Ghost hunting for the novice...equipment? tips?

What is the best ghost hunting equipment for a novice? I would like to keep this cost low.
Any tips on finding a good location other than looking for simply somewhere abandoned and creepy?
Ive had plenty experiences myself but my hubby hasn't and would like to see a ghost. So I figured I would take him ghost hunting around the week of his bday as a treat. I am planning other activities for his birthday week so cheap or low cost tips and equipment would be best, thanks in advance.

a reply to: Thisisfun2015

I've never tried contacting ghosts only because the thought kinda scares me lol but the topic is interesting. I've read a lot on Ouija boards..they seem to work. Happy Bday to your husband btw mines coming up too

Question is, is this for entertainment or are you actually intending to find evidence of ghosts with your husband?

If it's for entertainment, there are cheap EVP and EMF devices etc that should provide some data to amuse. There is always the classic ... get a really sensitive microphone and sit in the dark asking questions approach.

If it's serious then you will want some basic knowledge of signal processing, choose a couple of methods to focus on, and try to rule out back ground noise from whatever it is you're measuring.

For fun I'd defo go the Ouija board in a dark room with a really sensitive but rubbish microphone haha

In the recent past I have been director of photography on a Paranormal Ghost hunting, reality show pilot.

Our equipment consisted of a Zoom H4n recorder and a Canon 60D dslr camera. Very basic, but we got some stunning results filming in an old abandoned jail for juvenile offenders and an abandoned hotel.

If you use a camera, don't forget the tripod. Shaky, unsteady camera work detracts from your objective.

It's not an equipment suggestion, but a thought suggestion.

What you're seeking may not actually be a ghost the way we think of them. What you're looking for is a type of phenomenon which might have several causes besides the incorporeal soul of some dead guy.

The less bias you have on what this phenomena is, the more likely we'll learn something about what it is. That said, have fun looking, anything that helps us uncover more about what people are seeing and experiencing the better.

Hi! I started doing paranormal investigations about 3 years ago with my brother in law as a common interest. We've been to Mansfield reformatory, Gettysburg, Bardstown, Bobby Mackey's and various other places.

I bought a lot of things, a lot! But it always comes down to the few items I always take.

1. Eddie Bauer vest to put stuff in
2. Sony stereo recorder with USB plug (EVP's)
3. Joggers wrist pouch for recorder (I let recorder run hands free)
4. K-2 with constant on switch
5. Seek Thermal camera for my iPhone 6
6. Ghost Radar (not convinced this works, but it sure gives some coincidental readings)
7. Drift HD Ghost video camera, love this cause it has a remote that goes on your wrist
8. flashlight
9. audacity on macbook pro for EVP analysis
10. pendulem, it works but I don't understand why
11. Digital camera
12. Pelican case to hold all gear

Stuff I bought and hardly use
1. Copper divining rods
2. radioshack radio for use as a joe box and external speaker
3. Ovolus
4. Vibration detector
5. Multi detector
6. IR flashlight
7. Night vision
8. UV flashlight
9. Laser temp reader - non contact
10. aluminum case


"Being the skeptic and data guy, I follow this principle.Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth."
- Arthur Conan Doyle

a reply to: Thisisfun2015

All you need is a digital camera that can record video and a digital tape recorder that you can get at walmart for about 30 bucks.

As to locations, well, that depends on where you are.
I made a thread about my first ghost hunt here:
My First Ghost hunt:The Palmer House

All I used was a digital camera and tape recorder, but it was a good time with some spooky moments.

Adobe After Effects

Best tool in the business.

Here's a tip. Don't go into the light!!!

You get lens flare. Then again you could always sell the video as a UFO.

Why don't you take him on a haunted tour of some sort? Maybe have a tour bus take you to haunted locations, local cemetaries, etc. You can always bring a camera and see if you capture anything.

I would really advice you to not seek out any type of ghosts because you may end up with unwanted visitors in your home. Or bring them back.

a reply to: blackmetalmist

That was one of our worries when we did ours.
That something could follow us back, but actually the opposite happened.
The activity we were having here stopped for a while after going there.
I think whatever it was that was bugging us then decided to stay at the Palmer house.

