By linking my account to the check-in system, I became a leisurely traveler.

Chapter 100 Hardcore Teletubbies [6.7 words!]

The renovation of the old house can be put on hold for now.

So far, everything is going smoothly, and the expected results and goals have been achieved.

Grandpa and Grandma were a little sad when they said goodbye.

Li Younan and Lu Xiaolan have been coming over every day during this period, and for the grandparents, this has been the happiest time of the year.

The elderly are like children; their emotions are written all over their faces.

Li Younan comforted them like a child, saying things like, "Mom will come over, and I'll come back for the New Year."

As Li Younan left, he was overwhelmed by a mix of indescribable emotions.

Sighed slightly.

However, he quickly composed himself and prepared to go to Chongqing.

For Li Younan, there wasn't much for him to prepare; the main thing was to prepare for Lu Xiaolan.

Lu Xiaolan's parents didn't plan to go. On the one hand, they were both quite easygoing, and on the other hand, Lu Xiaolan herself didn't want them to accompany her to university. She felt that going independently, or with an older brother like Li Younan, would be cool enough.

It's worth mentioning that Lu Xiaolan's best friend and confidante, Xu Liya, is also studying at a university in Chongqing; she studies at Southwest University.

Lu Xiaolan then asked Li Younan to bring Xu Liya along as well.

For Li Younan, this was of course no problem; it was just a matter of adding a few dozen kilograms of weight to the vehicle.

Lu Xiaolan said to Xu Liya, "You know, I went to great lengths to get you a ride."

Xu Liya didn't believe it, thinking that there was no way her brother Li Younan would refuse to take her along, but she still went along with Lu Xiaolan's words, thanked her, and said that she would definitely treat her to a meal when they arrived.

The matter has been finalized, but the departure time needs to be moved up a bit; we need to go to Chengdu first.

Although there aren't many tourist attractions left in Chengdu, Li Younan still had things to do there.

He needs to renew his radio operator's license and buy a new device. Although he now holds the highest level C license, there is no need to buy a particularly powerful device. A 100W vehicle-mounted radio will suffice.

This radio association event is just before Lu Xiaolan and her classmates start school, so it's a good time to get things done.

The event includes competitions, training sessions, and exams. Some equipment vendors will also exhibit radios or even sell them directly at the event.

Li Younan plans to buy a piece of equipment and submit an application for machine inspection when the time comes, so that he can use it legally after the license is issued.

On the day of departure, Li Younan briefly explained to the two little girls the reason for going to Chengdu.

Lu Xiaolan and Xu Liya listened attentively, and Li Younan felt gratified, thinking to himself that they were indeed good young people of Generation Z, with excellent scientific literacy.

Then he asked, "Do you understand?"

The two answered together, "We don't understand!"

Li Younan sighed slightly and explained again: "Simply put, in our country, or even in the world, radio frequencies are an important strategic resource."

"If everyone were to broadcast radio messages indiscriminately, aviation, shipping, and some other specialized industries would be greatly affected."

"This requires regulation. But what if ordinary people like us are interested in this? So a frequency range was created specifically for ordinary people like us. At the same time, the government also issued regulations to standardize the frequencies, equipment, and power of equipment that ordinary people can use. You need a license to use this thing, which is the operator's license."

This time, the two of them understood a little better.

Li Younan added, "After receiving the equipment, we can't immediately send it out via radio. Each piece of radio equipment must be tested to prove that it complies with regulations."

"Just like a car, you need a driver's license to drive it, but at the same time, every car has a vehicle registration certificate, proving that the car can legally be driven on the road. Cars have corresponding driver's licenses, and different levels of driver's licenses can drive different vehicles. The same principle applies to radio stations; different levels of operating licenses can operate radio stations with different power levels."

After a pause, Li Younan summarized, "So I have two main purposes for going there this time: one is to reissue my operator's license, and the other is to buy a small radio." Now, the two finally understood.

Then, Xu Liya thought for a moment and asked a question that touched her soul: "Brother Li Younan, but what is the use of this?"

Li Younan blinked, "Uh..."

Lu Xiaolan nodded, then frowned and asked, "Yeah, what's the use? It's just a big walkie-talkie, right?"

