Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1329 The Anxious Ministries (4k)

"But optical fiber has much stronger anti-interference performance than electrical signals, right? This should also be considered an advantage of optical fiber."

One of the comrades seems to have thought things through quite comprehensively, but not entirely.

Gao Zhendong burst out laughing: "Yes, you're right, that's definitely the advantage of fiber optics, but we need to consider one question: where are we going to use this?"

"Underwater..."

The comrade had only spoken halfway through his sentence when he suddenly realized that something seemed amiss.

“Yes, underwater, we don’t need to worry too much about interference for now. If someone can jam underwater wired signals, they’ll probably turn around and focus on underwater communications and underwater radar. Interference will have to wait.”

Gao Zhendong's words made everyone laugh; they really made sense. This advantage was indeed an advantage, but it seemed a bit useless.

However, Gao Zhendong didn't completely dismiss this path. After all, the advantage of high bandwidth will always remain. Once the types and performance of optical fibers improve, optical fibers will always be superior to electrical wires. Who knows, someone might even come up with some weird underwater camera with television guidance.

"So my suggestion is to put this on hold for now. After all, our current support is still limited, and we should use our resources wisely and concentrate our efforts on major tasks. However, we can do some preliminary research. Our colleagues at the Military Communications Institute are already doing preliminary work in this area. As for basic communication technologies, some colleagues are also preparing to address them. So my suggestion is that you don't need to get involved in these basic technology researches now. Once the basic technologies are developed, you can use them directly."

Chief Engineer Gao was good; although he rejected it, he didn't completely reject it, leaving room for maneuver, which was fully scientific and objective.

Seeing that his comrades seemed to want to leave, Gao Zhendong remembered something.

When the comrades from the Military Communications Institute came last time, he mentioned half of it, which was about short-distance, high-bandwidth, high-quality video transmission. However, he didn't tell them where it would be used at the time. But this group of comrades from the shores of Bohai Sea are just right for it.

"By the way, although I suggest we don't work on fiber optic guidance for now, there's something you could consider," Gao Zhendong called out to his comrades who were packing up.

"Huh? There's more? What is it?" The comrades by the sea were pleasantly surprised. General Manager Gao was really good; he replaced one as soon as one was rejected.

Moreover, the things he specifically brings up and suggests for consideration, whether or not they should be used is another matter, but they are bound to be novel enough, and listening to them is definitely worthwhile.

"A non-penetrating optoelectronic mast!" Gao Zhendong laughed. This thing was a bit obscure. Not to mention today's comrades, even military enthusiasts decades from now might not know about it.

Sure enough, this left the comrades completely bewildered: "Chief Engineer Gao, what is an optoelectronic mast?"

Gao Zhendong picked up the chalk and drew a diagram on the blackboard.

This diagram is familiar to everyone: "This is...this is the periscope of a submarine?"

Gao Zhendong nodded and said, "Yes, this is the periscope of a submarine. But have you comrades considered something? How complicated is it to make a big opening in the hull of a submarine to allow the periscope to be raised and lowered, and also to ensure watertightness under pressure conditions with the increasing diameter of the hull?"

His words were indeed somewhat unorthodox, but not sinister; his comrades understood what he meant immediately.

"Yes, it is indeed very troublesome, and for the deep-sea black... blackfish, this problem is becoming increasingly serious."

Blackfish... Hmm, I'm familiar with this thing. Gao Zhendong almost laughed out loud. Decades later, military enthusiasts would call it that.

If the opening in the hull specifically for the periscope in early submarines was somewhat acceptable, then this problem has become much more serious in the generation of nuclear submarines.

Early submarines primarily navigated on the surface and had limited diving depth, so they were not particularly sensitive to openings in the hull. However, later submarines aimed for greater diving depth and underwater operations, making the large, irregularly shaped opening created by the periscope penetrating the hull, which was difficult to seal, a much more serious problem.

"By the way, so my suggestion is that you can integrate the periscope, small radar and other equipment into a single integrated optoelectronic mast. The base of this mast should be inside the conning tower of the submarine, without penetrating into the hull."

"But then the periscope wouldn't be usable underwater, would it?" The periscope's eyepiece would be placed outside the pressure hull, making it unusable underwater.

