New Skywatch Call (Nov. 22)

[Epstein_The_Swami]

Just got one. This is a new, coded message from Citizen Skywatch. No, our accented trickster doesn't seem to have any part in this. Citizen Forester and I received the call from this number: (215) 710-8162

That's the area code for Philadelphia - charges likely apply, but you can call this number if you wish to hear the message quickly. For those of you who want to help analyze, I've offered a download here.

EDIT - It seems more than one message has gone out. We've no idea how many different ones there are, but there's at least two. All of them might be vital to cracking this cipher, so we urge you to post if you've gotten a call from a *different* number other than the ones below:

Message #1: (215) 710-8162 - Download here.
Translation -

FAFGXGAAFAAFDGGGDGXXAXFFGFFGFAAGDGAXGDGF, DXAXAXFXFDFGFFDGGGFGGDDGFFDDAXXAAXFFGGGF.
GDAXAFGDGXDGDDFGGGDFAXGDGFAAFFAGGFGGAAXGDGFFAFFGFFGGAAAFGGRGDGGFDFAAFAFAGDAXGGGXGDFF.
GGDFDDDFDGGFAFDDGGDGXXAXFFFGFFAX.

Message #2: Acquire here. (Thanks Citizen blizz2192854!)

Translation-

GGDFGDAXAAGGFGDAAXFFAXFDXGDGFFDADGFAGGGDAAGGDGFGFFFDGXGFGGADAXAGAXAAFAGGXDDGGGDF.
DDFGDGFFDDGXFFAGAXGDDDGDFGGXFFAG.GGDFDGGFDGGFAFDGGGDGXXAXFFFGFFAX.

As of right now, Citizen rowan72 has been a great help in deciphering everything. Also, thanks to him, it looks like a cipher has been locked in: the "ADFGX" cipher.

EDIT 2 - And there we go, you lot never cease to astound. Big thanks to GuestUser17 for cracking this thing.

LOYAL CITIZEN SOLDIERS. KEEP MONITORING EVENTS.
RECRUIT OTHERS AND STAY IN CONTACT. I SHALL RETURN.
THIS IS CITIZEN ONE.

THREAT OF ENEMY INFILTRATION MUST BE DEALT WITH.
GOING UNDERGROUND. THIS IS CITIZEN ONE.

[Citizen Forester]

Yeah I just got it too, the number that called me is (215) 710-8162. 215 is the area code for Philadelphia. The message was really long like 2 minutes strait. I wasn't able to write anything down.

[Epstein_The_Swami]

I got the same number. Recording is done. I'll have it up shortly, I hope.


EDIT - http://www.mediafire.com/?kbbykk87e4e6e07

Let me know if it doesn't work, this is my first time doing it. Remember, you can also just call the number again to hear the message.

[Slightlychilled]

That has to be one of the longest codes yet

[Got Haggis?]

I received the call as well, very long, haven't had time to decode it yet though

[IllusionOfLife]

I am at work so I won't be able to take the call if I receive it, but I'll definitely help however I can once I get off. And is this definitely a Skywatch call, or is there any possibility that this is from a mutual 'friend' with a British accent?

[jewleeuh]

I'm still listening to this message, as I write this, and its only my first call. This is going to be a crazy one.

[Wonderboy2402]

I also recieved a call. It sounds like morse code and it is indeed a long one. I have it on my answering machine but it goes through the dots and dashes very quickly.

[Epstein_The_Swami]

If someone wants to take a crack at this, I recommend downloading it from the link above, so you can easily play parts of it repeatedly. I'm not schooled in morse, so I can't really be of more assistance.

[Alpha Ki]

I was away from my phone at the time so I will check to see if I got a phone call.

[Alpha Ki]

Another morse code one, damn.

[Wonderboy2402]

There is free software to translate this. I tried one and i can input the .wav file but I must be using it wrong.

[Slightlychilled]

they are hard to use

[Ksarith]

Does anyone have a little clearer recording? I doubt its going to be better than that but nothings decoding the message so far.

[Epstein_The_Swami]

Does it not work? Sorry, like I said, it was my first attempt. If it isn't clear enough, anyone please feel free to post a clearer recording.

[Ksarith]

Does it not work? Sorry, like I said, it was my first attempt. If it isn't clear enough, please feel free to post a clearer recording.

