Puzzles, Translators, Etc.

[+ZEEDEE]

I am fairly new at this but I have managed to find 38 caches to date. I am having a very difficult time with puzzle caches and caches that require translations. What am I missing here. How can a very long string of letters be turned into a short coordinate. I have stared at these letters till I am cross-eyed and nothing comes to me. I consider myself fairly intelligent, what am I missing???????

[+VegasCacheHounds]

Well, you might want to post which cache (or caches) you are talking about. There are some many different types out there that this is too broad of a question to be answered

Also, you might want to try e-mailing the owner of the cache asking politely for a hint. Often they will give you a gentle nudge in the right direction. Of course, sometimes they might give you a swift kick in the rear

[+OienLabs]

There is a cache in Norway Xor 96

using some fun decryption. Fun actually.

C2 F9 B6 E5 F9 FA E0 F3 B6 E2 FE FF E5 B6 EF F9 E3 B6 FE F7 E0 F3 B6 E2 F9 B6 F4 F3 B6 FF F8 E2 F9 B6 FE F3 EE F7 F2 F3 F5 FF FB F7 FA E5 B6 F7 F8 F2 B6 E2 FE F3 B6 F7 E5 F5 FF FF B6 F3 E7 E3 FF E0 F7 FA F3 F8 E2 E5 B8 B6 D4 E3 E2 B6 FF E2 B6 FF E5 B6 F0 E3 F8 B6 F7 F8 F2 B6 F5 FE F7 FA FA F3 F8 F1 FF F8 F1 B8 B6

[+Tharagleb]

There is a cache in Norway Xor 96

using some fun decryption. Fun actually.

C2 F9 B6 E5 F9 FA E0 F3 B6 E2 FE FF E5 B6 EF F9 E3 B6 FE F7 E0 F3 B6 E2 F9 B6 F4 F3 B6 FF F8 E2 F9 B6 FE F3 EE F7 F2 F3 F5 FF FB F7 FA E5 B6 F7 F8 F2 B6 E2 FE F3 B6 F7 E5 F5 FF FF B6 F3 E7 E3 FF E0 F7 FA F3 F8 E2 E5 B8 B6 D4 E3 E2 B6 FF E2 B6 FF E5 B6 F0 E3 F8 B6 F7 F8 F2 B6 F5 FE F7 FA FA F3 F8 F1 FF F8 F1 B8 B6

Judging from the name of this cache Xor 96 you need to use the math function XOR on each of these two-character combinations. You need to know binary to do this, if you don't, see if you can't find a friend who is into computers (s)he should be able to help you.

 

You also need to know ASCII.

 

The ASCII code for 54 is the letter "T", this looks like the first letter.

 

Good luck.

[BCR]

How can a very long string of letters be turned into a short coordinate?

 

The solution to some puzzle caches spell the coordinates. For instance, N 59° 54.400 E 010° 43.100 can be represented as "north fifty-nine degrees fifty-four and four-hundred minutes, east ten degrees forty three and one-hundred minutes" or "five nine five four point four zero zero one zero four three point one zero zero".

 

It's not uncommon for the text to be cryptogram, a simple substitution cipher. ROT13 is a substitution cipher that is particularly simple because it is a shift cipher - each letter is shifted +13.

 

Even without knowing binary, exclusive disjunction, or ASCII, one can get lucky on the XOR 96 just guessing that the answer is coordinates represented in the standard format:

 

 N  5  9  °  5  4  .  4  0  0  E  0  1  0  °  4  3  .  1  0  0
D8 A3 AF B6 A3 A2 B8 A3 A0 AF B6 D3 A7 A6 B6 A2 A5 B8 A5 A2 A5

 

Even though the bogus coordinates aren't correct, it's close enough that most people can guess the pattern.

Edited February 19, 2005 by BCR

[+Sputnik 57]

Some caches use an encription letter substitution, like ROT13. It turns into a long string of letters because the spell out the coordinates. north thirty one point one seven two west ninety seven point zero two four. That's a pretty long string of letters. Not that I've ever seen one like this