Ghost Hunting - Tips & Ideas

GHOST HUNTING ON A SHOESTRING

For many people the idea of ghost hunting is probably one of "Wow!.....that sounds quite cool!".

They see television programmes like "Most Haunted" or "Ghost Towns" which to some degree make it look like you will experience something paranormal every time you're on a paranormal investigation and that you need all sorts of wonderful equipment, like camcorders with night vision, laser thermometers, etc etc.....

It's true that these are considered basic equipment by most if not all paranormal investigators.....So what to do if you’re on a tight budget or simply don’t know where to start.....

Firstly, you’ve already made the first step by joining a group or society like this one.

By joining a group you’ll hopefully get invited on a ghost hunt or paranormal investigation where you’ll be able to see what equipment the team uses, and will be able to ask questions like "What’s that, what does it do, what's it for" etc, also don’t be afraid to ask "How much was it?", or "Where can I get some equipment from".

The next step is to look at the equipment that is most commonly used.

1) A DIGITAL CAMERA

2) AN ELECRTO MAGNETIC FIELD METER/EMF

3) THERMOMETER LASER/DIGITAL

4) WALKIE TALKIES

5) TORCHES

6) NOTEPADS/PENS

7) SNACKS/DRINKS - AND A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOUR! (VERY IMPORTANT)

8) DICTAPHONE OR TAPE RECORDER

9) MOBILE PHONE

10) MOTION DETECTORS

OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT

Here we say optional because though it’s useful it's not a must have unless you intend to go into computer analysis of filmed footage.

1) Digital Video Camera with night vision facility to film in low level light areas or pitch black.....

2) Another optional piece of equipment that I feel all responsible ghost hunters should carry is a basic first aid kit.....You never know if/when someone may slip/trip/fall especially in the dark!.

So now lets look at some prices you’re likely to be quoted for NEW equipment.....

DVD Camera/Night Vision £200+

Dictaphone £10+ depending on whether it has a tape or is digital.

Digital Camera £80+

EMF Meter £30

Digital Laser Thermometer £30

Walkie Talkies £25

Torches £3+ depends on if you go for a maglite

Motion Detectors £30

Mobile Phone (most people have with them everywhere nowdays)

Pens/Notepads £3

Snacks/drinks.....depending on how much your nerves will allow you to eat!, so say £5-£10.

TOTAL AROUND £411.....

Now we've got an idea as to what all the equipment is likely to cost new, we can now start to break things down to fit our shoestring budget.....so, where to look?.....

A great place is eBay!.

Here you can find laser thermometers, EMF meters, torches, notepads, clipboards, digital cameras, walkie talkies etc, but you’re not just confined to eBay!.

Consider the supermarkets as most have home electrical sections nowdays where you can get some reasonably priced digital cameras for around £40, places like Netto and Lidl have some pretty good bargains in too, like torches £1, aluminium cases (like camera cases) to keep all your investigation equipment in are around £8.

Also lets not forget the cheapie shops like Poundland.....here too you can get torches, small door alarms in packs of 4 (great for detecting doors opening on their own!) and some places do motion sensor alarms for around £5.

Other equipment like walkie talkies can be bought for as little as £15 from Tesco!.

Laser thermometers can be bought from Maplins for around £26 and EMF meters the same sort of price, again from Maplins.

TOTAL AROUND £123!!!!!.

Quite a saving isn't it!.

Simply by shopping around for the best deals and cutting things down to basics untill you can afford to upgrade. You should never be embarrassed if you turn up for a ghost hunt with just a torch and a notebook/pen, after all are they not the basics?.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this and that it has given some of you the incentive to build up your own kit!.

Thank you for looking.