Chapter 1275
Test successful. Li Aiguo lent it to us for now. Yi Zhonghai, crutches.
Today's rain was even heavier than Li Aiguo had anticipated, getting heavier and heavier, with thunder and lightning outside.
However, Li Aiguo did not panic.
A grounding chain was added under the vehicle; the brakes should be released early, released less frequently, and released often; avoid locking them all at once, and if the vehicle really slips, immediately spread sand.
The contents of the manual were compiled by Li Aiguo.
The hardest working person was Liu Qingquan, the co-driver who was in charge of lookout.
To check the road conditions and signals ahead, I had to brave the thunderstorm and stick half my head out.
Fortunately, Liu Qingquan was an honest man who had never done anything wrong in his life, so he wasn't afraid of the wrath of the Thunder God.
In the past, when a stoker at the locomotive depot was promoted to assistant driver, the senior workers at the depot would always ask, "Have you ever done anything immoral or heinous?"
Li Aiguo didn't understand why, but now he truly understands.
The driver crew is operating normally.
The expressions on Deputy Director Qin's and the other experts' faces were rather strange, which was to be expected.
In contrast, the top leader's expression remained unchanged; he even stood behind Li Aiguo with great interest, occasionally making a few casual remarks.
In the pouring rain.
The train roared out of the suburbs and sped towards Sanjiadian in Mentougou.
Once outside the city limits, Li Aiguo reached out and turned on the transistor radio next to him.
The frequency was pre-tuned and is completely consistent with the frequency of the machine installed inside the front gate locomotive depot.
Li Aiguo stood up from his cast-iron chair, handed the microphone to the top leader, and said with a smile, "Sir, this may be the world's first high-fidelity radio call conducted on a high-speed train. This first should be yours."
See, as long as you add enough modifiers, you can get first place.
"Ha, so you're saying I've made history? Great, great!"
Upon hearing this, the top leader immediately perked up and, without hesitation, reached out and took the communicator.
However, the senior leader felt it wasn't cautious enough, so he coughed twice, held the cup in both hands, and then said, "Hey, Lao Teng, can you hear me?"
Almost instantly, Teng's voice came through the receiver: "I can hear you, very clearly. Old Chen, where are you right now?"
The senior leader looked at Li Aiguo, who then gave him the name of a section.
After answering the question, the senior leader continued, "Old Teng, this voice is so clear, it's like you're speaking right next to my ear."
I couldn't help but think of the time when we encountered the Japanese in the mountains.
"The troops got separated back then. If we had this thing, our unit wouldn't have been stuck in the mountains for months before we could regroup."
"Yes, I still remember when I saw you later, you were so thin you looked like a monkey, hahaha."
Upon hearing this, Deputy Director Qin and the experts, including the co-driver and stoker who were working, all had strange expressions.
They wanted to laugh but dared not, their faces turning red and their necks bulging from holding it in.
"Ahem, let's end this call here." The senior leader blushed and quickly hung up.
He looked at Li Aiguo and solemnly offered his guidance: "Comrade Aiguo, this equipment should have a limited lifespan. In the future, we should set a limit on call duration to prevent some people from hogging the channel and chatting idly."
What could Li Aiguo say about the joke between the two top leaders?
He could only suppress his laughter and nod repeatedly in agreement.
The train continued its journey through the wind and rain, getting further and further away from the locomotive depot.
Several more tests were conducted, and the call quality remained clear throughout, with no signs of interference.
However, inside the front of the No. 2 test vehicle, the crew didn't seem particularly excited.
Because everyone knows that the real test is yet to come.
Ahead lies a mountain tunnel.
Looking at the dark tunnel entrance in the distance, the senior leader raised a crucial question: "Comrade Aiguo, can this radio be used inside the tunnel?"
Before Li Aiguo could speak, Deputy Director Qin interrupted, his tone resolute: "That's impossible! Leader, the tunnel is a natural electromagnetic shielding cavity."
We have conducted countless tests.
Whether it's VHF or conventional UHF, once the signal enters, it will experience severe multipath fading, and will be completely blocked within tens of meters.
Forget about making a call, even the carrier wave can't be transmitted.
Without leaky cables and repeaters, no radio station could maintain communication inside the tunnel.
This is common knowledge in the telecommunications industry, and it has been a problem that has troubled them for many years.
Li Aiguo smiled and said, "What Qin said is correct; according to conventional theory, that is indeed the case."
