Here is a list of the equipment that we currently have on hand to aid in our investigations and descriptions of how we use them. Besides equipment and technology, the use of our senses are a big part of the investigation. Personal experiences, though exciting and heart pounding, are of little use as evidence. Equipment reading, video, images, and audio bare more weight as objective evidence.
Notebook and Writing Utensil
Yes, the most highly technological tool of all! This is a must for our investigators. Each investigator carries a notebook and writing instument to immediatly log down any experiences or important notes throughout the investigation to avoid forgetting important details. All notes are compared at the end the investigation and will be used to help collaborate any evidence found.
Digital Video Recorder (DVR) and Night Vision IR Cameras
An excellent tool that we set up in predetermined locations, and let run all throughout the investigation. We use these to collect video evidence, hopefull spiritual activity, in complete darkness. Though it is extremely rare to capture an aparition on video, or still images, this tool also helps to collabarate such things as investigator positions at any given time, and eveidence collected on other pieces of equipment. The DVR that we are currently using is a 4-channel unit. These units, as well as nightvision cameras and all the wiring and connectors you need, can be purchased locally through CamSecurtiy. You can check them out at www.camsecurity.com. We chose to go with hardware versus utilizing the wireless technology our cameras have to reduce the chance of having our evidence questioned due to interferance.
Camcorder
One of the best camcorders ever made for paranormal investigations is the Sony Handycam with the nightshot feature. This is our mobile version of the DVR system with cameras. Each team carries one with them to document their movements and actions throughout the investigation. If any movement or sound is detected, the camera can immediatly be turned to focus on the area in hopes of catching evidence on film.
Digital Voice Recorder
Digital Voice Recorders are mainly used in our investigations to try and capture Electronic Voice Phenomena or EVP. What we do is sit in a chosen area, turn the recorder on, and start asking questions. Many times, upon reviewing the recordings, we will hear disembodied voices that were not heard with our ears during the time of the investigation. What we are looking for is distinct answers to the questions we ask to prove that the voices are not from outside sources such as people passing by, or televisions and radios. We will also set the recorder down in an area when no one is present to try and pick up sounds and movement from sources other then our investigators.
Still Camera (Digital)
No explanation should be needed for this piece of equipment. We use the cameras to take random pictures or in collaberation with our other pieces of equipment. For example, if we detect a change of temperature with either our senses or equipment, we will immediatly take a picture of the area in question. If a noise is heard from a certain area, we will focus the camera in that direction and start snapping a way. One piece of evidence we will not present is pictures or videos of orbs. If you look on-line, you will find a vast amount of people claiming to have captured something paranormal on film. When you look at their so called evidence, you will see pictures of so called orbs. A majority of these images are merely dust or moisture reflecting the light of the flash or infrared lighting. Far from paranormal. Give it a try. Give your carpet a few good pats and immediatly start taking pictures. Voila - orbs. It is claimed that a true orb, which is just a collection of energy, will emit it's own light, and will not need the aid of flashes or IR lighting. Also be on the look out for so called vortexes, ectoplasm and timeshifts. A majority of these are merely camera straps and fingers getting in the way of the lens, cigarette smoke, and slow shutter speeds. Serious investigators will not use these as evidence.
Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Meter
One of the essential tools that we use during our investigations is the EMF meter. This meter is used to detect erratic fields of energy that can't be traced to a physical source such as a television set, lamp, or power outlet. What we search for during our investigations are fields that float in mid air, move around the area, and then disappear. The theory is that these fluctuations may be cause by a either an entity or a source of energy that an entity uses to materialize.
Digital IR Thermometer
One of the most commonly known phenomena that is refered to when it comes to a haunting is cold spots. Cold spots are patches of air that are signficantly cooler than the base temperature of the surrounding environment. The non-contact digital IR thermometer is used to detect these cold spots. If anything comes between the thermometer and the surface it is directed towards, the temperature will immediately fluctuate. The theory behind cold spots is that an entity utilizes heat as an energy source to manifest but falls short of enough to manifest. These certain IR Thermometers that we are using at this time were specially ordered from Airgas Gaspro. They aren't as expensive as most models out there, but they do the job just as well. Visit www.airgas.com for more info.
Flashlights
Did I mention that we investigate in complete darkness? You already know the common reasons for us to have flashlights. Well, we also use them throughout our investigations. During lights out, we use either blue, red, or green LED lights. These colored lights will not affect our night vision equipment, and has less effect on our eyes. If we see something moving while the light is on, we will immediatly turn it off to try and catch the faint glow of an entity. Using a regular flashlight would casue valuable seconds to be lost while our eyes adjust back to the darkness. The light pictured above is called an Inova 24/7 LED headlamp. The 24/7 is ideal for us because it keeps both our hands free to use our equipment and it has 7 different lighting modes. (low power, high power, signal strobe, S.O.S. signal, 3-color distress strobe white/yellow/red, 2-color emergency beacon yellow/red, red locator beacon, and night vision red). We do also use big, bulky Maglights, but mostly for set up and outdoor usage. The Inova 24/7, Maglites, and other colored lights can be purchased at Airgas Gaspro. Visit www.airgas.com for more info.
Walkie Talkies
We use walkie talkies to keep in constant communication with eachother. We also use them for the initial set up of our camera system. One person keeps an eye on the montiors while the others make the proper adjustments to the cameras. We are very careful while using them during our investigations as they may cause interference with our equipment and can contaminate our EVP recordings.
Laptop
Batteries
Back up batteries are a must have during our investigations. It would be a tragedy to have one of our equipment to die out on us an not be able to replenish the batteries in a timely matter. In some cases, brand new batteries will lose its charge possibly becuase an entity will draw its energy in an effort to manifest itself.