Gao Zhendong laughed and said, "At this time, the advantage of the large bandwidth of optical fiber can be brought into play. Of course, wires can also be used, but in terms of potential, optical fiber is undoubtedly greater. We can directly convert the optical signals, radar signals, etc. on the photoelectric mast into digital signals and transmit them into the hull through optical fiber."

Non-penetrating electro-optical masts, which were later commonly used on submarines, were astonishing to anyone in the field in the mid-60s; the idea was truly ahead of its time.

"Won't the fiber optic cable be strong enough?"

"With proper waterproofing and armoring, rest assured, it will be much easier to make sturdier than the original periscope tube that penetrates the hull. Moreover, this thing is relatively thin compared to a submarine, so we can add redundancy and run multiple sets of cables through it, and there will be no problem with reliability."

Armored optical cables are highly praised by those in the communications industry. If they were made into something like a ground wire composite optical cable that integrates both optoelectronics, then both optical and electrical aspects could be addressed.

The comrades found it interesting.

"Hey, let me tell you, the difficulty of drilling a few holes and making an opening in the hull is completely different."

"Shouldn't the submarine have hatches for people to enter and exit?"

"Are you stupid? Those doors are regular in shape, so it's easy to make them pressure-resistant and watertight. But periscope tubes aren't that easy." A single, integrated hull doesn't have as many stress concentration points and areas, making it much easier to handle.

"This way, upgrading and repairing things like periscopes and onboard radar are no longer constrained by the openings in the hull, making it much more convenient." To some extent, the optoelectronic mast completely decouples the optoelectronic system from the hull through signal cables, which is a huge benefit for subsequent upgrades and maintenance.

"Hmm, I think this thing has potential. Although it sounds a bit unorthodox at first, it's actually quite good when you think about it."

Although they weren't professionals in this field, they still had a basic understanding of periscopes and their applications, and the more they thought about it, the better Chief Engineer Gao's suggestion seemed.

It seems that the originator knows best how to use new things. Even the comrades from the Naval Equipment Bureau found it interesting: "In that case, I'll go back and ask the bureau to allocate some extra funds for you to study this thing properly."

Although they had never eaten pork, the comrades from the Naval Equipment Bureau had seen pigs walk.

Just by listening to the principles, you can tell that as long as the technical problems of the photoelectric mast itself are solved well, this thing called "non-penetrating photoelectric mast" can even be said to be lower in cost, easier to manufacture and technically, more reliable, more convenient and easier to maintain.

As for whether the money will be approved, he is not worried at all. Although there are indeed various opinions and concerns about these special forces, the mainstream approach has almost achieved "at all costs" at this stage. He himself does not believe that such a good thing is not being pursued.

Besides, just mentioning "Comrade Gao Zhendong suggested..." in the report means that even if the project isn't launched immediately, at least getting some money to start preliminary work won't be a problem.

The leaders in the bureau are probably thinking like this now.

This thing seems a bit unreliable. If you don't do it, you won't get poor from eating or drinking; if you don't plan ahead, you will.

What? Comrade Zhendong suggested it? Well, it's not a bad idea to give it a try. Practice makes perfect, after all.

Especially in areas like these uncharted technologies, Chief Engineer Gao's suggestions are almost always spot on.

Not to mention, the advantages of this thing are obvious at a glance.

Gao Zhendong laughed: "You mainly need to consider how to use it, and the photoelectric mast itself. By the way, you can also consider using night vision channels such as thermal imagers. As for signal conversion and high-bandwidth transmission technology, I recently communicated with the comrades from the Military Communications Institute, and they are working on it. In that case, your preliminary work will cost even less, and I don't think the bureau will have any objections."

Periscopes and submarine-borne radar are their specialty, and it's only they who know about them. The rest is up to the comrades at the Military Communications Institute.

The comrades from the Naval Equipment Bureau and Bo Haibin were overjoyed to hear this, praising Chief Engineer Gao's great righteousness!

Everything is always arranged so thoughtfully. Not only does it help with getting things done, but it also saves money and time!
"Okay! I'll report back immediately!" This matter can't be delayed. Bo Haibin's comrades are pushing their work forward day by day. If they miss certain deadlines, it will be troublesome.

