When on a quest to find what we call a ghost there are a few tried and true items and methods that people use.

 Flashlight

 Compass

 electromagnetic field meter

 camera and video camera

 recording device

 infrared meter

 dowsing rods

 something to document the temperature

 walkie talkies

 cell phones

 night vision scope

 any item that detects motion

 

 Let’s look at some of these.

Flashlights, cell phones, and anything that uses a battery can be a method for the invisible to communicate; they often drain batteries, adjust batteries and for whatever reason can manipulate them.

 

 A compass is the most basic tool for detecting strange magnetic and electromagnetic fields. They are small, inexpensive and easy to find. When everything is normal the Compass needle will point north. If the device is influenced by another energy the needle does not Point North or if it moves erratically, you are encountering some kind of unusual field.

 

 An electromagnetic field meter or EMF detector is an essential tool. When using EMF detectors in a haunted location you want to look for erratic fields of energy with no physical source. when you detect such a field you should take a picture. cameras and EMF detectors work well together.  A mysterious field is a constant stable and staying lit continuously it’s artificial but if it fluctuates erratically it’s paranormal.

The Original Austin Ghost Tours at Pioneer Farms

 

The camera is our best friend when it comes to looking for evidence of ghosts. There is nothing like the feeling of having an unknown entity or object picked up on a camera that you don’t see with your eyes. The pros to digital cameras is you get instant feedback you can immediately see the picture but that said there’s many a times that will take the picture and not see anything and then two or three days later something will appear that wasn’t there two or three days ago and sometimes a year later, something else will appear that wasn’t there the year before. 

 

An audio recorder. We love this instrument. more than any other evidence we’ve gotten we’ve gotten EVPs electronic voice phenomena almost every time we go to a haunted location. The great thing about an audio recorder or a voice recorder is everyone has one on their phone, so you don’t have to spend money to use this. You could be at any location, start talking to whatever invisible entity you’re curious about and just record the conversation 9 times out of 10 you will hear disembodied voices. It will be Class A clearly audible, Class B you can hear that there’s a sound or a voice but you don’t know what it is or Class C which I don’t really use because if it’s not clear and obvious then it really could be anything.

 

Dowsing rods. They’re compact and easy to travel with. You can make a homemade dowsing rod and not spend any money just cut a metal coat hanger in three places. The first cut should be in the middle of the bottom section of the hanger; the two other Cuts should be halfway up each side of the Hanger. What remains are two stiff wires bent at roughly 45° angles; you should then bend them into 90° angles, and you will have two L-shaped wires; these are your rods.

 

 A thermometer that can determine the temperature in the room near you or at a distance is always a good item to bring along. When a ghost tries to materialize, it draws energy from the environment. Heat is a form of energy. cold spots may be caused by spirits who take in the heat energy around them but fall short of enough to appear. my experience has been that a person can be very cold suddenly or very hot suddenly and those are both both determining that there’s an entity near you.

 

Walkie talkies if you have more than one person on Investigation a walkie-talkie are fun to use, and they can also be a tool for a disembodied entity to communicate as well.

 

 Otherwise the best tool really is your body. The first most common form of a haunting is the feeling that you’re not alone, getting chills and the sense that someone is watching you. The best antenna is your body. Smells, sounds, feelings those are how we mostly determine if there’s something non-human near us.