Must be a pot driving the varactor voltage? My guess is that is my problem. Worth looking at anyway. I just got lazy, and didn't want another repair job, as I do all sorts of that kind of thing for a living... I'll take a look at the alignment on my CCR'EP.

df
Click to expand...

The SR-3 is notorious for that tuning pot problem: http://earmark.net/gesr/sr3_instability.htm

Here is a link to the index page of the whole radio site: http://earmark.net/gesr/
 
I have the CCRadio-EP, too. This radio is best not too close to AM transmitters. In my situation, I am 3 miles from a station on 1460 kHZ. I hear all kinds of junk above 1460 and use the center knob on the side of the EP to the counterclockwise position and position the radio to be parallel to the 1460 tx site to receive other stations on 1490, 1500, and so on. On the http://earmark.net/gesr/ccep.htm, is the alignment turning the AM RF/IF cans to maximize any weak AM signals and get better performance? I didn't see any instructions on how to align an EP, even though mine doesn't seem to have much alignment issues.
 
ddsparxx said:
On the http://earmark.net/gesr/ccep.htm, is the alignment turning the AM RF/IF cans to maximize any weak AM signals and get better performance? I didn't see any instructions on how to align an EP, even though mine doesn't seem to have much alignment issues.
Click to expand...

Yes - it is for better performance. If you don't know how to do an alignment, I wouldn't touch it. I usually do IF first - not much to do on the CCEP. Then align the scale so it matches the dial markings by doing osc cap high, inductor low. Then maximize the gain on a weak signal high with antenna and RF capacitor, low with antenna and RF transformer. but the antenna coil is the ferrite bar - I wouldn't mess with the twin coil stuff.
 
I aligned the EP after a week of ownership. It was definitly not peaked. What I discovered on my unit, as the front case
with the speaker was mated with the back case, de-tuning occured. I found the large magnet assembly was de-tuning
the ferrite/coil after being peaked. A simple wrap around piece of steel strap on the antenna side of the magnet decoupled
this mass from the ferrite/coil.
With one 50kw and 5kw, and a 10kw am outlets only 2.5 and 1 mile away, this radio has rejection/imaging and overload problems,
and recommend it for use outside of strong signal areas.
 
The CC-EP really hears extremely weak signals well. I was spending a short time at a county park, away from RF noises and AM transmitters, in Stafford Co., VA, and at 11 AM I could hear Pittsburgh's WWNL AM 1080 about 190 miles away. WWNL is a 50 kW daytimer with 25 kW CH hours. I could also hear Philly's Radio Disney 640, too.
 
Hello to all. I'm thinking of getting this radio. I have the cc pocket radio now. Not the SW pocket. I'm living in Brandon Florida and I want to hear 580 WDBO from Orlando for the Orlando magic games. Will this radio do the job? It will mainly be at night. Also should I get that sony srf 59 as well? Do you think it's better than the CC pocket I have? Also, can the cc EP be tuned down to 87.5 fm? Or 87.7? Same with the sony? Thanks for all of your help. I'm blind so it would be hard to do any modification if needed. I have the sangean pr-d15 and not a fan of it. The FM is OK but the AM audio is terrible.
 
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I don't know much about the Sangean PR-D15, I think it's an updated version of the PR-D5?

The Sangean PR-D5's AM sound is a bit muffled because of its narrow bandwidth. It's very selective compared even to a Superadio. Pretty sensitive, also. A bit more sensitive than a Superadio.

I can live with the narrow selectivity because I've found it easier to DX with it...

But the Superadio is much more pleasant sounding.

The Sony SRF-59 has good selectivity -- not as tight as the PR-D5, but it's still very good -- and richer sound through headphones. It's a sensitive radio for having a 2 inch loopstick. At around $20, it's worth a try. I don't know how low it tunes on FM.
 
austingrace said:
Hello to all. I'm thinking of getting this radio. I have the cc pocket radio now. Not the SW pocket. I'm living in Brandon Florida and I want to hear 580 WDBO from Orlando for the Orlando magic games. Will this radio do the job? It will mainly be at night. Also should I get that sony srf 59 as well? Do you think it's better than the CC pocket I have? Also, can the cc EP be tuned down to 87.5 fm? Or 87.7? Same with the sony? Thanks for all of your help. I'm blind so it would be hard to do any modification if needed. I have the sangean pr-d15 and not a fan of it. The FM is OK but the AM audio is terrible.
Click to expand...

