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home > articles > Tools of the Trade: Equipment for Ghostly Investigations
Tools
of the Trade: Equipment for Ghostly Investigations So you've decided to conduct a ghost investigation but you're not sure what to bring along! Aside from choosing the location and defining your team, the next important step is to determine which tools you are going to use. The following is a list of equipment commonly used by researchers on a ghost investigation. It is not a complete list as i'm sure there are tools out there that some high-end groups use - ones that we here at HH have probably never even heard of! Please note that the key to a good investigation doesn't always have to include the use of fancy or expensive gear. Sometimes you can get the best findings with a simple pen and paper or disposable camera! Remember - use your intuition and always keep an open mind. Nothing is worse than going into an investigation with a negative or closed mind.
Pen
& Paper - The Basic Essentials Pencil or pen (which ever tickles your fancy) and of course, paper, are the most basic and number one tool that you'll need on a ghost investigation. It is important to keep a log of every single detail including the names of people attending, the location, the precise times, the weather conditions, the moon phase, the equipment used and most importantly, detailed accounts of what is happening and occurring. Flashlight
* Tip: When using a flashlight in the dark, give yourself a few minutes after shutting it off to allow your eyes to get used to the darkness. If there is no fear of falling or tripping on anything, sometimes it is best to keep the flashlights off so your eyes are really sharp and in tune with your surroundings. Also, as pictured above, sometimes it's handy to have a headlamp so you can keep your hands free to use your other tools. Red
Cellophane This is a useful material for covering the lenses of flashlights in order to prevent the light from being too blinding and will allow your eyes to become use to the darkness. Watch
Make sure everyone is wearing a watch so they know the exact times to write down when recording findings. Be sure to synchronize everyone's watches at the exact same time, right down to the second so there is no room for error when trying to recall the precise time of an incident.
A simple yet effective way of picking up electro-magnetic fields (EMF). Watch the dial go nuts and spin excessively or erratically when in the presence of EMF currents. Road
Map Gotta know you're location and where you're going! You don't want to reenact the Blair Witch Project and get lost in the middle of a forest! Mirror
Batteries,
and lots of them! Batteries, batteries, and more batteries! Be sure to pack these, even by the dozen as electrical equipment is commonly known to "fail" or mysteriously stop working or break down while at a haunted location. Talcum
or Baby Powder Great for picking up mysterious hand or footprints. Just be sure to tell the rest of your team not to go near that certain area!. Camera
Film Same as above! 35mm
Camera
The
Disposable Camera Sometimes the best ghost photos are taken with a very simple disposable camera. They are easy to use, inexpensive and you don't have to know a think about photography to take some shots. Depending on your situation, we recommend that a minimum of 400 ISO film is used with a flash. Ultimately, using 800 ISO will guarantee that you're pictures will be completely visible in darker areas (primarily indoors or at night). If you are taking pictures during the day, 400 ISO is just fine. The
Digital Camera The latest trend that is all the rage in the camera industry. We recently purchased one and have never looked back since! We use it all the time and find it to be an invaluable resource that is so easy to use and very convenient as all you have to do is take your pics and upload them to your computer. The quality is amazingly perfect as you'll produce clear and sharp pictures. There is however, an ongoing debate where some claim that digital cameras pick up dust and particles in the air more easily, creating "orbs" in your pictures. Granted, you can catch "orb" photos with any type of camera, for some reason, digital cameras seem to pick them up much easier. Therefore, it is extremely important to rule out all possible causes before claiming that a dust particle is a so-called "orb". The
Audio Tape Recorder
Humans can hear sound waves in between the ranges of 20 to 20,000 Hertz while EVP's seem to be captured at extremely low frequencies (ELF's) which are from 30 to 300 Hertz (which is impossible for humans to make). There are a number of computer software programs on the market that will detect and log the spectral range of a recorded or live sound wave, the most popular being a program called Cool Edit. * Tip: We at Haunted Hamilton like to use at least two audio tape recorders so that we can compare our findings if we think we caught an EVP. The EVP's that we caught at the Merritt House (see below) were caught on our tape recorder while the other investigator's recorder didn't catch it at all! Click here to listen to the EVP's that we here at HH caught during our investigation at the infamously haunted Merritt House. (EVP's are the light blue links) Did you know? Thomas Edison first introduced this concept to the world during the latter part of his life when he became obsessed with the afterlife. In the few weeks prior to his death he kept himself locked in a room with a modified version of the phonograph he invented earlier in his life. While alone, he would begin to ask questions, leaving a pause after each. When playing the recording back he was amazed to find other voices providing answers. Since no one else was in the room during the experiment, he deducted that these were "spirit voices". You can see the recording device he used as it is currently on display at the Smithsonian Institute. The
EMF Meter Electromagnetic field meters are used to register energy emissions and fluctuations in energy fields. Electromagnetic radiation can come from computers, televisions, powerlines, cellular phones, appliances, phones, microwaves and other electrical devices. Among ghost investigators, it is commonly viewed that ghosts can disrupt energy fields, causing higher then normal readings. It is important to rule out all possible triggers as the EMF meter is very sensitive and can pick up waves in even the most remote area. Ideally, you should go into your environment beforehand and completely test and register all readings so you know what to rule out. A simple Gauss Meter can be purchased at your local science or electronics store. Check around because they vary in price from location to location. The
Video Camcorder
Nightvision
Nightvision allows a ghost investigator to see things than normally can't be seen with the naked eye. There are goggles that can be used but we here at HH use the Nightvision on our Sony Camcorder. Thermometer
Used to detect and verify "cold spots" and monitor fluctuations in temperature within rooms. Be sure to check and make note of the average temperatures in a room before the investigation. Also be sure to write all findings down during the investigation.
