Paranormal Equipment

Here is a quick run down of the equipment which recommenced to be used on a paranormal investigation. Not all of it is essential but and the list will give you an outline of the useful stuff.

CAMERA - Not important for those who just want the experience but most want to try to come away with some kind of evidence. These days, most people (like myself) use digital cameras for the fact that you can see an instant result (and in my case because it is all I have got). These can pick up paranormal images just as well (if not better given that most orbs a controversially caught on digital) as 35mm but there is a downside. Even if you catch a full apparition, holding up a sign saying 'I am a real ghost' on a digital camera, it WILL NOT be able to be authenticated as a genuine ghost picture.
For a photo to be authenticated, it MUST have a negative to check. Given the number of fraudsters trying to make a name for themselves with fake pictures and the fact that digital images can easily be manipulated you can understand why this is.
As with torches, spare batteries (or chargers if there is a power supply at the location) are essential. For 35 mm users spare film is also important because you never know how many pics you will end up taking (at Maes Artro I took 127 on my digi). I am told that 400 speed film is the best to use but I would check it out yourself as I know nothing about 35mm camera's. Also, when having 35mm developed, the developers sometimes keep, or just don't process photo's that look like they have errors, which is what you are looking for. Insist at the start that all photo's are developed and returned.
Obviously the camera will need a flash but, if you have a strap on it it is best to remove it. A fraction of the strap in front of and close to the lens shows up as a large streak on the picture and gets people excited that they may have captured a vortex. Also, hair, ribbons, cigarette smoke, fingers and anything else close to the lens can give spectacular yet false results. Tripods are completely optional. There are times when you remain in one place for a long time and others when you are moving around a lot so it is up to you.

CANDLES/MATCHES - As a last resort in the extremely unlikely event of all power failure, including torches, these are recommended to help navigation. Also, candles can be useful for monitoring breezes.

DOWSING RODS - Though I haven't used them personally, I do know people who have had good results with them. They allow spirits to give responses to questions, via movement of the rods.

EMF METER - Otherwise known as a gauss meter these pick up on electro-magnetic fields, which are believed to be related to paranormal activity. There are many types of meter available with varying levels of functionality but the one recommendation that I will make is that if it has an audio signal, you should make sure it has an earphone socket. In a dark room any noise can make everyone jump...the noise some of these make will do just that.
in the absence of an EMF meter, a compass can also be used.

FIRST AID KIT - No, not because every investigation gets attacked by the unseen, but because accidents can occur within any group of people.

ION METER - This is an expensive piece of equipment and it is used to measure the amount of positive and negative ions in the area. Spirits are believed to cause a lot of positive ions because they give off high amounts of electromagnetic discharges.

MOBILE PHONE - In case of an absolute emergency, one should be available for getting outside help. Please do not leave them switched on during an investigation though.

MOTION SENSORS - Good for use in 'locked-off' rooms. You can get freestanding ones very cheaply, usually with their own built in speaker.

NIGHT VISION - An expensive piece of equipment mainly for the professional teams, but very useful given the darkness that you work in on investigations.

NOTEPADS - A lot can happen in a short space of time during and investigation so everyone should have some way of taking notes. The simplest and best way is a simple notepad and pen. Absolutely everything should be noted and timed during an investigation. The reason for this is that someone may notice a cold spot in a specific area at a certain time but five minutes later someone can notice a normal temperature in the same place. The cold spot then becomes significant.
Also,if a particular spot at a specific time is more active, it is best to be able to remember that for future investigations at that location.
I have considered using a pda to take notes, but given the brightness of the screen and the small stylus, I have opted against it.

TEMPERATURE GAUGES - A large part of an investigation is the recording of temperature changes so thermometers are an essential. Any thermometer can be used but there are very good ones which give times of changes in temperature and can even give you the temperature when you are in another room. Also useful are laser thermometers. These give you a surface reading so can be useful if someone experiences a cold spot.

TORCHES - The most basic requirement (in my eyes) for any investigation. On nearly all investigations you are working in near to pitch black darkness. Not only is a torch required for navigation during these times but if someone gets nervous about anything, it is useful to be able to have a light source very close. Any torch will be fine but for convenience purposes I have found, in my brief experience, that free-standing ones are the most useful. It is also important to remember spare batteries as electrical equipment tends to drain very quickly on investigations.

TRIGGER OBJECTS - A trigger object can be anything left to tempt a spirit to move it. If possible, something of sentimental value to the spirit is used, but anything can be (crosses are a favourite). To check if the object has moved, it is generally either placed on a piece of white paper, with a line drawn around in, or in a pile of salt/baby powder, as this will show up any movement.

VIDEO CAMERA - A good idea can be to 'lock-off' a room for a while and record it on video. Any video camera works fine for this. Obviously the more expensive the camera is the better as the better ones have improved night vision capability so can work in darker environments. However, as long as the camera has a spotlight it can still be used. I caught moving orbs at Maes Artro with a Super VHS-C camera using it's spotlight and normal vision in an otherwise pitch black room.

VOICE RECORDERS - Useful note only for notes, but also picking up EVP's. Often people have played back a recording and heard voices or sounds that had not been heard at the time. An external mic (preferably omni directional) gives the best results.

WALKIE-TALKIES - If the investigation is split into separate teams, these are an absolute must.

WATCHES - There should be at least one person with a watch in each team, for the benefit of notes and if you have arranged to all meet up again at a specific time.