Strange and unusual tuning capacitor

[Hartley118]

Many American radios were built with RF stages for higher sensitivity and hence a better choice of stations for listeners in remote areas. That would account for the 3-gang capacitor.

Bandspread on the short-waves (tuned with those low capacitance sections) would further increase the listener's ability to tune readily into a greater variety of stations and easily return to their favourites.

Martin