I was invited to be a tech on a ghost hunting team. Any suggestions, comments?

Originally posted by wash777
I agree, about being careful. I may be old fashioned, but I wouldn't do it. Why take the risk of something following you home? If you believe in ghosts/spirits/demons, then you are bound to have heard the stories of someone "taking on" one before.

I shy away from putting myself in situations involving ghosts/demons/spirits. They leave me alone, I leave them alone.

But, if you choose to go, have fun.

I've been invited before, and turned them down for similar reasons.

But.. I don't know. Life is for living. If we spend all our life in fear, have we really lived?

from all the ghost hunting type tv show's i've seen, all you need to do is be able to keep a straight face.

you shoul'd have a look at the outtakes of these kinda shows on youtube to see what a farce they are.

reply to post by pianopraze


Exactly. Life is for living. Not chasing around spirits/ghosts/demons of those that have ceased to live. They had their turn, enjoy yours! I bet they were not stalking the dead when they were alive. They were living!

but, I can see how it would be fun/exciting to some. Just not for me. If you decide to go, just be careful, and if you are a religious person, pray for your safety during the experience. Good luck!

Originally posted by Kino321
from all the ghost hunting type tv show's i've seen, all you need to do is be able to keep a straight face.

you shoul'd have a look at the outtakes of these kinda shows on youtube to see what a farce they are.

The leader of scarefest is Patti Star, who is becoming a friend. She turned down some big name channels because she didn't want to be involved in such silliness as goes on on some shows.

So i've heard some inside info on how... silly... some things really are.

I've met most of the the people on those shows over the years at scarefest, some are clearly only in it to be a star, and some are clearly in it because they are real and searching...

Originally posted by wash777
reply to post by pianopraze

 

Exactly. Life is for living. Not chasing around spirits/ghosts/demons of those that have ceased to live. They had their turn, enjoy yours! I bet they were not stalking the dead when they were alive. They were living!

but, I can see how it would be fun/exciting to some. Just not for me. If you decide to go, just be careful, and if you are a religious person, pray for your safety during the experience. Good luck!

good advice and thank you.

But the parts of life that interest me most have always been the more... esoteric. I don't believe anything until I've experienced it myself.. and often not then. There are many explanations, and on some things... we don't even know the right questions to ask yet.

So It will be interesting to see what happens on these trips

Originally posted by pianopraze
I've been volunteering at Scarefest for several years now. I got roped into it by one of my friends. I've made a lot of friends, and one of them invited me to join their team the other day as they need another tech.

I've never been, I've just seen the the ghost hunting shows on TV.. but ... that's TV not real life.

Anyone here already out ghost hunting?

Any comments? Suggestions? Warnings?

Make sure your real friends know you are doing this with this new group of friends.

Originally posted by loveguy


Make sure your real friends know you are doing this with this new group of friends.

ok...

not sure what your implying but thank you for your comment.

I have lots of friends, christians, pagans, atheists, and much more... many are interested in the paranormal.

reply to post by pianopraze



I'm a paranormal investigator....your question Is a huge one....I would like to ask if you have any specific questions concerning equipment? Protection prayers? Ghost?

My best advice to you right now... Do NOT run! If you panic...that's alright...just don't run. You lose so much info and possible evidence when you start panicking....

Of the few events we had at Mountain Grove Cemetery mountaingrovecemetery.com...
This one was scary as hell!

One fall morning I was on grave duty (to dig a grave) it was in one of real old sections so the maps of graves were not that great. Like move leaves almost gone from tree's ,ground fog(by a swamp) So myself with three other guys are there While using the back hoe we are looking in as we dig and sure enough we hit a old grave and the strange thing was there was a large metal ball down there about 2 feet in diameter , now this grave is over 175 years old. what the hell could it be??

My friend went to move it with the bucket of the back hoe so we could see it better...but when he hit it ,it broke open and this black stuff started oozing out...Oh what a Stench , like I never smelled before one guy vomited( I am a Firefighter and have some gross stuff like decomposing bodies) but nothing like this and we could all scene this was something terribly EVIL! We berried it Fast!

Yeah so be careful!

Originally posted by tracehd1
reply to post by pianopraze

 

I'm a paranormal investigator....your question Is a huge one....I would like to ask if you have any specific questions concerning equipment? Protection prayers? Ghost?

My best advice to you right now... Do NOT run! If you panic...that's alright...just don't run. You lose so much info and possible evidence when you start panicking....

Im just starting, so the only question I can think to ask is:

If you were just starting out, what things would you tell yourself after your years of experience?

One thing you can do for us/me is keep this in the back of your mind.
Please download the Ghost Radar app and put it to the test while you are out there doing the ghost hunting thang.
I would like to know if it really detects actual ghost activities or if it's just spitting out random readings that may appear real.

Can you do this for a semi skeptic?

Originally posted by Alxandro
One thing you can do for us/me is keep this in the back of your mind.
Please download the Ghost Radar app and put it to the test while you are out there doing the ghost hunting thang.
I would like to know if it really detects actual ghost activities or if it's just spitting out random readings that may appear real.

Can you do this for a semi skeptic?

Sure, can you tell me the exact name? I have an ipad... I see a ghost Radar: Classic, for free, A ghoast Radar: Legacy for .99 and a ton of other similar apps.

Please tell me the exact name from the app store and I will download and try it.

reply to post by nighthawk1954


Oh wow, that vid you posted of the white lady had Jeff Belanger in it!!!!!! I have met him on numerous occasions. He does some wonderful paranormal presentations. Very engaging, and humerous guy. He has been investigating all over the world. Also have some of his books. Thanks for sharing that!

Originally posted by pianopraze


Any comments? Suggestions? Warnings?

Don't cross the streams… It would be bad… Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.

Originally posted by spaceg0at

Originally posted by pianopraze


Any comments? Suggestions? Warnings?

Don't cross the streams… It would be bad… Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.

lol,

TY for the 80's flash back?

Who you gonna call???

Originally posted by pianopraze

Originally posted by Alxandro
One thing you can do for us/me is keep this in the back of your mind.
Please download the Ghost Radar app and put it to the test while you are out there doing the ghost hunting thang.
I would like to know if it really detects actual ghost activities or if it's just spitting out random readings that may appear real.

Can you do this for a semi skeptic?

Sure, can you tell me the exact name? I have an ipad... I see a ghost Radar: Classic, for free, A ghoast Radar: Legacy for .99 and a ton of other similar apps.

Please tell me the exact name from the app store and I will download and try it.

I'm sure it's Ghost Radar:Classic, but heck, try all the freebies just to see which one works best.
Also to see if it detects the same activity.

From what I've done ...

- EVPs EVPs EVPs .... seriously. Keep it rolling all the time.

- Be quiet and do things away from where there are lots of people. Like in Gettysburg, the ghost walks scare away the ghosts. But if you go back to the spots they were at, but on your own at 2am or 3am, you get activity.

- If there are stories of child ghosts, bring along a ball or a doll. Be quiet and move slowly when you put the toys out.

But the most important thing ... you can't 'tackle' it ... you have to be in a group of just 2 or 3 people and you have to be patient and you have to be quiet/respectful in most instances. Be AWARE of your surroundings ...

At least .. that's what I've found to work best.

Hi there pianopraze

Great to see someone taking a stronger interest in the paranormal.

I'm one of thelead investigators for a ghost hunting team here in the UK. We've done a lot, seen a lot and been left dumbfounded by a lot.

You say 'tech' but to what degree? I'm assuming setting up of the video cameras, depending on what your team are using. Are they handheld but placed on tripods? Is it a DVR system with multiple cameras connected by cable to the monitor/recorder or connected by wi-fi.?

Will you be sat there staring at the monitor on each investigation making notes on any 'events' you might see on the screen? Are you there to keep all the batteries topped up with charge?

