Paranormal Investigation Equipment & Tips

For years I've been interested in the paranormal and for the last few years I've run and organised paranormal investigation groups. I wanted to share some of my thoughts and experience on this subject with regards to various tips and equipment usage.

Equipment
- Digital camera
- IR (night vision) video camera
- Thermometre; electrical/standard
- Tape/voice recorder/microphone (including spare tapes)
- EMF metre
- Crystal pendulum
- Control objects (usually associated with the location)
- Motion detectors/sensors
- Torches
- First aid kit
- Stop watch
- Walkie talkies
- Hydrometre
- Dowsing rods
- And plenty of spare batteries, tapes & film!

Of course much of this equipment can be costly; so I would recommend the basics as being: camera, video camera if possible, thermometre, emf metre, tape recorder, pendulum.

Saftey should always come first - don't go alone... not just because you might get scared, mostly for obvious personal saftey reasons, always go in a pair or preferably a group and for extra measure, always let at least one other person know where you are going and how much time you are planning to spend there, on average. Although mobile phones can interfere with certain experiments, make sure everyone can be contacted or contact others for help if necesery.

Locations

With regards to public locations, always make sure you have permission to photograph/film/investigate, most places will clearly state any specific restrictions on entrance. If you're unsure, contact them before hand.
Although you make think public places are not ideal, especially during public opening hours; this is how many paranormal groups start out. It's good practice, and you never know what you may find.

For private bookings/investigations, there is usually a price to pay, some charge hundreds of pounds/dollars/etc if not more, whilst others may allow you to investigate for free or some publicity.
Some places will openly advertise this service, whilst others which allow it, may not. So if you are interested in investigating somewhere in particular, contact them via phone or E-mail; be polite, express genuine interest and you may be surprised with your results.

Experiments

It's not for me to recommend ouija boards or seances to just anyone, as these should be practiced with respect, caution and seriousness.
Other experiments include: EVP recording, table tipping, motion detector set up/locked-off cameras, control objects, pendulum/tarot work.

The Group

In any typical group it is always good to have a diverse range of characters in terms of beliefs, a sceptic, a believer (most of them are anyway), a psychic/medium. This is purely to offer a wider range of perspective and opinion on any experiences or evidence the group may collect.

Evidence

Any data/photo's/experiences that are recorded some way during the investigation should also be recorded afterwards in an understandable format that can be used for future reference, most groups do this on their website. You could easily set up a website for free or a relatively small charge for this purpose.

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Even though I don't currently openly run any active investigation group, I still keep in touch with others that I've investigated with in the past and I still get a lot of E-mails from the public asking various questions; is their house haunted because they've experienced this and that; they've seen orbs around someone - what/who is it, can I shed any light on such and such.
Before investigating anywhere it is always a good idea, wherever possible, to conduct preliminary investigations, or at least a visit, and to do as much background research as possible, on past investigations and general history.

I will add more soon, I hope this helps for starters.

[Lynn]

Hello

Very good post. Being blessed with Medium abilities when I go on an ivestigaton I have with me a team with the gagets. I take but me and protection for me.

The thing that one must always have is EXTRA batteries. Over and over again a full charged device will go dead. This happens the instant contact is made. Back up flash lights too if one is doing a night investigation. It is NOT fun fumbling in a dark basement or worse crawl space without light.

Tapes make sure that ye get GOOD quality one's as the cheap one's come with a lot of pre backgound noise on them.

Many thing that the age of digital camera's has brought on the Orb's what we fail to remember is what we used to do with film. We would take the pictures and take them to a lab for developement. In that process the "bad" pictures were no developed and given to ye. The negatives at times do not show clearly what is there.

Too with more and more "Team" forming I can not say enough about being careful. Really it sound silly a "Firt Aid Kit" it at times needed. I personally have had scratches and ligature marks put on me.

What one's are dealing with is VERY MUCH real. Be safe and be careful.

Lynn

As the initial post was a brief introduction to some of the topics involved in paranormal investigation, in this post I’m going to expand on equipment.

