Chapter 1274
What if a radio were mounted on a tank? Two top leaders gathered in the studio.
As the senior leader of the Communications Corps was about to board the vehicle, he suddenly remembered something and instructed his orderly to contact the Telecommunications Technology Research Institute immediately.
Currently, battlefield radio communications in China are mainly being led by telecommunications technology research institutes.
The top leader appeared exceptionally excited throughout the journey, constantly urging the driver to speed up.
The driver's palms were sweaty as he gripped the steering wheel, but he didn't dare to be too reckless. After all, although there weren't many cars on the roads in Beijing, there were plenty of pedestrians and bicycles, and safety came first.
The jeep sped along and finally arrived at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.
At this time, Li Aiguo and Zhou Ke had already returned with the transistor radio.
The militiamen from the armed forces department had not yet received orders to retreat and were still guarding the workshop with their guns on.
The moment the high-ranking leader got out of the car, he was stopped by fully armed militiamen.
The orderly quickly stepped forward and showed his identification. After the militiamen confirmed that it was correct, they saluted and made way for him.
Seeing this elaborate setup, the top leader was not angry at all; on the contrary, he nodded with great satisfaction.
If the information reported in the urgent letter from the Armed Forces Department is true, then this level of security measures is absolutely necessary, indicating that the local comrades are highly vigilant.
The high-ranking leader strode into the studio.
Li Aiguo, Zong Xianfeng, Lao Kong, and the others have already been notified and are waiting inside.
Upon seeing the arrival of the high-ranking leader of the communications corps, the group exchanged bewildered glances, each harboring some doubts.
Section Chief Xing and the leaders of the locomotive depot were notified immediately and rushed over without stopping.
Seeing the bewildered faces of the people at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, the senior leader didn't bother with pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Thank you all for your hard work. Forget the formalities, where is that transistor radio you've built?"
Section Chief Xing then understood the purpose of the high-ranking leader's visit and quickly gave Li Aiguo a wink.
Li Aiguo stepped forward, and the senior leader looked him up and down: "You must be Comrade Li Aiguo? To achieve so much at such a young age is truly remarkable. You are a promising young man."
"Boss, this is all thanks to the support from above."
Li Aiguo said a few words of humility and then led the senior leader toward the station.
The senior leader was still somewhat puzzled: "Comrade Aiguo, is the radio station outside?"
"That's right, sir. To test its actual performance, we've installed the transistor radio on the train car and plan to conduct a test run this afternoon," Li Aiguo explained.
The top leader was even more excited.
He had been a little worried that short-range indoor testing wouldn't be able to verify the transistor radio's true coverage and anti-interference capabilities, but now that he could test it directly on the vehicle, that was perfect.
The group arrived at the station yard, where the train drivers were looking at the train with curiosity. When they saw so many leaders and militiamen, they all gathered around curiously.
"Aiguo, and who is this?" Cao Wenzhi, who was in charge of the first test vehicle and was leading a group of drivers to make preparations, also came over.
"This is a high-ranking leader from the Signal Corps."
"This is my mentor, Cao Wenzhi, the train driver of test car 1."
"Hello, leader!" Cao Wenzhi was so excited after realizing the identity of the big leader that he was a little flustered.
The senior leader took the initiative to shake Cao Wenzhi's hand and gave it a good shake: "Master Cao, you've taken on a good apprentice! I'll have to trouble you with your help for this test."
The top leader was approachable and had no airs whatsoever.
Li Aiguo wasn't surprised; most of the older leaders of that era had come through the hail of bullets and were pragmatic in their approach.
Subsequently, Li Aiguo led the top leader onto the test vehicle.
The top leader's eyes lit up as he looked at the newly assembled transistor radio.
The fact that the radio can be powered by batteries indicates that there is no problem with the voltage on the vehicle.
Another point is its size and weight. Compared to large radios, it's miniature, which offers many advantages.
Li Aiguo gave a brief introduction to the senior leader, who praised him repeatedly and eagerly asked Li Aiguo to demonstrate.
Li Aiguo instructed Yan Jiecheng to notify Cao Wenzhi, who was testing vehicle 1, to start another transistor radio.