However, nothing is absolute. It depends on the frequency band and system used, as well as the level of circuit design and components.
Achieving complete, blind-spot-free coverage is probably impossible, but ensuring a communication range of one or two hundred meters is achievable.
Deputy Director Qin's mind was now filled with doubt: "Aiguo, what frequency band are you using? 400MHz?"
As soon as he said it, he contradicted himself, saying, "No, while the low-band 400MHz does have strong diffraction capabilities, it's impossible to achieve that level of diffraction in a tunnel."
"Director Qin, you truly are an expert; you guessed it right away."
While driving, Li Aiguo explained, "Actually, it not only uses the low-band 400, but also narrowband digital frequency modulation and high-selectivity intermediate frequency amplification."
Only by employing a multi-pronged approach can the penetration of low-end frequencies be maximized.
The mature application of all-transistor radios was a technology that gradually became widespread in the 80s.
Combining it with the UHF 400MHz band and waveguide effects for tunnel communication became the mainstream solution for railway communication.
It's perfectly normal that domestic experts don't understand this.
But these words struck Deputy Director Qin like a thunderbolt, instantly shattering the fog in his mind.
All-transistor technology is no longer limited by the high noise and low sensitivity of vacuum tubes, and can overcome the communication limitations of tens of meters in a tunnel.
Narrowband FM!
That means a higher signal-to-noise ratio!
Deputy Director Qin felt he had been taught a good lesson today, having thought Li Aiguo's suggestion of extending the tunnel's communication distance was uninformed.
I never imagined that others had studied things more deeply, thought more thoroughly, and gone further than I had.
They really do have ways to extend the communication distance.
It took Deputy Director Qin a long time to recover from the shock and shame. He said to Li Aiguo, "Comrade Aiguo, those words are truly a wake-up call! I am ashamed, but I admire you!"
Well, the technology Li Aiguo used actually had a theoretical prototype for this era.
However, no one has ever made a physical copy, and no one even dares to think about it.
The most critical bottleneck was the substandard transistor technology.
This is the real reason why Li Aiguo spent so much effort building the Red Star Computer Research Institute.
At this point, one of the accompanying experts couldn't help but ask, "Comrade Patriot, but multipath reflections are severe inside the tunnel. Even if transistors are used, the signals will still interfere with each other, and won't the connection still be lost?"
Li Aiguo laughed and said, "Then we'll use the coupling between the track and the car body!"
Who says tunnel communication can only rely on space waves for propagation?
Upon hearing this, Deputy Director Qin exclaimed, "Brilliant!"
In the past, when people were working on tunnel communication, they focused on the propagation of spatial waves and desperately increased the power of radios, but they ignored the role of the railway tracks and metal car bodies inside the tunnel.
Who says communication inside a tunnel has to rely on space waves?
The tunnel is only so wide, and the signal travels along the track, making it more stable and less attenuated than space waves.
The people at the Telecommunications Technology Research Institute were completely bewildered by Li Aiguo's methods and couldn't come to their senses for a long time.
One expert asked the final question: "Patriotic comrade, what about the tanks?"
Without the waveguide assistance of tracks and a vehicle body, can a transistor radio still function properly?
Li Aiguo laughed heartily, but before he could answer, Deputy Director Qin slapped him on the head: "Are you stupid? Tanks are made of metal. If you connect an antenna, it just becomes a mirror image of the vehicle's antenna!"
As expected of Deputy Director Qin, a military communications expert, his reaction was incredibly quick; he immediately applied the knowledge to other situations and found a solution to the problem.
Deputy Director Qin turned around and grasped Li Aiguo's hand: "Comrade Aiguo, don't say anything more, you'll be the deputy director!"
"What? Old Chen, you guys want to take him away?!"
Suddenly, Teng's voice came through the radio, clearly indicating that Teng had been listening to what was happening here.
A burst of laughter erupted from inside the car.
Amidst laughter, the locomotive plunged headlong into the dark tunnel.
"Old Teng, this is test vehicle number 2. How's it going?" the senior leader immediately asked, picking up the microphone.
"Received, very clear."
The top leader's eyes widened in surprise; this thing could indeed be used in tunnels.
Deputy Director Qin was already mentally prepared, but he was still taken aback. He took the microphone and continued the test.
As Li Aiguo predicted, the call only started to get static and became intermittent after going a full two hundred meters into the tunnel.
Three hundred meters later, the call was completely cut off.