Digital Camera
Any average digital camera will do, even from 2mp up to around 6/mp, with a flash, most come with various different modes and settings. The automatic mode is usually fine for most locations, inside or outside. I would recommend taking at least 2-3 spare SD cards (or whichever form of memory card your particular camera uses) depending on memory size. Spare batteries are also a must.

Night Vision Video Camera
These can be fairly expensive from around 80 pounds/dollars all the way up to 200-400 or more. The one I used to have cost around 100 was adequate for most investigations – more so indoors. They use infrared so the picture is a green-hue mostly; sometimes grayish, orbs, shadows and other light anomalies are easily visible. Again spare batteries and memory is a must have.

Thermometer
A digital one with a back-light is probably recommended for reading with in the dark, purely for easiness as opposed to classic mercury style thermometer. Obviously this is used for detecting reported cold/warm spots on investigation, but also to record average temperatures preliminary where possible.

Pendulum
Any crystal pendulum is suffice, most people use clear quartz. They can be good for detecting or confirming energies in a certain area.

Torches
For obvious reasons whilst exploring in the dark!

First Aid Kit
As previously pointed out, it may not seem wholly important, but it’s a must have, just in case. The same goes for an emergency contact and a mobile for emergencies.

EMF Meter
These can be bought for around 40-60 pounds as far as I’m currently aware, they detect electromagnetic field changes/disturbances and general readings. Fluctuations can indicate paranormal or spirit influence. However preliminary tests around the location are important, to detect any electrics or other known phenomena that may set it off.

Tape/Voice Recorder
These are also great to have – remember the spare tapes and batteries too. Used for capturing EVP and other noise phenomena; clearly stating at the beginning of each recording where you are on location, who’s present, and the date and time is helpful for when listening back through usually hours of tape afterwards, then when something interesting arises it is much easier to record and keep note of.

Motion Detectors
Some will use a laser beam; others will not and will just go off at the sensation of any kind of movement or direct change in light. These are best set up in an area that no one will be investigation for at least half the night and can be locked in a separate area to discount human interference.

This is pretty much the basic uses of the basic equipment for anyone interested in starting out with an adequate kit. Of course, there are further pieces of equipment that are available; I will briefly list a few of them:
Thermal imaging camera
Dowsing rods
CCTV system
These can be expensive, especially the former and the latter, but they can be excellent aids for recording and monitoring any paranormal activity that may occur.

Although I don’t recommend going anywhere alone, if you are interested in doing a few minor investigations by yourself or with a friend, locally to begin with, or just to check out a location for future consideration, I’d recommend just taking a digital camera, a tape recorder and maybe an EMF meter.
For all night or longer, more major investigations I’d recommend all of the above and possibly more depending on your individual interests or ideas regarding experiments or investigating – there is really no right or wrong way.

Some people take tarot cards, other spiritual items for more spiritually inclined purposes as opposed to scientific. Although it’s not uncommon for all members of the team to take a crystal or two, for protection.

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Forming an Investigation Team

Most paranormal groups begin with a couple or small group of friends (2-4 average) interested in exploring the paranormal. Depending on how far, or how serious you’d like the team to develop, for a successful team, speaking from personal experience, I would suggest the following:

Skeptic – not to put a downer on anything that may occur; but someone to offer a scientific/logical/physically-orientated opinion. It’s worth considering skeptical approaches regardless of personal beliefs on investigation.

Medium/psychic – again, to offer an alternative approach to the scientific methods of investigating, it is positively interesting to include the spiritualist/medium view and input.

Technician – It’s not a bad idea to delegate someone as the technician responsible for the equipment and electronics, for problems, keeping everything in order and organizing.

Lead Investigator(s) – One or two people should take charge of the whole team, fairly and positively, simply to keep everything well organized. These are usually the two people that have ‘invented’ the group and will be the ones organizing most investigations/meetings.

General Investigators – Try to include general investigators with a range of beliefs and experiences, someone particularly with historical interests is a plus, as is someone with first aid experience.

Baring the above in mind, most groups that I have formed and worked along side in the past have worked extremely effectively with this set up or something very similar. The leaders should be fair but dominant enough to keep the group organized. All paranormal investigators taking part should have the respect to be serious when needed, and for others and the equipment involved.
There will always be one or two ‘idiots’ along the way, but for the most part, the longer a team investigates together, the more effective and well-balanced and working they become. Considering most that bother to join a paranormal group have a genuine interest and are keen to investigate, you shouldn’t have many problems.