The two radios were turned on, demonstrating the entire process from powering on to contacting the "Yangtze River and Yellow River".
The top leader was very excited. Although this was not a long-distance test, the clarity of the sound was incomparable to that of an old-fashioned radio.
"Great, great! If this thing can really resist interference and make long-distance calls, it will be a powerful tool on the battlefield."
"There's no problem with anti-interference," Li Aiguo said confidently.
The high-ranking leader walked up to the transistor radio, reached out to touch the black casing, but stopped halfway through his hand and turned to ask Li Aiguo cautiously.
"Can I touch it? Won't it break?"
Li Aiguo smiled and nodded: "It's alright, boss. This thing has a special anti-impact design inside, so even if you punch it, it'll be fine."
The train travels on the tracks all day, bumping and jolting terribly; that's something we definitely need to ensure.
The senior leader touched the main unit, then the handset and microphone, looking somewhat nervous, before quickly withdrawing his hands.
"Comrade Li Aiguo, can this transistor radio be installed on a tank?"
"Theoretically, there is no problem. The radio can be powered directly by the tank's onboard generator or battery. However, some improvements are needed to make it truly usable in actual combat."
Li Aiguo thought for a moment and then said.
"What improvements?" the top leader asked immediately.
"Power supply: The power supply environment of a tank is more complex than that of a train, requiring the installation of a voltage regulator module with a wide voltage input and a higher level of power filter."
There are also antennas. The whip antenna of a tank and the train tuning antenna have different impedances, so the antennas need to be redesigned.
"
As a military enthusiast, Li Aiguo often watched military and tank programs and had a relatively good understanding of tank communication technology in later generations.
In later generations, tank communication technology underwent several decades of development and had long since matured.
Furthermore, an in-vehicle communication system for tanks was developed, but Li Aiguo did not mention it, considering that it could be added later.
Upon hearing this, the leader's eyes shone even brighter.
This isn't just theoretically sound; it's clearly a mature technology!
The high-ranking leader composed himself, turned around, grasped Li Aiguo's hands with both of them, and shook them firmly twice: "Comrade Aiguo, on behalf of many people, I thank you."
The significance of these people is self-evident.
"Thank you, boss. It's what I should do."
At this moment, more people arrived at the station.
After verifying the person's identity, the officers on guard brought him in.
Leading the group was Qin, the deputy director of the Telecommunications Technology Research Institute, followed by several telecommunications experts.
At this moment, Deputy Director Qin's head was still buzzing.
Are you kidding me?
The Telecommunications Technology Research Institute mobilized its entire resources and joined forces with four or five top domestic institutions, including the Radio Research Institute, the Post and Telecommunications Science Research Institute, and Room 101.
After all this time, all we've managed to build is a 15-kilometer radio, and the anti-interference problem remains unresolved.
Now you're telling me that the people on the railway were the first to develop a transistor radio for long-distance communication, with a range of up to thirty kilometers?
This is simply a fantasy!
Although he didn't believe it at all, he couldn't refuse the summons from the top leader.
Now that we're here, we definitely need to find out what's going on and whether someone is making unfounded claims.
With this attitude of skepticism and scrutiny, Deputy Director Qin got into the car.
According to the rules, he should have greeted and saluted the senior leader first, but when his eyes fell on the transistor radio on the workbench, he couldn't look away.
The layman looks at the excitement and the insider looks at the doorway.
This thing, just from its design, breaks with convention; in their eyes, it's a top-tier military product.
On their way here, the group wondered if the people on the railway were exaggerating or if someone was giving false intelligence.
Standing before the real object, all doubts vanished instantly, replaced by a profound sense of awe.
Two full minutes passed before Deputy Director Qin came to his senses and saluted the senior leader.
The senior leader returned the greeting, pointed to Li Aiguo and introduced him, then said, "Old Qin, the reason we invited you here is to have you participate in the testing and see if this thing is suitable for use on the battlefield."
"Please rest assured, sir."
Deputy Director Qin turned to Li Aiguo and said, "Comrade Aiguo, could you please introduce yourself to us?"
Li Aiguo sensed something was wrong. This was supposed to be a test on the railway, but it had turned into a military inspection.
But Li Aiguo didn't mind at all, haha.
