Who ya gonna call.........
Well hopefully Parastronomy in the future! Our plan is to be investigating once we have gathered the necessary equipment as we want to be there in the front line to prove or disprove paranormal experiences. Now I know we're not qualified to be saying what equipment is best, and how to perform the best investigation, as we are beginners ourselves, but I've seen enough episodes of ghost hunters (superior to the pathetic Most Haunted - or is that most faked?) and read many a book to know my stuff - I HOPE!
So, with this in mind, I thought I would write about the basics to perform your own investigation, and what we will hopefully be using to perform our own investigations in the future.
To start with the torch! This is essential to navigating around in the dark, without this you would quite literally be lost (pardon the pun). It should also be noted that candles and matches / lighter should be taken. In the event that your torch fails, or the batteries drain from paranormal activities you'll nees these as a backup.
Next up is the camera. This is essential for catching any evidence. The better the camera - the better the result, and the camera having its own flash is also essential. Where possible have as many cameras as possible and take pictures from multiple angles - covering everything in the room! You never know when something will turn up! Use both digital and film cameras for a mixed result.
A camcorder would also be a good investigation tool. This would need to be a night vision camera, or a Sony camera with night shot (preferably with zero lux). This is essential for capturing moving apparitions, and can also be used for navigating dark rooms. Again, the more cameras the better. Place them in areas which you believ to be haunted or where things tend to happen the most, this will give you a better chance of catching something. Also carry a camera to record the investigation in real time.
Digital recorders are another tool for the investigation. These will record EVPs (electronic voice phenomena - disembodies voices unaudible to the human ear). These can range from random sounds, to possible responses to any questions asked during the investigation. It is recommended to have a recorder placed in the room, and also carry one. This way you can possibly catch the voice twice, and make the evidence more plausible.
Ghosts are said to create disruptive electro magnetic fields. An EMF detector is used to pick these up, and may possibly mean paranormal activity. This can be carried during the investigation to find areas of interest.
A control object is also a good idea. This can be any object (or maybe something that you know moves). Place this in an area with a camera on it, and mark where it is. If this moves at any point during the investigation you will have a record of this and hopefully evidence on camera.
Other essentials are things like spare batteries, camera film and memory cards if needed. As you never know when they will be needed. A notebook is also good to keep track of what has hapened in the night and times when possible activity happened.
Detailed above are the basics for ghost hunting, but those with the equipment or money to buy other stuff would find many other (more expensive) tools to aid in the investigation. These include, infra red thermal gun to detect temperature changes, night vision equipment to allow you to see in the dark, barometer to check for changes in barometric pressure, air ion counter to scan for a change in positive ions and motion dectors to detect unearthly movement.
There are many other methods that can be used which I will eventually touch on, but for now these are what I would consider the main things to conduct a successful investigation.
Oh yeah, and don't forget a team of investigators!! I guess the equipment is pretty useless without them!
I hope you all found this enlightening, and will possibly use some of these methods to catch your own ghosts! And eventually we will be doing this too, and when this happens you will all be the first to know.
If you wish to discuss this at all, please jump on our forums here and let us know.
