I don’t know if I’d say we’re experts on recording, but we’re definitely very experienced. We’ve carried several different kinds of recording devices to try to help customers record long running late night talk radio shows.
Below is a recap of some of the products we’ve carried:
Dual Cassette Decks: Back in 1994 or 95 we carried Fisher dual cassette decks, one even had auto reverse. Some of them had timers and some didn’t. We found that usually they were fairly difficult to set up and since they were a component stereo piece there were no speakers built-in and no radio. These pieces had to be hooked up to speakers or play back the
cassettes on a different device. We carried some of these through 1999.
The Reel Talk arrived in 1996 – This seemed like the answer to all our problems. Built-in radio and speaker. No auto-reverse, but it could record at slow speed which would give approximately 4 hours on a 120 minute cassette tape and it had a programmable timer. Unfortunately it wasn’t the most reliable product. That said, there were a lot of people who loved this recorder and used it every single night to record Art Bell.
The CC Recorder: This was our first foray into our own design of a recorder and it was way ahead of its time; a little too far ahead. It was an actual hard drive with a multi-event programmable timer. It could record up to 115 hours at lower quality or 15 hours at high quality. No built in radio but could record from any audio source. It’s only drawbacks were that It took too much power so no batteries, it was only AC powered and it was very complicated. Sean became our resident expert on this product and we all passed every troubleshooting call to him (sorry Sean).
In 2000, we introduced the VersaCorder Tape Recorder – It recorded at regular speed or ¼ speed and had a multi-event programmable timer. We carried this recorder up until 2014 and still receive requests for it, but alas no one is making parts for cassette recorders or players. Talk about a challenge. Go to a manufacturing plant and say I want to make a cassette player…. not a lot of takers. Part of this is because of the solid state digital media, but part is because cassettes and cassette parts are prone to breakage. Lots of little moving pieces that wear out over repeated use.
We’ve had a variety of other Recorders; the Sony MiniDisc Recorder; Sony Digital Voice Recorder; Sangean ATS818ACS; Aiwa Personal AM/FM Radio & Tape Recorder, The Radio Your Way and several others. We actually used the Aiwa to make the original 909 audio instructions. We even had a VCR patchcord that could be used to record only audio to a VHS tape. Yes, we actually helped people program their VCRs.
Currently the CC Witness Plus is the only recorder we carry. The original CC Witness was introduced in 2008. A solid state recorder with a built-in AM/FM Radio, line input and a 20 event timer. 
SD card option for extended record time or 2GB of onboard memory. It has a built-in Mic or a line in and can record from the built-in radio or any external audio source. This is great for folks who can’t stay up listening to Coast to Coast or are at work when Rush is on. It’s kind of like DVR for radio.
What does the future of recording look like for C. Crane? Likely a culmination of our past successes and learning experiences mixed with customer feedback.
We want to know – how and what do you record? Have you “hacked” a recording product to make it work for something other than what it was designed it for? Or have you come up with something novel on your own? Leave a comment and let us know.
I used to record lectures in school and go home to transcribe and replay multiple times if need be. Had to do this!
Ok sorry to be the dummy but there’s no tape so it’s digital? and stores how much?
After Christmas more time to cogitate.
just talk radio I want to listen to later
In the 80s I built a simple timer circuit that would play a casette player for 30 seconds at the push of a button. I used this at a local raceway to provide ad mentions for sponsors
I believe it stores up to 8gb external + 2gb internal, which depending on the recording quality equals roughly ~50 hours. Not bad. I love mine!
Would be great for Amateur radio
IF YOU HAVE ART BELL SHOWS RECORDED ON TAPES CONTACT ME at BRUGVU@HOTMAIL.COM
I BUY THEM, CONVERT THEM TO MP3’s (for historical preservation) AND I WOULD SEND YOU BACK THE MP3s FOR FREE. FREE ART BELL RADIO SHOW CONVERSIONS FOR YOU!
Please bring back the CC witness radio for recording. I bought the cc witness and it quick working after a few years so bought the new CC Plus which has stopped working after a few years also, although I was disappointed that they didn’t last longer, I cannot find another radio with the same recording functions and cannot listen to coast to coast anymore. Will cc crane ever make them available again or do you where I can buy a radio like it. Would appreciate any info about this.
Hi Helen, thank you for the message. The Witness/Witness+ have been discontinued and will not be coming back. A new recorder is certainly in our plans. Unfortunately, it is several years out as we have other projects in front of it. I have tried quite a few recorders and haven’t found one outside of ours that I would recommend. John W – Customer Service
I have been using a Retekess V115 pocket radio (AM/FM/Shortwave with MP3 recorder/player) for a few years now. It functions very similarly to the CC Witness. It records from the radio, line input, or built-in microphone. It comes with a rechargeable battery and has the best audio quality from its built-in speaker (full and even a bit bassy) that I’ve ever heard out of a small pocket radio. AM and SW reception is crisp and clear, up to 6 kHz bandwidth. I can receive distant AM stations by skywave at night, no problem. The MP3 recordings made sound pretty good and can be transferred to a computer via the included USB cable. (No timers, though.)
When I was in college I experimented with recording low-definition video to cassette tape. The video signal was generated on a PC (about 30 or 40 lines resolution if I remember correctly). I think one of the scan frequencies was recorded in one channel and the luminance signal on the other channel. This was played back on an oscilloscope and the picture was indeed resolved. If I fast-forwarded the tape with the playback head still touching, the picture would fast-forward as well, just like “cueing” on a VHS player.
Another example of modding a recorder that I recall is one-man broadcaster Bob Bittner of The Memories Stations WJIB 740 Cambridge-Boston and WJTO 730 in Bath, Maine. In the ’90s before computer automation, he dubbed LPs and CDs to the hi-fi audio track of 8-hour VHS tapes, and had them play in a stack of VHS decks controlled by timers. I think he also had them hooked up to a telephone patch device where he could control playback by punching in codes from his home phone.