In particular, Deputy Director Qin is a leading figure in the field of military communications in China. He once presided over the design of the Type 702 walkie-talkie, which enabled "communicating while charging" and made many contributions on the northern battlefield.
Li Aiguo asked Zong Xianfeng to bring over a complete set of technical documents on transistor radios, which he had prepared, and then introduced them to them.
As Li Aiguo explained, Deputy Director Qin's eyes widened and his breathing became rapid.
As a top-tier technical expert in communication and radio frequency equipment in China, Deputy Director Qin of the Communication Institute has a deeper understanding than even the top leaders.
He knew all too well what an extraordinary thing Li Aiguo had created.
The 450MHz fully transistorized transceiver architecture alone puts it miles ahead of the old-fashioned radios in China that still use vacuum tubes.
Narrowband FM, high-stability frequency source, two-stage intermediate frequency filtering, anti-interference, sensitivity, and call clarity—every indicator met the most stringent railway dispatching standards at the time.
Discrete transistor power amplifiers with precision impedance matching networks minimize heat generation, distortion, and stray emissions while ensuring output power.
What's even more remarkable is that these systems are all self-contained and interconnected.
At this moment, in Deputy Director Qin's mind, this was a truly mature, modern military radio that could be used on the field.
As for Li Aiguo's statement that it was specifically developed for railway trains and might not be suitable for the battlefield, he automatically ignored it.
Unsuitable? Nonsense!
This is not suitable for you. What about those bulky, difficult-to-adjust, and high-failure-rate Soviet R-113 tanks that we use on our tanks now?
When that thing is bumped, jolted, or fired, the vacuum tubes loosen, break, or burn out.
During charges, cross-country runs, and when hit, it was common for the radio to go completely silent. This wasn't just about shedding tears; it was about bleeding.
All of this felt like something out of a dream to Deputy Director Qin, but now it was truly happening right in front of him.
At that moment, Deputy Director Qin even had an impulse to bring this guy into the research institute and give him the position of chief engineer.
"So, Lao Qin, was it worth the trip?" The senior leader couldn't help but tease Qin, who looked like he wanted to devour him.
He still remembered the resentment that Deputy Director Qin had when he first got into the car, as if he had been forcibly dragged there.
"Hehe, of course, of course, hehe, Comrade Patriot, how did you conduct this test? Where's the wiring?" Deputy Director Qin quickly changed the subject.
Li Aiguo pretended not to notice Deputy Director Qin's embarrassment and reported, "According to our plan, we intend to send Test Vehicle 1 to Tongzhou and Test Vehicle 2 to Sanjiadian in Mentougou this afternoon."
Upon hearing this arrangement, Deputy Director Qin's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but nod in approval, feeling that Li Aiguo's consideration was extremely thorough.
The distance from Qianmen Locomotive Depot to Tongzhou is about 30 kilometers. The terrain along the way is open and mostly plains, with relatively little interference, which is perfect for testing the maximum theoretical communication distance of the radio.
The route towards Sanjiadian in Mentougou follows the Fengsha Line, which passes through the Yongding River Canyon. The route is characterized by numerous bridges and tunnels, complex mountain terrain, and a challenging electromagnetic environment.
This is the perfect testing ground for evaluating a radio's anti-jamming capabilities and its ability to communicate in complex terrain.
“Comrade Aiguo, I hope to travel with Test Vehicle 2. What do you think?” Deputy Director Qin immediately made the request.
"With such a great expert as you by my side, I would be more than happy to do so." Li Aiguo instantly understood what Deputy Director Qin meant; this was an opportunity to conduct a practical, military-grade test of the transistor radio.
At this moment, the senior leader who had been listening nearby suddenly asked a question: "Comrade Aiguo, what made you think of developing this equipment?"
It is important to understand that the research and development of communication equipment is a field with extremely high technical barriers and high research and development costs. Several large research institutes in China have regarded it as a daunting task, and progress has been slow.
How did a train driver suddenly end up doing this?
Li Aiguo didn't hide anything: "Boss, you probably know that I'm a train driver. A while ago, when I was driving a train, I almost had an accident because I couldn't contact the locomotive depot in time. I'm not alone in this situation. I was thinking about whether I could build a radio station."