It seems that to truly enable communication within the tunnel, repeaters still need to be installed.
Even so, the top leader felt quite satisfied.
what does this mean?
This means that in the future, if a real war breaks out, tanks can be hidden in mountain bunkers or tunnel entrances and still receive signals, greatly increasing tactical flexibility!
This is called the tank pocket tactic, which is a favorite of Big Brother's and Third Brother's teams.
The success of the tactics hinges on whether the tanks can receive the signal.
In the Battle of Mtsensk on the Eastern Front in 41, the Big Brother's forces laid an ambush. When the order to charge was given, half of the tanks did not receive it. The tanks that did receive it charged out alone and were destroyed by concentrated fire from the German forces.
Fifty years ago, on the northern battlefield, the cunning and ruthless Mei family set up an ambush near Dipingli. Due to the terrain of the valley, the order to charge could not be transmitted.
Some tanks charged on their own, their formation became chaotic, and five of them were destroyed by our anti-tank team.
These are all topics covered in military textbooks and are key research areas for the communications corps.
With such an impressive performance inside the tunnel, the subsequent tests seemed like a natural progression.
When the train arrived at Sanjiadian, it happened to be during the most intense thunderstorm.
Li Aiguo wanted to make the call on behalf of the top leader, but the top leader refused.
He personally took the microphone and shouted loudly out the window amidst the lightning and thunder: "Old Teng, this is test vehicle number 2, how's the signal?"
"Excellent! Very clear!" came Teng's excited voice from the receiver, even drowning out the thunder outside the window.
"We did it! We did it!"
Cheers erupted from inside the driver's cabin.
"Thirty kilometers away, in a thunderstorm! The call quality is so clear, this is amazing! This is a treasure!"
As Li Aiguo drove the No. 2 test vehicle slowly into the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, the rain had gradually subsided.
The No. 1 test vehicle, which Cao Wenzhi was in charge of, was already parked on the preparation line.
As soon as he got off the bus, Cao Wenzhi excitedly waved his notebook and ran over.
In open plains, the effective communication range of transistor radios reached an astonishing 43 kilometers!
This data not only stunned the experts present, but also surprised Li Aiguo himself.
The group returned to the studio's office.
The high-ranking leader didn't even bother to drink some water or exchange pleasantries with Leader Teng. He simply slammed his hat on the table as soon as he entered and got straight to the point.
"Old Teng, let's make this clear first. I need to borrow Comrade Aiguo for a few days. Once he helps us get the tank radio compatible, I'll return it to you in perfect condition."
Leader Teng was well aware that the railway radio station was almost ready, and the military radio station also needed to be set up as soon as possible, so he agreed without any hesitation.
"Okay! I have no problem lending you the person. However, I have one condition."
The top leader was taken aback: "What are the conditions?"
"We need to give Aiguo a couple of days off. This kid has been working non-stop for days on end; even an iron body can't take it."
"You need to be well-rested to win a battle, don't you think, Old Chen?" "Of course! Sharpening your axe won't delay your woodcutting."
Upon hearing this, the senior leader knew it was impossible to take the person back. Considering that he still needed to go back and assign tasks, he left with Deputy Director Qin.
After the comrades from the communications department left, Leader Teng looked at Li Aiguo: "Aiguo, this test was very successful. We require that mass production begin as soon as possible. What are your thoughts on the next steps for production?"
"Boss, our Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop is fine right now, the key issue is that transistor production capacity can't keep up," Li Aiguo said after thinking for a moment.
“That’s easy. The Red Star Computing Institute needs to expand its scale. I’ll apply to the higher-ups again to transfer a group of experts over.”
Leader Teng immediately made the decision, which was exactly what Li Aiguo wanted.
With the booming sales of computers and the widespread adoption of industrial control systems, the production capacity of the Red Star Computer Research Institute has reached its limit, making expansion necessary.
After discussing it with Li Aiguo, Leader Teng reported it up that evening.
After reading the report, the superiors repeatedly praised it, saying, "In just a few months, Comrade Aiguo has made another contribution."
"Yes, Old Chen from the communications department also has his eye on this radio. If it were adapted to our tanks, our tanks would reportedly be upgraded to a higher level."
Leader Teng was also very pleased. Li Aiguo was a railway worker, and if Li Aiguo deserved praise, then he, as the leader, also deserved praise.
cough cough.
