At one time, text messages were sent by morse code and received by trained operators. Good operators could follow the patterns of spelling in common words and anticipate the next letter to be sent ahead. This made for efficient handling of plain messages, but caused problems when using certain types of codes and cyphers. Sometimes a word is misspelled deliberately and a wrong guess on a character will garble a message.
Breaking messages into fixed length groups of letters helped out some since it broke up patterns that might resemble actual words. But human operators are less efficient when handling random groups as opposed to words. Luckily by this time, the chore of copying endless streams of cyphertext in radio links was being moved from hand keys and headphones to teletype machines and keyboards, with mechanical computers to grind through the cyphers.
The operator’s chores shifted to reloading the paper, servicing the machines and verifying the link with repetitive pangram test tapes. Now that we use computers for text communications, with error-correcting methods for encryption that are virtually unbreakable; communications are extremely secure and nothing much can go wronq. But some common patterns still persist, much like the lingering smell of teleprinter oil in the code room.
THECU IGKBR OWLFO XJUMV SOVGR THEUA ZYDOI
AAAZI NGBYF BWDIS COJHE QUEST ROZID EJWKE BOXUS
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Congratulations to TeamOttlet for the FTF
Update 6/30/2013 New cache is in the old spot. Camo is a little better but a few adjustments may be needed later. Please be sure that it is closed properly when you rehide.
Update 7/9/2015 New location due to construction at original site. Same puzzle, offset N by +0.305, W by + 0.001. Certitude will give corrected coordinates and a new hint.
