Article Number: 03SW07-01

 

Tools Report

By

Stephen Weidner

AAPI

 

There are basic needs that everyone in the business of Paranormal Investigating will tell you is a ‘must have’ when going out into the field. There are so many opinions that it can surely be overwhelming. Tool are based on what a person plans to investigate. If you only plan on catching spirit on film, than all you really need is any type of camera. 35mm, Digital or Video. I’m sure you will find that times goes on, the interest becomes greater and the cameras become more sophisticated and more equipment is purchased to enhance various areas. This goes for all tools of the trade. The overwhelming part becomes inevitable when asking technical questions to store clerks at your local electronics store. You’re hooked when you start to notice all the products that you can use to gather paranormal data with as you are walking down the isles of a local grocery store. If you want a good laugh, just walk into a WalMart and ask if they have a combination analog thermometer with built in humidity reader with digital displays. This point was my declaration of officially becoming a paranormal geek.

Just as there are the ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ of the filed, there are correct tools to do each job. This is a hard enough field to be in so it doesn’t behoove a person to make things any harder than they need to be. The paranormal community is constantly finding new tools to make gathering data and accuracy much more easier every single day. Please understand that the moment you buy equipment, it will be obsolete. As modern technology moves forward, so do tools for our craft. There certainly are the good standby’s that have been around and will continue to be just as useful but there will also be advancements. One such advancements in recording equipment. As soon as we bought our digital recorders, within a couple of months, they went down 50% in price. This happens. The key to remember here is it’s not what you spend or in getting the best deal. It’s about getting out in time to get what you need to gather before the opportunity goes away. Part of Paranormal Investigating is being very timely. It also doesn’t help to be at the right place at the right time.

So you’ve bought this equipment and you have managed to get out a do some research but you haven’t got anything? That’s what it is all about. Researching until you do get something. I guarantee that when you do get the first piece of evidence there will be chills down your spine. Never through anything away. All of your photos, recordings and reports will hold secrets. As you go along you will learn what to look for. You will also learn how to use various other pieces of software and equipment to enhance what you have gathered in the field. Take some time and go back and look at your earlier stuff again with your ‘new’ eyes and ears and you may be surprised at what you missed.

I have spent the past couple of month looking through manuals and reading texts on what various uses of equipment can and is used for. I have purchased what I can and tested it out for myself to see if I concur or not. The following is a report on what I have noticed others using, what it is used for and why. I hope to cover a majority of what I have found to be useful in and out of the field. This will include ‘fieldware’, ‘hardware’ and ‘software’.

Groundwork:

One of the first things that needs to be done, regardless of what type of site is being investigated, you must determine, to the best of your ability, if it. in fact, does have a paranormal history. If there is a history of activity, then you need determine exactly what tools are needed for this investigation. It will be easy to determine once you familiarize yourself with the history of the location as well as learn of urban legends about the area.

Keep in mind that a investigation is more than getting a good photo or Video or even an EVP. It is a mixture of the experience as a whole that leads to the documentation of a paranormal anomaly. If you have done your homework and know as much as you can find about the site your are investigating then it is time to take it to the second step.

Preliminaries:

It is very important that you visit the location during the day. Grab a pad and pen and take notes to routs safety areas and known dangerous areas. This has it’s benefits. It acquaints you with the area and makes navigation in darkness a bit easier. If you take a camera with you photograph certain area you think are important and may be used for comparison against the actual investigation photos. It will help you in seeing what was in the direction of the photos during the day that may look different at night. Now that this is done, take all of your gathered material and assemble what you will need for the actual investigation.

Tools Of The Trade

This is just a list of all the tools I have noticed others using and have purchased myself. The list is very long and can become very expensive. The main point I want to pass along is all you really need is what you want to ‘specialize’ in once you begin. Take it slow. Learn what you can do with the item you choose to work with. You can always move onto something else. The most important point is to be scientific in your findings and be prepared to prove your conclusions to the strongest skeptic.

The Basics:

An Open Mind
Analog Tape Recorder
Area Maps
Compass
Disposable Camera
Extra Batteries
First Aid Kit
Flashlight
Note Pad
Pens and/or Pencils
Watch

The reason I call this the ‘Basic’s’ is simply because it is the easiest to compile and least expensive. Most of this stuff is already in your home and can be used to gather data. If it is not in your home, it doesn’t cost much at all to purchase and will get you on your way.

An Open Mind: is very important when looking at results from data. You don’t want to close yourself off so much you become too much of a skeptic. Keep an open mind to everything. Even if someone tells you they can’t see what you are seeing or hearing. That does not mean it isn’t there. The next person you ask may see or hear it. The more connections you have the more feedback you will get. In not time at all you will train yourself to pick things out that no one has noticed before. Remember to not jump to the conclusions that everything strange is paranormal. Keep your critical faculties and eliminate any possible explanations.

