What kind of equipment do you need?

I did most of my research online for what types of equipment I needed when I decided that it was time to test my ghost investigation abilities. Other researchers I had asked tended to be a bit closed mouthed on this subject. I have yet to find out the reason why but I do not plan on keeping my mouth shut about anything I use now or in the future. I hope this helps all new investigators in their search for the perfect equipment. By no means are any of these items required! A simple notebook and pen is perfectly acceptable, these items are what works for us and is in no way set in stone as to this is what you have to use.

I knew some basics off the top, a flash light, camera, EMF detector (rarely used now and is not pictured), and a digital voice recorder. But what else? What else do they use on these TV shows, well of course they use the most expensive equipment out there like the Thermal Imager. That particular piece runs for over $4,000.00 on Amazon, USED! No one in their right minds can afford equipment like this. Other websites attempted to sell me a "Ghost Hunting Box" which is ridiculous, I am not a hunter and never wanted to be. I didn't even know how to use half of the things in their box, nor did they explain why the use of such items is important. Let's go over each item that my team and I currently own and I will explain its purpose, pros, and cons.

 
Infrared Digital Camera (1): Bell Howell S7-R, Slim and fits in any pocket easily. It has 6 IR lamps that light up an indoor darkened room perfectly but it makes every picture come out as a circle. Unfortunately it is not the best camera for outside night use. Sometimes the photos come out really blurry and shaky, I need to get a tripod for it to prevent this and use it only as a stationary camera.You can order this from Amazon for $89 and it comes with a 2GB memory card. Using an IR camera allows you to take pictures without using a flash that will ruin your night vision and it does not blind everyone in the room.

 


Digital Camera (2): Any digital camera works well for the purpose of taking pictures. I have used many and broken many more. The Canon Sure Shot is the only one that has stood up to my testing. I can find nothing wrong with this one. I really like it.




Infrared HD Camcorder (1): Bell and Howell DNV900HD 1080P Infrared Night Vision Camcorder With Accessory Kit. I LOVE this camera! It allows you to shoot footage with an incredible 16-megapixel maximum resolution, ensuring spectacular detail and vivid colors in every shot. LCD touchscreen makes it easy for you to see the subjects and surroundings you are shooting crystal clear. It has 32MB of internal memory and you can expand the external memory with cards up to 16GB, 8GB in each slot. 1080p Full HD Video Output and 4x Digital Zoom. The only bad thing I have found with this camera is the one little IR lamp is not strong enough for outdoor use. You have to get an external IR lamp for that.



Digital Voice Recorder (2): You can purchase these online or at your local Radio Shack, Walmart, Kmart. (I bought mine at Kmart.) They came with a crappy software for listening purposes but the recorder is amazing. I got a microphone that is noise canceling and takes out all the ambient hiss when using the recorder. It also has a speaker for immediate playback if you want. It has 4 folders for memory and holds up to 70 hours of recordings. You can download the Wavepad Sound Editor that I use for free which allows you to amplify and edit your recordings. Although I never "edit" simply amplify for better understanding.



 
IR Thermometer: Gun with laser guide ST-380, Light weight and cheap. You can get this one on Amazon for $30. We use it for checking the temperature on surfaces around us before, during, and after, the investigation. It seems to be extremely accurate when tested against another temperature gauge.I have not found anything wrong with this piece other than it takes surface temps and NOT ambient air temps. So don't go waving this thing around and expect it to keep a steady temp.




Please, tell us what you think and leave comment below. Remember to "like" us on facebook by following the link on the right. You can also follow us on twitter @WNCPRS as well. If you would like us to investigate your area, send us an email here.

Changelings

Okay, so anything to do with small children happens to be my biggest fear. Think, "Children of the Corn". So last night being bored to tears and not being able to watch any of my normal ghostly shows Hubby and I put in Supernatural Season 3. The very first episode happened to be about changelings. Which, of course, made me wonder. Do they actually exist? The voices of small children can be heard at most haunted places without having any connection to children in its history. Is this the changeling? What is it? When has it been seen? Under what circumstances? Of course most of the idea of the changeling has been embellished for the television series. But isn't fiction based on some form of truth?

I set about my limited research. What I found from ever faithful "Wiki" was that a changeling is a creature found in folktales. Generally it can be described as the child of a fairy or troll that is able to take the place of the human child. Basically, the idea stems from the inability to define the sickness or deformities of afflicted children. The reason the child looked or acted the way they did was because they were the "changeling" and not the real human child.

As a parent of three small children, I believe that the idea could make sense to a mother who is helpless to do anything about her sick child. As a researcher I find it ridiculous that this would still occur today. However, it does and in many cases the mother has a mental illness. While I didn't answer my own questions just yet, perhaps one day I will be able to.

Please, tell us what you think and leave comment below. Remember to "like" us on facebook by following the link on the right. You can also follow us on twitter @WNCPRS as well. If you would like us to investigate your area, send us an email here.

Meet the Crew of WNCPRS

We have posted a little about ourselves so that you can get to know us! We all have different interests in life, we have very different backgrounds, but we all have at least one thing in common. That "thing" just happens to be our interest in the paranormal. Check out our Who are WNCPRS Members? page!

Happy New Year

2010 has finally come to an end. WNCPRS is looking forward to their future investigations for 2011. We hope to keep you posted and update in our adventures this year. All of us at WNCPRS wish you a happy New Year and we do hope all of your dreams come true this year. Please remember us as well and send in your investigation requests here. "Like" us on Facebook by using the link to the right and you can also follow us on Twitter @WNCPRS.

EMF (Electromagnetic Force)

Electromagnetism is one of four forces found in nature. It is the force that causes the interaction between electrically charged particles; the areas in which this happens are called electromagnetic fields. It is said that this is where paranormal phenomena occurs. Spirits can lock on to the electrical fields and draw energy from the area. Paranormal researchers can tell you that when they are experiencing something, hairs standing on end, touching, breathing on the neck, there is usually a high EMF reading associated.

I don’t necessarily believe that spirits appear every time there is a spike on a meter nor do I believe that there is a spike because a spirit is present. Remember, this is just my opinion so please don’t be offended if you use a meter. Yes, I have a meter. Yes, I use it. I use it as a tool to determine what ELSE could be causing the strange feelings we feel like our hair standing up on end. I do not use it as you see on the multitude of TV shows and say things like “look at that! There MUST be a ghost around me.” No. I am a researcher so I use tools to explain reactions not to determine them.

Most EMF detectors are scaled from 1 to 10. A reading of 4 and higher is said to be where the phenomena will occur. There is no scientific data to backup this theory as of yet. Some EMF detectors are scaled 1 to 5 thus removing the readings for basic household emissions. I have both types of EMF meters but again, I only use them as tools to define what I may be feeling.

Electromagnetism is responsible for practically all the phenomena encountered in daily life, with the exception of gravity, IE the ability to see light. High EMF levels can cause nausea, skin rashes, fatigue, headaches, forgetfulness, paranoia, and other more serious conditions like leukemia, brain tumors, birth defects, and cancer. Always be aware of where you are when determining high EMF readings and paranormal activity, under power lines for example will give a gigantic reading of 10 or higher!

There is a story about a local news station who called in an investigator about the strange happenings going on in their newsroom. People were seeing things, having a feeling of someone standing behind them, and even rashes. It was later determined with all of the electronics they have running in the newsroom alone and the EMF spikes being off the charts that they were not in fact haunted.

Please, tell us what you think and leave comment below. Remember to "like" us on facebook by following the link on the right. You can also follow us on twitter @WNCPRS as well. If you would like us to investigate your area, send us an email here.

Is it wrong to plead with the "Ghost Adventures" crew to come visit?

"Please, please, please, come to visit us in North Carolina, we are a hot bed of activity. Did you know that the one of the last formal surrenders the during the civil war was right here in Franklin, NC? You can also check out the Biltmore in Asheville while you are here, Americas Castle. We love you guys! Sincerely, WNC Paranormal Research Society."

I thought perhaps a little bribery of promised hauntings would do the trick. If you are reading this post guys, please let us know you are in town, we would love to pick your brains.

Yeah yeah, I know. I have sunk to a new low with this one. But who doesn't want Zak, Aaron, and Nick, coming to their hometown? Even if you don't care for their tactics or investigative techniques you have to admit they aren't bad to look at. Right?

New WNCPRS Logo

Hey everyone! We have a new logo and I hope you enjoy it. Please leave us a comment and let us know what you think so we can tell our artist!

Please, tell us what you think and leave comment below. Remember to "like" us on facebook by following the link on the right. You can also follow us on twitter @WNCPRS as well. If you would like us to investigate your area, send us an email here.



Doppelgangers

The doppelganger is presumed to be the double of a living person that typically represents evil or darkness. Doppelgangers are said to bring bad luck, illness, or danger, if they show themselves to family and friends. Seeing your own generally means death. They are generally seen through your peripheral vision. (Not unlike the Shadow People mentioned here) Some doppelgangers will impersonate its double to play tricks on friends or insulting family or they even attempt to kill the original.

Sorry...I couldn't resist.

Generally speaking, or at least on a paranormal researcher stand point, there is not much information regarding the doppelganger. We have yet to find any reports of a doppelganger on any related websites for  investigation which leads us to believe that we are either looking in the wrong area for information or there is not much a researcher can do to prove or disprove the existence. One may conclude that we are speaking of paternal or fraternal twins. We are not. We are more interested in the reports of persons born as a single infant seeing themselves or friends noticing that the person “was two places at once.”

Studies have been completed to try to find out why the brain would perceive something so sinister. Using electromagnetic stimulation to a specific part in a patient’s brain caused the patient to feel another presence in the room; the patients would describe these “people” as faceless, silent, motionless, and with a body structure not unlike the patients own. Different effects were identified when the patients were placed in different positions and the stimulation increased. Other reports of doppelgangers may be due to a failure of that section of brain.

Please, tell us what you think and leave comment below. Remember to "like" us on facebook by following the link on the right. You can also follow us on twitter @WNCPRS as well. If you would like us to investigate your area, send us an email here.

Shadow People

The definition of a "shadow person" is about as vague as you can imagine. These shadows are described as dark humanoid figures that are either the size of a large man or a child, they can even be shapeless beings. Appearing only in the peripheral vision of whomever notices. They are described as malicious or evil beings designed to create fear.

There are several ideas regarding these entities. Optical illusions or hallucinations which are generally brought on by psychological damage or circumstance; like hallucinogenic drugs or history of abuse. It has been said that a specific area in the brain can cause the illusion. There is a medical condition called Pareidolia where the brain misinterprets random patterns of shadow, light, or texture, as being shapes that are familiar to us such as faces or human forms. The same condition can happen to the general public as well. In lower light, such as dusk or dawn, when trying to focus vision on a certain object, can cause the brain to incorrectly identify the object.

Another condition, known as "waking-sleep" or Hypnagogia, is a physiological condition where a person can be between actual sleep and wakefulness. During this waking-sleep the person can be fully conscious and aware of their surroundings or environment and also in a dream state where images from their subconscious can also be perceived. People who suffer from waking-sleep generally describe a feeling of dread and visual hallucinations. Closely related to this is another condition referred to as Sleep Paralysis, which causes feelings of levitation, pressure on the chest, and an acute sense of danger.

This is just a definition to give you a better idea as to what may be causing the "shadow person" to appear in our mind's eye. By no means am I telling you that they do not exist nor am I saying that these occurrences are due to medical conditions alone. As a researcher you have to be able to know what the possible explanations may be so that you can better prove or disprove your own evidence. No one is a harder critic than you on your own work. Keep your mind open but be aware of the possibilities that something else can be the cause.

Please, tell us what you think and leave comment below. Remember to "like" us on facebook by following the link on the right. You can also follow us on twitter @WNCPRS as well. If you would like us to investigate your area, send us an email here.