CCrane CC Pocket Radio Review

9 Replies

I like CCrane Radios.  I probably shouldn’t because they are among some of the more expensive radios out there but I find them kind of hit or miss for the money.

For example I LOVE my CCrane 2E AM/FM/Weather/VHF radio.  I also love and could never part with my CCrane EP Pro (version 2).  Great little radio.

However I DESPISE my CCrane Skywave SSB radio.  It has AWFUL reception and it costs $170.  On paper it looks great.  In reality it sucks.

So it has been with some trepidation that I purchased the CC Pocket Radio.  I have wanted one though since they released it because, hey, I’m a radio nut and I want to hold them all and try them all.

Continue reading →

CCrane CCRadio EP Pro Review

20 Replies

Recently picked up a new CCrane CCRadio EP Pro and have the difficult task of shaking it down.  Why?  Because I also own the CCrane CCRadio 2E which is a FANTASTIC RADIO.

So why did I get an EP Pro?  Because I can.  It’s true, I don’t need it but I’m a radio buff.  And I own enough radios that I can form an opinion FAST on whether or not I think a particular radio is viable or not.   So what do I think about the EP Pro?

First impression.  Nice looking, attractive radio.  Not too heavy.  Good placement of controls. Also it has one of my favorite features for a radio……….a Line Out.  It does not have a jack labelled Line Out, however, the manual says it can be hooked to “an optional recording device” also known as “a computer with Audacity” on it.

Continue reading →

Radiwow XHDATA R-108 Short Wave Radio Review

17 Replies

Radiwow XHDATA R-108 Short Wave Radio Review

xhdata

XHDATA (Radiowow) R-108

Hi, I’m John and I’m addicted to short wave radios.

You can never have enough radios I always say.  I’ve seen the radio in question here around since 2018 or so but initially it was a buy from AliExpress only kind of radio.  It since crept over to Amazon and I recently decided to pick one up even though the last thing I need on planet earth is another short wave radio.

I have maybe 20 or 25 radios (I’m scared to actually count).  That being said I do actually break them all out and use them from time to time so they don’t just totally collect dust. I do use my gear.

Continue reading →

HF Listening. My Favorite Way.

1 Reply

I’m an old dude that grew up in the height of the CB radio craze.  CB radio is a gateway drug to ham radio or short wave radio.  I love listening to short wave radio, aka HF.

I have TONS of short wave radios.  There are tons of web pages on which radio is best and I personally think we get wrapped up too much in technical details. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful that people are giving things a proper shakedown but I’m a simple guy who just likes to spin the dial and listen to unusual things on HF.

I’ll show you what I’m up to this morning.  I have my Sangean ATS-909x which is probably my favorite short wave radio.

I’ll GUARANTEE you there are people out there who would scoff at that but I’m telling you…..I have at least 20 or 25 short wave radios and pound for pound, for where I live, under my conditions the Sangean almost lays everything else to waste.

Continue reading →

OP25 Dashboard

12 Replies

OP25 is my FAVORITE police scanner program.  I track two trunked radio systems with ONE software defined radio.  My Uniden Police Scanner that does that costs $800.  This way costs about $30.

Anyway, I’m reading through some OP25 stuff today and I found out it has a web interface.  SAY WHAT?  Looks like this.

Continue reading →

Fixing Your Own Appliances

Leave a reply

I am a HUGE advocate for buying appliances that are easy to maintain, without computer chips and boards, and that have an abundance of readily available spare parts.

I have a washer dryer combo I purchased in 2003 which is still going strong.  In 16 years I have only changed the pump on the washer (about $20) and replaced the belt on the dryer as far as general wear and tear goes.   When I moved back from Japan the movers crushed the top of the washer and dryer and broke the timer switch on the washer and some plastic brackets.  I negotiated a settlement and fixed all that stuff up like new as well.

Continue reading →

Good Swiss Army Knife Find

Leave a reply

I have a thing for Swiss Army knives and I’m a somewhat sporadic collector and sometimes modifier of them, and by that I mean changing the appearance of the scales.

The Swiss Army Knife has been around for quite some time and when a company has been making a product with robust sales for over 100 years you have to figure they are doing something right.   Over all those years there are some knives that are a bit more collectible than others.

Continue reading →

Making Your Refrigerator SMART

Leave a reply

I have an old refrigerator in my garage which I suspected was a power hog.  I bought a Sonoff S31 Power Monitoring outlet and flashed it with custom firmware (Tasmota) and blogged about that here.

I’ve since figured out you can do a WHOLE LOT MORE with a Tasmota flashed Sonoff S31. I figure there are two important things you’d want to know about an old refrigerator.

  1. Is it running?
  2. Has the door been left open?

Both answers can be tackled with home automation.  I use the EXCELLENT program HomeAssistant.  So let’s get to it, shall we?

Continue reading →

Using A Laptop As A TV – Old School Stuff

2 Replies

So sometimes a really good technology just never really takes off.  A USB TV Tuner is just one such technology.

It should have taken off.  Just about everyone who has a laptop should have one of these.  I have three.

So what would you use it for?  In my case I live in a Hurricane zone and in fact got blasted by Hurricane Florence last year and had no power for several days.  (Actually I had power because I have a full house generator). Anyway, due to a concern for the amount of fuel I had on hand I shut down at times and THIS is how I got my news during those times.

Continue reading →

AirSpyHF+ Spyserver on Raspberry Pi

13 Replies

AirSpyHF+ on Spyserver on Raspberry Pi

What is a Spyserver and why do you NEED one?  A spyserver takes an RTL-SDR software radio and allows it to be used over the network or controlled from the internet if you allow.

 

For this project I’m using the AirSpyHF+ ($199 USD).  The AirSpyHF+ is probably the BEST HF SDR radio you can get.  This project will let us operate from about 9kHz to about 31 MHz where AM radio, and Short Wave Radio reside.

Continue reading →