Oh yes.....patience....lot of patience

Honestly, the greatest tool you can have is your own mind. Ghost hunting and paranormal research is trying to be more like science everyday. There's nothing wrong with that, except that they almost exclusively do things and use things which clearly don't gather hard evidence to use and study. You can grab all the over-priced equipment you want, but at the end of things, if you're not practicing a good scientific method, your results mean nothing.

Never go in with expectations to find something. In science, you don't go in with a conclusion, or even a theory, and then base the facts you find around it. You notice the facts first, and you draw your conclusion around those facts.

Here's the scientific method for you:

1) Ask a question
2) Do background research
3) Construct a Hypothesis
4) Test your Hypothesis
5) Analyze your data and draw a conclusion
6) Report your results for peer review

To my knowledge, there hasn't ever been a full 1-6 practice from any paranormal researcher. If there was, and everything was done so properly, we would have scientific evidence that absolutely proves whatever paranormal event occurred.

Take this as an example of what could succeed as a proof for ghosts using the scientific method (please humor me on this as it's a bit ridiculous):

You're researching an abandoned prison when you actually visually see an apparition. You take photos of it and video, along with other paranormal researcher equipment for testing. The thing comes flying at you then disappears. There's this strange plasmic substance along the path it flew. You gather that substance into a bottle and have a lab test it for whatever. Turns out it contains DNA from a dead inmate whom had his DNA sequenced while in the prison, and was put to death for his crimes. You go back to the prison and the same thing occurs yet in a different area, you document it all again, and find the same results with the plasmic substance.

You now have video proof and physical proof, and you also have shown that your paranormal equipment you spent way too much money on actually works! You've just proven ghosts exist (among a plethora of other things: Afterlife, the existence of plasma stuff, so on and so forth)

1) Ask a question (You think you saw a ghost, and ask do ghosts exist?)
2) Do background research (you went to a prison to do your research, albeit with unproven equipment)
3) Construct a Hypothesis (after filming the ghost and testing this plasmic stuff, you gathered results and form a hypothesis)
4) Test your Hypothesis (go back to the prison and get the same results as before)
5) Analyze your data and draw a conclusion (you draw a conclusion on your results)
6) Report your results for peer review

It's kind of like that

Conversely, this is what paranormal researchers usually do:

1) Assume everything is due to ghostly causes (floor makes a crackling sound. doesn't take into consideration the house is 100 years old)
2) Films every bit of movement and dust particles possible and says "this is evidence!"
3) Concludes they saw a ghost and have "proof" (using nothing but crappy video footage)

Please, use the best tool you have and think rationally

a reply to: Darkblade71

It would make plenty sense that just as much as a spirit would follow you, it can also decide to go somewhere else (if it is attached to you). I've never heard of it, but I can imagine how much of a relief it must have been.

Wow soo many great responses. And I have some of these things like the digital camera and such.
Didn't even consider trying to get evp's great idea.
Oh i really like the idea of doing a tour, that might make planning a bit simpler

What a great response guys and gals thank you very much! As I said before I can't spend a lot on this as it is just one of the activities I would like to do for his bday week but now I have a much clearer idea of what it entails and what to bring.

I don't think it will be tough to make this a fun outing, thanks again everyone

a reply to: Thisisfun2015

Have fun ! And you if capture any great pictures, don't forget to post them up

a reply to: blackmetalmist

Yeah I never thought of that either,
it was an interesting experience.

The place is supposed to have some sort of gateway,
so this thing might of just used it to go back to where ever it wanted to go.

Better there than here...lol

Equipment..... child what you want to do is butter yourself up and present yourself to whatever it is that will be there.....

Then once you leave let it come home with you and haunt your family.....

p.s - there is no such thing as ghosts what you are seeking should not be found at all....

if dust floats near the camera
it looks like ghost balls!
don’t be fooled. just blow and see them whiz away!

You have to be the coolest wife ever to do this for him. I would love to do this with my wife, but she gets scared watching prime time TV. Good luck and I hope you post anything you come across.