Captain Crunch Mystery Cache
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Difficulty:
-
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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|
Captain Crunch Geocache
[ by LinuxOnTheBrain
] | |
|
!!
Notice - Please Read First !!
!! This
is an electronic geocache with an audio-triggered
lock!!
!! An audio tone of a specific frequency
is required to open !! |
|
!!
Do not attempt the cache at the coordinates listed. They are
encoded below
!! |
This
is an electronic geocache with an audio-triggered lock
inspired by John Draper, a.k.a. 'Captain Crunch'. In the
early 1970's John and his
phone phreaker friends discovered that a
toy whistle being included in boxes of Cap'n Crunch® cereal
played a tone which could be used
to control the (now retired) in-band signaling
long distance telephone network. The phone companies used this
tone to control long distance line connections, when played it
would disconnect one end of the call leaving the
remaining caller in Operator Mode. John and his friends
quickly realized that Operator Mode = Free Phone Calls and the
rest is telecom history.
This is a
2-stage multicache. Please read to the end before proceeding. **All
coordinates used are in standard GPS
format.**
Both cache stages are placed on
private property with the approval of the landowners, one is a
residence the other is a business.
Please respect private
property and only hunt these caches between 6:00am and
10:00pm. Finding
this cache requires a bit of technical aptitude and skill with
Google. It was
designed by a linux geek, about a phone geek, for geo-geeks. If
you're able to locate this cache you might be a geo-geek too.
Enjoy!
Stage1 is a magnetic mini-altoids can, the
coordinates to which have been encoded as DTMF telephone tones in
.wav format audio files.
Alert: You are about to
download files in order to obtain further details needed to find
this geocache. As the cache owner, I represent that these files are
safe to download although the files needed to complete this
geocache have not been checked by Groundspeak or by the Geocache
Reviewer for possible malicious content. As a result, you are
downloading these files at your own risk.
The coordinates are: N
latitude, W
longitude (pound sign # replaces degrees
symbol,
asterisk * replaces decimal point). Find a way to detect
and decode DTMF tones to locate stage1. You can check your
results using
Geochecker.
Inside stage1 are the coordinates to stage2
encoded using a DTMF key-frequency-sum table (see below). DTMF is
short for 'dual-tone multi-frequency' meaning every key on the
telephone keypad consists of two different frequencies played
simultaneously, an upper-band and lower-band frequency. The table
is created by adding the upper & lower band frequencies
together for each key and it works like a secret decoder
ring.
| DTMF
Key-Frequency-Sum Encoder/Decoder |
Upper Band
Frequencies |
| 1209Hz |
1336Hz |
1477Hz |
| Lower Band
Frequencies |
697Hz |
1<=>1906 |
2<=>2033 |
3<=>2174 |
| 770Hz |
4<=>1979 |
5<=>2106 |
6<=>2247 |
| 852Hz |
7<=>2061 |
8<=>2188 |
9<=>2329 |
| 941Hz |
*<=>2150 |
0<=>2277 |
#<=>2418 | |
When encoded using this table, 'N 42° 31.083' looks like 'N
|1979|2033|2418|2174|1906|2150|2277|2188|2174|'. (pound sign #
replaces degrees symbol, asterisk * replaces
decimal point). Print or copy
the table above
(pdf) and bring it along to stage1 to decode
the coordinates to stage2.
Stage2 looks like a common outdoor wildlife
enclosure. It's placed in an open grassy area behind a local
business about 1200ft. from stage1. Entrance from the north is
easiest. To open this electronic geocache, figure out the
frequency of the (in)famous Cap'n Crunch® toy whistle
and
add 1000Hz, then
create & record a sample of that tone
(whistle_frequency+1000Hz sine waveform) and bring it along to the
stage2 cache. Once there, find the 'key' located on the cache
itself and insert the key into the keyhole & hold to
power up the device. Then listen very closely and play the
pre-recorded tone when prompted to open the lock.
** Note: when the key is removed from its
holding place a small light should be visible. This is a battery
indicator light and it must be present to operate the cache. If no
light is seen after removing the key, either the batteries are
toast or what was removed wasn't the key.
----------
Q: What can I use to create the tone?
A: There are a number of software programs that will do the job.
Audacity is an open source (free) sound editor
for Linux, MAC & Windows that includes a tone generator. Linux
users with ALSA installed can use the 'speaker-test'
program. Or try a Google search like
'free tone generator'.
Q: What can I use to record and play back the tone?
A: Anything that can play the tone 'out loud' is fine. Some
examples include personal tape recorders, digital voice recorders,
mp3 players with speakers, a cell phone with speakerphone & the
tone recorded to voice mail. You could even 'phone a friend' to
have them create & play the tone for you.
----------
The contents of the cache include a log book, a
small/medium-size jar for trading goodies and a camera to capture
the smiles of successful geocachers. Please don't 'tinker'
with the cache inner-workings and be careful to repack the cache
properly or the contents may interfere with its operation. When
leaving the cache be sure to close the door with a good push
(listen for a -clack- sound) and return the key to its holding
place which will turn off the light.
For the FTF there's a SanDisk Cruzer Micro 1G
USB 2.0 flash drive loaded with bootable
Ubuntu Linux 8.04
Desktop Edition (FREE as in Freedom).
** Most of the materials used to build this unit
were recycled from something else, or I fashioned them myself from
scraps. (To be earth-friendly of course). I hope this inspires
others to build electronic geocaches since disposable electronics
are everywhere and can be easily reused.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Fgntr1 Uvagf:
D: Ubj qb V qrpbqr gur QGZS pbbeqvangrf gb fgntr1?
N: Gel n Tbbtyr frnepu yvxr "qrgrpg qgzs gbarf", "qgzs qrgrpgvba ncc" be "qgzs qrpbqre/qrgrpgbe".
D: Jung nz V ybbxvat sbe ng fgntr1?
N: Guvf pnpur jnf oebhtug gb lbh ol gur yrggre "C".
Fgntr2 Uvagf:
D: Jurer'f gur "xrl"?
N: Svyy va gur oynax: "Qba'g gbhpu gung fdhveery'f _ _ _ f, vg'yy znxr uvz penml!"
D: Jurer'f gur xrlubyr?
N: Svaq crnpr. Gura ybbx oruvaq vg.