If and when inviting members of the public to attend a particular investigation or to join the group it is worth compiling a health and safety disclaimer and an application form (including contact info, interests, agreement to guidelines etc). A little research and looking into health and safety will go a long way, should any accidents occur. If you’re part of a small group, simply forming a written and signed agreement outlining the guidelines you have set, should solve any future disputes. (I will post more info on this later, if requested).
When a friend and I first set up a paranormal group, we simply contacted other established groups in the same area, asking for their ‘advice’ on how to get started; basically they all say the same: what I will be outlining in this thread. But there is another reason for asking for this ‘advice’ – whether you need it or not – networking and forming contacts pays off. Showing a little appreciation for another group is beneficial for all involved, by doing this and the above, we were able to attend a fantastic over-night investigation at a 4 star hotel locally with an experienced paranormal group, simply by sending a couple of E-mails and showing an interest in their work.

If you are unsure about starting your own group still, it’s never a bad idea to join an already established group that welcomes new members, to gain knowledge and experience before venturing off alone.

However, for those keen to start their own straight away, I would recommend the following to get started:
- Visit known haunted locations (usually public) with a friend during the day, taking a digital camera and a few other basic pieces of equipment. After a few visits you will probably have at least something that are worth showing, whether it can be explained or not.
- Show your findings on a web page; setting up a basic site can be free if you find the right host/provider, send your link to established groups, simply ask them what they think, again, show an interest in their work, ask for advice. This can and will pay off in the future.
- You will probably have to pay, but try attending a couple of paranormal investigations set up for the public, these often take place at famously haunted locations across the country/region. By this time you can add a list of locations you’ve investigated to your website, should an established group visit your site, they will see how keen you are.
- With this tucked under your belt it may be time to consider putting together your paperwork (see above) and advertising to the public the opportunity to join/form your group. A general meeting advertised on a poster can often be enough; arrange it at a local pub/café/meeting place.
- If you advertise well and in plenty of time you are bound to get at least a couple of people interested and turn up. Then you can begin discussing how you would like the group to progress.

Later I will provide information on how to obtain your first paranormal investigation at known haunted locations, including famous ones. (This will be speaking from experience in the UK, but I’m sure the basics apply to most countries with regards to how to go about it).

Once your group is set up and ready to go, with a few preliminary or minor investigations under your belt, even exploring the odd night or two during the week can help in local areas. It could now be a great time to start organizing an investigation at a known or famous haunted location.

Having a website with all your up to date findings and information about the group etc will really help; it’s good to show your determination, seriousness and keen interest in what you are pursuing.
Providing possible candidates for an investigation with the web address is always a good idea along with contact information, of course, including an E-mail address or phone number.

Bear in mind from the beginning that most places will charge for this ‘service’ or at least ask for or expect a decent donation. Most will also ask for a certain number of participants (mostly to make it worth their while opening up after hours etc).
Writing by post or E-mailing directly has proven the most successful for me and any groups I’ve worked with, phone contact usually comes later, if at all, and meetings will come later too.

A standard E-mail or letter of enquiry should explain and include the following:
- Who you are/what the group is about
- Why you wish to investigate their establishment/location
- Provide a web address & contact details
- Show an understanding that fees/donations may be possible
- Show an interest in the history of that particular location

Remember to be really polite and really interested and explain in clear, simple English, who you are, what you do, what you want to achieve etc and you are guaranteed a reply; even if it is just to say “no thanks”. But don’t be put off by this, it can and does happen a lot, but often enough they are happy to arrange investigations.

Some places as explained previously can charge a lot of money, if you can afford this then great, I have no doubt it would be most certainly worth it. If you can’t, express an interest in paying a donation or free advertisements on your website for the location in question – this can sometimes help where large fees can’t be paid for.
Be prepared to pay though, even if it seems like a lot, it can be a costly adventure, but as you go on, it will be worth it, trust me. In time, it is easily possible that places will start coming to you and asking you to investigate for them – this has happened for us with various pubs and hotels in the past.