The superior nodded: "I think we should do it the way the railway authorities suggested, and transfer a group of people from several computer research institutes over there."
"In addition, regarding the location of the new production base..."
Leader Teng paused for a moment, then laid out Li Aiguo's thoughts in detail.
"Comrade Aiguo suggested that it should not be placed in the capital or the coastal areas, but in the southwest."
There are large electronics factories nearby, such as Factory 715, Factory 773, and Factory 784, and the industrial support is relatively complete.
Moreover, it has abundant water resources, which facilitates industrial cooling and domestic water supply.
"Comrade Aiguo has considered things very thoroughly. Let's do as Comrade Aiguo says!" The superior nodded emphatically.
"Then I'll arrange it right away." Leader Teng stood up and left.
After Leader Teng left, the higher-level leader opened a map and drew a red circle in a region in the southwest.
"Away from the coastline, away from the northern border..."
"Dig deep tunnels, store plenty of grain... I think this Li Aiguo really has some strategic vision."
Li Aiguo never expected that the second large-scale transistor production base would be finalized so easily.
He had finished his work, packed his things, and was ready to return to the courtyard house.
As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw Yi Zhonghai, leaning on two canes and being helped by an older woman, hopping back from outside.
Xu Damao had just gotten off work and, seeing this situation, said sarcastically.
"Oh my, sir! I've heard there used to be an old lady with two guns, but I never expected to see an old man with two crutches in our courtyard! Your appearance is quite unique!"
Yi Zhonghai was already in excruciating pain, and upon hearing this, he nearly fainted from anger.
"That bastard Li Aiguo did it on purpose! There's nothing important in his study; he clearly set a trap for me!" Yi Zhonghai cursed under his breath, gritting his teeth.
Upon hearing this, the third uncle quickly stepped forward: "Old Yi, please don't say that. Aiguo really saved you this time."
"Old Yan, stop trying to be mysterious!" Yi Zhonghai, of course, didn't believe it. He felt that he had been tricked by Li Aiguo.
Seeing that he wouldn't listen to advice, the third uncle became a little annoyed, pushed up his glasses and said, "Then when Li Aiguo comes back later, you go ahead and go into his study. If you dare to go in, I'll admire you."
These words were spoken.
Yi Zhonghai's face turned red with suppressed rage, and he was unable to speak.
He had no idea what treasures were in the study.
But he personally witnessed the scene that day when the leaders of the district armed forces department ordered the militia to guard the study with live ammunition.
Even if he had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to go near the door of that study now.
"I...I won't stoop to his level!"
Yi Zhonghai, unable to save face, could only find a way to back down, and, leaning on two crutches, hopped and skipped towards the central courtyard.
Someone kicked me and broke my leg, and I can't even hold them accountable, or even say a word of protest. What kind of situation is this?!
Yi Zhonghai felt like he was about to explode.
When Li Aiguo returned to the courtyard house, he heard about this from Xu Damao.
"Patriotism, you have no idea how funny Yi Zhonghai looks." Xu Damao laughed heartily.
He had suffered many setbacks at Yi Zhonghai's hands in the past, but this was the first time he had seen Yi Zhonghai so frustrated.
Li Aiguo smiled but didn't respond, turning around to go back.
He had only taken two steps when the old man stopped him again, asking mysteriously, "Aiguo, I heard you built some kind of radio station? Does that mean you can make calls without paying phone bills?"
"Uncle, what are you thinking? That radio is for trains, it's huge, and it needs a special antenna and power supply."
Li Aiguo was astonished by the business acumen of the third uncle.
In later generations, walkie-talkies did exist, but they were used for relatively short distances.
Upon hearing this, the third uncle immediately lost his spirits.
I thought I had found a great way to make money, but it all fell through.
"Alright, I can't chat with you anymore, I have to go back." Seeing that it was getting late, Li Aiguo said goodbye to his third uncle and went home.
As soon as I entered the house, I felt something was wrong. None of my three children were home, and there was a table full of dishes.
Where are the children?
"Didn't the boss say that you should get some rest?"
I was afraid the children would make noise, so I sent them to the tailor shop and asked my sister-in-law to look after them for the night.
Miss Chen's face was flushed.
Upon hearing this, Li Aiguo picked up a bowl of turtle soup.
The night was quiet.
Li Aiguo was happy, but Yi Zhonghai was very frustrated.
At this moment, in the deaf old lady's house in the backyard, Yi Zhonghai was sitting in a chair, dejectedly receiving criticism.