Silence fell over the room. They'd set up a radio station just to make contact?
This guy is really bold.
After listening, the senior leader nodded heavily, his eyes full of appreciation: "Good, good! Those who do research work should create things that the masses need and things that the soldiers need!"
"Comrade Patriot, I see you have a real talent for communications. How about... you transfer to our communications unit?"
Just then, a coughing sound came from outside.
"Ahem! Old Chen, it's been a while. You still haven't shaken off your old habit of poaching people everywhere!"
Everyone turned around and saw Leader Teng walk in.
It turned out that after Section Chief Xing learned that the big leader had arrived, he immediately reported it up the chain of command. Leader Teng was also shocked by the news and rushed over after putting down his work. He happened to hear the whole thing at the door.
When the top leader saw Leader Teng, he knew it was impossible to poach him, so he chuckled and said, "Borrowing him is fine! When we upgrade the radio station in the future, we'll definitely need Comrade Aiguo's help."
After exchanging pleasantries, the senior leader turned to Li Aiguo and asked with a serious expression, "Comrade Aiguo, would there be any difficulties in modifying this radio into the tank?"
Upon hearing this, Li Aiguo immediately nodded, his face showing difficulty: "There are indeed difficulties."
The top leader: "."
The leader of the Signal Corps: "."
Leader Teng was secretly pleased. "Hmm, this young man is quite capable."
Li Aiguo then added, "Sir, our locomotive depot workshop is, after all, a civilian unit, and we have no way of accessing the military industry system, especially the internal structure of tanks, interface standards, and military signaling."
So that's the difficulty!
"That's easy! After this test is completed, I, Lao Qin, will personally take you to the Telecommunications Technology Research Institute! Whatever information you need, I'll give you; whatever permissions you need, I'll give you!"
"That's great!" Li Aiguo's face immediately lit up with joy.
This was exactly the kind of good thing he had been hoping for! The Telecommunications Technology Research Institute was one of the few top-tier communications research institutions in the country these days.
If we can connect with them, we'll have all the resources and endorsements we need for future communication technology projects.
The senior leader then asked if there were any other problems with the test.
Li Aiguo thought for a moment and said, "We can complete the test on the train this afternoon. As for the problems, it's hard to say right now, but even if there are problems, we can overcome them."
"Good, that's the spirit we need. Old Teng, I'm going to personally oversee the battle. What about you?"
"Old Chen, you've already rushed to the front lines, how can I not go?"
At this moment, Leader Teng was still somewhat shocked.
It seems the Signal Corps really has its eye on this thing. Li Aiguo can make such a fuss over something as simple as making a random thing. He's really something else.
By the time everything was settled, it was already noon. Section Chief Xing invited the two ministry leaders to lunch.
The prepared food was delivered to the studio.
While eating, everyone chatted about the afternoon's test, and everyone was in high spirits, laughing and talking.
At this moment, Chen Xueru rode her bicycle to the front gate locomotive depot workshop. When she saw the scene at the locomotive depot, she was stunned. She turned her head to take a closer look and, after confirming that it was the right place, she walked towards a militiaman.
"Comrade, I'm looking for Li Aiguo, is he here?"
Just as Chen Xueru opened her mouth, Zhou Ke came out from inside and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, why are you here at this hour?"
Chen Xueru blushed when this was mentioned.
My sister-in-law somehow got hold of a huge turtle, the kind that's been around for decades.
She had been simmering turtle soup all morning, adding many precious Chinese herbs, and repeatedly instructed Chen Xueru to bring it to Li Aiguo to help him recover.
At this moment, Li Aiguo, who was inside, also heard the commotion and came out.
"Wife, what brings you here?"
"Hey, this is... turtle soup. I brought it from the tailor shop for you. Drink it while it's hot."
Li Aiguo didn't care that he had just eaten his fill. He grabbed a lunchbox, and the turtle soup was just soup. He didn't even use a spoon; he just slurped it down.
He's not stupid; he knows best what this thing is good for.
Zhou Ke egged him on from the side, and Li Aiguo glanced at him, wiped his mouth, and said, "Envious? Tell your wife to make you some too!"