Many teams operate in slightly different ways. some may have one person who preps everyones kit (not that I'd let anyone near my gear.. prevents them from having to pay for broken stuff and I insure nothing is tampered with to stop false evidence) others do their own thing..

going to go over some of the types of equipment used first. A lot of it is pocket stuff and is usually carried by almost everyone (depending on who buys what or can afford etc)

DVR Used for covering multiple rooms/areas and can be watched/recorded from the central hub/base. Data can be transfered to PC/DVD later.
Full spectrum video camera
They call these full spectrum cameras although technically they are not. It has just had a filter removed and replaced with a bit of glass.. I've used the full spec example as it includes both IR and UV. The same principle for IR cams.
digital voice recorder Used for the capture of EVP's (electronic voice phenomena) which are believed to be the voices of the dead trying to communicate or be heard..by someone.. anyone..
EMF meter Or K2 meter.. used to detect fluctations of electro magnetic fields.. slowly being replaced with ..
MEL meter Same thing, just a bit more groovy and more detailed than just flashing lights. This is the Mel 8704 meter.. It is called this due to the guy who had it built. His daughter was called Mel, who died in a tragic accident on the date 8704 in the US somewhere. His family and he kept on experiencing things happening around the times of Mels birthday, christmas, family gatherings, so he eventually set off to contact her. and designed this device.
other kit can include normal digital cameras for still photos, digital thermometers for setting base temp. in rooms and recording fluctuations during invo's. pocket flashlight/torch..it gets dark

So, you've arrived at you house of haunted repute.. you walk through the doors.. first thing you wanna do is be sure you can do a thorough walk around with the lights on.. you're checking for health and safety.. will anyone bump their head, trip, walk into something nasty/wet/gooey/hard etc.. If so, do something to prevent that..

Then you'll be setting up your kit, trailing DVR camera wires all over the place (I don't like wi-fi, you can lose signal). Keep your wires on a real.. not just wound up by hand..
You'll be doing base readings.. recording ambient temperature, walking round with EMF(K2) meter checking for spikes from wiring, lights, switches, tv's, microwaveovens...anything and everything.. If you find spots that have strong fields, record it on paper so you can stop false positives later.
Be sure to tape down any camera wires where someone may have to walk over them to avoid tripping etc. If you can't tape it, hang it.. find a way.. every place is different.
be sure you got fresh batteries for kit..rechargables are cool..can be cheaper unless you know someone.

Are you writing all this down? you'll only forget what I'm saying

So, you'll more than likely be about ready to get started, but gain depends on what role they want you to fill.
You might end up walking around with them or just sat at the monitor recording events you see on the screen. If you are sat there, alone.. in the dark.. watching a monitor...and bored.. ah well..not much I can help you with there.

Continued.... run out of characters .blimey, don't I go on..

Except for get yourself a flask of coffee/tea/coco and relax and watch everyone have the beejesus shocked out of them in every corner of the place you're in. Or you could use any of the spare kit lying around and do your own bit of investigating whilst your there.

Use an EVP recorder and get it going and ask questions..any questions.. I like "do you know you're dead?" that gets them going..

If you use it..be sure to talk clearly..any whispers made by you or anyone else may be mistaken as an EVP later and give you a false positive and hours of trying to listen to something you can't understand but all that was whispered was "did you hear that?"
Your team should know their stuff so they will answer a lot of your questions.. if not, come back here and give me a shout

Whilst filming or doing EVP sessions.. stand still as best you can.. yes people will break wind..you will laugh.. don't take it all too seriously.. if you can't enjoy it, somethings wrong. all missery and no play makes thingy a bad wotsit..

What else is there..
EVP sessions.. about 10 minutes each time. leave a few seconds gap between each question in order for any reply to be captured.
Digital photos..as many as you like.. but say "flash" before pushing the button otherwise you'll blind half your team who just happen be stood right ni front of you as you take a picture.

Get to know your team and how they operate.. everyone in my team knows I have a tendency to wander off on my own and end up scaring the heck out of them..


Be ready for almost anything happening..expect the unexpected..

Be ready for things that seem to defy physics..like electricity travelling upwards..

You may find yourself in a room that is dark, but just seems to be getting darker and darker until you cn't see your hand in front of your face..and the temperature is dropping..fast..
Above all, enjoy yourself..have fun, watch listen learn what the others do then come back here and write up a thread about your experience and everything

All the best, good luck, hope this helps..

EA

all videos shot by me

Happy hunting! Take some extra underwear just in case....