Both of them were somewhat confused. They didn't understand why they had to use a walkie-talkie when they could simply make a phone call, and why the sound was so unclear and there were so many restrictions.

Li Younan sighed.

As for its use, Li Younan himself couldn't quite figure it out for the time being.

For radio enthusiasts, making calls is basically just revealing their call sign to someone and getting a response. They have their own special calling methods, but the general content can be equivalent to "Are you there? Are you there? This is Angewomon from Digimon." The other party replies, "Received, received, this is Sasuke from Naruto."

It's over.

Generally speaking, there is no substantial communication.

Regarding communication issues, even mobile phones can now be equipped with satellite phone functions, so the emergency communication capabilities similar to those in 08 have been weakened.

Li Younan didn't know how to answer the two girls' questions for a moment, and finally said irritably, "Why are there so many questions? Go to sleep!"

After arriving in Chengdu, Li Younan still had to pick up two online friends.

Li Younan met these two people on a forum.

Li Younan considered that it would be best to have one or two acquaintances to guide him when attending this event, so that he wouldn't be too bored.

After all, although he has the skills of a master, he has never been involved in this circle and is not familiar with some of the rules or conventions.

The two little girls, of course, had no objection to this.

These two "hams" (amateur radio enthusiasts) who met on the forum both have A licenses and plan to take the B license exam.

Li Younan assumed they would be middle-aged, since most people who enjoy this kind of hobby are middle-aged.

Both of them came from other provinces, and Li Younan met them at the train station entrance.

Lu Xiaolan craned her neck and saw the two netizens who were Li Younan's online friends. She said with a curious look, "Wow! Where are the two Teletubbies!"

When the two young men appeared in sight with backpacks carrying antennas, Li Younan was still somewhat surprised. They were such young people, looking even younger than Lu Xiaolan and Xu Liya.

Xu Liya was also a social butterfly. When the car stopped in front of them, she blurted out, "Hello, Makka Pakka!"

Li Younan was speechless, finding it difficult to comment on her behavior, which had a kind of charm reminiscent of a children's channel interfering with an educational channel.

After pulling the two into the car and having a brief chat to confirm their identities, Li Younan drove towards the event venue.

They are all young people, and they are all quite outgoing.

While Li Younan was driving silently, Lu Xiaolan and the other three started chatting happily.

A boy wearing a baseball cap, let's call him "Little Duck Tongue," painstakingly explained to Lu Xiaolan and Xu Liya the principles of radio communication.

This was originally physics knowledge from junior high and high school, only involving some practical operations, but Xu Liya and Lu Xiaolan still found it a bit difficult to understand.

"So you mean like skipping stones on water, reflecting and reflecting again, is that what you mean?"

Lu Xiaolan studied very diligently.

Little Duck Tongue nodded: "Pretty much."

After chatting for a while, Li Younan joined in the conversation while driving.

He asked curiously, "How did you two come to like radio?"

Indeed, this is a very niche hobby, with only a few hundred thousand people in China, a country with a huge population.

Little Duck Tongue explained, "My house is next to Huaqiangbei. In our area, you can just buy a bunch of parts from a street stall and assemble a radio yourself. It's as easy as kneading mud. Everyone can do it, so it's perfectly reasonable to like this kind of thing."

Lu Xiaolan and Xu Liya were a little stunned.

Xu Liya said, "You're just bragging!"

Little Duck Tongue didn't care about Xu Liya's looks at all, and snorted: "Don't you have Chengdu?"

Little Duck Tongue's companion nodded in agreement: "I thought the atmosphere in Chengdu would be better."

Li Younan asked curiously, "Why is the atmosphere in Chengdu better? And why did you travel so far to Chengdu to take this exam?"

The two looked at each other, and Little Duck Tongue chuckled: "Writing code, drawing circuit boards, radio electromagnetic waves—in essence, it's all about using binary to transmit information."

"When talking about binary, we have to mention those two numbers."

Lu Xiaolan and Xu Liya looked completely bewildered: "Which two numbers?"

Little Duck Tongue said, "It's those two numbers that are most common in Chengdu."

Li Younan and the other two reacted for a moment, then suddenly realized what was going on, and everyone laughed.