No no it was pretty clear. I was just wondering if someone had another one. Like I said I doubt another recording is going to be much clearer than yours but it doesn't hurt to try.

[blizz2192854]

Greetings Citizens - I have been able to obtain another copy of this message. Please try the following:

https://skydrive.live.com/embedicon....1&sc=documents

Please let me know ASAP if the above does not direct you to the recording and I will try something else.

[rowan72]

I've gotten the morse from the recording - but it's coming out to be some sort of cipher format that I don't recognize. I'll have to think on it and maybe I'll try to get a better recording to see if maybe I missed something, but it's doubtful since the cipher just seems to be made up of As, Ds, Fs, Gs, and Xs and I don't see any outliers (other than punctuation).

FAFGXGAAFAAFDGGGDGXXAXFFGFFGFAAGDGAXGDGF, DXAXAXFXFDFGFFDGGGFGGDDGFFDDAXXAAXFFGGGF.
GDAXAFGDGXDGDDFGGGDFAXGDGFAAFFAGGFGGAAXGDGFFAFFGFFGGAAAFGGRGDGGFDFAAFAFAGDAXGGGXGDFF.
GGDFDDDFDGGFAFDDGGDGXXAXFFFGFFAX.

Edit: Okay, maybe I'm going crazy, but I swear that the message that blizz2192854 posted is NOT the same as the one that Epstein posted. I only transcribed a bit to make sure what I had was still accurate and I got a completely different combination of letters:

GGDFGDAXAAGGFGDAAXFFAXFDXGDGFFDADGFAGGGDAAGGDGFGFFFDGXGFGGADAXAGAXAAFAGGXDDGGGDF.

Also, blizz's recording is only 2:04 long (with both intro and outro voice). Epstein's is 2:45 (with intro and outro).

[Ranger Six]

This seems most unusual, citizen Rowan. Are you sure it's not a mistranslation?

[rowan72]

This seems most unusual, citizen Rowan. Are you sure it's not a mistranslation?

I don't think so. Even doing a fresh decode with blizz's recording (which I swear is NOT the same as Epstien's - see my previous edit) I'm getting the same set of letters (but not the same combination).

Give me a few minutes to go and make my own copy of this thing. Let's see if there's a third version to give me a headache with.

[Ksarith]

I've gotten the morse from the recording - but it's coming out to be some sort of cipher format that I don't recognize. I'll have to think on it and maybe I'll try to get a better recording to see if maybe I missed something, but it's doubtful since the cipher just seems to be made up of As, Ds, Fs, Gs, and Xs and I don't see any outliers (other than punctuation).

FAFGXGAAFAAFDGGGDGXXAXFFGFFGFAAGDGAXGDGF, DXAXAXFXFDFGFFDGGGFGGDDGFFDDAXXAAXFFGGGF.
GDAXAFGDGXDGDDFGGGDFAXGDGFAAFFAGGFGGAAXGDGFFAFFGFFGGAAAFGGRGDGGFDFAAFAFAGDAXGGGXGDFF.
GGDFDDDFDGGFAFDDGGDGXXAXFFFGFFAX.

Edit: Okay, maybe I'm going crazy, but I swear that the message that blizz2192854 posted is NOT the same as the one that Epstein posted. I only transcribed a bit to make sure what I had was still accurate and I got a completely different combination of letters:

GGDFGDAXAAGGFGDAAXFFAXFDXGDGFFDADGFAGGGDAAGGDGFGFFFDGXGFGGADAXAGAXAAFAGGXDDGGGDF.

Also, blizz's recording is only 2:04 long (with both intro and outro voice). Epstein's is 2:45 (with intro and outro).

Good catch Citizen! After playing both back to back it seems like a different voice and the beginning starts out differently.

[blizz2192854]

Great work Citizen Rowan! I was obtaining similar results and thought that I was doing something wrong.

With your clean translation, this looks very much like a ADFGVX cipher! However, we require a key in order to decrypt it.

Apparently there is an ADFGVX cipher and an ADFGX cipher. I think we are looking at ADFGX.
More information can be found here:
http://www.cryptool-online.org/index...id=149&lang=en

[Kayana]

I received a call as well, and from a different number. (213) 985-7161

[rowan72]

Wow - never heard of that cipher before. I wonder if its possible for one of these messages to be the key to the other? I'll finish transcribing the second in a minute (then I gotta go to bed. I hate having colds).

