Ghost Hunt 2: MORE Chilling Tales of the Unknown (36 page)

In order to be scientific about an investigation, TAPS does use other equipment that can accurately measure things. Keep in mind, though, that you don’t need all our high-tech stuff to do a good investigation. There are advances in science and technology all the time, so we are always looking for new equipment that will help us.

Here is a list of some gear we use. You can find more in the glossary at the back of the guide.

EMF detector:
This measures the force given off by electrical charges. Scientists call this force the electromagnetic field. We do
not
use EMF detectors to
prove
there are ghosts. We use them to see if there is a sudden increase in the electromagnetic field. A sudden increase
could
mean a spirit has entered the area. It could
also
mean that you walked in front of an object with a high electromagnetic field, like a large appliance. So you have to be careful.

Some people are very sensitive to electromagnetic fields. A strong electromagnetic field can make them feel sick or dizzy. Sometimes it gives people a creepy feeling, which can make them think there are paranormal things happening. When we find high EMFs, we often tell people to have an electrician fix the electricity in the house. If the creepy feelings go away, we can debunk the claim.

Geophone:
Scientists use this device to study earthquakes. A geophone detects vibrations. We use it to try to pick up the vibrations made when spirits walk.

Ion generator:
An ion is a particle with either a negative or positive electrical charge. An ion generator makes the air electrically charged. Paranormal investigators think the charged air makes it easier for ghosts to try to show themselves.

IR illuminator:
We use this camera attachment, which shoots out invisible infrared light into a room, to make the IR function work better.

K-II meter:
Like the EMF detector, this detects the electromagnetic field. A light blinks to show how strong the field is. TAPS teams have tried using K-II meters to communicate with spirits. We ask yes-or-no questions. If the spirit wishes to answer “yes,” it can use energy to change the magnetic field and cause the light to blink. If the answer is “no,” the light stays off.

Laser grid:
This piece of equipment shoots out lasers (a laser is a very focused beam of light) into a grid of bright dots arranged in a pattern. All a person sees are little red dots on whatever the laser grid is pointed at. If a spirit walks in front of the laser grid, the dots will disappear as if they are blocked by the entity.

Thermal camera:
A special kind of IR camera. Thermal cameras collect visual information about heat and cold. They make warmth and coldness visible and can see what regular camcorders can’t. We use them to detect cold spots and warm spots—and to watch for changes in temperature, which could mean a spirit has entered a room.

Say you’re investigating a house for strange noises. As you go through the house, you will hear all sorts of normal sounds. Don’t forget to
tag
all those sounds. Just say “The floor creaked under my foot,” or whatever the case may be. These investigations can take all night, and you might forget something insignificant like that when you are listening for EVPs later. It’s important to be careful because you want to be sure your electronic voice phenomenon is real. Sometimes the sounds you hear explain what the spirit is looking for. Remember the spirit in “Lost in the Lake”? We heard “Find me,” and eventually he was found.

So how do you get ghosts to talk? You start by talking to them. Remember, spirits were once alive and deserve the same respect you’d give any person. Don’t start off by asking questions like “How did you die?” or “Why are you haunting this house?” Instead, ask simple questions, such as “Who are you?” or “What are you doing here?” or “What do you want?”

After each question, wait ten to twenty seconds. It takes time for a spirit to gain enough energy to respond.

A regular camcorder is a great tool for a ghost hunter. You can watch the whole investigation over again second by second and not miss a thing. You can even slow time down to study every part of an important moment. This helps when you’re not sure whether what you’re seeing is actually evidence. Is that black thing just a shadow… or a black mass? Most camcorders also have a night vision camera, which is perfect for a ghost hunter walking around in the dark.

Professional ghost hunters like us also use thermal cameras. They’re great for debunking a site. Some thermal cameras are so strong that they can pick up the heat of a mouse in the wall. If it were not for these IR cameras, you’d never know it was the little mouse all along making those creepy, scratchy noises.

Doing research about a site can bring your investigation to the next level. If all your evidence adds up and your research backs it up, you might have a real haunting on your hands. We spend a lot of time looking up information about our investigations. We try to find out who lived in the house and what they did there. If an area or a town has a lot of history, there will be a lot of great information to find.

But we know you know this from reading about us and watching our show: Always do the research
after
you’ve investigated the site.

Have you ever passed someone drinking a soda and then five minutes later you’re dying for a Coke? That’s because the idea of drinking a soda was planted in your head. The same thing can happen if you do research before the investigation. If you show up at a site knowing that a famous singer died in the house, every faint noise will sound like someone singing to you. Or you may be so focused on trying to capture the singing that you overlook other important evidence. To be a good ghost hunter, you have to observe and take good notes. Then you can do research and come up with some conclusions.

You have hours of videos and audiotapes. You’ve recorded everything. You’ve done your research. Maybe you’ve even experienced something you couldn’t quite explain. Now it’s time to study and analyze the evidence.

Remember, you need to be very careful when analyzing photographs or video footage. Is that white form a ghost? Or is it nothing? You need to look very closely. These normal things are often thought to be evidence of spirits: