Semaphore Flags is the telegraphy system conveying information at a distance by means of visual signals with hand-held flags, rods, disks, paddles, or occasionally bare or gloved hands. Information is encoded by the position of the flags; it is read when the flag is in a fixed position. Semaphores were adopted and widely used (with hand-held flags replacing the mechanical arms of shutter semaphores) in the maritime world in the 19th century. It is still used during underway replenishment at sea and is acceptable for emergency communication in daylight or, using lighted wands instead of flags, at night.
The current flag semaphore system uses two short poles with square flags, which a signalman holds in different positions to signal letters of the alphabet and numbers. The signalman holds one pole in each hand, and extends each arm in one of eight possible directions. Except for in the rest position, the flags do not overlap. The flags are colored differently based on whether the signals are sent by sea or by land. At sea, the flags are colored red and yellow (the Oscar flag), while on land, they are white and blue (the Papa flag). Flags are not required; their purpose is to make the characters more obvious.
This is the nineteenth cache in this series and it is dedicated to the men and women in the armed forces...and especially to those young men and women who have aspirations to join the active services once they enter their adult years.
Added 3/14/2016: BTCO was the owner of this military series of 26 caches either through the initial publication or through adoption. When he moved to Iowa he did not think he would be able to continue to properly maintain the series. As I had served 27 years in the Air Force he thought I would be a logical choice to assume the ownership of the series. I agreed with his assessment and I adopted the series from him.
jnl gb fbyir guvf chmmyr! ab pbbeqvangrf urer gubhtu. gur thlf nobir ner gelvat gb synt lbh qbja!
Added 10/16/2020: Once you have the information from the Semaphore Flags, subtract .001 from the north coordinate and subtract .011 from the west coordinate before using the coordinate checker.
You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.
Adopted by a Nebraskache Member