Same as above but the thermal scanner is a non-contact thermometer that sends out an infrared beam that hits a surface and bounces back giving the temperature of the object it hits. Walkie-Talkies Great for communication between people or teams who are in separate rooms or locations. Some even span up to two miles. Motion Detectors A great tool for monitoring supposedly empty rooms. An alarm will sound when any motion has been detected. There are also camcorders out there that run on motion detectors and can automatically click into record mode when any movement occurs - perfect so you don't have to sit there and watch hours of boring nothingness! :) Ion Detectors These items are used to detect ion emissions. An expensive, but handy tool since there have been some recent claims that ghost produce Ion disturbances and that they can sometimes be attracted to Ion generation. Candles If the power fails or the flashlights die out. Also useful to aid in the spiritual aspect of investigating. (certain coloured candles can induce or evoke specific things). Plastic Baggies For collecting any ghostly evidence left behind! Don't we all just wish we could find some real ectoplasm! :) First Aid Kit For when you trip on a step and fall down the stairs in the dark!
Spiritual Tools Divining
Rods
Pendulums
Spirit
Boards Also referred to as Ouija Boards, this highly dangerous tool should only be used in the rarest cases, and by people who are experienced and know how to properly use it. Please see our section called the "Ouija Diary" for more information. Smudge
Sticks Sage smudging sticks are used for cleansing a home and/or sacred spaces. It brings strength, wisdom and clarity and enhances the spiritual, emotional and physical well-being by offering the smoke.
References and Suggested Links: EVP's:
Audio Tape Recorders: Divining
Rods, by Sherry Sims: http://realmagick.com/articles/93/993.html |
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this image means the tool is part of HH's investigative equipment
The
second most important tool to have on a ghost investigation. If you're
going out at night or going into dark buildings or locations you need
this to see where you are going. Also helpful for shining into creepy
corners to look for shadows hiding in the dark! :)
Compass
Always
be sure to check your make-up! No, no, just kidding!! But seriously,
it can sometimes help to use a mirror to check to see if anyone, or
anything is behind you without having to move a muscle. Good for catching
those shadows that you see from the corner of your eyes! :)
One
of the essentials when investigation ghosts is the camera. It is used
to capture anything and everything including strange abnormalities that
may appear when you least expect it. A great advantage of using a traditional
35mm camera is that you have a hard copy of the negative to serve as
proof if anything weird or unusual appears in your pictures. 
Used
not only to record the investigative session, but as well, to capture
EVP's (electronic voice phenomenon). It
is important to use an external microphone so you won't pick up on the
mechanical and internal sounds a tape recorder can make. 
A
video camera serves more to document the investigation rather than collect
possible ghost activity. However, on rare occasions supposed orbs or
mist have been captured on video. We ourselves at HH have actually caught
a few interesting things on our Sony Hi8 Handycam Camcorder
Infrared
Thermal Scanner
Divining
rods are often used by people on ghost investigations as a form of dowsing
almost. Some say that they can pick up on ghost energies and that you
can even communicate with ghosts through them using directional spins
or crossings. Divining rods also allow one to access and help develop
their intuition. First you try to get to the state of relaxed concentration,
then by asking carefully worded question you open a "channel"
of communication and receive the information you seek; your body amplifies
that signal and displays it through the rods.
Pendulums
are another form of dowsing. You can use almost anything... a piece
of jewelry, a crystal, a metal object, etc. that is suspended as a small
weight from a string or chain. Similar to the divining rods, you can
use the pendulum to get "yes" and "no" answers from
a spirit. You can also dowse the chakras with a pendulumto check for
imbalances in the body during an investigation (if a ghost tries to
attach itself to a person for example).