Im interested by the idea of a POD in which the Early Soviet Union indulges in Massive Investment,Research&Promotion of Radio Technologies to become the backbone of the Soviet Union's future.Comparing Radio to the world changing effects of the printing press in improving Literacy,Education,Communication etc.Early focus on Radio&other Electronic industries by USSR could mean huge butterflies.It would be fun if in this TL the USSR create a respected Radio World Service akin to OTL's BBC World Service.
An early love affair with Radio for the USSR...
- Thread starter omnimercurial
- Start date
Benefits of an early Network could be great.A Radio channel for News within the USSR.A Radio channel for International News.A Radio channel to broadcast Educational&Informative content akin to the Open University/Learning Zone that used to be on OTL BBC2 TV late at night,Could be A way of allowing people to gain access to education that circumstances would ordinarily prevent eg: People in Isolated Rural locations,Women that cannot leave Children unattended,Workers on Farms&in Factories could listen.
That's largely OTL.
Could there be some differences? Sure - like making their TV standard using positive modulation (like the UK's then-contemporary 405-line system or even France's 819-line TV system), or by making Radio Orfey go national early on, with a coverage area similar to that enjoyed by Radio Mayak.
If you believed in Communism, the USSR did just that with Radio Moscow, though undermined it with "Radio Station 'Peace and Progress'".
This could mean that Oleg Losev is not forgotten. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleg_Losev)
In the early 1920s Russia, devastated by civil war, Oleg Losev was experimenting with applying voltage biases to various kinds of crystals, with purpose to refine the reception. The result was astonishing - with a zincyte (zinc oxide) crystal he gained amplification. This was negative resistance phenomenon, decades before the tunnel diode. After the first experiments, he built regenerative and superheterodyne receivers, and even transmitters. However, this discovery was not supported by authorities and soon forgotten and no device was produced in mass quantity beyond a few examples for research. Crystadine was produced in primitive conditions; it can be made in a rural forge - unlike vacuum tubes and modern semiconductor devices.
In the early 1920s Russia, devastated by civil war, Oleg Losev was experimenting with applying voltage biases to various kinds of crystals, with purpose to refine the reception. The result was astonishing - with a zincyte (zinc oxide) crystal he gained amplification. This was negative resistance phenomenon, decades before the tunnel diode. After the first experiments, he built regenerative and superheterodyne receivers, and even transmitters. However, this discovery was not supported by authorities and soon forgotten and no device was produced in mass quantity beyond a few examples for research. Crystadine was produced in primitive conditions; it can be made in a rural forge - unlike vacuum tubes and modern semiconductor devices.
Snake Featherston
Banned
In this case Barbarossa is going to be the biggest military bitch-slap in German history, and the Japanese war is likely to end in 1938, not 1939.....
Hi Dan1988!Good points True,OTL Radio was important to the USSR.But this TL has the Soviet Union view it as a central component of future plans to develop the USSR.It would be great if it was a priority project of vital importance to implement its almost limitless applications.Widespread usage of more advanced Radio Tech could even aid in combating OTL communication&logistic difficulties too.What are your thoughts on that?
True,OTL Radio was important to the USSR.But this TL has the Soviet Union view it as a central component of future plans to develop the USSR.It would be great if it was a priority project of vital importance to implement its almost limitless applications.Widespread usage of more advanced Radio Tech could even aid in combating OTL communication&logistic difficulties too.What are your thoughts on that?
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Hi Chris Oakley! I agree, A story featuring such a focus on Radio & its impact on the USSR the World & WW2, Future events etc would be great. Lets hope that if enough ideas get thrown around/suggested, Then maybe we can provide the ideas & building blocks of a story for someone to work with.
Hi Sonderbund! Kudos to you for the excellent Oleg Losev info & link. His discoveries being utilised & refined/improved provides an excellent & plausible way to build on & develop the possibilities for such a TL to come about.
His discoveries being utilised & refined/improved provides an excellent & plausible way to build on & develop the possibilities for such a TL to come about.Hi Snake Featherston! Well...The War would certainly be different. I think the Soviet Military boosted with New Radio tech would definately gain advantages in Coordinated Manouvers, Radar, Encryption/Code Breaking etc. Who knows, Maybe even an early Soviet computing project could develop?
I think the Soviet Military boosted with New Radio tech would definately gain advantages in Coordinated Manouvers, Radar, Encryption/Code Breaking etc. Who knows, Maybe even an early Soviet computing project could develop?Would Total USSR Radio Coverage promoting a united people with a shared Soviet Identity rather than a Russo Centric one have a large enough impact to prevent OTL's Proto-Nationalism emerging within individual SSR's? How much would Radio assist the process of merging SSR's into a larger Sole Soviet SSR Nation State with internal former SSR's Borders being redrawn & redesignated as Zones to unify & redefine peoples cultural identities to that of a shared Soviet one?
Snake Featherston
Banned
Hi Snake Featherston! Well...The War would certainly be different.
A Soviet military able to properly co-ordinate all its arms in a single operation and able to communicate plans of offensives properly will defeat the Wehrmacht in the first forteen days of WWII, assuming however the USSR gets these radios doesn't butterfly away OTL geopolitics.
How about paring up Losev with one Aksel Berg around 1927, to jointly lead a amply funded, combined research effort into radio technologies?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aksel_Berg
An excellent idea DrakonFin! ^_^ Just read the link&I can definately see what you mean.Once the Idea of Radio being Central to Soviet Identity&Progress has permeated,I can see him being viewed as a welcome contributor,Possibly Gulag stay butterflied away.A question though,With Radio gaining importance to the future of State&World Revolution prior to Lenins death,Would Stalin still gain power?Maybe early focus on Radio means more inclusive participatory USSR Govt with interventionism having more appeal.
Hi every body! I've been doing some more reading & found a reference to Mao being critical of the USSR softness towards the West during the period Brezhnev was in power. Apparently Mao also made overtures to the Soviet Union concerning a Unification of the P.R.C. & the U.S.S.R. A question... If Kruschev had not crumpled on the Cuban Missile Crisis issue & managed to stay in power, Would he have been more amenable than Brezhnev to the possibility of a combined USSR/PRC Communist Super State?
I've been doing some more reading & found a reference to Mao being critical of the USSR softness towards the West during the period Brezhnev was in power. Apparently Mao also made overtures to the Soviet Union concerning a Unification of the P.R.C. & the U.S.S.R. A question... If Kruschev had not crumpled on the Cuban Missile Crisis issue & managed to stay in power, Would he have been more amenable than Brezhnev to the possibility of a combined USSR/PRC Communist Super State?