"This is regional discrimination."

After laughing, Xu Liya said indignantly.

Just as they were having a pleasant conversation, Little Duck Tongue suddenly asked Li Younan, "By the way, are you also going to take a certification exam?"

Li Younan blinked but did not answer immediately.

When he met the two high school students on the forum, he did not reveal that he was a holder of a Class C certificate.

After all, telling a stranger right away that you have a Class C certificate inevitably comes across as showing off.

Moreover, there are so few holders of C certificates that people might not believe it if you told them.

Li Younan simply wanted to find some like-minded friends and learn about this circle.

When talking to them about attending the event, Li Younan didn't reveal his purpose, simply saying that he wanted to go and take a look.

Li Younan said, "Go get a certificate."

The two exchanged a glance. Xiao Ya She then recalled her online chat with Li You Nan, where Li You Nan seemed completely clueless about the industry, like a novice. She assumed Li You Nan was just a newbie player and naturally felt a sense of superiority. She then asked, "So you don't have any equipment either?"

Li Younan nodded and said vaguely, "We'll be buying a piece of equipment this time."

Little Duck Tongue let out a "whoosh," further confirming in its heart that Li Younan was a novice.

Before long, the vehicle arrived at the activity camp.

Located in the suburbs, with no large buildings obstructing the view, this location is very convenient for setting up competitions and conducting on-site communications.

In contrast, the entire camp was much more ruggedly laid out. The ground wasn't even paved; there were gravel roads everywhere, and many tents were set up. There were exhibition equipment, competition registration points, and the examination venues were also located here.

Li Younan also saw that there were many off-road vehicles at the scene. These off-road vehicles all had one thing in common: they were all equipped with a large antenna.

There's a saying: "After learning the basics of radio operation, what's the next step?" Someone replied: "Next, you should buy a Tank 300 and a radio with sufficient power."

As for where to drive, that goes without saying.

There is indeed a high degree of overlap between radio enthusiasts and people who enjoy off-roading, outdoor activities, fishing, and adventure.

Upon arriving here, Li Younan parted ways with Xiao Yashe and the others, taking Lu Xiaolan and Xu Liya to attend to their own business.

At first, Lu Xiaolan and Xu Liya were slightly interested, but after following Li Younan and glancing at it a few more times, they started to get bored. Their little brains simply couldn't grasp the fun of a walkie-talkie.

However, the two of them still obediently followed Li Younan and helped him get the certificate.

In the future, this document will also have an electronic version, so it won't matter if the physical document is lost.

At this point, through the attitude of the staff, Xu Liya and Lu Xiaolan began to understand how valuable Li Younan's certificate was, and they realized that the staff respected Li Younan a lot!

Just as Li Younan was about to leave, a staff member suddenly said, "Mr. Li, we have a competition, and one of our judges has to leave due to unforeseen circumstances. Could you temporarily fill in for him as a technical judge? We see from your application that you are a Category C candidate... your theoretical and practical experience is definitely sufficient. Could you help us out?"

Li Younan hesitated slightly, after all, he still had to continue his journey to Chongqing.

He thought for a moment and asked how long it would take.

The staff member was slightly taken aback, but could tell that Li Younan seemed pressed for time, so they quickly said, "The competition starts in a little over an hour, and the whole process will take less than two hours. It will be quick and won't take up too much of your time. Is that alright?"

Li Younan pondered, thinking that there was no rush to send the two girls to Chongqing.

Since their registration time wasn't until the day after tomorrow, if they couldn't make it to Chongqing today, they would just walk slowly, taking their time along the way and resting whenever they could.

With that thought in mind, Li Younan agreed.

Back at the square, Li Younan and his two friends ran into Little Duck Tongue and his friends again.

This time, however, the two of them were talking to a college student who was wearing glasses.

Li Younan walked over and greeted them, just as Little Duck Tongue and his friend were saying goodbye to the college student wearing glasses.

Little Duck Tongue said politely, "WA, bye bye, wish you good luck in the competition!"

WA is a suffix for call signs.

At this moment, Little Duck Tongue turned her attention back to Li Younan and said enthusiastically, "I've already registered. Is everything going smoothly for you?"