"Old Yi, how many times have I lectured you?"
That scoundrel Li Aiguo is too cunning. I told you to be careful, but you just wouldn't listen.
Now look what happened, both your legs have been broken, haven't they?
The deaf old woman squinted at him, looking at him with disappointment and frustration.
Yi Zhonghai actually harbored some resentment, feeling that the deaf old lady had failed to help him when he was in danger.
But at this moment, he dared not show it and could only nod repeatedly in apology.
"Madam, this was my oversight. Don't worry, I will learn from this and seize the opportunity..."
The deaf old woman interrupted him: "What opportunity are you seizing? Haven't you seen it yet? Li Aiguo has now made contact with the military industry, and even the armed forces department is guarding him."
Who do you think you are? To dare touch him?! That's like an egg hitting a rock!
Yi Zhonghai opened his mouth, but was speechless.
"You better behave yourself for a while and don't get any funny ideas."
After Director Yang finalized the 10,000-ton steel rolling project.
Now that you've become a leader in the factory and have real power, we can slowly plan how to deal with him.
An old woman's revenge is never too late, even after six months.
"I understand." Although Yi Zhonghai was unwilling, he knew that the old lady was right and now was indeed not the time to take action.
"Alright, you can go now, I'm tired." The deaf old lady waved her hand.
"Yes."
Yi Zhonghai struggled to his feet, leaned on two canes, and went out of the house. An older woman was still waiting outside and helped him back inside.
"Old Yi, shall I ask you for a sick leave at the hospital tomorrow? Your leg..." the older woman said with concern.
Yi Zhonghai suddenly widened his eyes: "What leave are you asking for! Are you stupid? I'm lame in both legs now. If I still insist on going to work, that would just show my positive attitude of not leaving the front line despite minor injuries and being dedicated to the public good!"
"If the 10,000-ton steel rolling project succeeds, I'll be a prime example when it comes to performance evaluation and awards!"
The older woman paused for a moment, then subconsciously said, "So, Li Aiguo broke your leg, but he actually helped you?"
Yi Zhonghai: "."
*****
Telecommunications Technology Research Institute of the Communications Corps.
Deputy Director Qin, the chief engineer, and a group of experts were carefully studying the newly delivered transistor radio, holding the data and marveling at it.
Although Li Aiguo will not be able to come and oversee the renovation work for another two days.
However, in order to save time, they organized personnel in advance to familiarize themselves with the equipment and materials.
This way, once Li Aiguo arrives, they can quickly catch up with his ideas and complete the work of adapting the transistor radio to the tank.
If it were an old-fashioned vacuum tube radio, they would have already skillfully disassembled and reassembled it by now.
But this won't work.
Although the materials were complete, including drawings and detailed instructions.
However, the transistor circuit design inside was far too advanced.
Many of the design concepts were completely new to them, and they had to familiarize themselves with them first.
A large portion of these explanatory materials actually involve the underlying characteristics and applications of transistors, and are internal documents compiled by the Red Star Computer Research Institute.
In this era, this belonged to the very high-end category of semiconductor computer technology.
Even though they weren't from the same field, these experts were completely absorbed in what they saw.
The design of this transistor and circuit board is absolutely brilliant.
Tell me, how is Li Aiguo's brain structured? I really want to dig it open and see.
Just as everyone was busy, the top leader arrived with a group of leaders.
Seeing so many people gathered around and the transistor radio, the top leader knew that the goods had been delivered.
The senior leader called out to Deputy Director Qin, who saw him and told everyone to stop and go to meet him.
Once everyone had gathered, the top leader first inquired about the research team's configuration, and then about the equipment supply.
Upon learning that there were no tanks at the research institute, he immediately said, "Notify Staff Officer Wang of the 6th Independent Tank Regiment and have him send two tanks over immediately."
After the staff officer left, the senior leader continued, "This system was painstakingly developed by Comrade Patriot."
They originally intended to solve communication problems on railways, but now they're also adapting it for tanks.
Considering Comrade Aiguo's heavy workload, the Ministry of Railways has mandated that he take a break. He will be coming to support the renovation work in two days.
Then, the senior leader emphasized, "Comrade Patriot, come here. We must cooperate well!"
Deputy Director Qin and the experts all agreed.
The matter has been discussed.
The staff of the Telecommunications Technology Research Institute of the Communications Corps acted swiftly and decisively.
(End of this chapter)