Cossor were involved in radio from the 1920’s, but did
not start manufacturing complete receivers until 1930. Before then they sold kits of parts that could be assembled
by the home enthusiast, marketed as the Melody Maker. Cossor were also already an important valve manufacturer.
The first complete receivers were made at the Highbury works, and
production took off so quickly that cabinet manufacture was soon moved elsewhere
so that the electronic construction could take place at one location.
Cossor were one of the biggest pre-war manufacturers, with
a large range of sets. However the
cabinets tended to be very 
similar,
with minor changes to the grilles for example.
Shown left is the 369A mains receiver from 1935.
It is a competent performer, but certainly no better than its
competitors. That cabinet shape was
used for many different models over several years.
Cossor did try to embrace some of the more contemporary styles of the
time, for example the 363A appeared in the same cabinet but with chrome and
black tuning escutcheon surround with black knobs, and chrome cabinet detailing.
However, the uninspiring square walnut cabinet meant that the chrome had
nothing like the effect seen on Ekco bakelite receivers for instance. Cossor
described the 369A cabinet in marketing for the identical 368 cabinet as “of
attractive design with bakelite fittings” and continued “high grade
workmanship and careful finish combine harmoniously to give an indefinable air
of quality”. For many years
Cossor continued to supply their sets with plywood backs painted black, instead
of going over to the more usual pressed card backs.
By 1935 most of Cossor’s competitors had gone over to the
superhet design, but Cossor were still persisting with the Tuned 
Radio
Frequency (TRF) design. This meant
that a reaction control was still necessary as one of the receiver controls.
Cossor tried to impress their potential customers by marketing their
receivers as “Super-Ferrodyne” (presumably feeling they have to incorporate
the word “super” to counteract Supersonic Hetrodyne” used by other
makers). Cossor were one of the
bigger manufacturer’s of the 1930’s so a lot of people must have been
convinced by this ruse. But in
retrospect, one wonders how! One thing they did get right though was the
composition of their celluloid tuning scales.
Unlike Ekco scales the Cossor ones seem not to be prone to shrinkage. The
369A is designed for use on either AC or DC mains, and has a valve line-up of
13VPA, 13SPA, 402P, 40SUA.
Continue to more Cossor receivers
© COPYRIGHT RETAINED ON ALL TEXT AND IMAGES ON THIS SITE
