by Jason Hawes
STEP 2: THE SWEEP
At T.A.P.S. we do most of our investigations at night. That’s because spirits seem to appear most often at night. Also, the evidence we find is shadowy or has a faint light. The best way to find these strange things is to get rid of all the light. Then we use special infrared cameras that can see in the dark.
Still, we always begin our investigation during the day with a complete tour of the site. If you see the place in daylight you are less likely to bump into something or stumble at night. Knowing where you are is the first step to a good night of ghost hunting.
But there’s another reason. We want to find logical explanations for the weird noises or events at the site. We call this the Sweep because we want to clear out things that seem like paranormal evidence—but aren’t. We look for what we call false positives. That’s our expression for things that look paranormal but aren’t.
The daytime is a good time to look for debunking evidence. You don’t have to be plumbers like us to find reasons for “the unexplainable.” If you look closely, you will be able to debunk lots of claims. Debunking claims can be almost as much fun as finding paranormal activity! The members of T.A.P.S. certainly have a good time doing it.
Use this handy check list to help you when you walk through your site.
SITE SWEEP CHECKLIST
Be sure to look closely for these things:
• old pipes can make scary noises
• radiators can make steam and make whistling sounds
• water leaks can cause noises and creepy dampness
• air ducts can carry voices and create “woo” sounds
• a house settling can make creaky sounds and can make floors uneven, which can result in falls or weird feelings
• natural expansion of wood or other building materials can cause squeaks and groans
• mice, rats, raccoons, and other critters—even termites in the walls—cause noise and scratching, and they can move in the dark
• cracks in windows create drafts and drops in temperature
• blinds or shades that blow in the wind can make banging noises
• bad insulation can create a cold spot on a wall
STEP 3: SETTING UP THE COMMAND CENTER AND THE EQUIPMENT
Before we “go dark,” we have to set up. We put cameras and recorders in the hot spots (the places where strange sounds and sights have happened). We decide where each member of the team will be. And most important, we set up our Central Command Center.
The Central Command Center is where the team can meet and regroup during the night. On a T.A.P.S. investigation we set up monitors so the team members can check out the action in other parts of the house. We can also see where the other team members are.
Your Ghost Hunt isn’t going to be as complicated as ours, but it is still very important to set up a command center. Your team has to know where to go. They need to remember that they are part of a team. You don’t want them getting so interested in their own recordings or photos that they forget to focus on the team’s goal.
STEP 4: COLLECTING EVIDENCE
You’ve done your interview. You know the claims. You’ve toured the site. You’ve set up your command center. Now you’re ready to use your equipment to see if you can find some ghosts.
We use lots of cool equipment at T.A.P.S. But you can have a totally cool investigation if you have just these basic items:
audio recorder
video recorder
camera
compass
flashlight and lots of batteries
digital thermometer (Note: Use an ambient thermometer—one that measures the room temperature.)
But mostly you need your eyes, your ears, and your brain. There are some things that no piece of equipment can record. We have experienced phantom smells. We’ve had the feeling of being touched by a spirit. We felt a cool wind come up suddenly. These experiences have helped us learn what is paranormal. It has also taught us to understand the spirits themselves.
As we always say, ghosts are people, too, so they think like people. They think like you, because they are like you. That’s why no equipment will ever be as important as your brain and your senses.
GHOST HUNTING EQUIPMENT
The equipment T.A.P.S. uses are the same tools that scientists use.
EMF Detector: This measures the force given off by electric charges. Scientists call this force the electromagnetic field. We use it to see if there is a sudden increase in the electromagnetic field. A sudden increase could mean a spirit has entered the area. You can use a compass. If there is a sudden change in the electromagnetic field, the compass will spin around. There is another reason we use an EMF detector. Some people are very sensitive to electromagnetic fields. A strong electromagnetic field can make them feel sick or dizzy. Sometimes it gives people a creepy feeling, which makes them think there are paranormal things happening. When we find high EMFs we often tell people to have an electrician fix the electricity in the house. Sometimes the creepy feelings go away, and we can debunk the claim.
Audio Recorder: We use this to record sounds at the site. Some of the most important evidence we get is from sounds we record.
Digital Ambient Thermometer: We use this to measure changes in the temperature of the room. A drop in temperature can mean a spirit has entered the room.
DV Camcorder: A digital video camera is used to record video of the investigation.
IR Camera: A camera that uses infrared to see in the dark. Our eyes can’t seen infrared light waves, but the camera can use them to make pictures.
Thermal Camera: A special kind of IR camera. Thermal cameras collect visual information about heat and cold. They make warmth and coldness visible. We use it to detect cold spots and warm spots—and to watch for changes in temperature, which could mean a spirit has entered a room.
