Below you will find some "tools of the trade". The  most important tool in any investigation is the ghost hunter himself. If anyone plans to become a successful ghost hunter or paranormal investigator he or she should first fine tune his or her own skills and knowledge before ever attempting to conduct an investigation.

    The investigator must possess an open mind. It is essential that a fine balance between cynicism and a pre-supposition of the outcome is used and that investigations are conducted with open-minded skepticism.  It really just means that an investigator should approach with the idea that anything is possible. This includes the possibility or likelihood that the location being investigated is not haunted. A investigator should be ready for anything - this even includes an outright hoax.

    Electronic devices as seen below are excellent to use and work with and are simply items to FURTHER document phenomena. These devices are best used in conjunction with eyewitness accounts as well as other investigative techniques. Each one of these pieces of equipment should not be used alone to establish a genuine haunting.

CAMERA: The camera has become one of the most important tools used by the ghost hunter to collect evidence of ghosts and strange phenomena. You can photograph the area of investigation, and the area of where alleged activity happened.  For the best in photography setup, click on photography and find out the most effective ways to use cameras to capture activity on film.

FLASHLIGHT:  Hopefully, there is no need to "shed light" on the necessity of this particular piece of equipment!

COMPASS:  It is recommended that investigators carry a compass into the investigation site,  leaving it flat and open in the palm of the hand. The needle of the compass will move each time you move direction and according to reports, it will begin to spin when it encounters a ghost or some sort of anomalous energy field. It is quite a consistent occurrence with much higher-tech devices. A spinning compass needle would certainly show that something unusual is going on.

TAPE RECORDER:  There is no question that the tape recorder is an essential piece of equipment in a paranormal investigation. It can be used effectively to keep notes for the researcher and also as way to record interviews with witnesses. There have been instances when paranormal phenomena have been captured on audiotape, including voices and bizarre sounds. Many think the strange audio anomalies captured on tape are communications from spirits. But are they really voices from "the other side"?  Most importantly, can we prove it if they are?

SHOES:  The style of shoes you wear will determine what comes out on audiotape. If two or more investigators are walking throughout a building and are recording on different levels or sections, audiotape may pick up the footsteps of the other investigator. A soft base shoe is adequate to provide silent walking throughout a building.

NOTEBOOK & SKETCH PAD:  These items will be used to take down notes and draw maps of the location. Each investigator should carry one of these to record any anomalies throughout the investigation. Once the investigation is over the notes should be analyzed and compared to each other in order to determine if there are any areas of activity each investigator documented.

FIRST AID KIT:  This would be used only in case of emergency and is self explanatory.

MEASURING TAPE:  This would be used to check distances and verification of witness accounts.

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