After thinking for a moment, Little Duck Tongue asked curiously, "Are there still A-level exams here today?"

Li Younan didn't answer the little duck tongue's question. Instead, he looked at the departing college student and asked, "Is this a friend you just met?"

Little Duck Tongue nodded and said, "I also met that WA guy on the forum. He's a veteran ham radio operator, and he's here to participate in a shortwave competition."

Li Younan blinked: "Shortwave competition?"

Little Duck Tongue hummed in agreement, a hint of envy in her voice: "You need a B license to play shortwave radio." She added, "I hope I can pass the B license exam this time! By the way, Brother Li, what are you planning to do next?"

Li Younan looked around and pointed to the equipment exhibition area over there: "I'm going to buy a piece of equipment."

Little Duck Tongue said "Oh" excitedly, "Come and watch the competition when you're done. Shortwave communication has a super long range. That's why I want to take the B certificate exam."

Li Younan smiled and said, "I'll definitely be coming over later."

There was no way around it; after all, I was a judge, even if it was just a temporary role.

Xu Liya and Lu Xiaolan were so bored that they went to play nearby. They agreed to call Li Younan when he was done.

……

The exam tent was filled with rows of folding tables and chairs, and almost all of them were occupied.

The proctor handed out the exam papers. It was a computer-based exam, conducted on a laptop. Occasionally, birds could be heard chirping outside.

Everyone was very focused.

The duck tongues turned out quite well, and after submitting, the screen popped up with "Passed," which put my mind at ease.

After verifying the information, the teacher gave Xiaoya Tongue a pre-printed Class B operational ability certificate stamped with the association's red seal; it was a sturdy card.

With his ID card safely in hand, Little Duck Tongue quickly crawled out of the tent.

So cool!

Successfully obtaining my B license marks the beginning of a new milestone in my life!

At this moment, Little Duck Tongue was naturally extremely excited, but unfortunately his friend didn't get to pass.

He laughed heartily to comfort his friend, then quickly walked to the other side.

The little friend looked at the duckling with a complicated expression.

……

The real highlight is on the other side of the lawn, at the shortwave competition area.

At this moment, several antennas of different styles have been set up, the most eye-catching of which is a three-element Yagi antenna with an electric steering mechanism, pointing high into the sky.

The generator sputtered and hummed near the woods a few dozen meters away, connected to the operating area by a thick cable to minimize interference.

Several operators wearing association vests were making final adjustments, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers.

Teacher Zhang, who was leading the group, greeted the observers: "Today's event is global, and the competition is about the number of connections made to different prefix call signs. Outdoors, signal propagation is more stable and there is less interference."

"Next, let's welcome our judges today. They are all experienced Class C operators. Among them, Mr. Li Younan was invited to help out at the last minute. Thank you very much!"

Many holders of Class C radio stations are older folks, since these are the people who have enough time and energy to keep playing the radio.

So when Li Younan sat down on the judges' panel as a judge, everyone was stunned.

Especially Little Duck Tongue, he couldn't help but rub his eyes, ah? What's going on!
Is Li Younan a judge?
Li Younan noticed Little Duck Tongue and his companion in the crowd and smiled at them.

The two of them were even more stunned.

……

At this moment, Little Duck Tongue looked at the bespectacled man who greeted him, who was wearing big headphones, sitting on a folding chair with a large parasol above his head.

Unlike indoors, the background noise here consisted of faint generator sounds, wind sounds, and indistinct voices from a distant park, but the signal in the radio headset sounded clearer.

Let's take a closer look at the little duck tongue.

A simple light shield made of corrugated cardboard was added to the computer screen, but the operator still had to tilt his head to avoid the glare under strong light.

An operator stared at the propagation prediction chart and quickly pressed a button on the steering gear control box: "The European direction is now open, try the 20-meter band."

The wind made the spare papers on the table rustle, and someone quickly weighed them down with a stone.

Another operator took a big gulp of water and wiped his sweat: "The sun is up, we have to keep a close eye on the machine's heat dissipation."

They hardly left their seats, and during the prime time for broadcasting, their focus was so intense that one dared not disturb them.

Li Younan watched them operate with great interest, and the relevant data parameters were displayed in real time on a screen on site.