K-II Meter: Like the EMF, this detects the electromagnetic field. A light blinks to show how strong the field is. T.A.P.S. teams have tried using a K-II meter to communicate with a spirit. We ask yes-or-no questions. If the spirit wishes to answer “yes,” it can use energy to change the magnetic field and cause the light to blink. If the answer is “no,” the light stays off.
Geophone: Scientists use this device to study earthquakes. A geophone detects vibrations. We use it to try and pick up the vibrations made when spirits walk.
GATHERING AUDIO EVIDENCE
It’s night and you’re ready to investigate. Your friend Justin has told you that he hears strange sounds in his house. He says it sounds like a woman crying. Sometimes he thinks he almost can make out words, but he isn’t sure. He has heard this sound upstairs—in a hallway and in the small guest room.
You want to record this evidence so you can study it later. Any kind of audio recorder is useful: cassette, digital, or even a phone with a mic.
• If you can, set up several recorders throughout a site. If possible, also carry an audio recorder around with you during the investigation.
• Ghost Hunters like connecting an external microphone to the recorder. That way you don’t confuse the sound of the recorder with sounds in the room.
As you go through the house you will hear all sorts of normal sounds. Every sound—even something as small as a cough—must be tagged. To “tag” a sound means to say into the recorder what it is. You speak into the microphone and say, Matt just coughed, because when you listen to the audio later, you may not remember that your partner coughed. You may think the cough is a ghostly growl. Tagging it will clear up any confusion.
• How do you get spirits to talk? You start by talking to them.
Introduce yourself. Be respectful. Remember, spirits were once human and deserve the same respect as living people. Don’t start off by asking how they died. Would this be the first thing you’d want to hear in a conversation? Ask simple and direct questions, such as “Who are you?” “What are you doing here?” or “What do you want?” Between each question wait ten to twenty seconds s
o the spirit has time to gather enough energy to respond. If you are lucky, you will hear the sound and be able to record it. But even if you don’t hear it, you might pick up an EVP.
EVP is short for Electronic Voice Phenomena. These are the recorded sounds or voices of spirits. The strange thing about EVPs is that they can be heard on a recorder but not at the site by our ears.
We often rely on EVPs as evidence. Many times we have played an EVP to a client, and they have been able to recognize a phrase that was familiar to them.
GATHERING VIDEO EVIDENCE
If you have seen us on TV, you know that we use video cameras to document our investigations. Luckily, video and digital cameras are not as expensive as they used to be. So you will probably be able to use video in your investigation.
The camcorder is a great tool. When you play back what you shot you can see everything that is happening second-by-second. You can even slow time down to study every single part of an important moment. This helps when you’re not sure of what you’re looking at. Is it an orb? Or just a bug flying around?
We put camcorders in hot spots we want to watch. We also use handheld cameras so the team can walk around. If possible, using a mix of both handheld cameras and camcorders is the best way to go.
Another great advantage of using a camcorder is night vision. Most DV camcorders have a night vision function. Definitely cool!
Professional ghost hunters like us also use thermal infrared (IR for short) cameras. These cameras make cold and heat visible. Using one of these IR cameras, T.A.P.S. was able to capture one of the most startling pieces of evidence we’ve ever collected—an image of a full-bodied apparition at Arizona’s famously haunted Crescent Hotel.
Thermal cameras are also really useful in debunking a site. Let’s say you’re standing in a dark basement, asking a spirit to show a sign. Suddenly, you hear a rustling sound. This might seem like a paranormal experience. Then the thermal camera sees that there are mice scuttling in and out of the wall. Sometimes small critters can make pretty loud noises.
You can also use cameras that take still photographs. We don’t use them very often. But if you can’t borrow a camcorder to shoot video, a photo can be useful evidence. You just have to be careful. Strange images sometimes show up in a photograph. Often these images are not proof of something paranormal. It’s easy to be fooled. You think you are looking at picture of a ghost, but it’s only a puff of smoke caught on film.
OTHER WAYS TO GATHER INFORMATION
One of the first pieces of equipment T.A.P.S. uses at a site is the EMF detector (electromagnetic field detector). An EMF detector measures the force given off by electric charges.
Lots of things create electromagnetic fields. Power lines and electrical outlets… even your refrigerator. We use the EMF detector to try and find out if a spirit is in the area. The idea is that spirits are made of a type of energy that can cause changes in the natural electromagnetic field of an area. A T.A.P.S. team walks through the site with the EMF. What they look for is a spike in the EMF reading. That spike could mean a spirit has entered the room.