Edit: Okay, here's what I have for the second message:

GGDFGDAXAAGGFGDAAXFFAXFDXGDGFFDADGFAGGGDAAGGDGFGFFFDGXGFGGADAXAGAXAAFAGGXDDGGGDF.
DDFGDGFFDDGXFFAGAXGDDDGDFGGXFFAG.GGDFDGGFDGGFAFDGGGDGXXAXFFFGFFAX.

Hopefully you'll have this solved by the morning so I won't have to be worrying about it throughout the day. (I don't have access to this board at my day position and so fly blind most of the time)

[Epstein_The_Swami]

Well, that's surprising! Whenever calls have gone out, I think it's always been the exact same message up to this point. I can keep a quick tab of the different phone numbers and messages on the main post, links and all. Great job, everybody, we're getting closer thanks to you. Citizen rowan72, you've been a great help.

Those of you informed on the cipher - can you tell how many different messages would be required to crack it, or is it anyone's guess? Does one message have to be the key? I'd love to learn a bit about this, myself...

[IllusionOfLife]

I received a call during work today, the number was (213) 985-7161. Unfortunately I don't have time to do much work decoding it tonight; I had already made arrangements to see a performance tonight, and right about now I suspect the actors are putting on make-up and dressing up right, and shortly it'll be time to play the music and light the lights.

Anyway, I'll check back in tomorrow, and see if I can't be of any help then.

[blizz2192854]

With the lack of a key being obvious, and from looking at the ADFGX cipher, these are short messages. I found one interesting similarity between the two messages. Perhaps if we can figure this portion out, the rest will follow.

The final 'sentence' in both messages is:
GGDFDDDFDGGFAFDDGGDGXXAXFFFGFFAX.

With this cipher, each pair of characters (gg,df,dd,df, etc.) represent 1 letter. So this final common sentence is 16 letters. Spaces are not included so this is an unknown number of words.

Good luck!

[GuestUser17]

If you use a Polybius checkerboard with ADFGX down the side and across the top you will get something close to the following without the need of a key. Each pair of letters represents a single letter. AA=A, AD=B, AF=C, etc. I and J are represented by the same combination so that you can get 26 letters in the 25 combinations.

LOYAL CITIZEN SOLDIERS. KEEP MONITORING EVENTS.
RECRUIT OTHERS AND STAY IN CONTACT. I SHALL RETURN.
THIS IS CITIZEN ONE.

THREAT OF ENEMY INFILTRATION MUST BE DEALT WITH.
GOING UNDERGROUND. THIS IS CITIZEN ONE.

[rowan72]

Thanks Rogi (if indeed that is you) or GuestUser17 if not. I knew that asking Six for help would pay off. Hope it didn't keep you up too late.

[Ksarith]

If you use a Polybius checkerboard with ADFGX down the side and across the top you will get something close to the following without the need of a key. Each pair of letters represents a single letter. AA=A, AD=B, AF=C, etc. I and J are represented by the same combination so that you can get 26 letters in the 25 combinations.

LOYAL CITIZEN SOLDIERS. KEEP MONITORING EVENTS.
RECRUIT OTHERS AND STAY IN CONTACT. I SHALL RETURN.
THIS IS CITIZEN ONE.

THREAT OF ENEMY INFILTRATION MUST BE DEALT WITH.
GOING UNDERGROUND. THIS IS CITIZEN ONE.

Very nice work Citizen. I think this message was driving some of us nutty trying to decode.

[GuestUser17]

Thanks Rogi (if indeed that is you) or GuestUser17 if not. I knew that asking Six for help would pay off. Hope it didn't keep you up too late.

Not Rogi but you're welcome. I had actually posted it over on Unfiction last night and remembered I'd created an account here too.

[cloudskye280k]

Not sure if it's been posted or not already, but I got a call from 415-817-9975. I've got no head for decoding so I'll leave it up to you guys.

[rootbeertapper]

I got a call as well, it was the same as Message #1: (215) 710-8162

[HomeGirl]

I haven't had a call yet - so thanks to those who did receive a call for sharing. Much appreciated.

[rowan72]

Not sure if it's been posted or not already, but I got a call from 415-817-9975. I've got no head for decoding so I'll leave it up to you guys.

Your calls seems to be the same as the call from 213-985-7161 (based on a quick decode of the first 20 or so letters and a scan of the wave form).