Analog Tape Recorder: will help you to keep notes and can be used to collect EVPs. Turn on the recorder and let it go for as long as it will run. Speak in normal voices to prevent confusion as to whether your whisper was really a ghost or you. It is normal not to hear these voices during your investigation. When you review your tape afterwards you may har voices on the tape. For best results, use an eternal sensitive microphone to allow you to pick up sounds. You can also leave the recorder placed in a corner or room that is thought to be haunted. Just leave it alone and let it do it’s job. EVP’s are conventional aspects of investigations. Many times spirits that will not permit themselves to be seen but will treat you with a whisper or a phrase.

Area Maps: help to locate areas that may be known to produce activity and will assist you in keeping track of your location, avoiding dangerous spots and from even getting lost.

A Compass: is generally a tool to help navigate. In some cases has been known to spin like crazy when in the presents of paranormal activity. One thing to remember is that a compass can be affected by electromagnetic disturbances. It works in the same capacity as the EMF meter. When electromagnetic fields are present the compass will begin to spin or point in different directions. This can also happen electromagnetic energy from paranormal activity becomes prominent. Until recently the use of compasses were dismissed as being useful in the detection of electromagnetic energy.

Disposable Camera: is one of the best things to invest in. Even though we have tons of equipment, I still have a cache of disposable cameras at hand. If someone comes along and wants to take photos of an event or feels something in the air, I am not going to deprive them from taking pictures. I’ll hand them a $4.00 disposable camera and let them have at it! I keep one in my car. I keep one in my utility drawer and one in my briefcase. They are cheap, easy and very convenient. Not to mention, when you have the film developed you can ask to have them put on CD to view and print at your own leisure. This is one very easy way to view in a photo enhancement viewer as well as upload to your computer and send in an e-mail. The quality of these cameras has come a long way in the past few years.

Extra Batteries: It is no secret that paranormal activity drains energy sources closest at hand. It is not unusual to walk in to a cemetery with fresh batteries and within seconds find all batteries have been drained. IF you are lucky there will be a convenience store close by. By then the anomaly most likely has moved on and there is nothing left to document. Or, there is no convenience store and you are just out of luck. It is a wise idea to hunt to batteries on sale (as long as they’re not old and ready to expire) and stock up. That way you have them at hand whenever needed for emergencies or those out of the ordinary situations. One thing to remember, however, is to not take them into the investigation site with you. It would be the same as having them in your equipment at time of depletion. Keep them away from the site in a special area known as what we call ‘The Base Camp’ or in your vehicle away from the investigative site.

First Aid Kit: is one of the smart things to think about. Field investigations can be very hazardous. There is nothing wrong with being a little precautious incase someone falls down or gets injured.

Flashlight: It is true that a lot of time is spent in the dark waiting or searching for activity. Having a flashlight will help you to find your way around and, hopefully, avoid falls. Any size flashlight will do. However, in doing research we have found that most abnormal activity dissipates with bright light. We have reconstructed our lights with a red cover to prevent this from happening. If you red about séances of the past and present they always state as a general rule to use red light. This is less offensive to activity. Why should we be any different? Also, it you need both hands free, try a head lamp. That way the light is always in front of you. Just be cautious not to blind the person you want to talk to by looking at them all of a sudden.

Note Pad: Taking notes and keeping track of events is a critical part of investigating. This is the less glamorous part of the job but the most important. It separates the legitimate groups from the amateurs. A key point is to document the conditions around you. Nothing is to be left out. Write down the temperature, sky conditions, solar activity (this will require internet research). Record who is with you (remember to never go alone) and what their thoughts are. In addition, note the date and time. If any occurrences happen, note them as well.

Pens and/or Pencils: Experience has taught us that the more fancy the implement the more things can go wrong with it. The ‘KISS’ (Keep It Simple Stupid) method works fine here. Mechanical pencils can act up if given the right circumstances. A regular pencil with a small sharpener is ideal. These new pens with the lights built into the tips are NOT a good idea. Those lights require batteries and they can be drained. It seems the more primitive the implement the better and more reliable it becomes.

Watch: All that is really needed, again, is a simple watch. Pocket watches will do the best. Remember, nothing that requires batteries. Wind up is the best. If you are going to purchase a watch or clock specifically for investigating, we suggest a wind up timepiece. We have several watches/clocks we use. We find ourselves in various situations where diverse mechanics apply. For the basics, remember to keep it simple.

 

The Advanced Investigator

 

Cameras:

Recorders with/out external microphones:

EMF Detectors:

Motion Sensors:

Ghost Catchers:

Chalk:

Cell Phone:

Two Way Radios:

Video & Audio Tapes:

Dowsing Rods:

Pendulums:

Stop Watch:

A level:

Camcorder with infrared:

Infrared Thermal Scanner:

Infrared Photography film/digital:

Night Vision Scopes:

Tripods:

Air Ion Counter:

Geiger Counter:

Baby Powder:

Thermal Imaging Scopes:

Metal Detector:

Cell Sensor:

Ziplock Baggies:

Plastic/Glass Bottles:

Ball of String:

Candles and Matches:

Barometer:

Electrostatic Field Meter: