5 Pieces of Paranormal Equipment Every Ghost Hunter Needs

Every good paranormal investigator knows that the most important thing to come away from a ghost hunt is the evidence. Without it, we are let with the subjectives experiences of the investigators, perhaps missing other evidence that may occur when we are looking the other way. The more evidence that can be recorded during a paranormal investigation, the more time that can be spent examining it later. Depending who you ask, there are dozens of pieces of paranormal equipment that can be purchased online and at paranormal conventions, but I've found that sticking to the best five covers all the bases in terms of capturing visual, temperature and auditory evidence. In no particular order, my recommended five pieces of paranormal equipment are:

1. Digital camera
If I had to choose a single piece of equipment for ghost hunting, this would be it. The digital camera has produced countless numbers of photographic evidence of paranormal activity. Despite popular belief, you don't need a top of the line digital slr with half a dozen lenses. Actually, a five megapixel (or above) point and shoot is the best kind of camera for ghost hunting. I would suggest however, that you bring more than one storage card, in a size of 1 gigabyte or larger. Also, bring an extra set of batteries, in case they suddenly go bad or get drained by an unsympathetic disembodied soul.

2. Digital recorder
I absolutely love digital recorders. No worries about tearing up a mini tape and losing valuable EVP's. My recorder of choice is a Sony ICD-B600 512k. It provides enough storage to allow me to record up to 300 hours of audio and it has a headphone port so that I can listen to audio without outside interference. The headphone port also allows me to plug the recorder into my pc's sound card port so I can upload audio and run it through Adobe Audition as necessary. In addition, the Sony has a hold button, which keeps me from accidentally turning the recorder on or off. As with the camera, remember to bring extra batteries for your digital recorder.

3. K2 Meter
A K2 meter is a device used to measure the strength of an electromagnetic field. The K2 differs from commonly used electromagnetic field meters in that it has substituted a series of light diodes that light in response to the strength of a detected magnetic field. I find this feature much easier than having to monitor the traditional analog version. Simply put, the theory states that the electromagnetic energy an entity emanates will cause the meter's lights to activate when the entity passes near the meter. The stronger the energy level, the more lights (up to five) will light in response. The K2 meter that is usually purchased, made by K2 Enterprises, is lightweight and works well, as long as you keep three things in mind. First, bring a small coin with you and jam it (gently) into the thumb switch once you begin your investigation. The thumb switch is notorious for giving false positive readings when used with a thumb. Second, don't rely on flashing lights that occur near anything electrical. Spirits may emanate electrical energy, but so do electrical equipment and items around the home, so be aware of what you are near. Finally, don't walk around with the meter and expect an accurate response. What you will get it is a bunch of false positives, because the equipment is sensitive to movement (such as walking). Try to place the K2 on a table or floor during investigations to lessen the likelihood of responses due to physical movement.

4. Digital radio (modded)
This isn't a commonly used piece of paranormal equipment (yet) and remains somewhat controversial but it sure is intriguing. If you're looking for examples of what an easily modded Radio Shack digital radio (model 12-469) can do, go to You Tube and look under 12-469. It's an unassuming digital am/fm radio and the modification is literally opening the box and pulling out a single pin. By doing so, the radio becomes an am/fm radio frequency scanner and can be attached to portable speakers or (even better) your digital recorder's microphone jack. Either way, so many people are collecting a wide variety of voices, from very faded to crystal clear, that it cannot be ignored as a potential device for communication with entities. Keep in mind that anything heard from recordings from the radio are received without a microphone. The theory behind this device is that entities cannot form words like the living (no vocal cords), but can draw on radio waves to form words.

5. Digital thermometer
You know that cold chill people often report feeling when encountering a paranormal event? Theoretically, entities cause a change in temperature because of their effect on electromagnetic fields. If you picture electromagnetic fields as waves and an entity moving across an area as a fish or boat, you recognize the displacement of the water in response. You can't see the electromagnetic waves, but you can feel the displacement of the energy, as a cold breeze or chill. Digital thermometers can allow you to confirm or deny the existence of a significant change in temperature and can allow you to record temperatures in different areas from a single point in a room. Bottom line, if you are collecting evidence, don't rely on your experience. Record the temperature as the investigation continues and monitor and note sudden rises or falls in temperature in small areas.