Just then, Teng's voice came from inside: "Aiguo, is that Comrade Chen outside? Please invite her in. You are the host here, and we are all guests. How can we keep family members out?"
Li Aiguo agreed and pulled Chen Xueru into the studio.
When Chen Xueru entered the room and saw so many people, including several leaders in uniform, she was immediately stunned.
What's going on? Why is there such a big commotion?
Li Aiguo took the initiative to introduce her: "Distinguished leaders, this is my girlfriend, Comrade Chen Xueru."
Most of the people in the studio knew Chen Xueru and greeted her with smiles.
The senior leader of the communications corps looked at the two and nodded with a smile: "What a perfect match! Comrade Aiguo is not only a master of technology, but also a genius when it comes to dating!"
After being teased by the big boss, Chen Xueru's face turned even redder, and she lowered her head, not daring to speak.
Seeing that Li Aiguo had finished his soup, he thought he should leave quickly so as not to delay their business.
Leader Teng called out to Chen Xueru: "Comrade Chen, after Aiguo finishes the test on the train this afternoon, take him back with you. Keep a close eye on him, don't let him work anymore, let him get enough rest and recuperation."
Although Chen Xueru didn't understand anything about testing, she nodded repeatedly when she heard her boss say that: "Yes, I understand, boss."
But she couldn't help but wonder: having just drunk turtle soup, will she be able to get a good night's rest?
cough cough.
*****
At 1:30 p.m., after having eaten and drunk their fill, Li Aiguo and Leader Teng, the top leader, arrived at the station.
Upon learning that both top leaders would be personally involved in the testing, Section Chief Xing became somewhat nervous.
People were sent to inspect the two test trains repeatedly, and even the coal in the water car was searched thoroughly.
In recent years, incidents of sabotage involving detonators mixed with coal have become less common, but they still occur from time to time.
Safety is of utmost importance, especially when high-ranking leaders are present.
“Old Teng, you’re older than me, and you were also a higher-ranking officer in the team back then. You stay at the locomotive depot as the commander, and I’ll take the No. 2 test vehicle and go to the front line!” The senior leader said proactively as soon as he arrived at the station.
Leader Teng could easily understand his intentions.
This guy mainly wanted to witness firsthand the anti-interference capabilities of transistor radios in complex environments, so he naturally had to ride in Test Vehicle 2 towards the complex terrain of Mentougou Sanjiadian.
"Alright, then I'll stay here and wait for your good news!"
Just as Leader Teng was about to turn and walk toward the temporary command post, a thunderclap suddenly boomed in the sky.
Immediately afterwards, the previously clear sky was covered with dark clouds, as if a black pot had been overturned.
The rain started suddenly, with large raindrops pattering down from the sky and hitting the ground of the station, stirring up clouds of dust.
"Patriotism, it suddenly started raining. Should we reschedule the test?" Section Chief Xing looked at the terrible weather and was a little worried.
With all this thunder and lightning, it's bound to affect the radio signal. If the test results aren't good, I'll definitely lose face in front of my superiors.
Li Aiguo began, “Section Chief, trains travel all over the country and often encounter all kinds of complex weather, with wind, frost, rain, and snow being the norm. When I designed this radio system, I took this into full consideration, and this is a good opportunity to test its all-weather operational capabilities.”
"Alright then." Section Chief Xing trusted Li Aiguo and didn't say anything more.
According to the previous plan, vehicle number 1 was to be in charge of Zong Xianfeng and driven by Cao Wenzhi, heading towards Tongzhou.
Car number 2 was in charge of Li Aiguo, who also served as the driver, heading towards Sanjiadian in Mentougou.
"It's time for us to set off."
After test vehicle number 1 sounded its horn and left, Li Aiguo, along with the senior leader and Deputy Director Qin, went up to the driver's cab of test vehicle number 2.
The co-driver was Liu Qingquan, and the stoker was Lao Zheng. They were old partners and worked together very well.
The senior leader and Deputy Director Qin had traveled by train many times, but this was their first time going up to the driver's cab, so they were quite curious.
Li Aiguo first checked the dashboard, then signed the form handed to him by the dispatcher and honked the horn twice.
The train roared out of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot and headed towards Sanjiadian in Mentougou.
(End of this chapter)