These come in many
sizes and shapes, can be Analogue or Digital and vary in
their sensitivities and reception frequencies. They are
absolutely indispensable for any serious Paranormal
Investigator.
They are used to detect Electromagnet energy fields, the
presence of which are often found in alleged haunted places.
The big problem is that Electromagnetic fields can also be
found at relatively high levels near electrical wiring and
are generated by almost all electrical appliances, Mobile
Phones, Power Lines, Radio Transmitters, WIFI LAN, Bluetooth
Devices and Motor Vehicles.
For my part the meter that I use most often is one of the
simpler one’s, shown above, it has two ranges 1 – 10
Milligauss and 0.1 to 1 Milligauss, is analogue, fits easily
in a shirt pocket and is fairly inexpensive but does the
job, within its limits.
The downside to this particular piece of equipment is that
it has a higher sensitivity to mains electric fields, but it
is an understood trade off against its convenient fit in the
pocket size.
Other members of the group have similar units, although as a
group we are always looking for newer, more flexible and
more reliable versions. You can have too many meters working
at once, but when your group breaks down into smaller teams
you will need at least one per team, preferably two.
Confirmation of a result by another piece of equipment takes
away the doubt that it was an equipment malfunction that
gave the result it did.
So how do I know when I have a plausible Paranormal reading?
This mostly come from experience, but as a general rule if
the meter is held still but the reading is varying markedly
and there are no electric wires nearby then you “may” be on
to something. Two other types of meter are available, the
Tri Band, which senses over a large range frequency and can
differentiate Mains Electric fields. The big down side to
the Tri Band type is the high price tag , circa £200.
The other is the 2G meter (awaiting image), which becomes
sensitive to frequencies from 50Hz-2Khz. Once again this is
affected by Mains Electric Fields, but it is also
directional and can tell easily if it has picked up on a
cable.
We also have a simple version shown below, this can just
show medium and high levels, but has proved quite useful
from time to time.
So you have your EMF meter, how do you use it to get
meaningful data out of it?
First, you need to check all around the area, before
the investigation starts and most importantly record the
readings on a floor plan, then you can reliably eliminate
all of the known EMF fields during the investigation. If
your later reading was not there earlier and it is now, then
something has changed.
Before you get too excited with your find, first check for
obvious mundane solutions, has something electrical been
turned on that was not on before? Don’t overlook the use of
time switches, remember there may be something under the
floor, in the wall or on the floor above or even in an
adjacent room close to the wall where you are getting the
reading.
One that I have come across a number of times is the humble
PC, these can give off amazing and quite confusing EMF
levels. This usually results in an EMF reading starting some
distance off the floor, which increases in strength and area
and may even drop off again, which is how you can be caught
out.
Remember also that Video cameras can give rise to EMF as can
some other electronic devices that you may be using in the
investigation, two way radios and mobile phones being just
two examples.
