Congratulations to Oberio., winner of the SoftSpeaker Pillow Speaker
Today’s giveaway is the Unity Plus LED Flashlight
For a chance to win, all you have to do is comment on today’s blog.
Today’s blog question: What is your favorite holiday song?
25 Days Of Christmas
Congratulations to A.R., winner of the 2 Power Vivid Pocket Flashlights.
Today’s giveaway is the SoftSpeaker Pillow Speaker.
For a chance to win, all you have to do is comment on today’s blog.
Today’s blog question: There are two kinds of people when they see Christmas decorations at a store, which one are you in the image below (King Theoden “It Begins” or Elf “SANTA’S COMING!”)?
The winners will be selected in a random drawing and will be announced tomorrow morning. Good Luck!
25 Days Of Christmas
December 3rd, 2014:
Congratulations to Henry, winner of the CC Buds
Today’s giveaway are 2 Power Vivid Pocket Flashlights.
For a chance to win, all you have to do is comment on today’s blog.
Today’s blog question: What is your favorite holiday tradition?
The winners will be selected in a random drawing and will be announced tomorrow morning. Good Luck!
Money and Radio
The holiday
s are a notorious time for throwing the budget out the window. Larger than life meals, parties, travel – not to mention the presents, make it easy to forget about long term financial goals and live in the moment. My boss, Bob Crane (yes he is a real person that exists) has always said that radio is an excellent source of information on any topic you want to know about including money. As with life, every person has different ideas of what that long term financial goal looks like. Fortunately, there are a variety of shows that provide different ideas and paths to get there so you can find one that resonates with you. Some of the most popular (and our favorites) are shown below along with a quick synopsis on their focus.
Bob Brinker – MoneyTalk: Weekend show focusing on investment strategies, personal finance and general money management. Stock market timing, current investment related issues and how they might impact your strategies.
Dave Ramsey – The Dave Ramsey Show: Weekday show with real talk about life and money. Common sense approach to getting out of debt and building wealth.
Clark Howard – The Clark Howard Show: Weekday show that teaches you how to save more, spend less and avoid rip offs. Clark is a consumer advocate who also helps people find the best deals on everything.
While I won’t divulge who, there are folks here at C. Crane who have subscribed to Bob Brinker’s Market Timer newsletter, who use Dave Ramsey’s financial peace programs and who regularly tune into Clark Howard’s show.
There’s never been a better time to use radio for learning more about your money. As with anything in life, do your due diligence before taking anyone’s advice in regard to your finances. The shows listed above are not a comprehensive list of all that’s available. They have been on air for a long time and have real stories for and against so you can make up your own mind (yay freedom!). But there are other shows that pop up now and again that want to take you for a ride. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is (especially if it involves betting in Vegas).
Bob’s Tip: If you have never invested before try using “make believe money” for a few years and see where their advice takes you. It is a great way to learn.
25 Days Of Christmas
December 2nd, 2014:
Congratulations to winner Alan Wilson of the Senta Ally Bluetooth® Stereo Speaker w/ FM
Today’s giveaway are the CC Buds.
For a chance to win, all you have to do is comment on today’s blog.
Today’s blog question: Real or Fake Christmas Tree?
The winners will be selected in a random drawing and will be announced tomorrow morning. Good Luck!
25 Days Of Christmas
December 1st, 2014:
Everyone at C. Crane is pumped and ready to kick-off the holiday season. Each year we work hard in preparation for the holiday season. This year, we want to celebrate the fruit of our labor, so come join in on the celebration by participating in our 25 Days of Christmas! Each day we will be giving away a C. Crane product by selecting a random winner at draw. In order to participate, all you have to do is comment on or answer our blog post question of the day. The winners will be selected in a random drawing and will be announced the following business day.
Today
’s question: Do you travel for the holidays or stay at home?
Today’s giveaway is the Senta Ally Bluetooth Stereo Speaker with FM
Thanksgiving and Radio
The smell of turkey baking, pumpkin pie cooling and the faint sound of holiday jingles; that’s my idea of a Thanksgiving Day tradition. We all have our personal Thanksgiving Day traditions. Radio has its traditions too.
Radio host Rush Limbaugh has an annual tradition known as “The Real Story of Thanksgiving”, in which he gives his interpretation of the Thanksgiving story on his show the day before Thanksgiving. To find Rush on a radio station near you go to http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/stations.
Football plays an important role in many homes on Thanksgiving Day. Games play almost all day long featuring coverage of NFL and even College ball. I’ve personally heard people say, “Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be the same without a football game playing throughout the house”. Radio can have even more sports coverage than your television program, with highlights and play-by-plays from local hosts and announcers. Here’s a link to the NFL TV schedule since there are many licensing broadcast rights issues, you’ll want to check with your local radio station to see what’s being broadcast.
