My first restored radio had the same receptacle. John Rose's radio (see Introduction above) has an odd utility plug on its back, which is polarized, whereas the main plug is unpolarized. Transformer radios like this one are intrinsically safe. Often one of the two poles of the plug is connected to the chassis, potentially generating hazards, when touching the chassis, especially when the original unpolarized plugs are used. Saving the transformer makes the radio cheaper and lighter. Transformerless AA5 designs use tubes, which have heater voltages adding up to 110Volt, and their plate voltages are provided by directly rectifying the 110V from the plug. Transformers decouple the 110V power outlet from the radio, and provide separate voltages for the heaters and the plates of the tubes. Transformers were used in all radios until the 1930's, when the so-called AA5 designs came up. PleaseĮ-mail me (Kris) for any questions, ich spreche Deutsch, je parle Français. A youtube video had been published for the first restored radio (ref.3). The radio has been partly recapped (there is no hum and all voltages are within specifications). The radio still has separate antenna and ground connections, needing extension by a long wire or an external loop to receive optimally. There is only one source left for new old stock of this arched pattern. The radio is all-original, except the grill cloth, which however is authentic (ref.2).
The set features a wide frequency range, with expanded broadcast-band including police band, and two shortwave bands continuously covering the whole SW range from 2.3 to 22 MHz. The slanted dial scale, and the intricately interleaved round and sharp edges give the radio a unique and rarely seen look. The radio as many of Vassos' designs (pict.36), features chrome parts, here two vertical bars across an arched speaker cloth. John as well as Mark Stein in his book "Machine Age To Jet Age I" attribute the cabinet to John Vassos (see below under Vassos). An enthusiastic account of the radio has been written by John Rose (ref.2), who found his at the Bayhead Radio Museum in Bayhead, Nova Scotia, Canada. Up for sale is the second instance of this prominent and rare example for this period, a Canadian RCA Victor A-20. The Canadian General Electric Co., Ltd., and the RCA Victor Co., Montreal were important centers of radio development and production during the 1930's. This is the second A-20 Globetrotter radio I restored, the other one being documented in ref.1 Very Rare 5-tube SW Radio Model A-20 "Globe Trotter", made by Canadian RCA Victor in 1939, in cabinet attributed to John Vassos, near mint condition
1939 Canadian RCA A-20 Globe Trotter Radio Design John VassosĬanadian RCA Victor A-20 Globe Trotter 1939 John Vassos Radio