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Video equipment plays a big role in paranormal investigations. They can be used to attempt to capture paranormal events as they occur and are also great for filming your group as you carry out an investigation. One more very important role for the video camera is to tape interviews for later records. The video also serves not only as a record for paranormal activity, interviews and a filming of the investigation, but also as a means of collecting EVP's from the video's internal microphone. With today's technology, Sony is the best bet, Sony puts out the best video camera for paranormal investigations, mainly because of the Night Shot capabilities and the price. With night shot you have instant Night Vision scope with recording of what you see. Because the Night Shot is true night vision, the camera can see things that are out of our human eyes capabilities. The Night vision sees at a different range then the human eye. It is highly recommended that you purchase the IRL optional light that extends the night vision distance from 10 feet to 90 feet. The TRV37 is a good camera and produces the same quality and recording as the more expensive models. Why waste money on options that you won't use. So for the money and quality, we recommend the TRV37 and the TRV128..
A tripod is a great tool for use in low light photography, both in still and video. Often times in low light photography we get an effect called camera shake. By using the Tripod we can eliminate this effect without having to increase lighting, especially if we are aiming to photograph in low light conditions. So we recommend a tripod for eliminating such effects as Camera Shake and it is great for setting up video in one room and monitoring it from another.
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Meters
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EMF and the Tri Field Natural meter are outstanding tools for the paranormal. We use the Tri field Natural meter and the Extech 480823 EMF meter with ELF (30 - 300 Hz) Frequency Range and a range of 0.1m - 1.99.9m Gauss or 0.0 - 19.99 Tesla. We started out with the Extech, but have found that it works great side by side with the Tri Field Natural meter. The Extech is excellent for the beginner and the professional alike. For it is standard enough to learn as a beginner, but reliable enough to use as a professional. With the Extech, when using the Gauss settings, ranges from 0.0 to 1.0 usually indicate natural fields are present. 1.0 - 8.0 usually indicated paranormal energy is present, with 8.0 and up indicating man made fields are present. For the Tri Field Natural, we recommend to really study this piece of equipment and learn the ranges for spirit energy that is present. It is very difficult to try and explain in a short note on the web as we are doing here. But we can say that the Tri Field Natural is an excellent piece of equipment and is outstanding for paranormal investigations. This Tri Field Natural can be optioned with a hookup for your lap top for monitoring an area at a distance. Click on the Trifield Natural Meter to visit Alpha Labs, Inc.
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One piece of equipment that we use but do not totally rely on it's results is the VSA. This Voice Stress Analyzer is a sort of a compact lie detector. I hate to use that word for we don't like to accuse anyone of lying. Instead we like to refer to it as a Voice Stress Anyalizer. It is said that when a person is not telling the truth, that the voice box constricts and there for creates a vibration that the human ear cannot detect, the VSA can detect this constriction and therefor alert of this change in the muscles that control our speech. This piece of equipment is used by us, not to determine if a person is lying, but rather to prove to others that the person believes what they saw, heard of experienced of the paranormal is what they believe to be the truth.
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Technical Add-ons
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New for Missouri Ghost Hunters Society for 2003 is a completely designed laptop for paranormal investigations. This system was designed solely for MGHS with our needs in mind. Complete with a smart media drive for easy transfers of our digital photos from camera to laptop. No wires needed, just pop your smart media card in the laptop drive and use it as a normal drive. This 2.1 HZ has 512 Megs memory, GForce 4 Graphics card has its one separate memory of 128 Megs for speed and unchoppy video preview. Also equipped with easy audio and video editing.
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Another ideal piece of equipment for safety is the Cell Phone. Being a paranormal investigator puts you in very remote locations and opens you up to the elements. This is a very reliable insurance policy that could very well come to your rescue if the need ever arises. From automobile problems to the criminal elements this piece of equipment is well worth the price. You can get these without a monthly contract and use the pre pay system or you can commit to a contract with a monthly fee. Are choice was the contract. For we travel and are often in long distance charging areas, we are given free long distance with unlimited minutes.
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Here is another communication tool that is a must in the field. These are the Ranger and Cobra models with a range of 2 miles. They come with hands free operations with voice activated talk about. The Cobra's come with a rechargeable battery and desktop charger. They are light weight and clip to the belt very easy. We have put these through the test and are very impressed with their range. In a 7 story hotel, these Rangers did not break up and always came through with clear tones. Little to no RFI resistance and are very reliable. When you have to split from the team, this piece of equipment can bring you help in a moments notice. They are equipped with 13 channels, scanning mode, alert pulse activation and so much more.
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Motion Detectors
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The Room Guardian uses 360 degrees Passive Infrared motion detection and is completely self-contained and portable. It operates on a 9-volt battery or AC adapter (included) and can be mounted or placed in any location. The unit can also be armed and disarmed from up to 30 feet away with the handheld remote. PIR technology uses infrared radiation to detect temperature changes and it also uses an Infrasonic detector to measure shock waves and physical movement. Sensitivity on the unit can be easily adjusted. Produces a loud (100 db) alarm for 30 seconds when activity is detected.
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We also use this Radio Shack Motion Sensor Alarm. It uses Passive Infrared and has a range of 30 feet with a detection angel of 60 degrees. This model is wireless and requires one 9V battery. It is pre set to an equivalent to 30 lbs of human weight before activation of the alarm, thus decreasing false alarms by pets, wind, lights, etc. and is used in paranormal investigations for a couple of things. One, it is great for securing an area that you are in and second, it has been said and we have witnessed the activation of these motion detectors by spirit energies. With this model, lights and many other interference's that often activate other motion detectors does not affect this model and has been proven to be very reliable and has alerted us of the presence of spirit energies numerous times..
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Tape Recorders
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We use three different type of Tape Recorders. The desk top is a Sony model and is used primary for interviews. The Micro Cassette and the Digital recorders are used for EVP's. It is imperative to use external microphones with all recorders, even the ones used for interviews. This is for the event that during an interview that you capture a spirit voice and this will assist in eliminating motor noise from the recorder as being mistaken for the paranormal. So no matter what type of recorder you use, always use an external microphone. Also note that the batteries in all models must be up to par and always use a new tape for each EVP.
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Temperature Reading Devices
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When spirit energy is present there is often a change in the temperature. We use the digital thermal scanner and the thermal probe. With the probe and a squeeze of the trigger you can get an instant reading on any target you point at. The laser shoots at a target and a portion of the laser returns giving you an instant reading. You can target orbs, or areas of a room and record changes in the temperature. The digital thermal scanner is great for monitoring a certain area. It is built with an alarm when the temperature drops to a pre programmed temperature that you program. This alarm notifies you of a change in temperature. This will allow you to probe the area after the alarm activates giving you alert to spirit energy.
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Mics. Equipment
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This piece of equipment is self explanatory. But we do recommend this Military Style that comes with 4 lens filters. The Blue filter is for not drawing attention to yourself while in the field, Red is for using with Night Vision equipment, Clear is for standard uses, and White is for close distance visibility and for signaling without drawing attention to your self, interfering with the night vision of other team members, or interfering with equipment. Flashlights are a must have piece of equipment in the field.
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Here is some more pieces of equipment that we did not list with photos. They are just as important and are in need of mentioning. We use the following in our investigations and post investigations for evaluating evidence
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