I have had some questions about what tools I have and use on our cases, so I thought I might share that info here.
Here is a picture of the items that I personally own, but I have not included some of the practical, yet unexciting items like extra batteries, a first aid kit, a watch, bottled water, caffeine, gloves, ladders, etc, etc.
Digital Audio Recorder: At the top, my Olympus digital recorder... my favorite piece of equipment because it helps me to catch the best evidence that I have personally caught so far. If you were to get a recorder for paranormal research, make sure it is one that has a sampling rate of 94 or 96 kBps. Anything lower than 63kBps will cause issues when trying to detect EVPs. You also want it to be able to directly connect to your computer (via USB). Some of the older ones require a patch cord and make for a LONG transfer of data. It needs to record in wave format, not mp3, because you will lose important detail with mp3. And you also want a high sampling rate (measured in kHz)... a very high quality piece of audio equipment might have a sampling rate up to 190kHz, but some common rates you can find in a regular recorder are 44.1, 48, or 96. The higher, the better quality sound. There are many more details I could get into, but this is plenty to get the novice started with a good recorder!
Next to my recorder, you'll see a jumble of black cord. That is a clip-on lapel microphone. It is not to be used all the time, because it is only one microphone, you lose the stereo sound ability when listening to your recording, and although I am sure this loses a lot of detail, I mostly just find it annoying. It is very helpful though if you want to use your digital recorder while handling other equipment (cameras, etc), and I use it for those occasions.
Laser Grid & Tripod: To the left of the recorder, are my laser grid and tripod. These are SO helpful when you are in a big dark room or long dark hallway, and the paranormal claims by the client are shadow movement or "shadow people". It is a little difficult to explain how it helps, but the best way to describe it is that the dots of the laser pointer are either blocked out or seem to "wave" or alter or move. It just helps you to see the possible shadow apparitions better than complete darkness. Here is a picture of what it looks like when you are using it in a dark room.
K2: Below the digital recorder is a gray box with a small rainbow on it. It measures electromagnetic fields, and indicates on its scale of green to red whether the field is weak or strong. If I could afford one, I would purchase a MEL meter because it gives much accurate readings and also provides a temperature reading, but a K2 was an affordable piece of equipment to start off with, and it still has its uses. In some cases, during an EVP session, some investigators might use the K2 as a communication device, like "if you are in this room, please come close to this item so that the lights light up and we know you are here"; However, this use is debatable because the K2 can be affected by any electromagnetic field, including ANY electronics, which include cell phones (and they ping even when on silent) and all house electronics, as well as the earth's natural magnetic fields, which can vary depending where you are.
P-SB7 ITC Research Device (Ghost Box): This is an AM/FM frequency sweep radio that sweeps through stations at a fast pace (a few stations per second). Did you ever see that movie White Noise with Michael Keaton? The theory there and here is that if we provide some source of energy and white noise, that an entity can manipulate it and communicate with us easier. This piece of equipment is HIGHLY controversial and I would not have one if it was not given to me (thank you Keith & Katie!) because of the combination of the cost and the reliability of the results captured. It can be very useful if you are a good healthy skeptic and only pay attention if the answers received are REALLY relevant to the investigation. If you are getting intelligent responses that are relevant, it can be a really amazing tool to have.
Paper & pens: TAKE NOTES.... if something happens during your investigation, note the time and make note of what happened... notes are SO helpful when actually sitting down and trying to put together the evidence, research, and experiences for a case. Although we have investigator logs for each member at each case, I always also have my notepad and several pens, just in case.
SD cards: SD cards, flash drives, batteries.... Whatever memory cards your equipment requires, have extras. Whatever batteries they need, have extras. Flash drives are great if your team wants to use a laptop to load all the evidence right after the case and then have members take home parts of the evidence for review.
Flashlights (more than one): This one is obvious, if you will be doing part, most, or all of the investigation in the dark, you need to be safe and see where you are going. Bring extras because one just might break, get misplaced, or even somehow malfunction due to paranormal circumstances. Who knows, but just have 2 or more. As an option, have one like the red mag-light that I have in the picture (that you twist to turn on and off). For fun, during an investigation, you can turn it on, then just barely twist it until it's off, then set it down and see if you can entice an entity to turn it on and off on demand for you. I have witnessed this work for a conversation that lasted almost 20 minutes....
Level and screwdriver: In my kit, I have a small level; Sometimes you feel kind of "off" in an area, and it might just be because of a funhouse effect caused by uneven floors, windows, doorways, and other structural elements. This is a quick and easy way to check on that. Also, if someone is claiming that something consistently rolls a certain way on a windowsill or mantle or counter, it's pretty easy to debunk if you can show that the surface is slanted. I also have a screwdriver because my K2 meter requires one to open the battery compartment. So check all your equipment... you might need two types of screwdrivers or some other special tool. A measuring tape can come in handy too, although I do not carry one myself.
Good Headphones: A NECESSITY to hear EVPs during analysis. My very first investigation was 8 hours long in Preston Castle, and I got some great EVPs there, but I had to use earbuds to analyze the evidence. I swear that the interior of my ears were bruised from holding my ear buds in there so I could get good clear sound without external contamination from the room I was sitting in. If you plan to do EVP work, invest in a decent set. I like mine, but have hopes for an even better set in the future.
Thermometer(ambient): An ambient air thermometer is helpful in identifying temperature fluctuations. Theories suggest that ghosts can take energy from the environment in order to do something (make a sound, make themselves visible, touch someone, etc). This leaves a cold spot that you can measure and quantify. There are also theories that some negative entities create hot spots, and you can measure that as well. It can also be useful to have an infrared (IR) thermometer to measure surface temperatures. It is important to remember that you are not measuring the air between the thermometer and the surface though, you are simply measuring the surface it is pointed at. An instance you might want an IR thermometer is if there is a claim that a ghost is often seen sitting in a specific spot, and during the investigation you hear a sound in that spot, potentially you could use the IR thermometer to see if the temperature in that location is significantly different from the surrounding area... this could be used as evidence if there are no normal explanations for the difference.
I like toolboxes, so I store all these goodies (and more) in a Stanley toolbox from Home Depot. Some people like insulated camera bags, backpacks with a lot of compartments, or even fishing and hunting vests with lots of pockets. Our team equipment (all the cameras, EMF detectors, thermometers, tripods, etc, etc) are in large insulated rigid cases to protect them from damage. Some day I might invest in one of those for myself.
On my wishlist for equipment:
1. compass (that's reasonable... I think I should get one this week)
2. MEL Meter (created by a man named Gary Galka, as a device to help communicate with his deceased daughter Melissa... you should Google it. or see some details here)
4. REM-Pod: which sets off a visible and audible alarm when something gets close to and breaks its own EM field.
I hope this gives you some insight into what tools can be helpful for a ghost hunter!
Now, to get back to reviewing my many hours of evidence from my case 2 days ago....
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