Wasteland Survivalist: A Scientific Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Survival

"It smells so good, it's making me hungry."

The aroma in the air made Gu Lang's stomach rumble.

Upon returning to his cabin, he immediately drew all the curtains.

For concealment, the mast lights and searchlights have been turned off.

Gu Lang found a few potatoes and a packet of flour and began making French fries.

While we were at it, we coated the small fish and shrimp in batter and fried them too.

There were still more than 100 liters of cooking oil unloaded from the truck, all of which were purchased and traded before the outbreak of nuclear war.

Although they are all cheap soybean oil and corn oil, at least they have not been contaminated by nuclear radiation.

Unless diesel supplies remain unavailable for the rest of the journey.

Otherwise, Gu Lang would still like to preserve it for consumption or trade as much as possible.

"Junk food just tastes good."

After finishing his French fries and fried fish, Gu Lang let out a satisfied burp.

Lying on the warm sofa in the living room, listening to the sounds of the wind and waves outside.

I feel like I'm brimming with the British style of an old man squatting under the Union Jack.

Having escaped the threat of radioactive dust and freaks, he regained a long-lost sense of security.

"We're safe now, at least for now."

Gu Lang slacked off for a while, then got up and went to the driver's seat.

The ship's radio, which was embedded in the control panel, was turned on.

He finally had time to try to make external contacts.

The power indicator light comes on, and the frequency number is displayed on the screen.

However, after fiddling with it for only a few moments, he frowned.

"Really... as long as it makes a sound, that's fine." He shook his head helplessly.

This equipment is probably a cheap one that the shipowner installed to meet the minimum standards.

It looks like a cheap, no-name brand product costing around 100 yuan, with a power output of only 25 watts.

It is poorly made and supports very limited frequency bands.

But thinking about it, it makes sense; a fishing yacht operating on a fixed near-shore route.

There is indeed no need to equip yourself with an expensive, high-performance radio.

He tuned to several preset maritime communication frequencies, but all he could hear in his headphones were intermittent and indistinct human voices.

Interspersed with loud noise, it was impossible to hear the specific content, let alone obtain any useful information.

I picked up the microphone to call other boats, but there was no response.

After several calls, the slipway started to get hot.

Gu Lang first encountered this luxurious hobby of amateur radio during an outdoor trip.

At that time, Gu Lang saw several men wearing outdoor camouflage clothing on the mountaintop.

They set up camp carrying large and small bags, and also carried a huge antenna around.

Thinking they had encountered a spy, they were ready to make a quick buck of 50.

The other party then produced a radio association membership card and a radio operator's certificate, much to his utter disappointment.

It was through this opportunity that he came into contact with the "Ham Tribe" community.

During the conversation with the other party, I gained a basic understanding of radio stations.

Since acquiring the radio from the fire tower, Gu Lang has been seizing every spare moment to cram in knowledge.

I kept flipping through the few radio books saved on my phone.

Based on the current situation, it is speculated that the antenna on the yacht's dock is out of tune.

It's possible that there's a problem with the antenna, resulting in an excessively high VSWR.

Most of the transmitted power is reflected back to the radio station, and the actual radiated signal is very weak, resulting in a very short communication distance.

This also explains why the slipway is so hot.

Gu Lang immediately went to the upper flying bridge and climbed to the top by stepping on the railing.

The yacht's mast is covered with various equipment, such as navigation lights, anchor lights, signal lights, and lightning rods.

There is also a fiberglass omnidirectional antenna, which is attached to the crossbar.

Under the headlamp's light, it's clear that it's already bent a bit.

Although the cause was found, Gu Lang didn't have any good solutions.

Forcibly bending it back was useless; the internal metal oscillator was already deformed.

Bending it back and forth can also cause cracks to appear in the fiberglass shell.

Once seawater gets in, it corrodes the internal components, and the antenna will be completely rusted and rendered unusable.

"The only option is to try and get a working antenna from another ship."

Filled with resentment, Gu Lang arrived at the warehouse.

I took the Yaesu radio from the shelf; it had been operating in the mountains for a while.

The radio was mounted on the light truck, but it didn't receive a valid signal.

With a power output of 50 watts, multiple frequency bands, and full-mode operation, it boasts strong performance.

But integrating it into the ship is a problem.

The biggest problem is the feeder, which is the coaxial cable connecting the radio host and the antenna.

With a length of only three meters, it was simply not long enough to be connected from the bridge to the ideal position on the top mast of the flybridge.

The dock and the vehicle use different interface standards and have incompatible antenna frequencies, making them incompatible.

Considering that the platform was not originally designed for use in a marine environment.

High humidity and salt content can quickly corrode circuits and connectors, and a large wave could render the equipment unusable.

Gu Lang decided to fix the radio at the entrance of the reception room and the antenna on the stern platform.

This makes it less likely to be directly hit by the waves.

Although this sacrifices some signal efficiency, it ensures the security of the equipment.

After the power is turned on, the screen of the car radio emits a soft blue light.

Because these types of devices are subject to strict frequency control during peacetime.

Most of the transmission functions are locked, and it can only transmit to the outside world in a very small frequency band range.

It requires certification from a specialized agency to legally unlock the device through technical means.

Given Gu Lang's rudimentary radio operation skills, it would be a pipe dream for him to crack it on his own.

Fortunately, it has a very wide reception range, covering amateur bands, public walkie-talkie bands, and maritime bands.

Because it belongs to the forest fire prevention system, it can even partially cover aviation and firefighting frequencies.

He put on his headphones and began listening to various commonly used maritime frequencies.

Soon, the intermittent voices finally appeared.

"...Repeated! This is Liaozhuangyu11199!"

We were attacked by an unidentified vessel in the waters west of Changhai County.

"Nearby vessels, be on alert! We are turning, trying to get away... *sizzle*..."

The appearance of the distress signal instantly put Gu Lang on edge.

He went up to the deck and looked around, but could only see the pitch-black seawater.

Back in the meeting room, a response had already appeared on the frequency band.

"Liaozhuangyu 11199 received, this is Bohai Pearl."

My ship is located at 300 degrees from Laotieshan Cape Lighthouse and 45 degrees from Beichenghuang Island, a distance of 5.5 nautical miles.

They may approach my ship's position. My ship carries armed troops and can provide necessary assistance.

When you approach, please send a distress signal to identify yourself... *buzzing*

Perhaps hearing that there were ships that could provide protection, more distress signals appeared.

The channel was almost completely filled with a cacophony of noisy conversations.

Gu Lang took off his headphones, his brows furrowed.

It seems that this seemingly empty ocean is much more "lively" than he imagined.

It is clear that a large number of ships fled to the sea for refuge, and there may have been violent individuals mixed in with them.

The situation in Changhai County is probably more complicated than expected.

Tomorrow's investigation must be carried out with utmost caution.

The journey ahead is destined to be anything but peaceful.