The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-05-09
CHINOOK YOUTH
RADIO INVENTOR
PERFECTS APPARATUS WHICH
MAY REVOLUTIONIZE
RECEIVING
Is a Set With But One Control; Was
Wireless Expert at IL Years Old;
Robert Lehfeldt, Inventor. Is
Student of 10 Years.

: Gle, Ind, has completed a radio
Z development which viii likely
bring pleasure to hundreds of thou
sands of persons. The Chinook
boys development is a receiving
set with one control-one, not six
or eight or 10.
This does not mean that the vari-
Gus adjustments possible through the
numerous controls on other sets are
impossible on this. Rather, all adj
justments achieved on the more COM
plicated sets are so synchronized that
the one control on this set moves
them in the proper harmony.
The young inventor of this revolu-
tionary improvement is Robert Leh-
feldt, 10. His home is at Chinook,
but last fall he went to the Indiana
town in order to take the electrical
course offered in the high school
I there. Young Lehfelt graduated
from the Chinook high school last
spring, but there he had no oppor-
tunity to do electrical work Hear
! ing of the electrical class conducted
at Muncie by Harvey M. Anthony, he
found an opportunity to study under
that instructor during the winter
and has developed his radio inven-
ton while carrying on his school
work.
Was Waiting for the Radio
Seven years ago, when the boy was
IL years old, his interest turned to
wireless telegraphy, the nearest pa
ternal ancestor of radio. His knowl-
edge of this was such that when the
radio was developed he was right
in the front row.
Seeing that the more highly devel
oped the receiving sets became the
more complicated and difficult be-
came their operation, Lehfeldt real
lied that the most needed develop |
ment was to make the receiving set
simple and foolproof-so simple that |
any child who can turn a knob can |
operate the outfit, and so fool-proof |
that there is nothing to fool with
Seeks Patent Protection
The effort to simplify the control
began more than six months ago and
spent many long hours be-
fore he achieved his goal The radio
fan who spends an entire evening
In harmonizing the controls for a few
stations, and later finds himself I'M
1Dlo W ISpOdl Tic pIOCCSS Inlay, IL hIo
be strong, imagine the
patience and application required t.
the controls so that all
will work in unison at all times.
The inventor has applied for pat
emit protection on his control de-
rice and until his patent registration
papers are received, he is keeping
his part of the apparatus in metal
ase and closed from view. 1t is
hree-tube, semi-reflex, non-regenera
i've set, with wave length range of
rom 100 to 500 meters.
Stations Nearly Indexed =
Another feature of the outfit is
hat it is so calibrated that the oper- !.
tor may locate any desired station .
merely by turning the indicator to .
he cataloged numbers simple as
citing the hand of clock. By ex- q
erimenting, Lehfeldt has found that, q,
or example, Station KDKA is picked =,
p when the indicator is at 65; WOS ~
J heard at 81; WGN at IA and so on. .,
ZACH of the 81 stations heard over -,
be outfit has been listed with its To-
alton number. So when the opera =,
Dr. wishes to hear a program from =,
-DKA, he ascertains that its number
IS, turns the indicator to IS, and -,
lere is KDKA. Conversely, if the -
perator picks up a selection when =,
lie indicator is at 80, and he doesn't 81 81
ish to wait until announcer drawls 81
This is radio station WOS, Jefferson
ity, Missoury," he may find No. 80 70
the catalog and see that he is list -
hing to WOS. ~
Has Heard 81 Stations " "
Moreover, Lehfeldt has developed sI
/ accurate selective power in his =! =,
t. Although two broadcasting sta ~ ~
ons may be heard at numbers sep
ated only few points on the cali -
ated dial, one station may be cut 20
1t clearly as the other is cut in. On =
,ood radio nights" literally dozens Oh
stations can be picked up in half -
many minutes. til;
Telephones and Pie Pans No
Among other things that Lehfeldt sir
s done, he has evolved a new use wr
r telephones and for pie pans. One
ght when the static was unusually
moving, he conceived the plan of +bs
.aching his outfit to the telephone the
stead of to the aerial. Although thf
Is cut down the volume slightly, it for
much of the static and Pc
s considered highly successful UNI m
the telephone company reported
at it interfered with the phone
vice.
The idea was too good to discard,
the next step was to get connec-
n that would not affect the tele-
one service. The method was so
1ple as to be almost ridiculous.
hfelt set the telephone Ga desk
one) in tin pie pan and con-
cted his set with the pan-and
It was the aerial The felt cover
on the bottom of the phone serves
an insulation that prevents inter
ence with telephone service, yet
results are the same as if there
} a direct connection. And when
telephone rings, the person an
,ring the call lifts the phone from <
pie pan, and the aerial connec-
l is broken.
Only Small Cabinet Required
Jext to the simplicity of control,
outstanding advantage of young
feldt's development is the small
of the cabinet. The absence of
myriad controls and the beautf-
y accurate wiring connections in Wri