The CC-EP should do the job for you, it is the most sensitive portable in its class. As far as 580 at night, I don't know. You are in its nighttime pattern, so you should be all right. Here in Houston, depending on the time of year, I can get them right before sunset before they change their pattern, at night they are buried in the clutter from 580s all of the country. The CC-EP appears to have a tuning pot problem if used heavily, and is prone to overload on strong signals on the top of the band. But the lower end of the dial is fine, the antenna trim adjustment is nice. To compare your scenario daytime - the distance to 540 - 590 stations in my area is measured in hundreds of miles, not 70 or 80 like your situation. They are like locals - San Antonio, Beaumont, Dallas, Austin, all very strong so WDBO from your location in the daytime should be easy. Here is what is inside: http://earmark.net/gesr/ccep.htm

The same with the SRF-59 - an amazing little radio. I usually pack one when I go on a trip, sensitive as heck for a radio its size. Here is my write-up on it: http://earmark.net/gesr/srf59.htm
 
Hello. Thank you for those links. :) Talk about ultra nerdy. I love it. I mean no disrespect with that ultra nerdy thing. I just never heard of a radio being reviewed that in depth. I'm going to bite the bullet and buy both radios. Oh one more thing, I forgot to mention I'm in an apartment building as well. but I do have a back porch at my disposal as well.
 
austingrace said:
Hello. Thank you for those links. :) Talk about ultra nerdy. I love it. I mean no disrespect with that ultra nerdy thing. I just never heard of a radio being reviewed that in depth. I'm going to bite the bullet and buy both radios. Oh one more thing, I forgot to mention I'm in an apartment building as well. but I do have a back porch at my disposal as well.
Click to expand...

Apartment buildings are horrible for interference. That will probably be your limiting factor.
 
Hello to all. I just went ahead and purchased this radio and the sony srf-59. I'll keep you all posted on both. The CC EP seems real promising and may be the radio I have been looking for for years. I enjoyed this recording I found on the CCrane website about it. The guy that records the stuff is blind as well so that is really cool. Basically he does an over view of the radios. He was getting WSM 100 miles away in an apartment building with this radio. He said he was in huntsville so I'm assuming alabama but not 100 percent on that.
 
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Guys. I'm like a kid at Christmas over here!!!!!! Just waiting for the laser ship people to get here and it is radio nerding out heaven for me today. :) I also got the sony srf 59. It was only 14 bucks so I figured it can't be all that bad. I love testing new radios. There was a guy by the name of Tim Hendle on the ccrane website who is blind like me who made a recording of this radio and he managed to get WSM in an apartment in Huntsville on this radio. I'm assuming Alabama. I'm making a bold claim and saying this thing has got 580 wdbo here in Brandon without too much trouble. I bet you wflf will boom in like a local here in brandon in my apartment as well. Yeah, I'm excited. If you guys want audio I can get it for you. Start to put my youtube channel to good use. ahhahahha
 
Hello to all. This radio is so freaking amazing!!!!!!!!! The minute I started to play with it, ,I fell in love. I have heard stations on this thing i have never heard in my life. I actually heard a station from Texas I think. It was 1400 something and they were playing live country music in the studio but I did not get the name of the station. Any ideas? As for 580 in the apartment? It's there but very hard to get. I'll have to try outside tonight. WFLF does in fact come in like a local for the most part. This radio is a 9 out of 10 for me. My only gripe is how it images toward the end of the dial but to me it's still so worth it. ESP for 70 bucks on amazon you really can't go wrong. The AM sound quality is really almost FM quality. That is what I have been looking for years. This radio has been something i have been looking for for 8 years. And the srf 59? Amazing as well. That thing is really good for a 10 dollar radio. It has trouble with imaging but over all it kills even my 60 dollar CC pocket for the most part. The speaker on the CC EP is freaking amazing as well. It sounds better than most boom boxes you will ever by. It's almost in the jawbone jambox big box league. I love this radio and I hope it lasts a long time. If it ever goes, I'll buy another one without hesitation. It's defanatly making a trip to Altamonte with me for sure. I'd be interested to hear how WVLG, WPGS and WLBE sound on this thing. This radio is so perfect for me. It defanatly reignited my love for DXing. Oh yeah, WTMP here in Tampa sounds incredible on this thing as well.
 
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Hello to all. This radio can be a car radio replacement. As long as you have space to put the antenna up and stuff like that. Max 98.3 and 97x were drivable here in Brandon with it. The minute I left my apartment, 580 was not too much trouble to get. even outside my apartment on the porch 580 is a bit of trouble to get. I love this radio for sure. I love the srf-59 as well. Sometimes my srf-59 can get 580 in here as well.
 
Hello to all. I have moved to Altamonte Springs FL now and still love this radio. I had to send mine away to have it repaired. CCrane just sent me a new radio yesterday and I'll have it the 23. In the mean time, I splurged and bought the CCRadio-2E and love it. It solves all the overloading problems the ep had. I may keep the ep around though. My tuning pod got loose and it was not enjoyable to use the radio anymore. I used to love it. I constantly use the radio. My tuning pod went bad within a month or a little more.
 
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