Page 88 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - October / November 2018

88 Ghost Hunting Tools of the Trade

Ghost Hunting Tools of

the Trade

Continued from Page 87

Cameras of different types are used by ghost
hunters. Sometimes they'll take a conventional
visible spectrum camera and snap away, in the
hope that spirit orbs or other manifestations will
appear on the processed film. Since this
phenomenon has already been thoroughly
discussed in our episode on orbs, there's no need
to repeat it here. Suffice it to say that all such
images are well established artifacts of
photography and of cameras, and well
understood by knowledgeable photographers.
They happen every day in photographs that have
nothing to do with ghosts. Near infrared
photography is the monochromatic "night shot"
video that you see all the time, and that your
home video camera probably offers. The light
source is an infrared bulb on the camera, similar
they carry, ghost hunters completely
to the invisible light source inside your TV
misunderstand, misuse, and mischaracterize the Gettysbrew Restaurant
remote. These cameras record only what near
functions of these instruments.
infrared light is reflected from the subject, and
While it can be quite appealing to dine in an
of course they also record other near infrared
When you turn on the television and you watch authentic Civil War hospital that was converted
sources, which are relatively common. Far
people pointing their gizmos around the room, into a restaurant and brewery, try not to get too
infrared photography is the thermal imaging acting all dramatic and pretending to detect
discussed previously. It's simply a visual display caught up in the hype. Visitors dining at the
ghosts all around them, any intelligent adult Gettysbrew Restaurant have described the food
of the same heat sources detected by IR
should laugh out loud. Or better yet, change the as mediocre and the beer flat. For an alternative,
thermometers and motion detectors.
channel. Of course an intelligent adult should be try either the Restaurant and Pub in the main
free to watch whatever they want, and that's fine square or the Gettysburg Brewery located just
Dowsing rods are probably the least
— but one place I will draw the line is the point off of the square.
controversial of ghost hunting tools, in that where you let your children watch one of those
increasingly few people accept that they have shows and allow them to accept the silly claims General Lee Headquarters
any useful function. Yet ghost hunters still as fact. Watch it and enjoy it as entertainment, if
employ them. And why not? A self-described you find those people truly engaging and clever
psychic's untestable verbal reports are under the enough to be entertaining; but please, explain to Although admission to the building is only $2,
psychic's complete control. They cannot be your kids the science behind what they're seeing. once inside the building visitors will see very
tested, measured, or duplicated by others — they Or, as the case may be, the lack of science little. The inside of the headquarters contains
say only exactly whatever the psychic wants to barely anything that makes the headquarters
behind it.[]
say. Dowsing rods simply give the dowsers appear authentic to the time period or similar to
the way General Lee would have experienced
another way to communicate whatever they Tips On Avoiding
choose to communicate. Since the rods are held the space. Instead, inside the headquarters you
in the dowser's own hand, they move only when Gettysburg Tourist Traps will see a random collection of mismatched
the dowser wants them to move, and do not Civil War artifacts displayed in glass case after
case. General Lee makes his only appearance as
move when the dowser doesn't want them to. No
Gettysburg Tourist Traps an almost cartoon like cardboard cut-out. You
form of dowsing has ever passed any type of
can get the same experience of the headquarters
controlled test, and no dowser has ever proposed
any plausible hypothesis suggesting that Gettysburg, in eastern Pennsylvania, was the site by simply viewing the building from the outside.
dowsing might be an actual phenomenon. It is of one of the bloodiest battles in the American If you want to see historic guns and Civil War
among the most childish of pretended ghost Civil War. The small town and battlefield attract artifacts, visit the National Parks Service
detection methods. The only thing you can learn thousands of visitors each year, but there are Visitor’s Center where you can see the artifacts
from dowsing is which way the dowser wants to certainly some attractions not worth visiting. We for free.
swing his dowsing rods. have outlined a few of the tourist traps to beware
of while visiting Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Pioneer Lines Ghost Train
Audio recording gear is used when the
ghost hunter hopes that EVP. or electronic voice Ghost Tours The ghost train departs each evening at 7:00 pm.
Visitors can purchase the train ticket alone, or
phenomena, will appear on the recording. EVP's
have the option to purchase a small lunch for an
are discussed often enough to warrant their own Ghost tours are popping up everywhere and now
Skeptoid episode, and we'll be discussing them in Gettysburg there are 14 different tours to additional $7 per person. The lunch is a hotdog
in detail in the future. An EVP is said to be the choose from. While these tours are making and small bag of chips. The train takes tourists
voice of a ghost, and the claim is that ghosts can money on eager tourists who sign up for the on a ride with tales of ghosts and hauntings. The
talk perfectly well but can only be heard on an tours, the experience is rather under whelming. train only goes about 3/4 of a mile into the
electronic recording. This means that recording Most tours are simply following a tour guide Gettysburg battlefield and the stories that are
gear has the ability to convert inaudible along sidewalks, hearing stories about hauntings told are not authenticated and lack any specifics.
frequencies into audible ones. Engineers do not and ghosts in buildings that you are not The train narration is an odd mix of an
design this capability into most recording gear, permitted to enter. While it can be fun to walk inexperienced tour guide and a pre-recorded
since a change of frequency of perhaps tens of around for an hour and hear the spooky stories, audio CD. With awkwardly long pauses and a
thousands of hertz would render all recordings to see an actual ghost you will have more luck questionable route, the train ride is hardly worth
completely useless and horrible to listen to. So, exploring the battlefields after dark on your the $22 a ticket. Once again, you will have more
like they tend to do with all the electronic gear own. luck exploring the battlefield on your in in the
dark for any chance of a ghost sighting. []