You can guarantee there will be at least one radio station that covers the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as well; a New York City Tradition since 1942. The announcement of the Santa Claus float at the end is an unofficial sign that Christmas is here. Do you hear the ringing of sleigh bells?
Old Time Radio programs are in high demand this time of year too. Stories of Burns and Allen’s “Gracie Buys a Live Turkey” and Gunsmoke’s “Turkey Shoot” will hopefully bring back fond Thanksgiving Day memories and help create new ones. OTRCAR.com offers a variety of Old Time Radio programs, you’re invited to check them out.
Whatever your tradition, the C. Crane family wishes you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!
C. Crane’s Been Busy!
C. Crane took a short blogging break to work on exciting new radio and audio projects. We sure do feel like hard working elves in our tech shop but the work pays off. Here’s a look at what we’ve been up too.
The CC WiFi 2 with remote, in Black
CC WiFi 2 with remote, in Cherry
The new WiFi Internet Radio; the CC WiFi 2 was released in October. This radio took us some time. We wanted to create a WiFi radio that was both aesthetically pleasing and functional. The CC WiFi 2 uses TuneIn and is app based driven. There are thousands of stations available and hundreds of hosts to listen to, so that aspect of WiFi Radio hasn’t changed. WiFi radio still requires a broadband internet connection but the CC WiFi 2 has a built in FM tuner to receive local FM stations. We integrated Bluetooth® into the WiFi 2 so you can play your Bluetooth® devices like your smartphone or tablet through the radio’s speaker. We also include a full size remote control for easy access. The CC WiFi Radio 2 comes in black or Cherry finish.
CC Skywave
The CC Skywave project has also been completed and is on the way now. The CC Skywave is a small, travel size radio that has AM, FM, Shorwave, Weather and Aviation. The Aviation band allows you to listen in to nearby air traffic controllers. This radio is the ultimate travel radio. The reception and audio is remarkable for the radio’s small size and the operation is straight forward and easy to understand. It took us a while to make sure it met our standards, but it was worth the wait.
New projects continue to be in the works for all of you C. Crane fans and we can’t wait to share them with you.
Radio Recording
Recording your favorite radio program or music may seem like a challenge but really it’s quite simple. Here you’ll read why recording live radio and music is so convenient and we’ll offer suggestions of possible recording devices that may work for you.
Why would someone want to record a live radio program or music?
If you enjoy listening to a radio program daily but don’t have time to listen live or stay up late to catch it, you can record the program and play it back at your convenience. It’s free and subscription is not required.
Purchasing music can be expensive. Recording music can be free! If you listen to music from a computer or from an internet radio you can record and play back whenever you like. This is an easy solution to getting music that can be costly.
What will you need to record live radio or music?
Picking the right device to record and for playback is important. Here are a few questions you may want to ask yourself when making the decision.
Will you need a portable device?
Having a portable recording device is convenient because sometimes you just need to record your favorite program, song or interview on the fly. Also, your music or radio program is available to listen to at any time whether in your car, on a walk or jog or even when waiting in a line at the grocery store. We suggest the CC Witness Plus. It is small, light-weight, runs on a battery pack, has built in microphones, AM/FM radio and can go anywhere with you. It also has a built in 2GB memory card and the ability to add additional memory. Patch cords are included.
Will you need a stationary device?
A stationary recording device is normally much larger. It’s considered “table size” and can even be compared to the classic tape recorder. Most stationary devices are supplied with electric cords and have the ability to run on batteries. They have larger display screens and an easier menu to read. The buttons are larger for simple recording and playback. The speaker is also larger which makes for better sound quality.
We suggest the Sangean DAR 101 Digital Recorder. It is considered a stationary recording and playback device that has a large and legible display screen, built in microphones and a high quality speaker.
It can be powered by either batteries or a power cord. There is no built in memory but it uses a standard SD card of any brand and size. The Sangean Dar 101 does not have a radio built in but will connect to most AM/FM radios, a computer or audio device you would like to record from. A patch cord to record from other devices is necessary and is not included.
Will you need something that is both portable and stationary?
Having both a portable and stationary recording device may be necessary for the recording aficionado. We suggest the Sangean PRD8 for this purpose. It’s portable and comes with an electric cord or runs on batteries, records from the built in AM/FM radio or the built in microphone and can connect to other devices. There is no built in memory and requires a standard SD card of any brand or size. A patch cord to record from other devices is necessary and is not included.
You’ll never be able to live without your digital recorder and player
Recording live radio and music is no longer a challenge with digital recording devices and playback is simple and very convenient. Missing your favorite show or song is practically impossible now.
We want to hear about your experience with digital recording and also any questions you may have. Please feel free to leave us a comment or contact us.