RCA Model BX-6 "Globe Trotter" Tube Portable (1950)
RCA made more than one "Globe Trotter" portable over the
years. This one was made in 1950. A very similar tube portable
(Model 8BX6) appeared in 1948. I have a transistor-powered
Model 1-T-5J Globe Trotter from 1959.
These radios cover only the standard broadcast band (i.e., no shortwave),
so perhaps the name just suggests portability rather than serious
long-distance listening. All three Globe Trotters share a brushed
aluminum face, thumbwheel knobs for volume and tuning, and a cylindrical
dial cover that also switches the power on. Many
portables sport covers of one sort or another, and some of
them, such as my Motorola Models 5A5 and
51M1U, have covers that turn on the power.
The cylindrical dial cover is an elegant solution, however, since it
slides up into the cabinet like a rolltop desk
instead of getting in the way.
At 13 x 10.5 x 5 inches, this is one of the largest AM tube portables that I own.
My Zenith TransOceanics are even larger
and heavier, but they're different creatures altogether,
offering shortwave as well as AM reception.
Inside, you'll find a typical set of miniature
tubes (1T4, 1R5, 1T4, 1U5, 3V4). Many tube portables
demand two separate battery supplies, but this set
takes a single battery, specified on the inside sticker as
RCA VS-019. Since the plug on the battery cable has five pins,
I assume this battery was a compound unit supplying more than
one voltage.
This big-shouldered radio has a masterly tone, but the aluminum
components are pretty light-gauge stamped material. And the
overall fit and finish of the set is inferior to my 1959 Globe Trotter.
Still, it makes a handsome "older brother" to my transistor
set.
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