This isn't a lifeline, but it's definitely the icing on the cake. Who wouldn't want our equipment to be the best it can be under current technological conditions from the moment it's released? Whether a piece of equipment is advanced or not is built up little by little like this.
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"My brother called home yesterday and said he has already set off and will be back soon."

Lou Xiao'e fed Changying and Changhe, one bite at a time, while speaking to Gao Zhendong.

Gao Zhendong then remembered that he had told his father-in-law not long ago to ask his brother-in-law to come back as soon as possible, not for any other reason than for that Children's Day gift package.

After all, it's still a bit inconvenient to have video games freely in China right now. If it's something like Snake or Block, which are somewhat educational, small in scale, and simple to play, and not entirely entertainment in terms of form and feel, then there's something to say about it. But what came out of that 64-in-1 cartridge is a little hard to say.

Let the person most capable of swindling foreigners swindle foreigners; this is the most suitable arrangement for Gao Zhendong. Then, he can simply transfer the profits back to China using certain methods.

"Okay, I understand. I'll make the arrangements," Gao Zhendong said with a smile.

Actually, there's not much to arrange; everything was prepared a long time ago.

After the couple finished their meal, Lou Xiao'e picked up a thick stack of papers and prepared to leave: "I'm going out for a bit."

Gao Zhendong was carrying one child in each hand—and he really was carrying them—and turned around with a smile, asking, "Where are you going? Need my help?"

Lou Xiao'e smiled and shook her head: "No need. Some neighbors are looking for some review materials, and I happen to have some here. I'll just make a copy and send it to them. Everyone can use it."

Gao Zhendong was a little confused: "Huh? The college entrance exam is about to start. Even if you cram at the last minute, you'll still get something out of it, but isn't this too late?"

Lou Xiao'e smiled and shook her head: "It's not the college entrance examination. All the people in the alley who can take the college entrance examination have already asked me for it. I heard it's a technical school under multiple ministries, and they're expanding their enrollment."

"Expand enrollment? Isn't this the college entrance exam? Why expand enrollment? Just enroll normally." Gao Zhendong was both surprised and delighted.

"I'm not quite sure why, but I heard they're short-staffed and in a hurry. This kind of recruitment is for non-college entrance exam takers, and I heard the requirements are quite flexible; high school students can participate in recruitment that only requires junior high school graduation."

If students in grades 10 and 11 can directly return to take the entrance exam for junior high school graduates, then that is indeed very flexible.

It seems these ministries are really desperate. Gao Zhendong seemed to remember something: "Which ministries are in charge? Do you know?"

Lou Xiao'e thought for a long time, and only managed to squeeze out a few words: "It seems to be the eleventh or twelfth. By the way, your Seventeenth Ministry of Machine Building also seems to have one. The person who asked me for the information was someone who participated in the recruitment exam of your Seventeenth Ministry of Machine Building."

The neighbors here are naturally close to the 17th Ministry of Machine Building, so it's not surprising that the 17th Ministry of Machine Building was the first choice.

"That sounds like a lot of students can apply after graduating from junior high school, so why would they need your high school materials?"

Lou Xiao'e was quite clear about this; she guessed that the person who came to borrow the book had explained the whole story in detail to ensure they could borrow the materials.

"I heard that this recruitment exam is very special. If you can get a certain score on the high school section of the exam, the study time for those who pass the exam will be shortened by one to two years, so they all attach great importance to this matter."

Gao Zhendong roughly understood. It seemed that the various ministries were really anxious. This move was probably equivalent to proving that if you have high school equivalent academic ability, then the study time should be appropriately shortened so that students can enter the workforce as soon as possible.

It can only be said that extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. This is also extremely important for the families of test takers. It means that as long as they can prove that they have equivalent academic ability at a certain stage of high school, their children can start working earlier. Moreover, for some students who are not on a fixed-rate diet, being able to start a year earlier can greatly reduce the burden on their families.

Gao Zhendong nodded happily: "Okay, okay, go ahead and go ahead. If it's not enough, make a few more copies when you get home."

(End of this chapter)