The judges all seemed rather relaxed. An older man next to him asked Li Younan curiously, "Young man, when did you get your C certificate?"

Li Younan smiled and said that he had only held the position for a short time when he was forced to become a judge because he needed to replace his documents.

The older man paused, then chuckled. "That's true, there are very few people who can get a C grade." He looked Li Younan up and down, clicking his tongue in amazement. "You're so young! You're not even 30 yet, are you?"

Li Younan nodded.

The game continues.

The operator's fingers were either rapidly scanning frequencies on the knob, typing on the keyboard, or calling out responses by holding the microphone key.

The ticking sound and rapid-fire English were almost constant.

With the scheduled end time of 4 p.m. fast approaching, the operators began to finalize the last communications.

Once the last communication record was completed, the operator removed their headset.

Teacher Zhang, who was leading the team, invited the judges present to give their comments.

All eyes were on the judges.

After the first few judges gave their comments, it was Li Younan's turn to speak with the older man he had just met.

The older man smiled and said, "Why don't you go first, young man?"

Li Younan was well aware of his young age. Although the older man appeared humble and enthusiastic, he might not necessarily trust Li Younan's abilities.

Although Li Younan didn't care, he naturally had to say a few words in this situation. So he didn't refuse and nodded, "Alright then."

When Li Younan spoke, his voice was not loud but very clear, and the surroundings immediately quieted down.

After all, he looked too young among the judges present, which was quite conspicuous.

"Overall, it's good," Li Younan affirmed first, then changed the subject and went straight to the key point, "The efficiency could be improved. Mainly in two aspects."

He pointed to the main control panel: "First, the timing of antenna switching. Around 2:30 PM, there was a small window for the 15-meter band to North America, with signal reports generally above +20, lasting for about fifteen minutes. Although we managed to get through to a few, the strength was noticeably weaker and the process took longer. When the North American window opened, the antenna didn't switch over until ten minutes later, missing the first half of the golden period and missing at least 5 to 8 prefixes. The propagation prediction software and the real-time S-table strength changes were all warnings; we needed to be more sensitive and switch faster and more decisively."

He described it in great detail, remembering even the time and signal strength clearly.

The operator nodded, a little embarrassed: "I was watching a lot of European channels at the time, and I got a little greedy..."

“I understand, everyone wants to make more calls,” Li Younan said calmly, then added, “Secondly, the rhythm of band switching. Local noise on the 20-meter band starts to rise significantly after 3 PM, and you held out until 3:20 PM before switching to the relatively quiet 40-meter band. When the noise picks up, you should decisively switch bands. Although the 40-meter band has a shorter propagation distance, it has the advantage of clearer communication, and ensuring communication quality is more important…”

It was all hardcore knowledge, and many people in the audience were newcomers to this field and didn't quite understand it.

But it's okay, everyone is nodding seriously, at least to make the people next to them feel that they understand.

Little Duck Tongue stared at Li Younan in disbelief.

If he had any doubts before, he now clearly understands Li Younan's level.

These words are all concrete, down to the smallest detail: operational specifics, timing, efficiency comparisons, and concrete issues.

The two points that Li Younan pointed out were exactly the kind of tricks that novices like Xiao Ya She couldn't see at all—Xiao Ya She only saw the antenna spinning and people busy, but didn't understand the strategies and trade-offs behind it.

In particular, Li Younan's ability to accurately trace the transmission window and operational details within a few hours is a skill that can't be developed without countless real-world experiences.

Little Duck Tongue looked down at the brand-new B certificate card in his pocket, feeling its lightness.

……

Today's experience was just a minor incident and not very important.

When Li Younan found Xu Liya and Lu Xiaolan, the two were also a little tired from playing. It was time to set off, and the three of them walked together towards the car.

Lu Xiaolan asked casually, "Cousin, was that thing you guys played with today really that fun?"

Li Younan casually said, "It's alright. I can't say whether it's fun or not, but it's definitely quite interesting."

"This is too hardcore, I don't understand it at all."

"It's okay if you don't understand, as long as you know my cousin is the best, hehe... Ouch! Cousin, why did you hit my head again..."

(End of this chapter)