Tools of the Trade

As the page title says, these are some of the tools and equipment we use during investigations. Most of the items listed here are usually carried personally by each investigator or between two and three person teams. Following the picture is a brief description, approximate mid-range cost for the item and a fuctionality description.

This is by no means a be all, end all, must have list. Most of this is gear the group has aquired personally or through benefactors. Daily, new equipment is developed and given to groups to test in a field environment. If you have an item that you have tested and can provide a picture of it with a description, cost and functionality description. Please send it in and we’ll post it and give you or your group credit for the submission.

Digital cameras come in all shapes and sizes. I use a Sony DSC 8mpx. When I bought it it was top of the line for a month and I paid roughly $500.00 for it. You can now purchase 12mpx digital cameras priced around $250.00 to $350.00. More storage means more memory and more money; you do the math. Nice to have but not really my favorite investigation image grabber. Read my blog and others comments; I think you’ll agree. My camera is as manual or programmable as you want to make it. Nice to have but not recommended.

Standard manual 35mm SLR camera. This is the Minolta XG1 and is almost atomic proof. This fantastic field camera has a metal body and can really take a knock. You can find them on E-Bay and Amazon for around $189.00 and are worth every penny. You may even find them in your local pawn shop for a little cheaper. Its only pitfall is you need to have more than basic point and shoot camera skills. Some knowledge in aperture and shutter speed would be very helpful. Other than that, this camera is highly recommended and very versatile.

Standard programmable 35mm SLR camera. Again another Minolta. Pretty much point and shoot with a bunch of preprogrammed settings available on a selector knob. Auto-focus and a hidden flash are nice features to have. It also has a built in auto-winder for taking progression shots. Not as durable as the previous model (plastic body). You can find these on the market for $200.00 to $300.00 or more.

I can’t speak for the others in TMPRG but I exclusively use Olympus Digital Voice Recorders. I’ve tried alot of other name brands and have found that I always fall back to my Olympus recorders. The recorder shown here is the VN6000. It provides 600+ hours of recording time, you can time set your recording, hold over 400 files in four different folders, play it back slow or fast and it indexes the files for fast file retrieval as well. This will cost you about $40.00. The only draw back is it doesn’t have USB connectivity so you have to do ‘real-time’ file down loads to whatever computer you’re using. This is fine for any first time investigator or someone who’s not sure how much of a commitment to paranormal investigations they want to make.

To the left is the Olympus VN-5200PC. This offers the same features as the VN6000 with three differences. First, the record time is only 220 hours. Difference number two: you have the USB connection to do on the spot field downloads; a fantastic feature. Change three is the price, it goes up to $46.00. The unit also comes with its own USB cable. So the trade off here is physical storage for ease of download. Besides, if you’re doing an EVP session that lasts 220 hours (that’s almost two weeks folks…do the math) God bless you! This unit is actually perfect for the new investigator.

Here’s the Olympus WS-210S, with 512 MB of internal flash memory users can record up to 138 hours of digital audio in HQ, SP, and LP recording modes. This unit lets you continuously record for 19 hours with one AAA battery. A Voice Filter eliminates high and low frequencies during playback to enhance human voices. You can also use the WS-210S as a mass USB storage device to hold any type of digital file. The WS-210S keeps files organized by letting users record to five different folders that each hold 200 files. When it’s time to transfer files to a PC, you plug the recorder right into your computer for easy, full-speed transfers using USB 2.0 connectivity. This digital recorder is compatible with Windows ME, 2000 Professional, XP Professional, XP Home Edition, and Vista operating systems. This recorder will cost you around $90.00.

This inexpensive EMF meter is great for novice and experienced paranormal investigators. Developed to detect cellular EMFs this 9-volt powered unit comes with a detachable probe, back light two scale meter, variable range selector and a simple push button on/off feature. As you get hits, the red dome lights up and the unit emits an audible tone to alert you. The Cell Sensor comes with an owners manual describing how to use it and is a fantastic first EMF meter allowing you to discover and note the EMF levels around us. Cost is $40.00 -$50.00.

Another relatively inexpensive EMF meter. The K-II has a five LED colored light scale and measures in ranges. This meter is great to discover EMFs but not to determine if they’re natural or man made. Another issue is if you need pin-point accuracy for EMF documentation; the lack of a definitive scale leaves something to be desired. Older models have a push and hold button which makes it necessary to wedge a quarter between the button and housing to keep it on without burning your thumb out. The newer push button on/off models (shown here) no longer need a coin. Older models will cost you about $45.00 – $55.00 (plus a quarter). The newer ones (thumb friendly) will run you between $60.00 – $75.00.

Hands-free flashlights can be an investigators best friend. They come in many styles. Shown here is an “eyeglass style”. There are also centered led lamps worn on the head with an elastic head strap. The prices vary as much as the styles and can range anywhere from $20.00 to $50.00 or more. If you can, try to get a hands free flashlight setup that comes with insertable colored lenses; great for protecting your night vision!

There are some things that just last forever and this is one of them. I know of no other flashlight on the market that lives up to its claim of durability. I present to you the Maglite. The one shown is the (3) D-Cell version. You can pick these up anywhere and they range in size from key chain versions to a (6) D-Cell battery version. Depending on where you go you can purchase one for $9.00 up to $50.00. The standard bulb that comes with it is fine but there are brighter Krypton bulbs available at an extra cost.

A very important addition to any groups gear box are two-way radios. The ones shown here are made by Motorola. TMPRG exclusively uses the Motorola brand for a couple of reasons; reliability and durability. Most radios on the market today are GMRS/FRS. Features on our radios include: paging, National Weather Service Emergency Broadcast channel, programmable sub-channels, vibrate alert, variable tone settings for different teams, a built in LED light and an earpiece jack for VOX activation. The cost is around $80.00 for a set but I’ve seen them for $129.00 retail. Radios can get pricey so get what you need and remember you get what you pay for. Also, if you get top end radios be prepared to get your FCC communications liscense for your group. It is necessary and will keep your radios from getting confiscated by the local police during an investigation!

Here we have an example of a pocket sized IR thermometer, the “HDE IR Thermometer”. The handy features this unit has are a back lit LCD display, push button on-off, LED light feature (gotta see where you’re pointing the thing) and a lanyard safety strap. The unit measures in Celsius and Farenheit but can only be changed or selected by accessing the removable rear cover. Total cost of the unit should run you no more than $26.00 with shipping included.

This is a fantastic, truly cost effective solution to your on-site investigation ambient temperature reading needs! I’ve seen the Actron CP-7875 online listed for as low as $23.00. This ambient thermometer shoots an IR cone 6-8 feet and is accurate to within (+/-) 2 degrees. It features a back lit LCD screen, push button on/off feature and a Celsius/Farenheit selector button. The whole unit is about 3.5″ x 1″ x .5″ and is as light as a feather.

The image to the left is an example of a laser IR Thermometer. This is a fantastic tool and is specifically good for object temperature readings related to object possession. It works by using an IR laser beam to transfer the temperature reading to the unit. These can cost between $75.00 to $362.00 (or more). The unit cost depends on the individual features and the temperature range the unit can read. This is an extremely sensitive piece of equipment and care should be used while utilizing this in the field; if you bang it hard or drop it you’ll need to ship it off for re-calibration. In any event, this is generally considered standard gear by many investigators.