C. Crane CC Skywave SSB 2 AM, FM, Shortwave, NOAA Weather + Alert, Scannable VHF Aviation Band and Single Side Bands Small Battery Operated Portable Travel Radio Includes SW Wire Antenna Adapter

The C. Crane Skywave SSB 2 is in a class by itself - a small, travel-sized portable that can tune Longwave, Mediumwave (the AM broadcast band), Shortwave (including both the broadcast and SSB bands), FM broadcasts, the VHF airband and NOAA weather stations. It runs on only 2 AA batteries (and can charge NiMH batteries internally). Ergonomics are not wonderful, no surprise for a tiny travel portable, but performance is quite good and the frequency coverage listed above is unmatched in other travel portables.

Love it

The radio is small and takes up no space. Everything I've tried works, including WX and AIR bands. In my case, AM reception for local radio stations is fine in spite of using an AC adapter. For me it works fine as a bedside radio. It's a complete multiband "kit", including an additional reel antenna, external antenna adapter and earbuds. Amazing capability for a portable unit.

update 8/30/2026 This is my second update. The AIR band is very productive, many receptions, including from some distance. See my earlier comments below. SSB not producing much, if anything, so far. I watched a video illustrating SSB how-to for this device, and believe I am doing everything correctly, but haven't gotten much (anything) on SSB that can be listened to. SW: If, like me, you listened to SW in the 1960s & early 70s, you may be disappointed by what is available today. So far, predominantly a handful of religious stations. International activity is light. Ham negligible. CB essentially zero. Maybe I'll discover more with persistence. I am not changing my star rating; still three stars. I believe this device is overpriced. I suspect other manufacturers offer pretty much the same performance and satisfaction for less. update 8/25/2026 I've discovered the first issue. There is a scanner capability (quickly press up and down arrows simultaneously) over 10 saved AIR frequencies in the active open page. However, the scanner is so quick to change the frequency from one to the next that it often won't stop when a signal is detected, or, only stops when a particularly strong signal is detected. So, the scanner doesn't stop for many slightly weaker signals, sometimes not at all for any, for hours. There is sort of a fix that helps. Store the same frequency into neighboring memories, So, frequency A into memories 1 & 2, B into 3 &4, C into 5 & 6, D into 7 & 8, and E into 9 & 0. This doubles the latency for any one frequency before the scanner shifts to another. The downside is that you are monitoring only 5 frequencies instead of 10. This fix is not foolproof, still misses some signals, but it helps. Because of this issue, I have lowered my rating to three stars. Crane either needs to slow the scanner rate or lower the threshold for detection, or give the user the control to adjust the latency themselves, First review: 8/23/2026 This just arrived about five hours ago. Let me establish that I am not a radio guru. I had a shortwave radio in the mid 60s and a CB radio in the late 90s as well as a Uniden scanner at that time. I was curious about getting back into casual listening of CB, general SW and air frequencies. It works. As noted by others, the speaker is tinny, but I considered that irrelevant. The included ear buds work well. The included 23 ft. spooled antenna is clever, easy to deploy and to quickly wind up for storage. It is essential for SW. I received essentially nothing that could be listened-to unless this antenna was used. AM and FM work well. I entered all of my local AIR stations. The airport is 5 to 7 miles from me as the crow flies, but on the other side of a mountain range. I had no trouble picking up the tower and some planes in the air though those were weaker. Being able to save for scan only ten AIR frequencies is a major deficiency. I had perhaps 15-20 I wanted to enter but had to settle for 10. There is not nearly as much to listen to on general SW as there was in the 60s. I checked all of the CB frequencies (you have to enter these manually, but easy to do). Essentially nothing on CB compared to the late 90s. I haven't deeply checked SSB. That is new to me and not sure yet how to approach it. For now, I am giving this device 4 stars. I am disappointed there is much less to listen to as in the past, but every feature I tried on the device seemed to work well. I do think this unit is overpriced and that is the reason for less than five stars. I haven't checked other devices to see if there is something special about this that might justify the price.

MY HUSBAND LOVES THIS LITTLE RADIO

This is an amazing radio—100% worth the price. For a radio of this size, the sound is excellent. I don’t understand why some people say the sound isn’t good. It’s very small, perfect for camping and backpacking, and also very easy to use.

!. With no experience and no additional equipment, I can sit on my patio and listen to NOAA Weather, aircraft passing by speaking to air traffic control, FM and AM stations as well as some shortwave. I'm sure when I get around to connecting the supplied antenna and gain a little more knowledge of frequency I will be able to pick up more.

Super radio. Works great. Reception is excellent! Well made and replacement parts are available. One of the high end radios on Amazon. The only drawback is it is also one of the most expensive in its class. If you make the decision to purchase this radio, you won’t be disappointed.

Bestes kleines SSB-fähiges Radio seit langem...

Great product and batteries last long.

Better than expected!

Tooks weeks to arrive. Installed "AA" batteries as instructed. Several different batteries, all checked and charged completely, Duracells. Would not turn on. Wouldn't be annoyed if it didn't take weeks to arrive. Could have sent it back right away. Needed it for trip. Now, looking for other options.