You can buy EMF detectors online, but you can also use a compass and get the same results. If there is a change in the electromagnetic field, a compass will spin around. You just have to make sure there are no metal items or magnets nearby.
A digital thermometer is another common tool you can use in your ghost hunts. It is used in the search for warm spots or cold spots. A cold spot might mean that a spirit is trying to show itself and is pulling energy from the room. Of course, once you find a cold spot , the next thing you should look for is a natural cause—like a crack in a window.
It is a good idea to have a notebook and pen so you can record your readings. If you have walkie-talkies, they can be useful for keeping in touch with your teammates. We have to say it again… your eyes, ears, and brains are your most important tools.
STEP 5: RESEARCH
Doing research about the site is very important. The T.A.P.S. team spends a lot of time in libraries and on the computer looking up the history of our sites. We try to find out who lived in the house and what they did there, and we try to find out who died in the house.
Remember the Ghosts with No Legs? That case was all about the research. Great stuff, but here’s the Ghost Hunt tip about research:
• Always do the research after you’ve investigated the site itself.
Here’s why: Did someone ever say to you, “Stand over there are try not to think of a bear?” Try it. You won’t be able to do it. The idea of a bear is already in your mind. The same thing can happen in an investigation. If you show up at a site knowing that a Civil War soldier died in that house, you will have that idea in your head. Next thing you know, every shadow or flash of light will look like a soldier to you. Or you may be so busy trying to find a soldier that you will miss an important piece of evidence that has nothing to do with the Civil War.
To be a good Ghost Hunter you have to observe and make notes about what you observe. You can draw your conclusions later. That’s when the research really helps.
STEP 6: ANALYZING THE EVIDENCE
So you have hours of video and audio tapes. You’ve recorded everything. Maybe you even saw some freaky phenomena first-hand. What next?
Now it’s time to study and analyze the evidence. Here are some tips to help you.
Analyzing Photographs
Be very careful about photographs. Is that white blob an orb (a ball of energy caused by a spirit)? Look closely. It could be caused by any of these things:
• cold breath
• smoke
• dust
• a finger over the lens
• camera straps in front of the lens
• rain
• a lens flare
• bugs
It’s not easy even for experts to be sure about orbs. A speck of dust can reflect light from a flash and make it appear several times brighter than it actually is. Most orbs are dust, bugs, moisture, and reflected light.. Even if you take two pictures in a row, one that shows the “orb” and one without, this does not prove that the orb is real. It only proves that in one of the pictures, the dust was at the right angle to show up on film.
A true orb is usually whitish-blue or green and looks almost as if someone tossed a ping-pong ball into the picture. But even then, orbs are not ghosts. They are just blobs of energy. And there can be lots of reasons for why they are there.
Analyzing Video Evidence
Video evidence can be very convincing, but it can fool you, too. Here are some tips that will help:
Never fast-forward during the first viewing. Yes, there are hours and hours of video to watch. Yes, it will be boring. Yes, there is a large chance that you will not find any evidence of the paranormal or ghosts. But do you really want to take the chance of missing something? A hugely important piece of evidence might only be present in your footage for half a second. There’s no way you would spot it if you were fast-forwarding.
Watch out for an out-of-focus picture. Some cameras, especially in dark situations, lose focus. This can make objects blurry. Blurry objects can look spooky. Is that a ghost hunched over in the background, or just a lamp? You could be fooled if the camera is out of focus.
Beware of matrixing. You may not know the word, but matrixing is something we all do. Ever look at a cloud and think it looks like your dog? How about the Man in the Moon? It’s human nature to make things seem familiar and understandable. But matrixing can be a problem for Ghost Hunters. Let’s say we have a photograph of a mysterious face in a window. We have to be sure that our minds aren’t turning a random pattern of raindrops into a face.
The best way to avoid matrixing is to be aware that it’s a problem. You can train yourself out of doing it. Matrixing often happens when you have a cluttered setting. Pictures of tree branches or leaves, a messy closet, fields, a mirror, or any other “busy” picture is a perfect place for matrixing to crop up. For example,
if it looks as though there’s a ghost crouching in the bushes next to your house in a picture, you must make sure that the image of the ghost is not the leaves or the shadows or the branches. If a ghostly image is real, the spirit will be made up of its own material.
Matrixing can occur just as easily in an audio recording as in a photograph. You might listen to the same loop of a recording a hundred times and not be entirely sure what you’re hearing. You might think to yourself, “Is that a child’s voice saying ‘help me,’ or is it just the thermostat kicking on?” This is where tagging is so helpful. Maybe you’ve tagged in the recording itself that the thermostat did turn on. Then you can debunk the noise. If there’s no other explanation, maybe it is a real EVP. That will be decided when you get to the very last step of your investigation.